Zephaniah 1:8

8 And it shall be, in the day of sacrifice of the Lord, I shall visit on princes, and on sons of the king, and on all that be clothed with pilgrims?, either strange, clothing. (And it shall be, on the day of the sacrifice of the Lord, I shall punish the leaders, and the king's sons, and all those who be clothed in foreign, or in strange, clothing.)

Zephaniah 1:8 Meaning and Commentary

Zephaniah 1:8

And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord's sacrifice,
&c.] When the above sacrifice prepared shall be offered, and the slaughter of his people made, when his wrath shall be poured out upon them, within the time of its beginning and ending: that I will punish the princes, and the king's children;
either the children of Josiah, who, though a good prince, his children did evil in the sight of the Lord, and were punished by him: Jehoahaz, after a three months' reign was carried down to Egypt, and died there; Jehoiakim, his elder brother, that succeeded him, rebelling against the king of Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign, fell into his hands, and died, and was buried with the burial of an ass; and Jeconiah his son was carried captive into Babylon, and there remained to the day of his death; and with him were carried the whole royal family, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, ( 2 Kings 24:14 ) or else the children of Zedekiah, another son of Josiah, and the last of the kings of Judah, who was carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who before his eyes slew his sons, and all the princes of Judah, and then put out his eyes, and bound him in chains, ( Jeremiah 52:10 Jeremiah 52:11 ) and thus this prophecy had its accomplishment: and all such as are clothed with strange apparel;
either which they put on in honour of the idols they worshipped, as Jarchi; so the heathens wore one sort of garments for one idol, and another sort for another; or these were men of a pharisaical cast, who wore garments different from others, that they might be thought to be very holy and religious, which sense is mentioned by Kimchi; or they were such, which he also observes, who, seeing some to have plenty of good clothes, stole them from them, and put them on; or such who arrayed themselves in garments that did not belong to their sex, men put on women's garments, and women clothed themselves with men's, and both strange apparel; or rather this points at such persons, who, in their apparel, imitated the fashions and customs of foreign nations; which probably began with the king's children and courtiers, and were followed by others. The Targum is,

``and upon all those that make a noise at the worship of idols.''

Zephaniah 1:8 In-Context

6 and which be turned away behind the back of the Lord, and which sought not the Lord, neither ensearched him. (and those who be turned away behind the back of the Lord, and those who did not seek the Lord, nor consulted him.)
7 Be ye still from the face of the Lord God, for nigh is the day of the Lord; for the Lord made ready a sacrifice, he hallowed his called men. (Be ye still before the face of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is near; for the Lord hath made ready a sacrifice, and he hath consecrated, or hath dedicated, his chosen people.)
8 And it shall be, in the day of sacrifice of the Lord, I shall visit on princes, and on sons of the king, and on all that be clothed with pilgrims?, either strange, clothing. (And it shall be, on the day of the sacrifice of the Lord, I shall punish the leaders, and the king's sons, and all those who be clothed in foreign, or in strange, clothing.)
9 And I shall visit on each that proudly entereth on the threshold in that day, which fill the house of their Lord God with wickedness and guile. (And I shall punish all who proudly enter onto the threshold on that day, they who fill their lord's house with wickedness and deceit.)
10 And there shall be in that day, saith the Lord, a voice of cry from the gate of fishes, and yelling from the second gate, and great defouling from little hills. (And there shall be on that day, saith the Lord, loud cries from the Fish Gate, and yelling from the second gate, or from the second quarter, and great defiling from the little hills.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.