Zephaniah 1:2

The Great Day of the Lord

2 I will completely sweep away everything from the face of the earth^[a]- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration.

Zephaniah 1:2 Meaning and Commentary

Zephaniah 1:2

I will utterly consume all [things] from off the land,
saith the Lord.
] That is, from the land of Judah, by means of the Chaldeans or Babylonians: this is a general denunciation of the judgments of God, the particulars follow: or, "in gathering I will gather"; all good things out of the land; all the necessaries of life, and blessings of Providence; all that is for the sustenance and pleasure of man, as well as all creatures, by death or captivity; and so the land should be entirely stripped, and left naked and bare. The phrase denotes the certainty of the thing, as well as the utter, entire, and total consumption that should be made, and the vehemence and earnestness in which it is expressed.

Zephaniah 1:2 In-Context

1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.

2 I will completely sweep away everything from the face of the earth- [this is]*The bracketed text has been added for clarity. the Lord's declaration.

3 I will sweep away man and animal; I will sweep away the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and the ruins along with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth- the Lord's declaration.

4 I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all the residents of Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every vestige of Baal, the names of the pagan priests along with the priests;

5 those who bow in worship on the rooftops to the heavenly host; those who bow and pledge loyalty to the Lord but also pledge loyalty to Milcom;

Footnotes

• [a]. Gn 6:7; 7:4