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Text -- Micah 7:17 (NET)

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Context
7:17 They will lick the dust like a snake, like serpents crawling on the ground. They will come trembling from their strongholds to the Lord our God; they will be terrified of you.
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics

Dictionary Themes and Topics: Worm | WORM; SCARLET-WORM | Serpent | REPTILE | Micah | Fear of God | DUST | Conviction | ADORATION | more
Table of Contents

Word/Phrase Notes
Wesley , JFB , Calvin , TSK

Word/Phrase Notes
Barnes , Poole , Haydock , Gill

Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes , Geneva Bible

Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis , MHCC , Matthew Henry , Keil-Delitzsch , Constable , Guzik

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)

Wesley: Mic 7:17 - -- In the most submissive, servile manner, testify their subjection.

In the most submissive, servile manner, testify their subjection.

Wesley: Mic 7:17 - -- Their strong holds, and fastnesses.

Their strong holds, and fastnesses.

Wesley: Mic 7:17 - -- So that the name of Jews, shall be terrible to their enemies.

So that the name of Jews, shall be terrible to their enemies.

JFB: Mic 7:17 - -- In abject prostration as suppliants (Psa 72:9; compare Isa 49:23; Isa 65:25).

In abject prostration as suppliants (Psa 72:9; compare Isa 49:23; Isa 65:25).

JFB: Mic 7:17 - -- 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...

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.

JFB: Mic 7:17 - -- Reptiles or crawlers (Deu 32:24).

Reptiles or crawlers (Deu 32:24).

JFB: Mic 7:17 - -- Or, they shall in fear turn with haste to the Lord. Thus the antithesis is brought out. They shall tremble forth from their holes: they shall in trepi...

Or, they shall in fear turn with haste to the Lord. Thus the antithesis is brought out. They shall tremble forth from their holes: they shall in trepidation turn to the Lord for salvation (compare Note, see on Hos 3:5, and Jer 33:9).

JFB: Mic 7:17 - -- Shall fear Thee, Jehovah (and so fear Israel as under Thy guardianship). There is a change here from speaking of God to speaking to God [MAURER]. Or r...

Shall fear Thee, Jehovah (and so fear Israel as under Thy guardianship). There is a change here from speaking of God to speaking to God [MAURER]. Or rather, "shall fear thee, Israel" [HENDERSON].

Calvin: Mic 7:17 - -- He afterwards adds, They shall lick the dust as a serpent He intimates, that however the enemies of the Church may have proudly exalted themselves ...

He afterwards adds, They shall lick the dust as a serpent He intimates, that however the enemies of the Church may have proudly exalted themselves before, they shall then be cast down, and lie, as it were, on the ground; for to lick the dust is nothing else but to lie prostrate on the earth. They shall then be low and creeping like serpents; and then, They shall move themselves as worms and reptiles of the ground The verb רגז , regez, as it has been stated elsewhere, means to raise an uproar, to tumultuate, and it means also to move one’s self; and this latter meaning is the most suitable here, namely, that they shall go forth or move themselves from their enclosures; for the word סגר , sager, signifies to close up: and by enclosures he means hiding-places, though in the song of David, in Psa 18:0 :, the word is applied to citadels and other fortified places, —

‘Men,’ he says, ‘trembled from their fortresses;’

though they occupied well-fortified citadels, they yet were afraid, because the very fame of David had broken down their boldness. But as the Prophet speaks here of worms, I prefer this rendering, — ‘from their lurkingplaces;’ as though he said, “Though they have hitherto thought themselves safe in their enclosures, they shall yet move and flee away like worms and reptiles; for when the ground is dug, the worms immediately leap out, for they think that they are going to be taken; so also, when any one moves the ground, the reptiles come forth, and tremblingly run away in all directions.” And the Prophet says that, in like manner, the enemies of the Church, when the Lord shall arise for its help, shall be smitten with so much fear, that they shall in every direction run away. And this comparison ought to be carefully noticed, that is, when the Prophet compares powerful nations well exercised in wars, who before were audaciously raging, and were swollen with great pride — when he compares them to worms and reptiles of the ground, and also to serpents: he did this to show, that there will be nothing to hinder God from laying prostrate every exalted thing in the world, as soon as it shall please him to aid his Church.

