SEV Biblia, Chapter 7:17
Lamerán el polvo como la culebra; como las serpientes de la tierra, temblarán en sus encierros; se despavorirán del SEÑOR nuestro Dios, y temerán de ti.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 17. They shall lick the dust like a serpent , etc.] Whose food is the dust of the earth, according to the curse pronounced on it, ( Genesis 3:14); and which is either its, natural food it chooses to live on, as some serpents however are said to do; or, going upon its belly, it cannot but take in a good deal of the dust of the earth along with its food; and hereby is signified the low, mean, abject, and cursed estate and condition of the seed of the serpent, wicked and ungodly men, the enemies of Christ and his people; who wilt be forced to yield subjection to him and his church, and will pretend the most profound respect for them, and the highest veneration of them. The allusion seems to be to the manner of the eastern nations, who, in complimenting their kings and great men, bowed so low to the ground with their faces, as to take up with their mouths the very dust of it. Particularly it is said of the Persians, that they first kiss the pavement on which the king treads, before they speak unto him, as Quistorpius on the place relates; and Valerius Maximus says, that when Darius Hystaspis was declared king by the neighing of his horse, the rest of the six candidates alighted from their horses, and prostrated their bodies to the ground, as is the manner of the Persians, and saluted him king; and Herodotus observes the same, custom among the Persians; and to this custom the poet Martial refers; and Drusius says it is a custom in Asia to this day, that, when any go into the presence of a king, they kiss the ground, which is a token of the great veneration they have for him. The phrase is used of the enemies of the, Messiah, and of the converted Jews and Gentiles at the latter day, and is expressive of their great submission to them; (see Psalm 72:9 Isaiah 49:23); they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth ; who put out their heads and draw them in again upon the least notice or approach of danger; or like serpents, as Jarchi and Kimchi, which lurk in holes, and creep out of them oft their bellies, or any other creeping things. The word here used signifies a tremulous and tumultuous motion, like the wriggling of a worm out of the earth; or the hurry of ants, when their nests are kicked or thrown up: this is expressive of the confusion and perturbation of the enemies of the Lord and his people; of the Babylonians, who were obliged in a hurry to leave their palaces, as the Targum and Aben Ezra interpret their holes, and their fortresses and towers, and deliver them to the Medes and Persians; and of Gog and Magog, and the antichristian states, who will be obliged to abandon their places of abode, and creep out of sight, and be reduced to the lowest and meanest condition; they shall be afraid of the Lord our God : because of the glory of his majesty, the greatness of his power, and for fear of his judgments: and shall fear because of thee ; O God, or Israel, as Kimchi; the church of God, whom they despised and reproached before; but now shall be seized with a panic, and live in the utmost dread of, because of the power and glory of God in the midst of them, and lest they should fall a sacrifice to them.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 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 thi 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. A their sin brought them into bondage, so God's pardoning their sin brought them out. All who find pardoning mercy, cannot but wonder a 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. I left to ourselves, our sins will be too hard for us; but God's grac shall be sufficient to subdue them, so that they shall not rule us, an then they shall not ruin us. When God forgives sin, he takes care tha it never shall be remembered any more against the sinner. He cast their sins into the sea; not near the shore-side, where they may appea 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. Thes engagements relate to Christ, and the success of the gospel to the en 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 Lor 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 Chris Jesus __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
ילחכו 3897 עפר 6083 כנחשׁ 5175 כזחלי 2119 ארץ 776 ירגזו 7264 ממסגרתיהם 4526 אל 413 יהוה 3068 אלהינו 430 יפחדו 6342 ויראו 3372 ממך׃ 4480
