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Quote (Scripture Seeker @ Nov. 12 2006,10:56) What is present in the passage at hand is a “piling up” of descriptors which is another means of hyperbolising or emphasising a point, in this case a repetition of “from of old, from everlasting”. This translation in the KJV is from the Hebrew miqqedem miymey 'olam. IN THE HEBREW LANGUAGE, THERE IS NO SUPERLATIVE CONSTRUCTION AVAILABLE TO EXPRESS IDEAS LIKE “BIGGEST”, “BEST”, “FASTEST”, ETC. TO MAKE UP FOR THIS LACK, THIS PILING UP OR REPETITION OF RELATED IDEAS AND WORDS IS USED AS AN EMPHATIC STRUCTURE TO INDICATE THAT THE OBJECT, ETC. BEING DESCRIBED IS BEING TREATED SUPERLATIVELY. One example of this that appears elsewhere in the Hebrew scriptures is in Proverbs 8:23. The KJV translates this passage as “I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.” In Hebrew this verse reads me'olam nisakhtiy merosh miqqadmey-erets. In this verse, we see olam, our word under contention, connected with other adjectives such as rosh and qedem which also denote both primacy of position or order (a derivative of rosh appears as “In the beginning” in Genesis 1:1) as well as a long, indefinitely past time period, all being used to emphasise the eternal pre-existence of divine Wisdom with God. Likewise, in Micah 5:2 miymey 'olam appears in emphatic combination with miqqedem, a word which also denotes “a long time past”, and which is almost universally translated (even when it stands alone)15 as some form of the idea of eternity of everlastingness. The repetition in order and the piling on of similar adjectives indicates that something more than a mere earthly “days of old” is meant in this verse. Indeed, from the way repetition is used throughout the Hebrew scriptures, this repetitive construction can almost be said to demand the translation of miymey 'olam as “from everlasting”. This is all the more so when we consider that Micah 5:2 piles on yet more emphatic structures into this verse beyond the one seen above.
Source http://www.studytoanswer.net/judaism/micah5n2.html
Nice work Scripture Seeker…Also interesting that repetition in order and the piling on of the similar adjectives “ôlâm” and “min minnîy minnêy” is evident Psa 93:2 and Isa 63:16, verses that speak of YHWH's eternality….
Psalm 93:1-2
The LORD (YHWH) reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD (YHWH) is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is established, that it cannot be moved. Thy throne is established of old (min minnîy minnêy): thou art from everlasting (‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm).Isaiah 63:16
Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant, of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD (YHWH), art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting (min minnîy minnêy, ‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm)Cf.
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 forth have been from of old, (min minnîy minnêy, qedem qêdmâh) from everlasting (min minnîy minnêy, yôm, ‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm)Quote This is all the more so when we consider that Micah 5:2 piles on yet more emphatic structures into this verse beyond the one seen above.
It's true….the adjectives are really piled up in Micah 5:2….Blessings
Hi Is 1.18,
We know so little about the BEGINNING.
But we do know Jesus is the Son of God.
He is the beloved Son
who was sent into the world.
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