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4. ἀπὸ … ἐκ. The prepositions are here used with classical accuracy. ἀπὸ means ‘direction from’ (ab); ἐκ means ‘from within’ (ex).
πόλιν Δαυείδ. 1Sa 17:12, “David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem-Judah whose name was Jesse.”
ἥτις. In Hellenistic Greek many relative pronouns (properly used in indirect sentences, repetitions, &c.) being mere luxuries of language tend to disappear, as in modern Greek, or are used without distinction. ἥτις is here used correctly (like “the which” in Shakespeare and in Gen 1:29). In the N. T. ὅστις is more common than ὅς.
Βηθλεὲμ. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of Mic 5:2, “Thou, Bethlehem-Ephratah … out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel.” Cf. Luk 4:8, “And thou, O tower of the flock” (Migdol Eder, Gen 35:21), “unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion.”
Bethlehem (‘House of Bread,’ to which the mystical method of Scriptural interpretation refers such passages as Isa 33:16, LXX[57]; Joh 6:51; Joh 6:58) is the very ancient Ephrath (‘fruitful’) of Gen 35:16; Gen 48:7; Psa 132:6. It is a small town six miles from Jerusalem. It was the scene of the death of Rachel (Gen 35:19); of the story of Ruth; and of the early years of the life of David (1Sa 16:1; 2Sa 23:15). Our Lord does not seem to have ever visited it again. The name is now corrupted into Beitlahm, ‘house of flesh.’
[57] LXX. Septuagint.
ἐξ οἴκου καὶ πατριᾶς Δαυείδ, of the house and family (Eph 3:15) of David. The humble condition of Joseph as a provincial carpenter in no way militates against this. Hillel, the great contemporary Rabbi, who also claimed to be a descendant of David, began life as a half-starved porter; and numbers of beggars in the East wear the green turban which shews them to be undisputed descendants of Mohammed.