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.
Ver. 23. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers.] Such were David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Josiah, Constantine, Theodosius, Placilla, Queen Elizabeth, &c.
They shall bow down to thee.] They shall give thee civil worship, and low obeisance, and that for Christ's sake, who is thine head and husband, and dwelleth in thee.
They shall bow down to thee, &c.] Such honour hath every saint through Christ. The Pope's parasites would hence ground his holding out his feet to be kissed; yea, his treading upon kings and emperors. But Peter would none of this; Act 10:25-26 so little cause had that Pope to cry out, Et mihi et Petro. Interpreters do rightly note that in these and the like texts, the prophet alludes to the manner of the Persians, among whom those that would speak unto the king, did first kiss the pavement that the king had trodden upon. a Hence Martial,
“ Pietorum sola basiare regum. ”
The ancient Christians also, to honour and hearten their confessors, and such as suffered imprisonment for the truth's sake, did use to kiss their hands, yea, to cast themselves down at their feet. Tertullian, writing to some of the martyrs, saith, Non tantus sum ut vos alloquar, I am not good enough to speak unto you. He telleth also of some in his time, that they did reptare ad vincula martyrum, creep to the bands of the martyrs in way of honour to them.
a Xenophon, lib. viii. Plutarch., in Alcib.