Micah 4:7-8

7. A remnant The nucleus of a new kingdom of God (see on Amos 5:15). The Messianic hopes all center around this remnant and the nation growing out of it. The lame and afflicted to whom the prophet promises restoration are such as have remained faithful in the face of affliction; these Jehovah will deliver from their affliction and constitute the “remnant,” and with it he will make a new beginning in his attempt to redeem the world.

A strong nation In time, under the divine providence, the insignificant remnant will develop into a strong and powerful nation.

Jehovah shall reign In the past incompetent and faithless rulers were responsible for much of the corruption and distress of the people; the new nation will not suffer from such leaders, for Jehovah himself will be the king, and his dominion will continue forever.

The center of the new kingdom will be Zion (see on Micah 4:1-5). With the promises made in Micah 4:6-7 fulfilled, the former royal splendor and prestige will be restored. The new promise is expressed in Micah 4:8, addressed directly to Jerusalem.

Tower of the flock This does not allude to a tower (R.V., “of Eder”) near Beth-lehem (compare Genesis 35:21), nor to a tower of the king’s castle (Nehemiah 3:25), but denotes Jerusalem itself. Now it is a flourishing city, but soon it will be destroyed, and upon its ruins will be erected a watchtower, like those built for the better protection of the flocks roaming around the desert (2 Chronicles 26:10). Already the prophet beholds the city in its reduced condition, and he selects the figure of the tower to make his address more forceful (compare Isaiah 29:1; Jeremiah 21:13).

Stronghold [“hill”] of the daughter of Zion In apposition to the preceding expression, also denoting the city of Jerusalem. Ophel is the name of the southeast spur of the temple mount, bounded on the east by the Kidron, on the west by the Tyropoeon valley, but here, as in other places (for example, 2 Kings 5:24), the word is a common noun, meaning “hill.”

The first [“former”] dominion The dominion enjoyed during the most flourishing period of Hebrew history, under David and Solomon, will be restored to Jerusalem during the Messianic era. The last clause, which is considered by some a late marginal gloss introduced into the text by accident, expresses the same thought.