Zephaniah 3:3-13

3 Her 1princes within her are roaring lions, Her judges are 2wolves at evening; They leave nothing for the morning.
4 Her prophets are 3reckless, treacherous men; Her 4priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.
5 The LORD is 5righteous 6within her; He will 7do no injustice. 8Every morning He brings His justice to light; He does not fail. But the unjust 9knows no shame.
6 "I have cut off nations; Their corner towers are in ruins. I have made their streets 10desolate, With no one passing by; Their 11cities are laid waste, Without * a man, 12without * an inhabitant.
7 "I said, 'Surely you will revere Me, 13Accept instruction.' So her dwelling will 14not be cut off According to all that I have appointed concerning her. But they were eager to 15corrupt all their deeds.
8 "Therefore 16wait for Me," declares the LORD, "For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to 17gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For 18all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal.
9 "For then I will give to the peoples 19purified lips, That all of them may 20call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
10 "From beyond the rivers of 21Ethiopia My worshipers, My dispersed ones, Will 22bring My offerings.
11 "In that day you will 23feel no shame Because of all your deeds By which you have rebelled against Me; For then I will remove from your midst Your 24proud, exulting ones, And you will never * again be haughty On My 25holy mountain.

A Remnant of Israel

12 "But I will leave among you A 26humble and lowly people, And they will 27take refuge in the name of the LORD.
13 "The 28remnant of Israel will 29do no wrong And 30tell no lies, Nor will a deceitful tongue Be found in their mouths; For they will 31feed and lie down With no one to make them tremble."

Zephaniah 3:3-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ZEPHANIAH 3

In this chapter the character of the city of Jerusalem, and its inhabitants in general, is drawn, as it would be, and as it was, in the times of Christ and his apostles, Zep 3:1,2 and of the principal persons of it in particular, its princes, judges, prophets, and priests, Zep 3:3,4. The hardness, impenitence, and shamelessness of this people, are exposed and aggravated by the just Lord being among them; who, by his example and doctrine, taught them otherwise; yet they were not amended or made ashamed, Zep 3:5 nor received instruction, nor took warning by the judgments of God on other nations, Zep 3:6,7 wherefore the followers of God are called upon to wait his time, who would gather many people together, and destroy the whole land of Judea, Zep 3:8 at which time he would send his Gospel among the Gentiles, who should thereby be brought to the true worship and service of God, Zep 3:9,10 though there should be a remnant among the Jews, according to the election of grace, that should be saved from that general calamity, Zep 3:11-13 and the spiritual Israel are encouraged with promises of better times, when the Jews in general should be converted and gathered into the church of God, have the presence and protection of God with them, and deliverance from all their enemies, and be a praise among all people of the earth, Zep 3:14-20.

Cross References 31

  • 1. Ezekiel 22:27
  • 2. Jeremiah 5:6; Habakkuk 1:8
  • 3. Judges 9:4
  • 4. Ezekiel 22:26; Malachi 2:7, 8
  • 5. Deuteronomy 32:4
  • 6. Zephaniah 3:15, 17
  • 7. Psalms 92:15
  • 8. Job 7:18
  • 9. Zephaniah 2:1
  • 10. Jeremiah 9:12; Zechariah 7:14; Matthew 23:38
  • 11. Leviticus 26:31; Isaiah 6:11
  • 12. Zephaniah 2:5
  • 13. Job 36:10; Psalms 32:8; 1 Timothy 1:5
  • 14. Jeremiah 7:7
  • 15. Hosea 9:9
  • 16. Psalms 27:14; Isaiah 30:18; Habakkuk 2:3
  • 17. Ezekiel 38:14-23; Joel 3:2
  • 18. Zephaniah 1:18
  • 19. Isaiah 19:18; Isaiah 57:19
  • 20. Psalms 22:27; Psalms 86:9; Habakkuk 2:14; Zephaniah 2:11
  • 21. Psalms 68:31; Isaiah 18:1
  • 22. Isaiah 60:6, 7
  • 23. Isaiah 45:17; Isaiah 54:4; Joel 2:26, 27
  • 24. Isaiah 2:12; Isaiah 5:15
  • 25. Isaiah 11:9; Isaiah 56:7; Ezekiel 20:40
  • 26. Isaiah 14:30
  • 27. Isaiah 14:32; Isaiah 50:10; Nahum 1:7; Zechariah 13:8, 9
  • 28. Isaiah 10:20-22; Micah 4:7; Zephaniah 2:7
  • 29. Psalms 119:3; Jeremiah 31:33; Zephaniah 3:5
  • 30. Zechariah 8:3, 16; Revelation 14:5
  • 31. Ezekiel 34:13-15

Footnotes 4

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.  All rights reserved.