Zephaniah 3

Woe to Jerusalem and the Nations

1 Woe to her who is ¹rebellious and ²defiled, The ³tyrannical city!

2 She ⁴heeded no voice, She ⁵accepted no instruction. She did not ⁶trust in the LORD, She did not ⁷draw near to her God.

3 Her ⁸princes within her are roaring lions, Her judges are ⁹wolves at evening; They leave nothing for the morning.

4 Her prophets are ¹⁰reckless, treacherous men; Her ¹¹priests have profaned the sanctuary. They have done violence to the law.

5 The LORD is ¹²righteous ¹³within her; He will ¹⁴do no injustice. ¹⁵Every morning He brings His justice to light; He does not fail. But the unjust ¹⁶knows no shame.

6 "I have cut off nations; Their corner towers are in ruins. I have made their streets ¹⁷desolate, With no one passing by; Their ¹⁸cities are laid waste, Without * a man, ¹⁹without * an inhabitant.

7 "I said, 'Surely you will revere Me, ²⁰Accept instruction.' So her dwelling will ²¹not be cut off According to all that I have appointed concerning her. But they were eager to ²²corrupt all their deeds.

8 "Therefore ²³wait for Me," declares the LORD, "For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to ²⁴gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For ²⁵all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal.

9 "For then I will give to the peoples ²⁶purified lips, That all of them may ²⁷call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

10 "From beyond the rivers of ²⁸Ethiopia My worshipers, My dispersed ones, Will ²⁹bring My offerings.

11 "In that day you will ³⁰feel no shame Because of all your deeds By which you have rebelled against Me; For then I will remove from your midst Your ³¹proud, exulting ones, And you will never * again be haughty On My ³²holy mountain.

A Remnant of Israel

12 "But I will leave among you A ³³humble and lowly people, And they will ³⁴take refuge in the name of the LORD.

13 "The ³⁵remnant of Israel will ³⁶do no wrong And ³⁷tell no lies, Nor will a deceitful tongue Be found in their mouths; For they will ³⁸feed and lie down With no one to make them tremble."

14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! ³⁹Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

15 The LORD has taken away ⁴⁰His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is ⁴¹in your midst; You will ⁴²fear disaster no more.

16 ⁴³In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: "⁴⁴Do not be afraid, O Zion; ⁴⁵Do not let your hands fall limp.

17 "The LORD your God is ⁴⁶in your midst, A ⁴⁷victorious warrior. He will ⁴⁸exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

18 "I will gather those who ⁴⁹grieve about the appointed feasts - They came from you, O Zion; The reproach of exile is a burden on them.

19 "Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your ⁵⁰oppressors, I will save the ⁵¹lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their ⁵²shame into ⁵³praise and renown In all the earth.

20 "At that time I will ⁵⁴bring you in, Even at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you ⁵⁵renown and praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I ⁵⁶restore your fortunes before your eyes," Says the LORD.

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Zephaniah 3 Commentary

Chapter 3

Further reproofs for sin. (1-7) Encouragement to look for mercy. (8-13) Promises of future favour and prosperity. (14-20)

Verses 1-7 The holy God hates sin most in those nearest to him. A sinful state is, and will be, a woful state. Yet they had the tokens of God's presence, and all the advantages of knowing his will, with the strongest reasons to do it; still they persisted in disobedience. Alas, that men often are more active in doing wickedness than believers are in doing good.

Verses 8-13 The preaching of the gospel is predicted, when vengeance would be executed on the Jewish nation. The purifying doctrines of the gospel, or the pure language of the grace of the Lord, would teach men to use the language of humility, repentance, and faith. Purity and piety in common conversation is good. The pure and happy state of the church in the latter days seems intended. The Lord will shut out boasting, and leave men nothing to glory in, save the Lord Jesus, as made of God to them wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Humiliation for sin, and obligations to the Redeemer, will make true believers upright and sincere, whatever may be the case among mere professors.

