◄ Micah 5:4 ►
He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD His God. And they will dwell securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.
Study Bible
He will stand
The phrase "He will stand" signifies a position of authority and readiness. In the Hebrew context, the word "stand" (עָמַד, 'amad) often implies a steadfast, unwavering presence. This is a prophetic reference to the Messiah, who will take a firm and enduring position as a leader. Historically, leaders who "stand" are those who are prepared to defend and guide their people, embodying strength and stability.

and shepherd His flock
The imagery of a shepherd is deeply rooted in the Hebrew tradition, where leaders like David were seen as shepherds of their people. The Hebrew word for shepherd (רָעָה, ra'ah) conveys care, guidance, and protection. This phrase emphasizes the Messiah's role as a caretaker and protector, echoing the pastoral care God provides His people throughout Scripture. The shepherd metaphor is rich with connotations of intimacy, provision, and leadership.

in the strength of the LORD
The "strength of the LORD" (בְּעֹז יְהוָה, b'oz YHWH) indicates divine empowerment. This strength is not merely physical but encompasses moral and spiritual fortitude. The Messiah's ability to shepherd is not based on human power but on the omnipotent strength of God. This divine empowerment assures believers of the Messiah's capability to fulfill His role perfectly.

in the majestic name of the LORD His God
The "majestic name" (בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה אֱלֹהָיו, b'shem YHWH Elohav) underscores the authority and reverence associated with God's name. In ancient Israel, a name was more than a label; it represented character and authority. The Messiah operates under the full authority and character of God, highlighting His divine mission and identity. This phrase reassures believers of the Messiah's legitimacy and divine backing.

And they will dwell securely
"Dwell securely" (וְיָשָׁבוּ לָבֶטַח, v'yashavu lavetach) conveys a sense of peace and safety. In the turbulent history of Israel, security was a rare and precious commodity. This promise of security is a future hope for the people of God, assured by the Messiah's reign. It reflects the ultimate peace and safety found in God's kingdom, where His people are protected from all harm.

for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth
The phrase "His greatness will extend" (כִּי יַגְדִּיל עַד־אַפְסֵי־אָרֶץ, ki yagdil ad-afsei-aretz) speaks to the universal reign of the Messiah. This is a prophetic vision of the Messiah's influence and authority reaching all nations. Historically, Israel's hope was not just for national restoration but for a global recognition of God's sovereignty. This phrase assures believers of the expansive and inclusive nature of God's kingdom, where His greatness is acknowledged worldwide.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Shepherd
This refers to the prophesied Messiah, who will lead and care for His people with divine authority and strength.

2. The Flock
Symbolizes the people of God, who are under the care and protection of the Shepherd.

3. The LORD
The covenant name of God, Yahweh, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature.

4. The Ends of the Earth
Represents the universal scope of the Messiah's reign and influence.

5. Micah
The prophet who delivered this message, providing hope and assurance to the people of Israel during a time of turmoil.
Teaching Points
The Strength of the Shepherd
The Messiah leads with divine strength, reminding us to rely on God's power rather than our own.

Security in Christ
Just as the flock dwells securely, believers find true security in their relationship with Jesus.

The Majesty of His Name
The name of the LORD is majestic, calling us to live in reverence and awe of His holiness.

Global Mission
The extension of His greatness to the ends of the earth challenges us to participate in the global mission of the Gospel.

Hope in Prophecy
The fulfillment of prophecy in Christ assures us of God's faithfulness and the certainty of His promises.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of a shepherd in Micah 5:4 enhance our understanding of Jesus' role as the Good Shepherd in John 10?

2. In what ways can we experience the security mentioned in Micah 5:4 in our daily lives?

3. How does the extension of the Messiah's greatness to the ends of the earth influence our approach to evangelism and missions?

4. What does it mean to live in the strength and majestic name of the LORD, as described in Micah 5:4?

5. How can the fulfillment of prophecies like Micah 5:4 strengthen our faith in God's promises today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 23
The imagery of the Lord as a shepherd is a recurring theme, highlighting God's guidance and provision.

John 10
Jesus identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd, fulfilling the prophecy of Micah.

Isaiah 9
The prophecy of a child born to us, whose government and peace will have no end, parallels the extension of the Messiah's greatness.

Matthew 28
The Great Commission reflects the extension of Christ's authority to the ends of the earth.

