Migdal-eder, translated “tower of the flock”, was a shepherd’s watchtower near Bethlehem, between Bethlehem and Jerusalem. In the photo above, the town of Bethlehem can be seen in the background, Migdal Eder is to the left of the valley, in the center, on the high hill. Thanks Rabbi Michael Short for this source.
Jacob camped there briefly in Genesis 35:21, and the following was prophesied about it in Micah 4:8:
“As for you, tower of the flock, Hill of the daughter of Zion, To you it will come— Even the former dominion will come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”
Perhaps this could be a poetic metaphor for Jerusalem itself, but it could also be a reference to this more specific place. If this is true, it would be fascinating to note that the shepherds “in the same region, out in the fields” near Bethlehem (Luke 2:8) were likely in Migdal-eder. When the angels appeared to the shepherds, they were fulfilling prophecy.
Additionally, in Targum pseudo-Jonathan, an Aramaic translation of the Hebrew scriptures that served as a paraphrase or commentary to the Jews, there is a note about the verse in Micah: “It is the place where the Messiah will be manifested in the end times.”
Praise be to God for his prophecies, all fulfilled in Jesus Christ!
These scriptural observations were presented this morning by Larry Jaffery of Middle East Ministries at Centreville Baptist Church.
Ben Taylor 