Micah 4:3

3 and he shall deem betwixt many peoples, and shall chastise strong folks till into far. And they shall beat together their swords into shares1, and their spears into pickaxes; folk shall not take sword against folk, and they shall no more learn to fight. (and he shall judge between many peoples, and shall chastise, or shall discipline, strong nations afar off. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pickaxes; yea, nation shall not take up sword against nation, and they shall no more prepare for battle.)

Micah 4:3 Meaning and Commentary

Micah 4:3

And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations
afar off
That are in the most distant parts of the world; not only the isles afar off, but the remotest parts of the continent, the American nations found out since. In ( Isaiah 2:4 ) , it is, "and he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people"; that is, the King Messiah, as Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech. Some render it, "it shall judge" and interpret it either of the Church, the mountain of the Lord's house; or of the word and doctrine of the Lord; or of the Lord in the church, by the ministry of the word, The phrase, "afar off", is not in ( Isaiah 2:4 ) ; which the Targum interprets "for ever", and the "strong nations" of strong kings; signifying that the kingdom of Christ should not only be to the ends or the earth, but should endure for ever, unto distant time, even till it shall be no more; as well as shall reach to distant lands, as to situation, and to the Gentiles afar off, as to state and condition; see ( Ephesians 2:14 ) ; and they shall beat their swords into plough shares, and their spears
into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more;
which as yet has never been fulfilled; but will be the case when Christ's kingdom appears in its glory, and the kingdoms of this world become his, and all the enemies of the church are destroyed; (See Gill on Isaiah 2:4). These words are by the Jews F15 applied to the days of the Messiah.


FOOTNOTES:

F15 T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 63. 1.

Micah 4:3 In-Context

1 And in the last days, the hill of the house of the Lord shall be made ready in the top of [the] hills, and shall be high over small hills. And peoples shall flow to him, (And in the last days, the hill of the House of the Lord shall be made to be above the tops of all the other hills, and shall be high over all the small hills. And the peoples, or the nations, shall flow to it,)
2 and many peoples shall hasten, and shall say, Come ye, ascend we to the hill of the Lord, and to the house of God of Jacob; and he shall teach us of his ways, and we shall go in his paths. For the law shall go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem; (yea, many people shall hasten there, and shall say, Come ye, go we up to the hill of the Lord, and to the House of the God of Jacob/Come ye, let us go up the hill of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob; and he shall teach us his ways, and we shall go on his paths. For the Law shall go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem;)
3 and he shall deem betwixt many peoples, and shall chastise strong folks till into far. And they shall beat together their swords into shares1, and their spears into pickaxes; folk shall not take sword against folk, and they shall no more learn to fight. (and he shall judge between many peoples, and shall chastise, or shall discipline, strong nations afar off. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pickaxes; yea, nation shall not take up sword against nation, and they shall no more prepare for battle.)
4 And a man shall sit under his vineyard, and under his fig tree; and there shall not be that shall make afeared (and there shall be no one and nothing that shall make him afraid), for the mouth of the Lord of hosts spake.
5 For all peoples shall go, each man in the name of his Lord God; but we shall walk in the name of our Lord God into the world, and over. (For all peoples go forth, each person in the name of their god; but we shall walk in the name of the Lord our God, forever and ever.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.