Zephaniah1
King James Version · Public Domain
1The word of the Lord which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
2I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord.
3I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord.
4I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;
5And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham;
6And them that are turned back from the Lord; and those that have not sought the Lord, nor enquired for him.
7Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.
8And it shall come to pass 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 strange apparel.
9In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.
10And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills.
11Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.
12And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil.
13Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.
14The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
15That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
16A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
17And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.
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 shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that 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