Zephaniah2
King James Version · Public Domain
1Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;
2Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you.
3Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger.
4For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.
5Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
6And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks.
7And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the Lord their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.
8I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border.
9Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.
10This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the Lord of hosts.
11The Lord will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.
12Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword.
13And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness.
14And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work.
15This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Zephaniah 2.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: An exhortation to repentance. (1–3). Judgments upon other nations. (4–15).
vv1-3
The prophet calls to national repentance, as the only way to prevent national ruin. A nation not desiring, that has not desires toward God, is not desirous of his favour and grace, has no mind to repent and reform. Or, not desirable, not having any thing to recommend them to God; to whom God might justly say, Depart from me; but he says, Gather together to me that you may seek my face. We know what God's decree will bring against impenitent sinners, therefore it highly concerns all to repent in the accepted time. How careful should we all be to seek peace with God, before the Holy Spirit withdraws from us, or ceases to strive with us; before the day of grace is over, or the day of life; before our everlasting state is determined! Let the poor, despised, and afflicted, seek the Lord, and seek to understand and keep his commandments better, that they may be more humbled for their sins. The chief hope of deliverance from national judgments rests upon prayer.
vv4-15
Those are really in a woful condition who have the word of the Lord against them, for no word of his shall fall to the ground. God will restore his people to their rights, though long kept from them. It has been the common lot of God's people, in all ages, to be reproached and reviled. God shall be worshipped, not only by all Israel, and the strangers who join them, but by the heathen. Remote nations must be reckoned with for the wrongs done to God's people. The sufferings of the insolent and haughty in prosperity, are unpitied and unlamented. But all the desolations of flourishing nations will make way for the overturning Satan's kingdom. Let us improve our advantages, and expect the performance of every promise, praying that our Father's name may be hallowed every where, over all the earth.
Key Words
קָשַׁשׁ: to forage for straw, stubble or wood; figuratively, to assemble
גּוֹי: a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
טֶרֶם: properly, non-occurrence; used adverbially, not yet or before
חֹק: an enactment; hence, an appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or usage)
יָלַד: to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage
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)
עָבַר: to cross over; used very widely of any transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive, intensive, causative); specifically, to cover (in copulation)
מֹץ: chaff (as pressed out, i.e. winnowed or (rather) threshed loose)
בּוֹא: to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
חָרוֹן: a burning of anger
Cross References
Zephaniah 2Parallel judgment on the same four Philistine cities (Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron) omitting Gath.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Deuteronomy details the 'salt and burning' of Sodom and Gomorrah, echoed in the doom of Moab.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Nineveh's proud boast, 'I am, and there is none beside me,' matches Babylon's boast in Isaiah.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The hopeful 'it may be' of escaping God's anger matches Joel's call to repentance.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Jeremiah's doom on the Philistines, naming Gaza, Ashkelon, and the remnant of the valley.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Ezekiel explicitly targets the Cherethites and the sea coast of the Philistines with vengeance.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Detailed parallel of wild beasts, pelicans, and bitterns inhabiting ruined, desolated cities.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
The call to 'gather together' in a solemn national assembly to avert impending wrath.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
God rising to judgment to save all the meek of the earth.
Supported by JFB
The sudden attack at 'noon day' matches military raids when defenders are off guard.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Zechariah's matching sequence of judgment on Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Philistia.
Supported by JFB
Ezekiel's prophecy against Moab and Ammon for their pride and insolence against Israel.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The historical destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, serving as the archetype for Moab's ruin.
Supported by Matthew Henry, John Calvin
Gentiles worshipping Yahweh, 'every one from his place,' reflecting global monotheistic worship.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Ezekiel's extensive description of Assyria's greatness falling to utter desolation.
Supported by JFB