Revelation 7
The vision of a multitude from every nation worshiping before the throne connects to the universal reign of the Messiah.
Sermons
Christ is Glorious -- Let Us Make Him KnownCharles Haddon Spurgeon Micah 5:4
The Mighty ShepherdHomilistMicah 5:4
The Shepherd and His MissionWilliam Jay.Micah 5:4
Christ as the Great Shepherd of MankindD. Thomas Micah 5:3, 4
People
Ephratah, Israelites, Jacob, Micah, Nimrod
Places
Assyria, Bethlehem, Nimrod, Zion
Topics
Abide, Arise, Delighted, Dwell, Ends, Excellency, Feed, Flock, Glory, Greatness, Majesty, Reach, Resting-place, Safe, Secure, Securely, Shepherd, Stand, Stood, Strength
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Micah 5:4

     1090   God, majesty of
     1105   God, power of
     1220   God, as shepherd
     1235   God, the LORD
     2330   Christ, as shepherd
     5042   name of God, significance
     7130   flock, God's

Micah 5:1-5

     1443   revelation, OT

Micah 5:2-5

     5366   king
     6704   peace, divine NT

Micah 5:4-5

     2378   kingdom of God, characteristics

Library
'A Dew from the Lord'
'The remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.'--MICAH v. 7. The simple natural science of the Hebrews saw a mystery in the production of the dew on a clear night, and their poetic imagination found in it a fit symbol for all silent and gentle influences from heaven that refreshed and quickened parched and dusty souls. Created by an inscrutable process in silence and darkness, the dewdrops lay innumerable …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Christ is Glorious --Let us Make Him Known
I want to conduct you in such a frame of mind through the glories of my text. First, bidding you observe the perpetual reign of Christ: "He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God;" then I shall beg you to observe that flowing from this is the perpetual continuance of his church: "and they shall abide;" and then proceeding both from his continued reign and from the Church's consequent perpetual existence comes the greatness of our King: "for …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 10: 1864

The Incarnation and Birth of Christ
"Who with more care keep holiday The wrong, than others the right way." The old Puritans made a parade of work on Christmas-day, just to show that they protested against the observance of it. But we believe they entered that protest so completely, that we are willing, as their descendants, to take the good accidentally conferred by the day, and leave its superstitions to the superstitious. To proceed at once to what we have to say to you: we notice, first, who it was that sent Christ forth. God the …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

Whether this is a Good Definition of Eternity, "The Simultaneously-Whole and Perfect Possession of Interminable Life"?
Objection 1: It seems that the definition of eternity given by Boethius (De Consol. v) is not a good one: "Eternity is the simultaneously-whole and perfect possession of interminable life." For the word "interminable" is a negative one. But negation only belongs to what is defective, and this does not belong to eternity. Therefore in the definition of eternity the word "interminable" ought not to be found. Objection 2: Further, eternity signifies a certain kind of duration. But duration regards existence …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

And Again the Prophet Micah Speaks of the Place Where Christ Should be Born...
And again the prophet Micah speaks of the place where Christ should be born, that it should be in Bethlehem of Judæa, saying thus: And thou, Bethlehem of Judæa, art thou the least among the princes of Judah? for out of, thee shall come a prince who shall feed my people Israel. [229] (Micah v. 2) But Bethlehem is the native place [230] of David: so that not only in respect of the Virgin who bore Him is He of David's race, but also in respect of His birth in Bethlehem the native place of …
Irenæus—The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching

Balaam
He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me.'--NUM. xxii. 6. Give a general outline of the history. See Bishop Butler's great sermon. I. How much knowledge and love of good there may be in a bad man. Balaam was a prophet: (a) He knew something of the divine character, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The visit and Homage of the Magi, and the Flight into Egypt
With the Presentation of the Infant Saviour in the Temple, and His acknowledgment - not indeed by the leaders of Israel, but, characteristically, by the representatives of those earnest men and women who looked for His Advent - the Prologue, if such it may be called, to the third Gospel closes. From whatever source its information was derived - perhaps, as has been suggested, its earlier portion from the Virgin-Mother, the later from Anna; or else both alike from her, who with loving reverence and …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Signs of the Redeemer's Return
As we have shown in the last chapter, the apostles and their converts looked for Christ to return in their own lifetime. They did not affirm that He would but they believed that He might. But eighteen centuries have passed since then and yet He has not come. The question therefore arises, What evidence is there that the second advent of our Lord is now nigh at hand--that is, nigh as judged even by human measurement of time? May there not be another eighteen centuries which must yet run their weary …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

The Greatest Trial on Record
Brethren, as the Lord gave commandment concerning even the ashes and offal of the sacrifices, we ought to think no matter trivial which stands in connection with our great burnt offering. My admonition is, "Gather up the fragments which remain, that nothing be lost." As goldsmiths sweep their shops, to save even the filings of the gold, so every word of Jesus should be treasured up as very precious. But, indeed, the narrative to which I invite you is not unimportant. Things which were purposed of …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 9: 1863