And hence the Prophet adds, On account of Jehovah our God they shall treed, and they shall fear because of thee Here the Prophet shows, that the faithful ought not to distrust on account of their own weakness, but, on the contrary, to remember the infinite power of God. It is indeed right that the children of God should begin with diffidence, — sensible that they are nothing, and that all their strength is nothing; but they ought not to stop at their own weakness, but, on the contrary, to rise up to the contemplation of God’s power, that they may not doubt but that, when his power shall appear, their enemies shall be soon scattered. This is the reason why the Prophet here mentions the name of God, and then turns to address God himself. Tremble then shall they at Jehovah our God, that is, on account of Jehovah our God; and then Fear shall they because of thee. 200 It now follows —

TSK: Mic 7:17 - -- lick : Gen 3:14, Gen 3:15; Psa 72:9; Isa 49:23, Isa 60:14, Isa 65:25; Lam 3:29; Rev 3:9 move : 1Sa 14:11; Psa 18:45; Jer 16:16 worms : or, creeping th...

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Commentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)

Barnes: Mic 7:17 - -- They shall lick the dust like a (the) serpent - To lick the dust, by itself, pictures the extreme humility of persons who east themselves down ...

They 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 Psa 72:9; Isa 49:23). To lick it "like the serpent"seems rather to represent the condition of those who share the serpent’ s doom Gen 3:14; Isa 65:25, whose lot, viz. earth and things of earth, they had chosen (Rup.): "They shall move out of their holes", or, better, shall tremble, (that is, "come tremblingly,") out of their close places , whether these be strong places or prisons, as the word, varied in one vowel means. If it be strong places, it means, that "the enemies of God’ s people should, in confusion and tumltuously with fear, leave their strongholds, wherein they thought to be secure, not able to lift themselves up against God and those by Him sent against them.""Like worms of the earth", literally, creeping things, or, as we say, reptiles, contemptuously. "They shall be afraid of", or rather come trembling to, the Lord our God; it is uot said their, but our God, who hath done so great things for us. And shall fear because of (literally, from) Thee, O Lord, of whom they had before said, Where is the Lord thy God?

It is doubtful, whether these last words express a "servile tear,"whereby a man turns away and flees from the person or thing which he fears, or whether they simply describe fear of God, the first step toward repentance. In Hosea’ s words, "they shall fear toward the Lord and His goodness"Hos 3:5, the addition, and His goodness, determines the character of the fear. In Micah, it is not said that the fear brings them into any relation to God. lie is not spoken of; as becoming, any how, their God, and Micah closes by a thanksgiving, for God’ s pardoning mercy, not to them but to His people.

And so the prophet ends, as he began, with the judgments of God; to those who would repent, chastisement, to the impenitent, punishment: "sentencing Samaria, guilty and not repenting"(Rup.), to perpetual captivity; to Jerusalem, guilty but repenting, promising restoration. So from the beginning of the world did God; so doth He; so shall He unto the end. So did He show Himself to Cain and Abel, who both, as we all, sinned in Adam. Cain, being impenitent, lie wholly cast away; Abel, being penitent,"and through faith offering a better sacrifice than Cain, and "bringing forth fruits worthy of repentance, He accepted."So He hath foreshown as to the end Matt. 25. Rup.: "And that we may know how uniformly our Judge so distinguisheth, at the very moment of His own death while hanging between the two thieves, the one, impenitent and blaspheming, He left; to the other, penitent and confessing, He opened the gate of paradise; and, soon after, leaving the Jewish people unrepentant, He received the repentance of the Gentiles."Thus the prophet parts with both out of sight; the people of God, feeding on the rich. bounty and abundance of God, and His marvelous gifts of grace above and beyond nature, multiplied to them above all the wonders of old time; the enemies of God’ s people looking on, not to, admire, but to be ashamed, not to be healthfully ashamed, but to be willfully deaf to the voice of God. For, however to lay the hand on the mouth might be a token of reverent silence, the deafness of the ears can hardly be other than the emblem of hardened obstinacy.

What follows, then, seems more like the unwilling creeping-forth into the Presence of God, when they cannot keep away, than conversion. It seems to picture the reprobate, who would not "hear the Voice of the Son of God and live"Joh 5:25, but who, in the end, shall be forced to hear it out of their close places or prisons, that is, the grave, and come forth in fear, when they shall "say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us"Luk 23:30; Rev 6:16. Thus the prophet brings us to the close of all things, the gladness and joy of God’ s people, the terror of His enemies, and adds only the song of thanksgiving of all the redeemed.

Poole: Mic 7:17 - -- They the proud and cruel enemies of Israel, the Babylonians, shall lick the dust; in the most submissive, servile manner testify their subjection, pr...

