Micah 7:16 (GNV)

Passage

The nations shall see, and be confounded for all their power: they shall lay their hande vpon their mouth: their eares shall be deafe.

Nearby Context

Micah 7:14 Feed thy people with thy rod, the flocke of thine heritage (which dwell solitarie in the wood) as in the middes of Carmel: let them feede in Bashan and Gilead, as in olde time.

Micah 7:15 According to the dayes of thy comming out of the lande of Egypt, will I shewe vnto him marueilous things.

Micah 7:16 The nations shall see, and be confounded for all their power: they shall lay their hande vpon their mouth: their eares shall be deafe.

Micah 7:17 They shall licke the dust like a serpent: they shall mooue out of their holes like wormes: they shalbe afraide of the Lord our God, and shall feare because of thee.

Micah 7:18 Who is a God like vnto thee, that taketh away iniquitie, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage! He reteineth not his wrath for euer, because mercie pleaseth him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "nations", "shall", "confounded", "power", "hande", "vpon", and "mouth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "nations" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "According to the dayes of thy comming..." into verse 17's "They shall licke the dust like a...", so "nations" and "shall" 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 "nations" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.