God’s Word Translation
Micah 7:17
17They will lick dust like snakes, like animals that crawl on the ground. They will come out of their hiding places trembling. They will turn away from your presence in fear, O Lord our God. They will be afraid of you.
Micah 7:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee.
- New International Version (NIV)They will lick dust like a snake, like creatures that crawl on the ground. They will come trembling out of their dens; they will turn in fear to the Lord our God and will be afraid of you.
- English Standard Version (ESV)they shall lick the dust like a serpent, like the crawling things of the earth; they shall come trembling out of their strongholds; they shall turn in dread to the Lord our God, and they shall be in fear of you.
- New King James Version (NKJV)They shall lick the dust like a serpent; They shall crawl from their holes like snakes of the earth. They shall be afraid of the Lord our God, And shall fear because of You.
Context of Micah 7:17
15Let us see miracles like the time you came out of Egypt. 16Nations will see this and be ashamed in spite of all their strength. They will put their hands over their mouths. Their ears will become deaf. They will lick dust like snakes, like animals that crawl on the ground. They will come out of their hiding places trembling. They will turn away from your presence in fear, O Lord our God. They will be afraid of you. 18Who is a God like you? You forgive sin and overlook the rebellion of your faithful people. You will not be angry forever, because you would rather show mercy. 19You will again have compassion on us. You will overcome our wrongdoing. You will throw all our sins into the deep sea.
Read all of Micah 7Micah 7:17 word by word
יְלַחֲכ֤וּ עָפָר֙ כַּנָּחָ֔שׁ כְּזֹחֲלֵ֣י אֶ֔רֶץ יִרְגְּז֖וּ מִמִּסְגְּרֹֽתֵיהֶ֑ם אֶל־יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ יִפְחָ֔דוּ וְיִֽרְא֖וּ מִמֶּֽךָּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- They shall lickלָחַךְlâchak · to lickH3897
- the dustעָפָר‛âphâr · dustH6083
- like a serpentנָחָשׁnâchâsh · serpentH5175
- they shall moveרָגַזrâgaz · to trembleH7264
- out of their holesמִסְגֶּ֫רֶתmisgereth · perimeterH4526
- like wormsזָחַלzâchal · to crawlH2119
- of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
- they shall be afraidפָּחַדpâchad · to dreadH6342
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- our Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- and shall fearיָרֵאyârê' · to fear: revereH3372
Cross-references for Micah 7:17
- Genesis 3:14So the Lord God said to the snake, “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all the wild or domestic animals. You will crawl on your belly. You will be the lowest of animals as long as you live.
- Psalms 72:9May the people of the desert kneel in front of him. May his enemies lick the dust.
- Isaiah 49:23Then kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens will nurse you. They will bow in front of you with their faces touching the ground. They will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord. Those who wait with hope for me will not be put to shame.
- Isaiah 60:14The descendants of those who oppress you will bow in front of you. All who despise you will bow at your feet. They will call you the city of the Lord, Zion, the city of the Holy One of Israel.
- Isaiah 65:25Wolves and lambs will feed together, lions will eat straw like oxen, and dust will be food for snakes. “They will not hurt or destroy anyone anywhere on my holy mountain,” says the Lord.
- Lamentations 3:29They should put their mouths in the dust. Maybe a reason to hope exists.
- Revelation 3:9I will make those who are in Satan’s synagogue come and bow at your feet and realize that I have loved you. They claim that they are Jewish, but they are lying.
- 1 Samuel 14:11So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine troops. The Philistines said, “Look, some Hebrews are coming out of the holes they were hiding in.”
- Psalms 18:45Foreigners will lose heart, and they will tremble when they come out of their fortifications.
- Jeremiah 16:16“I’m going to send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch the people of Israel. After that, I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt for them on every mountain and hill and even in the cracks in the rocks.
- Exodus 15:14People will hear of it and tremble. The people of Philistia will be in anguish.
- Joshua 2:9She said to them, “I know the Lord will give you this land. Your presence terrifies us. All the people in this country are deathly afraid of you.
- Joshua 9:24They answered Joshua, “We were told that the Lord your God commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and destroy all who live there. We deceived you because we feared for our lives.
- Psalms 9:20Strike them with terror, O Lord. Let the nations know that they are ⌞only⌟ mortal. Selah
- Isaiah 2:19People will go into caves in the rocks and into holes in the ground because of the Lord’s terrifying presence and the honor of his majesty when he rises to terrify the earth.
- Isaiah 64:2Be like the fire that kindles brushwood and makes water boil. Come down to make your name known to your enemies. The nations will tremble in your presence.
Commentaries on Micah 7:17
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17They shall lick the dust like a (the) serpent - To lick the dust, by itself, pictures the extreme humility of persons who east themselves down to the very earth (as in Psalm 72:9; Isaiah 49:23). To lick it “like the serpent” seems rather to represent the condition of those who share the serpent‘s doom Genesis 3:14; Isaiah 65:25, whose lot, viz. earth and things of earth, they had chosen (Rup.): “They shall move out of their holes”, or, better, shall…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-20Verses 14-20 When God is about to deliver his people, he stirs up their friends to pray for them. Apply spiritually the prophet's prayer to Christ, to take care of his church, as the great Shepherd of the sheep, and to go before them, while they are here in this world as in a wood, in this world but not of it. God promises in answer to this prayer, he will do that for them which shall be repeating the miracles of former ages. As their sin brought them…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17Like snakes, the nations had attacked Israel's heel (compare Genesis 3:14–15). The prophets often described foreign nations as deceitful, poisonous serpents (Isaiah 14:29; Jeremiah 8:17; Ezekiel 29:1–3). Now these nations would face humiliation (compare Psalm 72:9). Crawling and "licking dust" were metaphors for defeat and humiliation.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. lick the dust--in abject prostration as suppliants (Psa 72:9; compare Is 49:23; 65:25). move out of their holes--As reptiles from their holes, they shall come forth from their hiding-places, or fortresses (Psa 18:45), to give themselves up to the conquerors. More literally, "they shall tremble from," that is, tremblingly come forth from their coverts. like worms--reptiles or crawlers (De 32:24). they shall be afraid of the Lord--or, they shall in fear…Read the comment
Topics related to Micah 7:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Micah 7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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