1 Samuel 23:23 speaks of 'thousands of Yehudah', Micah 5:1 also speaks of 'thousands of Yehudah', but then I noticed Zechariah 12:5-6 which speaks of 'princes/leaders of Yehudah'. I know there are two different roots in play, but these phrases are spelled with the same letters. Noticing this, I found it strange that Micah 5:1 was translated as thousands of Yehudah, because it takes Beit Lechem from Efratah and places it against a thousands of Yehudah, were there really thousand of cities in comparison to Beit-Lechem in Yehudah? Or should Micah 5:1 also be understood to refer to 'leaders of Yehudah', as the one comming from Beit-Lechem would also be a leader.
1 Answer
Micah 5:1 is translated as
וְאַתָּ֞ה בֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם אֶפְרָ֗תָה צָעִיר֙ לִֽהְיוֹת֙ בְּאַלְפֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה מִמְּךָ֙ לִ֣י יֵצֵ֔א לִֽהְי֥וֹת מוֹשֵׁ֖ל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וּמוֹצָֽאֹתָ֥יו מִקֶּ֖דֶם מִימֵ֥י עוֹלָֽם:
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.
Rashi says
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.