Zephaniah 2:13

13 He will stretch out his hand against the north; he will destroy Ashur; he will make Ninveh desolate, as dry as the desert.

Zephaniah 2:13 Meaning and Commentary

Zephaniah 2:13

And he will stretch out his hand against the north
Either the Lord, or Nebuchadnezzar his sword; who, as he would subdue the nations that lay southward, he would lead his army northward against the land of Assyria, which lay to the north of Judea, as next explained: and destroy Assyria;
that famous monarchy, which had ruled over the kingdoms of the earth, now should come to an end, and be reduced to subjection to the king of Babylon: and will make Nineveh a desolation;
which was the capital city, the metropolis of the Assyrian monarchy: Nahum prophesies at large of the destruction of this city: [and] dry like a wilderness;
which before was a very watery place, situated by rivers, particularly the river Tigris; so that it was formerly like a pool of water, ( Nahum 2:6 Nahum 2:8 ) but now should be dry like a heath or desert, Dr. Prideaux places the destruction of Nineveh in the twenty ninth year of Josiah's reign; but Bishop Usher earlier, in the sixteenth year of his reign; and, if so, then Zephaniah, who here prophesies of it, must begin to prophesy in the former part of Josiah's reign.

Zephaniah 2:13 In-Context

11 ADONAI will be fearsome against them, for he will make all the earth's gods waste away. Then all the coasts and islands of the nations will worship him, each from its place.

12 "You too, Ethiopians, will be put to death by my sword."

13 He will stretch out his hand against the north; he will destroy Ashur; he will make Ninveh desolate, as dry as the desert.

14 Herds will lie down in it, and all kinds of wild animals too - jackdaws and owls will roost on her columns, voices screeching in the windows, desolation on the doorsteps, for its cedarwork is stripped bare.

15 This is the city, once so joyful, whose people felt themselves secure, who used to say to herself, "I am [the greatest]! I have no rival." What a ruin she has become a place for wild animals to lie down! Everyone passing by her hisses and shakes his fist!