Micah 7:16
 Micah 7:16 
New International Version (©2011)
Nations will see and be ashamed, deprived of all their power. They will put their hands over their mouths and their ears will become deaf.

New Living Translation (©2007)
All the nations of the world will stand amazed at what the LORD will do for you. They will be embarrassed at their feeble power. They will cover their mouths in silent awe, deaf to everything around them.

English Standard Version (©2001)
The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hands on their mouths; their ears shall be deaf;

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Nations will see and be ashamed Of all their might. They will put their hand on their mouth, Their ears will be deaf.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
Nations will see and be ashamed of all their power. They will put their hands over their mouths, and their ears will become deaf.

International Standard Version (©2012)
The nations will look on and will be ashamed in spite of all their power; they will cup their hands over their mouths, and their ears will be deaf.

NET Bible (©2006)
Nations will see this and be disappointed by all their strength, they will put their hands over their mouths, and act as if they were deaf.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Nations will see this and be ashamed in spite of all their strength. They will put their hands over their mouths. Their ears will become deaf.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
The nations shall see and be ashamed at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

American King James Version
The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand on their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

American Standard Version
The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might; they shall lay their hand upon their mouth; their ears shall be deaf.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The nations shall see, and shall be confounded at all their strength: they shall put the hand upon the mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

Darby Bible Translation
The nations shall see, and be ashamed for all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

English Revised Version
The nations shall see and be ashamed of all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

Webster's Bible Translation
The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand upon their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

World English Bible
The nations will see and be ashamed of all their might. They will lay their hand on their mouth. Their ears will be deaf.

Young's Literal Translation
See do nations, and they are ashamed of all their might, They lay a hand on the mouth, their ears are deaf.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:14-20 When God is about to deliver his people, he stirs up their friends to pray for them. Apply spiritually the prophet's prayer to Christ, to take care of his church, as the great Shepherd of the sheep, and to go before them, while they are here in this world as in a wood, in this world but not of it. God promises in answer to this prayer, he will do that for them which shall be repeating the miracles of former ages. As their sin brought them into bondage, so God's pardoning their sin brought them out. All who find pardoning mercy, cannot but wonder at that mercy; we have reason to stand amazed, if we know what it is. When the Lord takes away the guilt of sin, that it may not condemn us, he will break the power of sin, that it may not have dominion over us. If left to ourselves, our sins will be too hard for us; but God's grace shall be sufficient to subdue them, so that they shall not rule us, and then they shall not ruin us. When God forgives sin, he takes care that it never shall be remembered any more against the sinner. He casts their sins into the sea; not near the shore-side, where they may appear again, but into the depth of the sea, never to rise again. All their sins shall be cast there, for when God forgives sin, he forgives all. He will perfect that which concerns us, and with this good work will do all for us which our case requires, and which he has promised. These engagements relate to Christ, and the success of the gospel to the end of time, the future restoration of Israel, and the final prevailing of true religion in all lands. The Lord will perform his truth and mercy, not one jot or tittle of it shall fall to the ground: faithful is He that has promised, who also will do it. Let us remember that the Lord has given the security of his covenant, for strong consolation to all who flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before them in Christ Jesus.


Pulpit Commentary

Verse 16. - Shall see. The heathen shall see these marvellous things. Be confounded at (ashamed of) all their might. Hostile nations shall be ashamed when they find the impotence of their boasted power. Compare the effect of the Exodus on contiguous nations (Exodus 15:14, etc.; Joshua 2:9, 10). They shall lay their hand upon their mouth. They shall be silent from awe and astonishment (Judges 18:19; Job 21:5; Isaiah 52:15). Their ears shall be deaf. Their senses shall be stupefied by the wonders which they see - that which Job (Job 26:14) calls "the thunder of his mighty deeds." There may also be an allusion to their wilful obstinacy, and unbelief.


Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might,.... The Chaldeans or Babylonians, when they shall see the wonderful things done by the Lord in the deliverance of his people out of their hands, shall be ashamed of their own power and might, in which they trusted, and of which they boasted; but now shall be baffled and defeated, and not able to stop the progress of the arms of Cyrus, or detain the Jews any longer their captives; or they shall be confounded at the power and strength the Jews will have to repossess their land, rebuild their city and temple, under the encouragement and protection of the king of Persia; and as this may refer to a further accomplishment in Gospel times, it may respect the confusion the Gentile world would be in at the mighty power and spread of the Gospel, in the conversion of such multitudes by it, and in the abolition of the Pagan religion. Kimchi interprets this of the nations that shall be gathered together with Gog and Magog against Jerusalem in the latter day; see Ezekiel 38:15;

they shall lay their hand upon their mouth: be silent, and boast no more of themselves; nor blaspheme God and his word; nor insult his people; nor oppose his Gospel, or open their mouths any more against his truths and his ordinances:

their ears shall be deaf; hearing so much of the praises of God, of the success of his interest, and of the happiness of his peopled dinned in their ears, they will be stunned with it, and scarce know what they hear; become deaf with the continual noise of it, which will be disagreeable to them; and will choose to hear no more, and therefore through envy and grief will stop their ears at what is told them.


Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

16. shall see—the "marvellous things" (Mic 7:15; Isa 26:11).

confounded at all their might—having so suddenly proved unavailing: that might wherewith they had thought that there is nothing which they could not effect against God's people.

lay … hand upon … mouth—the gesture of silence (Job 21:5; 40:4; Ps 107:42; Isa 52:15). They shall be struck dumb at Israel's marvellous deliverance, and no longer boast that God's people is destroyed.

ears … deaf—They shall stand astounded so as not to hear what shall be said [Grotius]. Once they had eagerly drunk in all rumors as so many messages of victories; but then they shall be afraid of hearing them, because they continually fear new disasters, when they see the God of Israel to be so powerful [Calvin]. They shall close their ears so as not to be compelled to hear of Israel's successes.


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God's Compassion on Israel
14Feed your people with your rod, the flock of your heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the middle of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. 15According to the days of your coming out of the land of Egypt will I show to him marvelous things. 16The nations shall see and be confounded at all their might: they shall lay their hand on their mouth, their ears shall be deaf.

Proverbs 30:32 "If you play the fool and exalt yourself, or if you plan evil, clap your hand over your mouth!
Isaiah 26:11 LORD, your hand is lifted high, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people and be put to shame; let the fire reserved for your enemies consume them.
Micah 3:7 The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God."
Haggai 2:22 I will overturn royal thrones and shatter the power of the foreign kingdoms. I will overthrow chariots and their drivers; horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.