The Meaning of Micah 4:10 Explained

Micah 4:10

KJV: Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.

YLT: Be pained, and bring forth, O daughter of Zion, As a travailing woman, For now, thou goest forth from the city, And thou hast dwelt in the field, And thou hast gone unto Babylon, There thou art delivered, There redeem thee doth Jehovah from the hand of thine enemies.

Darby: Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail; for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon: there shalt thou be delivered; there Jehovah will redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.

ASV: Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail; for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and shalt dwell in the field, and shalt come even unto Babylon: there shalt thou be rescued; there will Jehovah redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Be in pain,  and labour to bring forth,  O daughter  of Zion,  like a woman in travail:  for now shalt thou go forth  out of the city,  and thou shalt dwell  in the field,  and thou shalt go  [even] to Babylon;  there shalt thou be delivered;  there the LORD  shall redeem  thee from the hand  of thine enemies. 

What does Micah 4:10 Mean?

Study Notes

redeem
Heb. "goel," Redemp. (Kinsman type).
Redeemer
Redemption: Kinsman type, summary. The goel, or Kinsman-Redeemer, is a beautiful type of Christ.
(1) The kinsman redemption was of persons, and an inheritance Leviticus 25:48 ; Leviticus 25:25 ; Galatians 4:5 ; Ephesians 1:7 ; Ephesians 1:11 ; Ephesians 1:14
(2) The Redeemer must be a kinsman Leviticus 25:48 ; Leviticus 25:49 ; Ruth 3:12 ; Ruth 3:13 ; Galatians 4:4 ; Hebrews 2:14 ; Hebrews 2:15 .
(3) The Redeemer must be able to redeem Ruth 4:4-6 ; Jeremiah 50:34 ; John 10:11 ; John 10:18
(4) Redemption is effected by the goel paying the just demand in full Leviticus 25:27 ; 1 Peter 1:18 ; 1 Peter 1:19 ; Galatians 3:13 . (See Scofield " Exodus 14:30 ") See Scofield " Romans 3:24 "
come to Zion
The time when the "Redeemer shall come to Zion" is fixed, relatively, by Romans 11:23-29 as following the completion of the Gentile Church. That is also the order of the great dispensational passage, Acts 15:14-17 .
In both, the return of the Lord to Zion follows the outcalling of the Church.
come to Zion
The time when the "Redeemer shall come to Zion" is fixed, relatively, by Romans 11:23-29 as following the completion of the Gentile Church. That is also the order of the great dispensational passage, Acts 15:14-17 .
In both, the return of the Lord to Zion follows the outcalling of the Church.

Verse Meaning

The Israelites would leave Jerusalem as a woman in labor. They would have to live in a field temporarily until they arrived in Babylon, but in Babylon the Lord would eventually rescue and redeem them. He would deliver them from captivity and return them to the land. This is one of the earliest references to the Babylonian Captivity in prophetic Scripture (cf. Isaiah 39:1-7).
This prediction of captivity in Babylon was unusual in Micah"s day, because then Assyria was the great threat to the Israelites. The Babylonian deportations came a century later. In Micah"s day Babylon was part of the Assyrian Empire. Probably "Babylon" here has a double meaning: the historic Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar"s day and the future Babylon, the symbol of Gentile power that has held Israel captive since Nebuchadnezzar (cf. Genesis 10:10; Genesis 11:4-9; Revelation 17-18).
"God chose Babylon because in Micah"s pagan world it functioned as the equivalent of Rome in the Middle Ages and of Mecca in Islam. The darkest land will become the place where the daylight of the new age dawns." [1]
Micah had just prophesied an eschatological redemption of Israel, and that future vision stayed with him ( Micah 4:1-8).

Context Summary

Micah 4:1-13 - The Promise Of Peace
It is not improbable that Isaiah, Micah 2:1-4, and Micah quoted an older prophecy, which in its fullness, is yet to be fulfilled. In the millennial age Israel, in her restored beauty, will be the center of a renovated world. That restoration will bring great glory to God and blessing to mankind, Romans 11:15. The time center of unity is not to be found in creeds or systems, but in the impulse of a common desire after God and common worship. When men have found their unity in God they will renounce war; and the home-life will become the preservative of society, Micah 4:4. Micah 4:6-7 foretell the gathering of Israel to their own land. Babylon probably stands not only for the literal nation by which the Jews were carried into captivity, but for all of the Gentile nations that have afflicted the Chosen People. Notice that God's deliverances discover and help us in the midst of our direct affliction. [source]

Chapter Summary: Micah 4

1  The glory,
5  and the peace of Christ's kingdom
6  The restoration,
11  and victory of the church

What do the individual words in Micah 4:10 mean?

Be in pain and labor to bring forth daughter of Zion Like a woman in birth pangs for now you shall go forth from the city and You shall dwell in the field and you shall go to Babylon there you shall be delivered there will redeem you Yahweh from the hand of your enemies
ח֧וּלִי וָגֹ֛חִי בַּת־ צִיּ֖וֹן כַּיּֽוֹלֵדָ֑ה כִּֽי־ עַתָּה֩ תֵצְאִ֨י מִקִּרְיָ֜ה וְשָׁכַ֣נְתְּ בַּשָּׂדֶ֗ה וּבָ֤את עַד־ בָּבֶל֙ שָׁ֣ם תִּנָּצֵ֔לִי שָׁ֚ם יִגְאָלֵ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה מִכַּ֖ף אֹיְבָֽיִךְ

ח֧וּלִי  Be  in  pain 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: חוּל 
Sense: to twist, whirl, dance, writhe, fear, tremble, travail, be in anguish, be pained.
וָגֹ֛חִי  and  labor  to  bring  forth 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: גָּחָה 
Sense: to burst forth.
בַּת־  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
צִיּ֖וֹן  of  Zion 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
כַּיּֽוֹלֵדָ֑ה  Like  a  woman  in  birth  pangs 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine singular
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.
עַתָּה֩  now 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עַתָּה  
Sense: now.
תֵצְאִ֨י  you  shall  go  forth 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
מִקִּרְיָ֜ה  from  the  city 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular
Root: קִרְיָה 
Sense: city, town.
וְשָׁכַ֣נְתְּ  and  You  shall  dwell 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: שָׁכַן  
Sense: to settle down, abide, dwell, tabernacle, reside.
בַּשָּׂדֶ֗ה  in  the  field 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
וּבָ֤את  and  you  shall  go 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בָּבֶל֙  Babylon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בָּבֶל  
Sense: Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates.
תִּנָּצֵ֔לִי  you  shall  be  delivered 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, second person feminine singular
Root: נָצַל  
Sense: to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder.
יִגְאָלֵ֣ךְ  will  redeem  you 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, second person feminine singular
Root: גְּאוּלִים 
Sense: to redeem, act as kinsman-redeemer, avenge, revenge, ransom, do the part of a kinsman.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
מִכַּ֖ף  from  the  hand 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: כַּף  
Sense: palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand.
אֹיְבָֽיִךְ  of  your  enemies 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: אֹיֵב  
Sense: (Qal) enemy.