What Does Micah 7:16 Mean in the King James?
The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
God’s showing becomes the nations’ seeing, and what they see makes their own might go silent.
THE MEANING
When power looks absolute around you, this verse places it before what God shows. The nations see, their own might leaves them confounded, and their hands cover their mouths as their ears go deaf. What seemed able to prevail cannot answer what is now visible.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The belief that the force you can measure must have the final word is undone: when what God shows is visible, might itself becomes the reason for shame.
THE ROOT
וְיִרְאוּ
veyir'u
GROWS FROM
ראה
To see or perceive; in a causative form, to show or cause to see.
Micah 7:15 uses the same root for “I will show,” and here it becomes “they shall see.” Hebrew lets the revealing and the seeing grow from one seed: the nations receive what is shown, and their might cannot answer it.
ALSO GROWS
her'ah: Show; cause to see
הֶרְאָה
Micah 7:15 uses this causative form for God showing marvels, which the nations see in this verse.
mar'eh: Appearance; sight
מַרְאֶה
This branch names what is seen, linking the visible marvels to the nations’ act of seeing.
גְּבוּרָתָם
gevuratam
GROWS FROM
גבר
To be strong or prevail.
גְּבוּרָה (gevurah, might) belongs to the same root family as the word for a mighty one and the verb for prevailing. Here, the power that claims to prevail ends with a hand covering the mouth.
ALSO GROWS
gibbor: Mighty one; warrior
גִּבּוֹר
This is a person marked by the same strength named in the nations’ might.
gavar: Prevail; grow strong
גָּבַר
The verb makes the contrast plain: what seems to prevail is confounded when the nations see.
THE PATTERN
What is made visible can silence power that once seemed able to prevail.
So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.THE THREAD
According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things.Micah 7:15 says God will show marvels; 7:16 says the nations will see them. The same Hebrew root, ראה (ra’ah, see/show), moves from what is shown to the seeing that leaves might speechless.
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