Zephaniah 3:1-11

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.

Zephaniah 3:1-11 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 32

  • 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

Footnotes 4

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