2:2 b Is. 8:1
2:3 c Dan. 8:17, 19; 10:14
2:3 d Ezek. 12:24, 25
2:3 e (Heb. 10:37, 38)
2:3 f Ps. 27:13, 14; (James 5:7, 8; 2 Pet. 3:9)
2:4 g (John 3:36); Rom. 1:17; Heb. 10:38
2:5 h Prov. 27:20; 30:16; Is. 5:11–15
2:5 1 Or Sheol
2:6 i Mic. 2:4
2:6 2 Syr., Vg. thick clay
2:7 3 Lit. those who bite you
2:8 j Is. 33:1; Jer. 27:7; Ezek. 39:10; Zech. 2:8
2:8 4 Or bloodshed
2:9 k Jer. 49:16; Obad. 4
2:9 5 Lit. hand of evil
2:13 6 Lit. for what satisfies fire, for what is of no lasting value
2:15 l Hos. 7:5
2:15 7 Lit. Attaching or Joining
2:15 8 Lit. their
2:16 9 DSS, LXX reel!; Syr., Vg. fall fast asleep!
2:20 m Zeph. 1:7; Zech. 2:13
Habakkuk 3
3:1 1 Exact meaning unknown
3:6 a Nah. 1:5
3:9 2 Lit. tribes or rods, cf. v. 14
3:10 b Ex. 14:22
3:11 c Josh. 10:12–14
3:12 3 Or threshed
3:15 d Ps. 77:19; Hab. 3:8
3:16 e Ps. 119:120
3:18 f Is. 41:16; 61:10
3:19 g 2 Sam. 22:34; Ps. 18:33
3:19 h Deut. 32:13; 33:29
3:19 4 Heb. YHWH Adonai
Introduction to Zephaniah
Title
As with each of the 12 Minor Prophets, the prophecy bears the name of its author, which is generally thought to mean “the LORD hides” (cf. 2:3).
Author and Date
Little is known about the author, Zephaniah. Three other OT individuals share his name. He traces his genealogy back 4 generations to King Hezekiah (ca. 715–686 B.C.), standing alone among the prophets descended from royal blood (1:1). Royal genealogy would have given him the ear of Judah’s king, Josiah, during whose reign he preached.
The prophet himself dates his message during the reign of Josiah (640–609 B.C.). The moral and spiritual conditions detailed in the book (cf. 1:4–6; 3:1–7) seem to place the prophecy prior to Josiah’s reforms, when Judah was still languishing in idolatry and wickedness. It was in 628 B.C. that Josiah tore down all the altars to Baal, burned the bones of false prophets, and broke the carved idols (2 Chr. 34:3–7); and in 622 B.C. the Book of the Law was found (2 Chr. 34:8—35:19). Consequently, Zephaniah most likely prophesied from 635–625 B.C., and was a contemporary of Jeremiah.
Background and Setting
Politically, the imminent transfer of Assyrian world power to the Babylonians weakened Nineveh’s hold on Judah, bringing an element of independence to Judah for the first time in 50 years. King Josiah’s desire to retain this newfound freedom from taxation and subservience undoubtedly led him to interfere later with Egypt’s attempt to interdict the fleeing king of Nineveh in 609 B.C. (cf. 2 Chr. 35:20–27). Spiritually, the reigns of Hezekiah’s son Manasseh (ca. 695–642 B.C.), extending over 4 decades, and his grandson Amon (ca. 642–640 B.C.), lasting only two years, were marked by wickedness and apostasy (2 Kin. 21; 2 Chr. 33). The early years of Josiah’s reign were also characterized by the evil from his father (2 Kin. 23:4). In 622 B.C., however, while repairing the house of the Lord, Hilkiah the High-Priest found the Book of the Law (2 Kin. 22:8). Upon reading it, Josiah initiated extensive reforms (2 Kin. 23). It was during the early years of Josiah’s reign, prior to the great revival, that this 11th hour prophet, Zephaniah, prophesied and no doubt had an influence on the sweeping reforms Josiah brought to the nation. But the evil kings before Josiah (55 years) had had such an effect on Judah that it never recovered. Josiah’s reforms were too late and didn’t outlast his life.
