“And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.”
The continuation—'Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am Yahweh; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame'—escalates the vision of vindication through royal subordination. The image of kings and queens serving as parents to Israel suggests absolute reversal of power relations. The promise of worship (bowing, eating dust) emphasizes complete subjugation. The purpose clause connects this vindication to knowledge of God. This verse presents the most extreme reversal of exile's humiliation.
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