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Psalms

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Psalm 72

1 For Solomon. O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions. Grant the king’s son the ability to make fair decisions.⁠ 2 Then he will judge your people fairly and your oppressed ones equitably. 3 The mountains will bring news of peace to the people, and the hills will announce justice. 4 He will defend the oppressed among the people; he will deliver the children of the poor and crush the oppressor.⁠ 5 People will fear you as long as the sun and moon remain in the sky, for generation after generation.⁠ 6 He will descend like rain on the mown grass, like showers that drench the earth. 7 During his days the godly will flourish; peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky. 8 May he rule from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.⁠ 9 Before him the coastlands will bow down,⁠ and his enemies will lick the dust.⁠ 10 The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will offer gifts; the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring tribute.⁠ 11 All kings will bow down to him; all nations will serve him. 12 For he will rescue the needy when they cry out for help, and the oppressed who have no defender.⁠ 13 He will take pity on the poor and needy; the lives of the needy he will save. 14 From harm and violence he will defend them; he will value their lives. 15 May he live! May they offer him gold from Sheba.⁠ May they continually pray for him. May they pronounce blessings on him all day long. 16 May there be an abundance of grain in the earth; on the tops of the mountains may it sway. May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon. May its crops be as abundant as the grass of the earth. 17 May his fame endure. May his dynasty last as long as the sun remains in the sky. May they use his name when they formulate their blessings. May all nations consider him to be favored by God. 18 The Lord God, the God of Israel, deserves praise. He alone accomplishes amazing things. 19 His glorious name deserves praise forevermore. May his majestic splendor fill the whole earth. We agree! We agree!⁠ 20 This collection of the prayers of David son of Jesse ends here.

Texts in conversation

Compare Micah 7:17 and Psalm 72:9

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Micah 7 and Psalm 72 describe foreign nations humbling themselves by “licking the dust,” a gesture based on ancient Near Eastern symbols of conquest and submission. In both, this act marks the nations’ defeat and recognition of other powers.

Passages

Micah 7:17

Hebrew Bible
15 “As in the days when you departed from the land of Egypt, I will show you miraculous deeds.” 16 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. 17 They will lick the dust like a snake, like serpents crawling on the ground. They will come trembling from their strongholds to the Lord our God; they will be terrified of you. 18 Who is a God like you? Who forgives sin and pardons the rebellion of those who remain among his people? Who does not stay angry forever, but delights in showing loyal love? 19 Who will once again have mercy on us? Who will conquer our evil deeds? Who will hurl all our sins into the depths of the sea?
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Micah

Psalm 72:9

Hebrew Bible
7 During his days the godly will flourish; peace will prevail as long as the moon remains in the sky. 8 May he rule from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. 9 Before him the coastlands will bow down, and his enemies will lick the dust. 10 The kings of Tarshish and the coastlands will offer gifts; the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring tribute. 11 All kings will bow down to him; all nations will serve him.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

"... Many commentators attempt to soften [Isaiah 49:22-23] by arguing that it is a hyperbole. Westermann, for example, describes DI as giving metaphors “for the careful protection, and the deference and attention, to be accorded to those who return home.” Others explain this as merely an ancient Near Eastern sign of homage, and Blenkinsopp cites court protocol in a fourteenth century B.C.E. letter from the ruler of Tyre to the Pharaoh: “I fall prostrate at the feet of the king my lord; I am the dirt under the feet of the king my lord.” P. Volz’s argument that the nations are not said to serve Israel in perpetuity is also usually cited. However, Van Winkle notes that licking dust in Psalm 72:9 and Micah 7:17 refer to the conquest of enemies, and though North proposes that licking dust from the feet is less degrading than licking dust from the ground, Van Winkle points out from Sargon’s and Sennacherib’s boasts that kings of conquered peoples kiss their feet in abject submission ..."
Maggie Low, Mother Zion in Deutero-Isaiah: A Metaphor for Zion Theology, StBibLit 155 (New York: Peter Lang, 2013), 170–171.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Micah 7:17 and Psalm 72:9

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