The Song of Solomon.
An important link in the chain of the Messianic hopes is formed by the Song of Solomon. It is intimately associated with Ps. lxxii., which was written by Solomon, and represents the Messiah as the Prince of Peace, imperfectly prefigured by Solomon as His type. As in this Psalm, so also in the Song of Solomon, the coming of the Messiah forms the subject throughout, and He is introduced there under the name of Solomon, the Peaceful One. His coming shall be preceded by severe afflictions, represented …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Covenanting Provided for in the Everlasting Covenant.
The duty of Covenanting is founded on the law of nature; but it also stands among the arrangements of Divine mercy made from everlasting. The promulgation of the law, enjoining it on man in innocence as a duty, was due to God's necessary dominion over the creatures of his power. The revelation of it as a service obligatory on men in a state of sin, arose from his unmerited grace. In the one display, we contemplate the authority of the righteous moral Governor of the universe; in the other, we see …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

The Millennium in Relation to Sin.
In spite of the fact that Satan will have been removed from the earth, and that Christ reigns in person over it, yet conditions here will not be perfect even in the Millennium. Unregenerate human nature will remain unchanged. Sin will still be present, though much of its outward manifestation will be restrained. Discontent and wickedness will not be eradicated from the hearts of men, but will be kept beneath the surface by means of the Iron Rod. Multitudes will yield to Christ nothing but a "feigned …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

The Birth of Jesus.
(at Bethlehem of Judæa, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke II. 1-7. ^c 1 Now it came to pass in those days [the days of the birth of John the Baptist], there went out a decree [a law] from Cæsar Augustus [Octavius, or Augustus, Cæsar was the nephew of and successor to Julius Cæsar. He took the name Augustus in compliment to his own greatness; and our month August is named for him; its old name being Sextilis], that all the world should be enrolled. [This enrollment or census was the first step …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Fulfilled Prophecies of the Bible Bespeak the Omniscience of Its Author
In Isaiah 41:21-23 we have what is probably the most remarkable challenge to be found in the Bible. "Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen; let them show the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods." This Scripture has both a negative …
Arthur W. Pink—The Divine Inspiration of the Bible

The Millennium in Relation to Israel.
"And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In that same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land" (Gen. 15:17, 18). Here the two great periods of Israel's history was made known to Abram in figure. The vision of the smoking furnace and the burning lamp intimated that the history of Abraham's descendants was to be a checkered one. It was a prophecy in …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

The Restoration of Israel is Only Made Possible by the Second Advent of Christ.
Under this head we shall seek to prove briefly three things--that Israel as a nation will be restored, that Israel's restoration occurs at the Return of Christ, that Israel's restoration will result in great blessing to the whole world. That Israel as a nation will be actually and literally restored is declared again and again in the Word of God. We quote now but two prophecies from among scores of similar ones:--"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

Balaam's Prophecy. (Numb. xxiv. 17-19. )
Carried by the Spirit into the far distant future, Balaam sees here how a star goeth out of Jacob and a sceptre riseth out of Israel, and how this sceptre smiteth Moab, by whose enmity the Seer had been brought from a distant region for the destruction of Israel. And not Moab only shall be smitten, but its southern neighbour, Edom, too shall be subdued, whose hatred against Israel had already been prefigured in its ancestor, and had now begun to display Itself; and In general, all the enemies of …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Paul's Departure and Crown;
OR, AN EXPOSITION UPON 2 TIM. IV. 6-8 ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR How great and glorious is the Christian's ultimate destiny--a kingdom and a crown! Surely it hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive what ear never heard, nor mortal eye ever saw? the mansions of the blest--the realms of glory--'a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.' For whom can so precious an inheritance be intended? How are those treated in this world who are entitled to so glorious, so exalted, so eternal, …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Sun Rising Upon a Dark World
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon then hath the light shined. C ontrasts are suited to illustrate and strengthen the impression of each other. The happiness of those, who by faith in MESSIAH, are brought into a state of peace, liberty, and comfort, is greatly enhanced and heightened by the consideration of that previous state of misery in which they once lived, and of the greater misery to which they were justly exposed. …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

What Messiah did the Jews Expect?
1. The most important point here is to keep in mind the organic unity of the Old Testament. Its predictions are not isolated, but features of one grand prophetic picture; its ritual and institutions parts of one great system; its history, not loosely connected events, but an organic development tending towards a definite end. Viewed in its innermost substance, the history of the Old Testament is not different from its typical institutions, nor yet these two from its predictions. The idea, underlying …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Eastern Wise-Men, or Magi, visit Jesus, the New-Born King.
(Jerusalem and Bethlehem, b.c. 4.) ^A Matt. II. 1-12. ^a 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem [It lies five miles south by west of Jerusalem, a little to the east of the road to Hebron. It occupies part of the summit and sides of a narrow limestone ridge which shoots out eastward from the central chains of the Judæan mountains, and breaks down abruptly into deep valleys on the north, south, and east. Its old name, Ephrath, meant "the fruitful." Bethlehem means "house of bread." Its modern …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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