They the proud and cruel enemies of Israel, the Babylonians, shall lick the dust; in the most submissive, servile manner testify their subjection, promise to serve and honour the Jews released out of captivity: it is an expression which alludes to the servile manner of those Eastern complimenters, Psa 72:9 Isa 49:23 , and was fulfilled in the days after the return. when the kings of Persia favoured the Jews, and (as the manner of courtiers is) in compliance with their kings the grandees forwarded the prosperity of the Jews, as may easily be conjectured from the 6th and 7th chapters of Ezra.

Like a serpent condemned to eat the dust and perpetually to crawl on the dust; it seems to intimate. the perpetuity of slavery and subjection that the enemy should fall under, and that it should be on them as a curse like that on the serpent.

They shall move out of their holes so the strong holds and fastnesses of the Babylonians, who kept Israel in captivity, are called, like worms of the earth; which do with trembling and haste wriggle themselves out of their holes when the earth is shaken about them, or as when ants tumultuously in their fright run about from the ant-hill scattered with the foot; so should these enemies of Israel flee out of their holds, and leave them to conquering Persians, as Isaiah foretold, Isa 45:1-4 .

They shall be afraid a panic fear, expressed by the loosening of the loins of kings, Isa 45:1 ; so did the conquering Cyrus proceed in the course of his victories, as Isa 41:2,3 , God strengthened his arm, and left the heart of Babylonians sinking within them.

Of the Lord our God who did powerfully work for Cyrus in order to the delivering us out of captivity. It was our God, (saith the prophet in the person of Israel,) for his promise’ sake made to us, who did those great things by Cyrus and for us.

And shall fear because of thee so that the name of Jews, their power and greatness shall be terrible to their enemies.

Haydock: Mic 7:17 - -- Serpents, (Genesis iii. 14.) out of respect or rage. (Calmet) --- Converts shall humbly apply to the ministers of Christ to receive baptism and con...

Serpents, (Genesis iii. 14.) out of respect or rage. (Calmet) ---

Converts shall humbly apply to the ministers of Christ to receive baptism and confirmation. (Theodoret; Sanct. lxvii.)

Gill: Mic 7:17 - -- They shall lick the dust like a serpent,.... Whose food is the dust of the earth, according to the curse pronounced on it, Gen 3:14; and which is eith...

They shall lick the dust like a serpent,.... Whose food is the dust of the earth, according to the curse pronounced on it, Gen 3:14; and which is either its, natural food it chooses to live on, as some serpents however are said o to do; or, going upon its belly, it cannot but take in a good deal of the dust of the earth along with its food; and hereby is signified the low, mean, abject, and cursed estate and condition of the seed of the serpent, wicked and ungodly men, the enemies of Christ and his people; who wilt be forced to yield subjection to him and his church, and will pretend the most profound respect for them, and the highest veneration of them. The allusion seems to be to the manner of the eastern nations, who, in complimenting their kings and great men, bowed so low to the ground with their faces, as to take up with their mouths the very dust of it. Particularly it is said of the Persians, that they first kiss the pavement on which the king treads, before they speak unto him, as Quistorpius on the place relates; and Valerius Maximus p says, that when Darius Hystaspis was declared king by the neighing of his horse, the rest of the six candidates alighted from their horses, and prostrated their bodies to the ground, as is the manner of the Persians, and saluted him king; and Herodotus q observes the same, custom among the Persians; and to this custom the poet Martial r refers; and Drusius says it is a custom in Asia to this day, that, when any go into the presence of a king, they kiss the ground, which is a token of the great veneration they have for him. The phrase is used of the enemies of the, Messiah, and of the converted Jews and Gentiles at the latter day, and is expressive of their great submission to them; see Psa 72:9;

they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth; who put out their heads and draw them in again upon the least notice or approach of danger; or like serpents, as Jarchi and Kimchi, which lurk in holes, and creep out of them oft their bellies, or any other creeping things. The word s here used signifies a tremulous and tumultuous motion, like the wriggling of a worm out of the earth; or the hurry of ants, when their nests are kicked or thrown up: this is expressive of the confusion and perturbation of the enemies of the Lord and his people; of the Babylonians, who were obliged in a hurry to leave their palaces, as the Targum and Aben Ezra interpret their holes, and their fortresses and towers, and deliver them to the Medes and Persians; and of Gog and Magog, and the antichristian states, who will be obliged to abandon their places of abode, and creep out of sight, and be reduced to the lowest and meanest condition;

they shall be afraid of the Lord our God: because of the glory of his majesty, the greatness of his power, and for fear of his judgments:

and shall fear because of thee; O God, or Israel, as Kimchi; the church of God, whom they despised and reproached before; but now shall be seized with a panic, and live in the utmost dread of, because of the power and glory of God in the midst of them, and lest they should fall a sacrifice to them.

