Micah 7:18 (DBY)

Passage

Who is a God like unto thee, that forgiveth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in loving-kindness.

Nearby Context

Micah 7:16 The nations shall see, and be ashamed for all their might: they shall lay [their] hand upon [their] mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

Micah 7:17 They shall lick dust like the serpent; like crawling things of the earth, they shall come trembling forth from their close places. They shall turn with fear to Jehovah our God, and shall be afraid because of thee.

Micah 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that forgiveth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in loving-kindness.

Micah 7:19 He will yet again have compassion on us, he will tread under foot our iniquities: and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

Micah 7:20 Thou wilt perform truth to Jacob, loving-kindness to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers, from the days of old.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "like", "thee", "forgiveth", "iniquity", "passeth", "transgression", and "remnant". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "like", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "They shall lick dust like the serpent..." into verse 19's "He will yet again have compassion on...", so "light" and "like" belong inside that flow. In Micah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "light" and "like" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.