Zephaniah1
New King James Version
1The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
2“I will utterly consume everything From the face of the land,” Says the Lord;
3“I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens, The fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land,” Says the Lord.
4“I will stretch out My hand against Judah, And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place, The names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests—
5Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord, But who also swear by Milcom;
6Those who have turned back from following the Lord, And have not sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him.”
7Be silent in the presence of the Lord God; For the day of the Lord is at hand, For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited His guests.
8“And it shall be, In the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, That I will punish the princes and the king’s children, And all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.
9In the same day I will punish All those who leap over the threshold, Who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
10“And there shall be on that day,” says the Lord, “The sound of a mournful cry from the Fish Gate, A wailing from the Second Quarter, And a loud crashing from the hills.
11Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh! For all the merchant people are cut down; All those who handle money are cut off.
12“And it shall come to pass at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And punish the men Who are settled in complacency, Who say in their heart, ‘The Lord will not do good, Nor will He do evil.’
13Therefore their goods shall become booty, And their houses a desolation; They shall build houses, but not inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards, but not drink their wine.”
14The great day of the Lord is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out.
15That day is a day of wrath, A day of trouble and distress, A day of devastation and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness,
16A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high towers.
17“I will bring distress upon men, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they have sinned against the Lord; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse.”
18Neither their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the Lord’s wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land.
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