Micah 7:17 (YLT)

Passage

They lick dust as a serpent, as fearful things of earth, They tremble from their enclosures, Of Jehovah our God they are afraid, Yea, they are afraid of Thee.

Nearby Context

Micah 7:15 According to the days of thy coming forth out of the land of Egypt, I do shew it wonderful things.

Micah 7:16 See do nations, and they are ashamed of all their might, They lay a hand on the mouth, their ears are deaf.

Micah 7:17 They lick dust as a serpent, as fearful things of earth, They tremble from their enclosures, Of Jehovah our God they are afraid, Yea, they are afraid of Thee.

Micah 7:18 Who <FI>is<Fi> a God like Thee? taking away iniquity, And passing by the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance, He hath not retained for ever His anger, Because He--He delighteth <FI>in<Fi> kindness.

Micah 7:19 He doth turn back, He pitieth us, He doth subdue our iniquities, And Thou castest into the depths of the sea all their sins.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lick", "dust", "serpent", "fearful", "things", "earth", "tremble", and "enclosures". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lick" and "dust", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "See do nations and they are ashamed..." into verse 18's "Who FI is Fi a God like...", so "lick" and "dust" 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 "lick" and "dust" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.