Micah 5:2

Micah 5:2

But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth⁴¹⁶³have been from of old,⁶⁹²⁴ from everlasting.^3117 5769(Micah5:2)

The superscript numbers above are Strong's Concordance numbers, as defined below:

H4163 מוֹצָאֹת môwtsâʼâh, mo-tsaw-aw'; a family descent; also a sewer...

H6924 קֶ֫דֶם qedem, keh'-dem; or qedmah {kayd'-maw}; the front, of place (absolutely, the fore part, relatively the East) or time (antiquity);

H3117 יוֹם yôwm, yome; a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term); {{translated "day"(twice) in Gen1:5}}

H5769 וֹלָם ʻôwlâm, o-lawm'; or lolam {o-lawm'}; generally, time out of mind (past or future), i.e. (practically) eternity;

Consistent with Strong's Concordance, some Bible translators used English phrases that indicated a definite beginning for Christ in Micah 5:2:

... whose goings forth are from of old, from ancient days. (JPS 1985)
... whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times... (WEB 2000)
... whose going out has been purposed from time past, from the eternal days. (BBE 1949)
... his comings forth [are] of old, From the days of antiquity. (YLT 1862)
... whose origins are in the distant past... (NLT 2008)

For me, this is overwhelming evidence thatfully agrees with other scripture that plainly states literally: Father Jehovah "brought forth"(Pr 8:24,25) Christ, from His bosom (Jn 1:18) as His "only begotten Son"(Jn 1:18; 3:16) -- the "firstborn of every creature"(Col 1:15) -- the Divine Son of God(Jn 5:23-26) -- worthy of all honour, glory, and blessing(Rev 5:12).

And he[Christ] shall stand, and shall feed his[Christ's] flock in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his[Christ's] God: and they shall abide; for now shall he[Christ] be great unto the ends of the earth. (Micah 5:4).

In Context from Young's Literal Translation:

1 And thou, Beth-Lehem Ephratah, Little to be among the chiefs of Judah! From thee to Me he cometh forth -- to be ruler in Israel, And his comings forth [are] of old, From the days of antiquity. 3 Therefore he doth give them out till the time She who bringeth forth hath brought forth, And the remnant of his brethren return to the sons of Israel. 4 And he hath stood and delighted in the strength of Jehovah, In the excellency of the name of Jehovah his God, And they have remained, For now he is great unto the ends of earth. (Micah 5:2-4 YLT)

Desiring to live by every word that comes from the mouth of Jehovah (Deut 8:3; Mt4:4)

-Sid Nash: 04/05/2023. Latest version: http://sidnash.org/?Mi5.2