| 1. And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah-you should have been the lowest of the clans of Judah-from you [he] shall emerge for Me, to be a ruler over Israel; and his origin is from of old, from days of yore. |
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| And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah: whence David emanated, as it is stated (I Sam. 17:58): “The son of your bondsman, Jesse the Bethlehemite.” And Bethlehem is called Ephrath, as it is said (Gen. 48:7): “On the road to Ephrath, that is Bethlehem.” |
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| you should have been the lowest of the clans of Judah: You should have been the lowest of the clans of Judah because of the stigma of Ruth the Moabitess in you. |
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| from you shall emerge for Me: the Messiah, son of David, and so Scripture says (Ps. 118:22): “The stone the builders had rejected became a cornerstone.” |
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| and his origin is from of old: “Before the sun his name is Yinnon” (Ps. 72:17). |
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| 2. Therefore, He shall deliver them until the time a woman in confinement gives birth. And the rest of his brothers shall return upon the children of Israel. |
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| Therefore, He shall deliver them until the time a woman in confinement gives birth: He shall deliver them into the hands of their enemies until the coming of the time that Zion has felt the pangs of labor and borne her children; Zion, which is now seized by the pangs of labor, is now called a woman in confinement. [I.e., now the labor pains will cease and the redempyion will come about.] But our Sages state that from here we deduce that the son of David will not come until the wicked kingdom spreads over the entire world for nine months (Yoma 10b, Sanh. 98b). But, according to its simple meaning, this is the structure as I explained. |
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| and the rest of his brothers: The brothers of the King Messiah; i. e., the rest of the tribe [of Judah]. |
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| shall return upon the children of Israel: Judah and Benjamin shall join the other tribes and become one kingdom, and they shall no longer be divided into two kingdoms. |
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| 3. And he shall stand and lead with the might of the Lord, with the pride of the Lord, his God: and they shall return, for now he shall become great to the ends of the earth. |
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ג. |
| and lead: Heb. וְרָעָה. And lead (וּפִרְנֵס) Israel. |
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| and they shall return: Heb. וְיָשָׁבוּ. They shall return now from the exiles. |
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| for then he shall become great: I.e., their king. |
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| until the ends of the earth: And they shall bring tribute to him [the Messiah] with horses and chariots. |
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| 4. And this shall be peace. Should Assyria come into our land, and should they tread upon our palaces, we will appoint over them seven shepherds and eight princes of men. |
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| And this shall be peace: A complete and permanent peace, without interruption, and it will not resemble the other redemptions after which there were troubles. |
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| should Assyria come: Heb כִּי יָבוֹא. This כִּי serves as “if” - If he comes into our land as he comes now. |
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| we will appoint over them seven shepherds and eight: Concerning the seven and eight, our Rabbis enumerated their names in Tractate Sukkah, but I do not know whence they derived them. [referring to Sukkah 52b] |
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| 5. And they shall break the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod at its gates; and he shall save [us] from Assyria, who comes into our land, and who treads in our border. |
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| And they shall break the land of Assyria: Heb. יְרָעוּ. And they shall break, similar to (Ps. 2:9) “You shall break them (תְּרֹעֵם) with an iron rod.” |
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| and the land of Nimrod: That is Babylon. |
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| at its gates: Heb. בִּפְתָחֶיה, at the gates of its provinces. |
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| 6. And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples-like dew sent by the Lord, like torrents of rain upon vegatation that does not hope for any man and does not wait for the sons of men. |
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| like dew sent by the Lord: which does not come to the world through man, and people do not ask for it, so Israel will not hope for the help of man, but for the Lord. |
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| 7. And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples-like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep, which, if it passes through, treads down and tears in pieces, and no one [can] save anything. |
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| like a lion among the beasts of the forest: So will their king rule over all. |
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| which treads down and tears in pieces: Heb. רָמַס. This is the lion’s treading down [an animal] when he [the lion] is hungry and eating it in its place. Tearing (טָרַף) is when he carries the prey to his den for his cubs and his lionesses. |
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| 8. Your hand shall be raised above your oppressors, and all your enemies shall be destroyed. |
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| 9. And it shall come to pass on that day, says the Lord, that I will cut your horses out of your midst, and I will destroy your chariots. |
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| that I will cut your horses: the Egyptian aid upon which you rely to supply you with horses. |
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| 10. And I will destroy the cities of your land, and I will break down all your fortresses. |
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| And I will destroy your cities: And you will no longer need fortified cities. |
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| 11. And I will destroy sorcery from your hand, and you will have no soothsayers. |
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| 12. And I will destroy your graven images and your monuments from your midst, and you shall no longer prostrate yourself to your handiwork. |
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| 13. And I will uproot your asherim from your midst, and I will destroy your enemies. |
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יג. |
| and I will destroy your enemies: Heb. עָרֶיךָ. Jonathan renders: And I will destroy your enemies. Similarly, (Isa. 14:21) “And fill the surface of the earth with enemies (עָרִים) ,” and (I Sam. 28:16) “And has become your adversary (עָרֶךָ).” |
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| 14. And in anger and fury I will execute vengeance upon the nations who have paid no heed. |