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Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Mic 7:17 The Lord is addressed directly using the second person.

Geneva Bible: Mic 7:17 They shall ( r ) 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, a...

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Commentary -- Verse Range Notes

TSK Synopsis: Mic 7:1-20 - --1 The church, complaining of her small number,3 and the general corruption,5 puts her confidence not in man, but in God.8 She triumphs over her enemie...

MHCC: Mic 7:14-20 - --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...

Matthew Henry: Mic 7:14-20 - -- Here is, I. The prophet's prayer to God to take care of his own people, and of their cause and interest, Mic 7:14. When God is about to deliver his ...

Keil-Delitzsch: Mic 7:14-17 - -- The promise of salvation impels the congregation to pray that it may be granted (Mic 7:14); whereupon the Lord assures it that His covenant mercies ...

Constable: Mic 6:1--7:20 - --IV. The third oracle: God's case against Israel and the ultimate triumph of His kingdom chs. 6--7 The writer rec...

Constable: Mic 7:8-20 - --E. Micah's confidence in the Lord 7:8-20 This final section of the book is also in the form of a lament ...

Constable: Mic 7:14-17 - --2. Prayer for deliverance 7:14-17 7:14 Micah prayed that the Lord would again take an active role as the shepherd of His people Israel. Shepherding wi...

Guzik: Mic 7:1-20 - --Micah 7 - Israel's Confession and Comfort A. God's people humbly confess their sin. 1. (1-4) An honest confession of their sinful state. Woe is me...

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Introduction / Outline

JFB: Micah (Book Introduction) MICAH was a native of Moresheth, not the same as Mareshah in Mic 1:15, but the town called Moresheth-gath (Mic 1:14), which lay near Eleutheropolis, w...

JFB: Micah (Outline) GOD'S WRATH AGAINST SAMARIA AND JUDAH; THE FORMER IS TO BE OVERTHROWN; SUCH JUDGMENTS IN PROSPECT CALL FOR MOURNING. (Mic. 1:1-16) DENUNCIATION OF TH...

TSK: Micah 7 (Chapter Introduction) Overview Mic 7:1, The church, complaining of her small number, Mic 7:3, and the general corruption, Mic 7:5, puts her confidence not in man, but i...

Poole: Micah (Book Introduction) THE ARGUMENT IT is by custom become necessary, in writing the arguments on the several prophets, to tell of what country the prophet was; and where...

Poole: Micah 7 (Chapter Introduction) CHAPTER 7 The church, complaining of the scarcity of good men, Mic 7:1,2 , and the general corruption, Mic 7:3,4 , putteth not confidence in man, b...

MHCC: Micah (Book Introduction) Micah was raised up to support Isaiah, and to confirm his predictions, while he invited to repentance, both by threatened judgments and promised merci...

MHCC: Micah 7 (Chapter Introduction) (Mic 7:1-7) The general prevalence of wickedness. (Mic 7:8-13) Reliance on God, and triumph over enemies. (Mic 7:14-20) Promises and encouragements ...

Matthew Henry: Micah (Book Introduction) An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Prophecy of Micah We shall have some account of this prophet in the first verse of the book of his ...

Matthew Henry: Micah 7 (Chapter Introduction) In this chapter, I. The prophet, in the name of the church, sadly laments the woeful decay of religion in the age wherein he lived, and the deluge...

Constable: Micah (Book Introduction) Introduction Title and Writer The title, as usual in the prophetical books of the Old ...

Constable: Micah (Outline) Outline I. Heading 1:1 II. The first oracle: Israel's impending judgment and future restorat...

Constable: Micah Micah Bibliography Aharoni, Y. The Land of the Bible. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1967. Al...

Haydock: Micah (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION. THE PROPHECY OF MICHEAS. Micheas, of Morasti, a little town in the tribe of Juda, was cotemporary with the prophet Isaias, whom he...

Gill: Micah (Book Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO MICAH This book is called, in the Hebrew copies, "Sepher Micah", the Book of Micah; in the Vulgate Latin version "the Prophecy of M...

Gill: Micah 7 (Chapter Introduction) INTRODUCTION TO MICAH 7 This chapter begins with a lamentation of the prophet, in the name of the church and people of God, concerning the general ...

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