“And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem.”
Micah 4:8 ESV
Through the Bible: Micah 1-7
Many of us are familiar with Micah 5:2, which names Bethlehem as the birthplace of Jesus:
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”
Micah 5:2 ESV
But we sometimes skip over Micah 4:8, which says that “kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem” would come to “the tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion.”
Migdal Eder (“Tower of the Flock”) was evidently a real location near Bethlehem, already known from Genesis 35:21. Some Christian scholars have suggested that it served as a watchtower connected with the temple flocks, where sacrificial lambs were born and cared for. To be fair, other scholars argue that the evidence for this reconstruction is too thin to be certain.
So, the tower of the flock could have been the place where shepherds were “abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.” And it could have provided an ideal place for Jesus to be born.
According to a longstanding Christian tradition, shepherds caring for sacrificial lambs wrapped newborn lambs in cloth to protect them from injury until they could be examined. If so, the tower of the flock would have had swaddling clothes on hand in which Mary could wrap Jesus.
Jesus, the spotless lamb of God. Who takes away the sin of the world.
Fit for sacrifice.
Whether Jesus was actually born at Migdal Eder or simply near it, Micah invites us to see more than a birthplace. He points us to the Shepherd-King who is also the Lamb of God. The geography may remain uncertain, but the theology is gloriously clear.
Further Reading
- Migdal Eder and the Birth of Christ
- Was Jesus Born Away in a Manger at Migdal Eder?
- Debunking Popular Christmastime Myths
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