Verses 14-20 After the promises of taking away sin, follow promises of taking away trouble. When the cause is removed, the effect will cease. What makes a people holy, will make them happy. The precious promises made to the purified people, were to have full accomplishment in the gospel. These verses appear chiefly to relate to the future conversion and restoration of Israel, and the glorious times which are to follow. They show the abundant peace, comfort, and prosperity of the church, in the happy times yet to come. He will save; he will be Jesus; he will answer the name, for he will save his people from their sins. Before the glorious times foretold, believers would be sorrowful, and objects of reproach. But the Lord will save the weakest believer, and cause true Christians to be greatly honoured where they had been treated with contempt. One act of mercy and grace shall serve, both to gather Israel out of their dispersions and to lead them to their own land. Then will God's Israel be made a name and a praise to eternity. The events alone can fully answer the language of this prophecy. Many are the troubles of the righteous, but they may rejoice in God's love. Surely our hearts should honour the Lord, and rejoice in him, when we hear such words of condescension and grace. If now kept from his ordinances, it is our trial and grief; but in due time we shall be gathered into his temple above. The glory and happiness of the believer will be perfect, unchangeable, and eternal, when he is freed from earthly sorrows, and brought to heavenly bliss.

Taken from Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise)

Cross References 56

1. Jeremiah 5:23
2. Ezekiel 23:30
3. Jeremiah 6:6
4. Jeremiah 7:23-28
5. Jeremiah 2:30; Jeremiah 5:3; 2 Timothy 3:16
6. Psalms 78:22; Jeremiah 13:25
7. Psalms 73:28
8. Ezekiel 22:27
9. Jeremiah 5:6; Habakkuk 1:8
10. Judges 9:4
11. Ezekiel 22:26; Malachi 2:7, 8
12. Deuteronomy 32:4
13. Zephaniah 3:15, 17
14. Psalms 92:15
15. Job 7:18
16. Zephaniah 2:1
17. Jeremiah 9:12; Zechariah 7:14; Matthew 23:38
18. Leviticus 26:31; Isaiah 6:11
19. Zephaniah 2:5
20. Job 36:10; Psalms 32:8; 1 Timothy 1:5
21. Jeremiah 7:7
22. Hosea 9:9
23. Psalms 27:14; Isaiah 30:18; Habakkuk 2:3
24. Ezekiel 38:14-23; Joel 3:2
25. Zephaniah 1:18
26. Isaiah 19:18; Isaiah 57:19
27. Psalms 22:27; Psalms 86:9; Habakkuk 2:14; Zephaniah 2:11
28. Psalms 68:31; Isaiah 18:1
29. Isaiah 60:6, 7
30. Isaiah 45:17; Isaiah 54:4; Joel 2:26, 27
31. Isaiah 2:12; Isaiah 5:15
32. Isaiah 11:9; Isaiah 56:7; Ezekiel 20:40
33. Isaiah 14:30
34. Isaiah 14:32; Isaiah 50:10; Nahum 1:7; Zechariah 13:8, 9
35. Isaiah 10:20-22; Micah 4:7; Zephaniah 2:7
36. Psalms 119:3; Jeremiah 31:33; Zephaniah 3:5
37. Zechariah 8:3, 16; Revelation 14:5
38. Ezekiel 34:13-15
39. Zechariah 9:9
40. Psalms 19:9; John 5:30; Revelation 18:20
41. Ezekiel 37:26-28; Zephaniah 3:5
42. Isaiah 54:14
43. Isaiah 25:9
44. Isaiah 35:3, 4
45. Job 4:3; Hebrews 12:12
46. Zephaniah 3:5, 15
47. Isaiah 63:1
48. Isaiah 62:5
49. Psalms 42:2-4; Ezekiel 9:4
50. Isaiah 60:14
51. Ezekiel 34:16; Micah 4:6
52. Ezekiel 16:27, 57
53. Isaiah 60:18; Isaiah 62:7; Zechariah 8:23
54. Ezekiel 37:12, 21
55. Deuteronomy 26:18, 19; Isaiah 56:5; Isaiah 66:22
56. Jeremiah 29:14; Joel 3:1; Zephaniah 2:7

Footnotes 8

[a]. Lit "change"
[b]. Lit "with one shoulder"
[c]. Or "suppliants"
[d]. Lit "the daughter of My dispersed ones"
[e]. Lit "A warrior who saves"
[f]. Or with some ancient versions, "renew" you "in"
[g]. Lit "were"
[h]. Lit "her"

Chapter Summary

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.