Matthew 2:5

5 They told him, "Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly:

Matthew 2:5 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 2:5

And they said unto him
They answer without any hesitation, it being a generally received notion, and a thing well known among them,

in Bethlehem of Judea;
and give their reason for it; for

thus it is written by the prophet,
that is, the prophet Micah, in whose prophecy, ( Micah 5:2 ) it stands, and is as follows:

Matthew 2:5 In-Context

3 When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified - and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well.

4 Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?"

5 They told him, "Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly:

6 It's you, Bethlehem, in Judah's land, no longer bringing up the rear. From you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel."

7 Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared.