Albert Barnes Commentary Matthew 2:5-6

"And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written through the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: For out of thee shall come forth a governor, Who shall be shepherd of my people Israel." — Matthew 2:5-6 (ASV)

By the prophet. The Sanhedrin answered without hesitation. It was settled by prophecy. This prophecy is found in Micah 5:2. In that prophecy, both the place of his birth and the character of the Messiah are so clearly set forth that there was no room for doubt.

It will be observed that there is a considerable difference between the passage as quoted by the Sanhedrin and as it stands in Micah. The main point, however, is retained—the place of his birth. Therefore, we are not concerned with showing how these passages can be reconciled.

Matthew is not responsible for the correctness of the quotation. He affirms only that they gave this answer to Herod, and that Herod was satisfied. Even if we admit that they did not quote the passage correctly, it does not prove that Matthew has not reported their answer as they gave it; and this is all that he claims to provide.

Art not the least. In Micah, though thou be little. Though a small place as far as population is concerned, yet it shall not be small, or least, in honour; for the Messiah shall be born there. His birth gave the place an honour which could not be conferred on the larger cities by all their numbers, their splendour, and their wealth. The birth of a distinguished personage was always supposed to give honour and importance to a city or country. Thus, seven cities contended for the honour of giving birth to Homer; Stratford-upon-Avon is distinguished as the birthplace of Shakespeare; and Corsica as the birthplace of Napoleon.

A Governor. A Ruler. This is one of the characteristics of the Messiah, who is the King of his people (John 18:37). The word rule here means to rule as a shepherd does his flock, in faithfulness and tenderness (Isaiah 40:10–11; Isaiah 9:6).