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Micah 5:7-9, King James Version
Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.
Micah 5:7-9
The Remnant Is Dew and Lion among the Peoples
Among many peoples the remnant is dew that no one schedules
The remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. Benefit is gift beyond human control. It is not a prosperity promise of effortless influence.
The same remnant is also a lion, and the book will not let readers pick only one image
The remnant shall be among the Gentiles, in the midst of many people, as a lion among the beasts, as a young lion among flocks, who treads down, tears, and none can deliver. Gentiles here are nations, the same many peoples as in the dew line, not a Christian-versus-Jewish prey list.
Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries; all thine enemies shall be cut off. The lion and the cut-off enemies belong to prophetic metaphor and divine judgment. They do not authorize ethnic violence, religious domination, or cruelty. Micah 4's unlearned war and this lion must interpret each other. Application gives priority to life-giving presence among neighbors and leaves vengeance unclaimed.
How this should shape us
Practice refreshment where you live among other peoples: shared provision, truth, and safety. Name real threats without converting the lion into a warrant to prey on Jews, nations, or any modern group.
Teach it back
Explain Micah 5:7-9 in your own words. Include its place in Micah's judgment-restoration movement, one material uncertainty, and one use the context rules out.
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Go deeper
The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.
Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties
Where do careful interpreters disagree?
Best judgment: Complementary, sequential, and competing-source readings remain plausible. The final form intentionally exposes both images, and application gives priority to nonviolent benefit while leaving divine judgment to God.
How certain? probableResearch trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Micah 5:7-9, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, clause relationships, wordplays, names, and the base text behind translation discussion.
Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Mic.xml, 5:7-9
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual, literary, historical, and uncertainty notes.
NET Bible Micah PDF, printed pp. 1747-1748, translation and notes on 5:7-9
Supports: Whole-book movement, eighth-century and later horizons, literary boundaries, composition, and verse-level alternatives.
Williamson, 'Micah,' Oxford Bible Commentary, printed pp. 598, discussion of 5:7-9
Supports: Competing literary-unity and redaction proposals and the tension between restoration metaphors, especially English 5:7-8.
Cruz, 'Metaphor and Disunity,' journal pp. 36-43, especially pp. 38-42; consulted for the judgment-restoration seams surrounding 5:7-9
Sources for This Section
These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Micah 5:7-9, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Micah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, clause relationships, wordplays, names, and the base text behind translation discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Mic.xml, 5:7-9
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Micah with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual, literary, historical, and uncertainty notes.
Exact location: NET Bible Micah PDF, printed pp. 1747-1748, translation and notes on 5:7-9
Open source ↗modern critical commentary
Micah
H. G. M. Williamson
Oxford University Press, in The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001
Supports: Whole-book movement, eighth-century and later horizons, literary boundaries, composition, and verse-level alternatives.
Exact location: Williamson, 'Micah,' Oxford Bible Commentary, printed pp. 598, discussion of 5:7-9
Open source ↗peer reviewed journal article
Metaphor and Disunity: An Analysis of Micah 5:6-7
Juan T. Cruz Jr.
Tropos 1.1, 2014
Supports: Competing literary-unity and redaction proposals and the tension between restoration metaphors, especially English 5:7-8.
Exact location: Cruz, 'Metaphor and Disunity,' journal pp. 36-43, especially pp. 38-42; consulted for the judgment-restoration seams surrounding 5:7-9
Open source ↗