Albert Barnes Commentary Micah 4:8

"And thou, O tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, yea, the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem." — Micah 4:8 (ASV)

And you, O tower of the flock — “‘Tower of Ader,’ which is interpreted ‘tower of the flock,’ about 1000 paces (a mile) from Bethlehem,” says Jerome who lived there, “and prefiguring (in its very name) by a sort of prophecy the shepherds at the Birth of the Lord.” There Jacob fed his sheep (Genesis 35:21), and there (since it was near Bethlehem) the shepherds, keeping watch over their flocks by night, saw and heard the Angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” The Jews inferred from this place that the Messiah should be revealed there.

Stronghold — (Ophel) of the daughter of Zion Ophel was a strong place in the South of Jerusalem, the last which the wall, enclosing Zion, reached, before, or as, it touched on the Eastern porch of the temple, with whose service it was connected.

We know that, after the captivity, the Nethinim, who did the laborious service of the temple, dwelt there (Nehemiah 3:26; Nehemiah 11:21). It lay very near to the priests’ district (Nehemiah 3:28). It was probably a lower acclivity, “swelling out,” (as its name seems to mean) from the mountain of the temple. In the last war, it was held together with “the temple, and the adjoining parts to no slight extent, and the valley of Kedron.” It was burnt before the upper city was taken. It had been encircled by a wall long ago; for Jotham “built greatly upon its wall” (2 Chronicles 27:3), Manasseh “encircled it” (2 Chronicles 33:14), (probably with an outer wall) “and raised it exceedingly,” that is, apparently raised artificially the whole level.

Yet, as a symbol of all Jerusalem, Ophel is as remarkable as the “tower of the flock” is for Bethlehem. For Ophel, although fortified, is nowhere spoken of as of any importance. It is not even mentioned in the circuit of the walls, at their dedication, under Nehemiah (Nehemiah 12:31–40), probably as an outlying spot. It was probably important chiefly as giving an advantage to an enemy who might occupy it.

Both then are images of lowliness. The lonely Shepherd tower, for Bethlehem, the birthplace of David; Ophel for Jerusalem, of which it was merely an outlying part, and deriving its value probably as an outwork of the temple. Both symbols anticipate the fuller prophecy of the littleness, which shall become great in God. Before the mention of the greatness of the “dominion to come,” the future poverty to which it should come is presented. In lowliness Christ came, yet is indeed a Tower protecting and defending the sheep of His pasture, founded on earth in His Human Nature, reaching to Heaven in His divine; “a strong Tower; the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” (Proverbs 18:10).

Unto you shall it come — (Literally, “unto you shall it come, and there shall arrive etc.”) He says not at first what shall come, and so raises the soul to think of the greatness of that which should come. The soul is left to fill up what is more than thought can utter.

“Unto you,” (literally, quite up to you) No hindrances should withhold it from coming. Seemingly it was far away, and they in a very hopeless state. He suggests the difficulty even by his strength of assurance. One could not say, “it shall come quite up to you,” of that which in the way of nature would readily come to anyone.

But amid all hindrances God’s Might makes its way, and brings His gifts and promises to their end. “And there shall arrive.” He twice repeats the assurance, in equivalent words, for their fuller assurance, “to make the good tidings the gladder by repeating and enforcing them.”

The “first or former, dominion.” The word often stands, as our “former,” in contrast with the “later.” It is not necessarily “the first,” strictly; and so here, not the “dominion” of David and Solomon exclusively. Rather the prophet is placed in spirit in the later times when the kingdom should be suspended, and foretells that “the former dominion,” that is, that of the line of David, should come to her, not in its temporal greatness, but the line itself. So the Angel said, “He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever” (Luke 1:32–33).

The kingdom to the daughter of Jerusalem — that is, a kingdom, which should not be of her, but which should come to her; not hers by right, but by His right, who should merit it for her, and, being King of kings, makes His own, “kings and priests unto God and His Father” (Revelation 1:6).

The Jews themselves seem to have taken these words into their own mouths, just before they rejected Him, when they hoped that He would be a king, such as they wished for. “Blessed be the kingdom of our father David that cometh in the Name of the Lord” (Mark 11:10). And in a distorted form, they held it even afterward.