Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Matthew 2:6 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 6. 6And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Cites Bethlehem as a small yet royal source of Israel's shepherd-ruler.
Read It With
- Matthew 2:1–2:12
Read Matthew 2:6 with 2:1–2:12. In isolation, this verse's contribution—cites Bethlehem as a small yet royal source of Israel's shepherd-ruler—can be detached from its speaker, audience, narrative or teaching sequence, and outcome. The complete unit establishes: Eastern magi follow a sign to Judea, disturb Herod and Jerusalem with their royal question, hear Micah in Bethlehem, worship the child, and return by another way after a warning.
What Remains True
Eastern magi follow a sign to Judea, disturb Herod and Jerusalem with their royal question, hear Micah in Bethlehem, worship the child, and return by another way after a warning. Matthew 2:6's proportionate contribution is this: Cites Bethlehem as a small yet royal source of Israel's shepherd-ruler.
How It Can Shape Life
- Matthew 2:6 contributes this specific claim: Cites Bethlehem as a small yet royal source of Israel's shepherd-ruler. Seek truth with humility, refuse to become an informant for dangerous power, and let costly honor serve the vulnerable person rather than the status of the giver.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Matthew 2:1–2:12 — The magi seek the newborn kingSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Matthew 2:1–2:12, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording and punctuation control without treating one edition as a complete apparatus.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text file data/sblgnt/text/Matt.txt, Matthew 2:1–2:12
Open the Matthew Greek text file ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Morphology and lexical cross-check for the expressions actually discussed in this thought unit.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data TAGNT rows for Matthew 2:1–2:12
Open source ↗open translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Matthew with Translators' and Textual Notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-attached textual, translation, language, historical, Jewish-background, and Synoptic notes for this unit.
Exact location: NET Bible Matthew PDF, printed pp. 1808-1867, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to 2:1–2:12
Open source ↗