The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
What does Micah 7:16 mean?
When God is about to deliver his people, he stirs up their friends to pray for them.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Micah 7:16-20 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Micah 7:16
The nations shall see - God had answered, what He would give to His own people, to see. Micah takes up the word, and says, what effect this sight should have upon the enemies of God and of His people. The world should still continue to be divided between the people of God and their adversaries. Those who are converted pass from the one to the other; but the contrast remains. Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, pass away or become subject to other powers; but the antagonism continues. The nations are they, who, at each time, waste, oppress, are arrayed against, the people of God. When the Gospel came into the world, the whole world was arrayed against it.
Key words
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The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might,.
- confounded
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The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might,.
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The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might,.
Context in Micah 7
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Micah 7 belongs to the closing movement of the book, especially the section often described as covenant lawsuit and concluding mercy. Micah joins social critique, Zion hope, and one of Scripture’s most memorable summaries of what the Lord requires. Read this chapter with the wider themes of justice, humility, and judgment in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Bible verses about justice and mercy
Key texts on public righteousness, neighbor-love, social ethics, compassion, and the prophetic refusal to separate worship from justice.
Passages on lowliness, modesty, the contrast between pride and humility, and the way God exalts those who humble themselves.