Micah 5:1

Now, O daughter of troops, mobilize your troops; for a siege is laid against us! With a rod they will strike the cheek of the judge of Israel.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The prophet Micah addresses Jerusalem as the "daughter of troops," announcing that an enemy siege has been laid against the city. This declaration precedes the immediate shift to the prophecy of a ruler's birth in Bethlehem.

The words — The Hebrew תִתְגּוֹדְדִי (tit.go.de.Di) literally means "you will cut yourself," describing the frantic preparations of a besieged population. בַּשֵּׁבֶט (ba./She.vet) translates to "with a rod," specifying the instrument that will strike the judge's cheek.

The thread — The struck cheek motif appears in Lamentations 3:30 and Job 16:10, while the intersection of divine judgment and rulership runs in Isaiah 33:22.

Why it lands — The text states that leadership will be humiliated under siege before the promised ruler emerges. It requires the reader to acknowledge the certainty of judgment as the necessary context for the coming deliverance.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

עַתָּה֙'a.Tahnow תִּתְגֹּדְדִ֣יtit.go.de.Diyou will cut yourself בַת־vat-O daughter of גְּד֔וּדge.Dudtroop[s]מָצ֖וֹרma.Tzora siege שָׂ֣םsamsomeone has set עָלֵ֑ינוּ'a.Lei./nuon/ us בַּשֵּׁ֙בֶט֙ba./She.vetwith <the>/ rod יַכּ֣וּya.Kuthey will strike עַֽל־'al-on הַלְּחִ֔יha./le.Chithe/ cheek אֵ֖ת'et<obj.>שֹׁפֵ֥טsho.Fet[the] judge of יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ סYis.ra.'ElIsrael

King James Version

Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

Cross-references

Lamentations 3:30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with reproach.
Job 16:10 They open their mouths against me and strike my cheeks with contempt; they join together against me.
Isaiah 33:22 For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our King. It is He who will save us.
Matthew 26:67 Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him
John 18:22 When Jesus had said this, one of the officers standing nearby slapped Him in the face and said, “Is this how You answer the high priest?”
John 19:3 And they went up to Him again and again, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapping Him in the face.
Deuteronomy 28:49 The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,
2 Kings 25:1 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
Acts 23:2 At this, the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.
2 Corinthians 11:20 In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or exalts himself or strikes you in the face.