Ephrata. This was the ancient name (Haydock) of Bethlehem, (Genesis xxxv. 16.) though some think that it was so called after Caleb’s wife, 1 Paralipomenon ii. 19.

Art, or “art thou?” &c., which makes it agree with Matthew ii. 4.

Little. Hebrew tsahir, (Haydock) is often rendered “considerable.” (Chaldean)

Thousands: capital cities, Zacharias ix. 7. Bethlehem seemed too mean to send forth a ruler over the rest. The ancient Jews clearly understood this of the Messias. The moderns explain it of Zorobabel: but the expressions are too grand for him. (Calmet)

St. Jerome accuses the Jews of having designedly omitted some cities, (Josue xv. 60.) because Bethlehem Ephrata is one. It is nowhere else thus described. (Kennicott)

The priests substituted land of Juda instead of Ephrata, Matthew ii. (Haydock)

The evangelist recites their words, to shew their negligence in quoting Scripture. “Yet some assert, that in almost all quotations from the Old Testament the order or words are changed, and sometimes the sense,....as the apostles did not write out of a book, but trusted to memory, which is sometimes fallacious.” (St. Jerome)

This principle would he very dangerous, (Simon. Crit. i. 17.) and we should attribute the variation to other causes, as the sacred penman could not mistake. (Haydock)

Bethlehem, though a little town, was rendered more illustrious than many others by the birth of Christ. (Worthington)

Forth. That is, he who as man shall be born in thee, as God was born of his Father from all eternity. (Challoner)

His coming was also long before announced. (Origen, contra Cels. i.)

But the former sense is preferable. (Calmet)

Eternity. These expressions singly imply a long time; (Exodus xxi. 6., and Psalm xxiii. 7.) but when doubled, sæculum sæculi, &c., they must be understood of an absolute eternity, which Christ enjoyed with the Father and the Holy Ghost; though, in his human nature, he was born in time. (Worthington)