“And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.”
And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. The citation blends Micah 5:2 with 2 Samuel 5:2, adding the shepherd imagery to the ruler imagery and changing Micah's you are too little to you are by no means least. The combination communicates both humility and greatness: the smallest place produces the greatest king, the shepherd-king of Israel anticipated since God called David from tending sheep to tending a people. Ezekiel 34 had promised a future shepherd-king to care for the flock that the failed shepherds of Israel had neglected. The shepherd from Bethlehem is the fulfillment of the shepherd promise — one who leads and feeds and protects rather than exploiting the flock.
Church Fathers on Matthew 2:6
As the Magi seek a Redeemer, so Herod fears a successor.
'The King,' he is called, though in comparison with him whom they are seeking he is an alien and a foreigner.
Herod 'was troubled' when he heard that a King was born of Jewish lineage, lest, himself being an Idumaean, the kingdom should return again to native princes, and himself be expelled, and his seed after him.
Read all 24 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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