Zephaniah 1:4-9

4 "I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 1and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,
5 2those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, 3those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by 4Milcom,
6 5those who have turned back from following the LORD, 6who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him."

The Day of the Lord Is Near

7 7Be silent before the Lord GOD! For 8the day of the LORD is near; 9the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and 10consecrated his guests.
8 And on the day of the LORD's sacrifice-- 11"I will punish the officials and the king's sons and 12all who array themselves in foreign attire.
9 On that day I will punish everyone 13who leaps over the threshold, and those who fill their master's[a] house with violence and fraud.

Zephaniah 1:4-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ZEPHANIAH

This book in some Hebrew copies is called "Sepher Zephaniah", the Book of Zephaniah. Its title, in the Vulgate Latin version, is, the Prophecy of Zephaniah; and, in the Syriac version, the Prophecy of the Prophet Zephaniah; and so the Arabic version calls him a prophet; and he is the last of the minor prophets that prophesied before the Babylonish captivity. The time of his prophesying, as well as his, parentage, are expressed Zep 1:1, and therefore need not be inquired into; only the sad mistake of Hobbes {a} may be observed, who makes him to be the most ancient of the prophets, and to be contemporary with Amaziah and Uzziah, kings of Judah, when he is expressly said to prophesy in the days of Josiah. Pseudo-Epiphanius {b} calls him a prophet of Sarabatha, of a mountain of that name, and says he was of the tribe of Simeon; and in this Isidore {c} agrees with him; and both affirm that he died and was buried in his own native place; but the author of the Cippi Hebraici {d} says he was buried at Geba, in Mount Lebanon, in the midst of a cave shut up, where his school continues; and from which place the clouds never depart, and where also are flowing fountains. His name, according to Jerom, signifies either "the Lord's watch tower", or "watchman"; or else "the secret of the Lord"; or, "his hidden one"; deriving his name, either from hpu, which signifies to "look out", as a watchman from his tower; or from Npu, "to hide"; which latter derivation is best; and some interpret it "a revealer of the secrets", or "hidden things, of the Lord"; and take it to be much the same with Zaphnathpaaneah, the name given to Joseph by Pharaoh, Ge 41:45, and is of the same signification: but Hillerus {e} interprets the name of Zephaniah, "the Lord hid himself"; which agrees with the times in which he lived. That this prophecy was wrote by himself, there need be no doubt of; nor of the authenticity of it, being always received by the Jewish synagogue as authentic; and as it appears to be from its style and manner of composition; from the subject matter of it agreeing with other parts of Scripture, especially with Jeremiah and Ezekiel; and from the accomplishment of various prophecies in it. There are indeed some spurious things which have been ascribed to him, as the "analepsis" or assumption of Zephaniah the prophet, and the prophecy of Zephaniah, consisting of six hundred verses; but these are apocryphal, and have no likeness to this prophecy; in which he foretells the destruction of the Jews by the Chaldeans for their sins, which he inveighs against, and calls them to repentance for them, as also the ruin of many other nations, all which came to pass; as well as he prophesies of the calling of the Gentiles, and the conversion of the Jews, and of the comfortable state of the church in Gospel times, and especially in the latter day.

{a} Leviathan, c. 33. {b} De Prophet. Vita & Interitu, c. 19. {c} De Vita & Morte Sanct. c. 48. {d} P. 50. Ed. Hottinger. {e} Onomastic. Sacr. p. 471, 952.

\\INTRODUCTION TO ZEPHANIAH 1\\

After the title of the book, Zep 1:1, follows the Lord's threatening of the land of Judea with an utter consumption of it, and of all creatures in it, for the sins of its inhabitants, especially their idolatry and apostasy, Zep 1:2-6, and this is represented under the notion of a sacrifice, to which guests are bid; and which even princes, and those of the blood royal, should not escape, nor ministers of state, or such who filled their masters' houses with violence, Zep 1:7-9. Some particular places are mentioned, where there should be a great noise of crying and howling, and especially Jerusalem, which should be diligently searched, and its goods become a booty, and its houses desolate, Zep 1:10-13. This destruction is spoken of as near at hand, and is described as very terrible and distressing, Zep 1:14-17 and as inevitable; nothing would be able to deliver from it, Zep 1:18.

Cross References 13

  • 1. See 2 Kings 23:4
  • 2. Jeremiah 19:13
  • 3. [1 Kings 18:21; 2 Kings 17:33, 41]
  • 4. 1 Kings 11:5, 33
  • 5. Jeremiah 2:13, 17; Jeremiah 15:6
  • 6. [Jeremiah 5:24; Hebrews 11:6]
  • 7. [Habakkuk 2:20]
  • 8. [ver. 14]; See Joel 1:15
  • 9. Isaiah 34:6; Jeremiah 46:10; Ezekiel 39:17, 19
  • 10. 1 Samuel 16:5
  • 11. 2 Kings 24:12, 14; 2 Kings 25:7
  • 12. [Matthew 22:11]
  • 13. [1 Samuel 5:5]

Footnotes 1

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.