Zephaniah1
English Standard Version
1The of the Lord that came to the of , of , of , of , in the of the of , of .
2I will away from the of the , the Lord.
3I will away and ; I will away the of the and the of the , and the with the . I will from the of the , the Lord.
4I will my and the of ; and I will off from the of and the of the along with the ,
5those who down on the to the of the , those who down and to the Lord and yet by ,
6those who have following the Lord, who do the Lord or of him.
7Be the God! For the of the Lord is ; the Lord has a and his .
8And on the of the Lord ’s — I will the and the and who themselves in .
9On that I will who the , and those who their with and .
10On that , the Lord, a will be from the , a from the Quarter, a from the .
11 , O of the ! the more; who out are .
12At that I will with , and I will the who are , those who in their , The Lord will do , will he .
13Their shall be , and their laid . Though they , they shall them; though they , they shall from them.
14The of the Lord is , and ; the of the of the Lord is ; the man aloud .
15A of is that , a of and , a of and , a of and , a of and ,
16a of blast and against the and against the .
17I will on , so that they shall like the , they have against the Lord; their shall be out like , and their like .
18 their their shall be to them on the of the of the Lord. In the of his , the shall be ; for a and end he will of all the of the .
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Zephaniah 1.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Threatenings against sinners. (1–6). More threatenings. (7–13). Distress from the approaching judgments. (14–18).
vv1-6
Ruin is coming, utter ruin; destruction from the Almighty. The servants of God all proclaim, There is no peace for the wicked. The expressions are figurative, speaking every where desolation; the land shall be left without inhabitants. The sinners to be consumed are, the professed idolaters, and those that worship Jehovah and idols, or swear to the Lord, and to Malcham. Those that think to divide their affections and worship between God and idols, will come short of acceptance with God; for what communion can there be between light and darkness? If Satan have half, he will have all; if the Lord have but half, he will have none. Neglect of God shows impiety and contempt. May none of us be among those who draw back unto perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
vv7-13
God's day is at hand; the punishment of presumptuous sinners is a sacrifice to the justice of God. The Jewish royal family shall be reckoned with for their pride and vanity; and those that leap on the threshold, invading their neighbours' rights, and seizing their possessions. The trading people and the rich merchants are called to account. Secure and careless people are reckoned with. They are secure and easy; they say in their heart, the Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil; that is, they deny his dispensing rewards and punishments. But in the day of the Lord's judgment, it will clearly appear that those who perish, fall a sacrifice to Divine justice for breaking God's law, and because they have no interest by faith in the Redeemer's atoning sacrifice.
vv14-18
This warning of approaching destruction, is enough to make the sinners in Zion tremble; it refers to the great day of the Lord, the day in which he will show himself by taking vengeance on them. This day of the Lord is very near; it is a day of God's wrath, wrath to the utmost. It will be a day of trouble and distress to sinners. Let them not be laid asleep by the patience of God. What is a man profited if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? And what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Let us flee from the wrath to come, and choose the good part that shall never be taken from us; then we shall be prepared for every event; nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Key Words
דָּבָר: a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
צְפַנְיָה: Tsephanjah, the name of four Israelites
בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)
כּוּשִׁי: Cushi, the name of two Israelites
גְּדַּלְיָה: Gedaljah, the name of five Israelites
אֲמַרְיָה: Amarjah, the name of nine Israelites
חִזְקִיָּה: Chizkijah, a king of Judah, also the name of two other Israelites
יוֹם: a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
יֹאשִׁיָּה: Joshijah, the name of two Israelites
אָמוֹן: Amon, the name of three Israelites
Cross References
Zephaniah 1Condemns the syncretistic halting between two opinions, matching those who swear by Yahweh and Malcham.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Provides the historical fulfillment of Josiah putting down the Chemarims (idolatrous priests) and roof-top astral worship.
Supported by JFB
Illuminates 'leap on the threshold' as a superstitious practice derived from the Philistines at Dagon's temple.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Defines the spiritual state of being 'settled on their lees' as stagnant, secure, and indifferent complacency.
Supported by JFB
Parallels the exact warning that silver and gold cannot deliver in the day of the Lord's wrath.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
New Testament parallel affirming that one cannot divide worship between God and Mammon/Malcham.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Parallels the solemn command to 'Hold thy peace' or keep silence before the sovereign Lord God.
Supported by JFB
Establishes the image of God's terrible judgment described metaphorically as a sacrificial slaughter.
Supported by JFB
A parallel prophetic depiction of the day of the Lord as a sacrificial day of slaughter.
Supported by JFB
Shows the historical fulfillment of judgment upon Josiah's children (Jehoahaz and Eliakim) under Babylonian invasion.
Supported by JFB
Parallels the futility curse of building houses but not dwelling in them, and planting vineyards in vain.
Supported by Matthew Poole, Matthew Henry
Matches the alarm of the trumpet in Zion warning of the near, dark day of the Lord.
Supported by JFB
Fulfills the covenant curse where sinners are struck with blindness and grope helplessly at noonday.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Wisdom parallel confirming that accumulated riches utterly fail to deliver in the day of wrath.
Supported by Matthew Poole