Historical and Theological Themes
Zephaniah’s message on the Day of the Lord warned Judah that the final days were near, through divine judgment at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, ca. 605–586 B.C. (1:4–13). Yet, it also looks beyond to the far fulfillment in the judgments of Daniel’s 70th week (1:18; 3:8). The expression “Day of the Lord” is described as a day that is near (1:7), and as a day of wrath, trouble, distress, devastation, desolation, darkness, gloominess, clouds, thick darkness, trumpet, and alarm (1:15, 16, 18). Yet even within these oracles of divine wrath, the prophet exhorted the people to seek the LORD, offering a shelter in the midst of judgment (2:3), and proclaiming the promise of eventual salvation for His believing remnant (2:7; 3:9–20).
Interpretive Challenges
The book presents an unambiguous denunciation of sin and warning of imminent judgment on Judah. Some have referred the phrase “I will restore to the peoples a pure language” (3:9) to the restoration of a universal language, similar to the days prior to confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9). They point out that the word “language” is also used in Gen. 11:7. It is better, however, to understand the passage as pointing to a purification of heart and life. This is confirmed by the context (cf. 3:13) and corroborated by the fact that the word “language” is most commonly translated “lip.” When combined with “pure,” the reference to speech speaks of inward cleansing from sin (Is. 6:5) manifested in speech (cf. Matt. 12:34), including the removal of the names of false gods from their lips (Hos. 2:17). It does not imply a one world language.
Outline
I. Superscription (1:1)
II. The LORD’s Judgment (1:2-3:8)
A. On the Whole Earth (1:2, 3)
B. On Judah (1:4-2:3)
C. On the Surrounding Nations (2:4-15)
1. Philistia (2:4–7)
2. Moab/Ammon (2:8–11)
3. Ethiopia (2:12)
4. Assyria (2:13–15)
D. On Jerusalem (3:1-7)
E. On All Nations (3:8)
III. The LORD’s Blessing (3:9-20)
A. For the Nations (3:9, 10)
B. For Judah (3:11-20)
The Book of
ZEPHANIAH
Zephaniah 1
The Great Day of the LORD
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 aJosiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
The Great Day of the LORD
2“I will 1utterly consume everything
From the face of the land,”
Says the LORD;
3“Ib will consume man and beast;
I will consume the birds of the heavens,
The fish of the sea,
And the 2stumbling blocks along with the wicked.
I will cut off man from the face of the 3land,”
Says the LORD.
4“I will stretch out My hand against Judah,
And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
4 I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place,
The names of the cidolatrous5 priests with the pagan priests—
5Those dwho worship the host of heaven on the housetops;
Those who worship and swear oaths by the LORD,
But who also swear eby 6Milcom;
6f Those who have turned back from following the LORD,
And ghave not sought the LORD, nor inquired of Him.”
7h Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD;
i For the day of the LORD is at hand,
For jthe LORD has prepared a sacrifice;
He has 7invited His guests.
8“And it shall be,
In the day of the LORD’s sacrifice,
That I will punish kthe 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 lleap 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 mthe Fish Gate,
A wailing from the Second Quarter,
And a loud
crashing from the hills.
11n Wail, you inhabitants of 8Maktesh!
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 osettled9 in complacency,
p 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 qnot drink their wine.”
14r The 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.
15s That 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 ttrumpet and alarm
Against the fortified cities
And against the high towers.
17“I will bring distress upon men,
And they shall uwalk like blind men,
Because they have sinned against the LORD;
Their blood shall be poured out like dust,
And their flesh like refuse.”
18v Neither 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. “Day of the Lord” Fulfillments
Zephaniah 2
A Call to Repentance
1Gathera yourselves together, yes, gather together,
O 1undesirable nation,
2Before the decree is issued,
Or the day passes like chaff,
Before the LORD’s fierce anger comes upon you,
Before the day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you!
3b Seek the LORD, call you meek of the earth,
Who have upheld His justice.
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
d It may be that you will be hidden
In the day of the LORD’s anger.
Judgment on Nations
4For eGaza shall be forsaken,
And Ashkelon desolate;
They shall drive out Ashdod fat noonday,
And Ekron shall be uprooted.
5Woe to the inhabitants of gthe seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the LORD is against you,
O hCanaan, land of the Philistines:
“I will destroy you;
So there shall be no inhabitant.”
6The seacoast shall be pastures,
With 2shelters for shepherds iand folds for flocks.
7The coast shall be for jthe remnant of the house of Judah;
They shall feed their flocks there;
In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening.
For the LORD their God will kintervene3 for them,
And lreturn their captives.
8“Im have heard the reproach of Moab,
And nthe insults of the people of Ammon,
With which they have reproached My people,
And omade arrogant threats against their borders.
9Therefore, as I live,”
Says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel,
“Surely pMoab shall be like Sodom,
And qthe people of Ammon like Gomorrah—
r Overrun4 with weeds and saltpits,
And a 5perpetual desolation.
The residue of My people shall plunder them,
And the remnant of My people shall possess them.”
10This they shall have sfor their pride,
Because they have reproached and made arrogant threats
Against the people of the LORD of hosts.
11The LORD will be awesome to them,
For He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth;
t People shall worship Him,
Each one from his place,
Indeed all uthe shores of the nations.
12“Youv Ethiopians also,
You shall be slain by wMy sword.”
13And He will stretch out His hand against the north,
x Destroy Assyria,
And make Nineveh a desolation,
As dry as the wilderness.
14The herds shall lie down in her midst,
y Every beast of the nation.
Both the zpelican and the bittern
Shall lodge on the capitals of her pillars;
Their voice shall sing in the windows;
Desolation shall be at the threshold;
For He will lay bare the acedar work.
15This is the rejoicing city
b That dwelt securely,
c That said in her heart,
“I am it, and there is none besides me.”
How has she become a desolation,
A place for beasts to lie down!
Everyone who passes by her
d Shall hiss and eshake his fist.
Zephaniah 3
The Wickedness of Jerusalem
1Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted,
To the oppressing city!
2She has not obeyed His voice,
She has not received correction;
She has not trusted in the LORD,
She has not drawn near to her God.
3a Her princes in her midst are roaring lions;
Her judges are bevening wolves
That leave not a bone till morning.
4Her cprophets are insolent, treacherous people;
Her priests have 1polluted the sanctuary,
They have done dviolence to the law.
5The LORD is righteous in her midst,
He will do no unrighteousness.
2 Every morning He brings His justice to light;
He never fails,
But ethe unjust knows no shame.
6“I have cut off nations,
Their fortresses are devastated;
I have made their streets desolate,
With none passing by.
Their cities are destroyed;
There is no one, no inhabitant.
7f I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me,
You will receive instruction’—
So that her dwelling would not be cut off,
Despite everything for which I punished her.
But 3they rose early and gcorrupted all their deeds. God’s “I Wills” of Restoration
A Faithful Remnant
(cf. Gen. 11:1–9; Acts 2:1–11)
8“Therefore hwait for Me,” says the LORD,
“Until the day I rise up 4for plunder;
My determination is to igather the nations
To My assembly of kingdoms,
To pour on them My indignation,
All My fierce anger;
All the earth jshall be devoured
With the fire of My jealousy.
9“For then I will restore to the peoples ka pure 5language,
That they all may call on the name of the LORD,
To serve Him with one accord.
10l From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
My worshipers,
The daughter of My dispersed ones,
Shall bring My offering.
11In that day you shall not be shamed for any of your deeds
In which you transgress against Me;
For then I will take away from your midst
Those who mrejoice in your pride,
And you shall no longer be haughty
> In My holy mountain.
12I will leave in your midst
n A meek and humble people,
And they shall trust in the name of the LORD.
13o The remnant of Israel pshall do no unrighteousness
q And speak no lies,
Nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth;
For rthey shall feed their flocks and lie down,
And no one shall make them afraid.”
Joy in God’s Faithfulness
14s Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15The LORD has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
t The King of Israel, the LORD, uis in your midst;
You shall 6see disaster no more.
16In that day vit shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Do not fear;
Zion, wlet not your hands be weak.
17The LORD your God xin your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
y He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
18“I will gather those who zsorrow over the appointed assembly,
Who are among you,
To whom its reproach is a burden.
19Behold, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you;
I will save the alame,
And gather those who were driven out;
I will appoint them for praise and fame
In every land where they were put to shame.
20At that time bI will bring you back,
Even at the time I gather you;
For I will give you 7fame and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I return your captives before your eyes,”
Says the LORD.
Zephaniah Commentaries
Zephaniah 1
1:1 Hezekiah…Josiah. Zephaniah traced his royal lineage back to his great-great-grandfather Hezekiah (ca. 715–686 B.C.) and placed his ministry contemporaneous with Josiah (ca. 640–609 B.C.).
1:2, 3 The prophet began by noting the far fulfillment of the Day of the LORD, when even animal and physical creation will be affected by His judgment of the earth (cf. Gen. 3:17–19; Ex. 12:29; Josh. 7:24, 25; Rom. 8:22).
1:2 face of the land. Generally translated “ground,” the term is used in reference to the whole earth (1:18). The phraseology is reminiscent of the Noahic Flood (Gen. 6:7, 17; 7:21–23).
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 433