Zephaniah 1
1
1This is the message that the Lord gave to Zephaniah. He was the son of Cushti, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah.#1:1. Probably king Hezekiah, one of the previous kings of Judah. This happened when Josiah, son of Amon, was king of Judah.
2I will completely sweep away everything from the face of the earth, declares the Lord. 3I will sweep away people and animals, I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. I will overthrow#1:3. Literally, “stumbling-blocks,” which makes the meaning unclear. the wicked; I will destroy human beings from the face of the earth. 4I will strike#1:4. Literally, “stretch out my hand against.” Judah and everyone who lives in Jerusalem. I will destroy all that remains of their Baal worship along with their pagan priests so that even their names will be forgotten.#1:4. Implied. 5I will destroy those who go up to the rooftops to bow down before the sun, moon, and stars. They also bow down and swear allegiance to the Lord, but then they do the same to Milcom.#1:5. Or “Molech,” a pagan god. 6I will destroy those who once worshiped the Lord but don't anymore. They don't seek the Lord or ask for my help.
7Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lord is near: the Lord has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests.#1:7. In the context, Israel is the sacrifice, and the Babylonians are the “guests.” 8Then on the day of the Lord's sacrifice I will punish the officials and the king's sons, and those who follow pagan ways#1:8. Literally, “those who dress in foreign clothes.”. 9I will also punish those who jump over the threshold.#1:9. The meaning of this is debated. Some think it was a pagan custom (see for example 1 Samuel 5:4-5). Others tie it to the following verse and see it as eagerness to rob the poor. On that day I will punish those who fill up their masters' houses using violence and deception. 10On that day, declares the Lord, a cry of grief will come from the Fish Gate, a wailing from the Second Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills. 11Those who live in the Market District#1:11. Literally, “the Mortar.” will wail in sorrow, for all the merchants#1:11. Literally, “people of Canaan.” are destroyed, along with those who trade in silver. 12At that time I will search through Jerusalem with lamps and I will punish those self-satisfied people, who are like wine left on its dregs, who say to themselves, “The Lord will not do good, nor will he do evil.”#1:12. In other words, they dismiss the Lord because they don't think he cares about them. 13Their possessions will be looted; their houses will be demolished. They will build houses, but not live in them; they will plant vineyards, but not drink the wine.
14The great day of the Lord is near and approaching rapidly. It will be a bitter day—even warriors will cry out loud. 15It will be a day of anger,#1:15. The expression of God being angry or full of wrath is a frequent image in the prophetic writings, but should not be understood in the same way as human anger. God's anger is not emotional like some kind of unthinking “red mist,” but a principled opposition to all that is evil. God uses this anger to try to convince those who are wrong to do what is right for their own sake, not because he “gets mad” and lashes out. Human anger is self-centered; divine anger is other-centered. a day of trouble and distress, a day of disaster and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, 16a day of trumpet calls and battle cries against fortified cities and watchtowers. 17I will bring trouble on humanity, making them walk like blind people because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be spilled like so much dust; their intestines like dung. 18Their silver and their gold won't help to save them on the day of the Lord's anger. The whole earth will be burned up by the fire of his jealous#1:18. “Jealous” when applied to God is not the same as human jealousy. It means God's strong desire that people follow only him, for he alone can save. He wants an exclusive relationship for he knows that anything else leads to disaster. anger. He will make sure the end of the people of the world is sudden and complete.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Zephaniah 1
1
1The Lord gave this message to Zephaniah when Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. Zephaniah was the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah.
Coming Judgment against Judah
2“I will sweep away everything
from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.
3“I will sweep away people and animals alike.
I will sweep away the birds of the sky and the fish in the sea.
I will reduce the wicked to heaps of rubble,#1:3 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
and I will wipe humanity from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.
4“I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist
and destroy every last trace of their Baal worship.
I will put an end to all the idolatrous priests,
so that even the memory of them will disappear.
5For they go up to their roofs
and bow down to the sun, moon, and stars.
They claim to follow the Lord,
but then they worship Molech,#1:5 Hebrew Malcam, a variant spelling of Molech; or it could possibly mean their king. too.
6And I will destroy those who used to worship me
but now no longer do.
They no longer ask for the Lord’s guidance
or seek my blessings.”
7Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord,
for the awesome day of the Lord’s judgment is near.
The Lord has prepared his people for a great slaughter
and has chosen their executioners.#1:7 Hebrew has prepared a sacrifice and sanctified his guests.
8“On that day of judgment,”
says the Lord,
“I will punish the leaders and princes of Judah
and all those following pagan customs.
9Yes, I will punish those who participate in pagan worship ceremonies,
and those who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
10“On that day,” says the Lord,
“a cry of alarm will come from the Fish Gate
and echo throughout the New Quarter of the city.#1:10 Or the Second Quarter, a newer section of Jerusalem. Hebrew reads the Mishneh.
And a great crash will sound from the hills.
11Wail in sorrow, all you who live in the market area,#1:11 Or in the valley, a lower section of Jerusalem. Hebrew reads the Maktesh.
for all the merchants and traders will be destroyed.
12“I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners
to punish those who sit complacent in their sins.
They think the Lord will do nothing to them,
either good or bad.
13So their property will be plundered,
their homes will be ransacked.
They will build new homes
but never live in them.
They will plant vineyards
but never drink wine from them.
14“That terrible day of the Lord is near.
Swiftly it comes—
a day of bitter tears,
a day when even strong men will cry out.
15It will be a day when the Lord’s anger is poured out—
a day of terrible distress and anguish,
a day of ruin and desolation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness,
16a day of trumpet calls and battle cries.
Down go the walled cities
and the strongest battlements!
17“Because you have sinned against the Lord,
I will make you grope around like the blind.
Your blood will be poured into the dust,
and your bodies will lie rotting on the ground.”
18Your silver and gold will not save you
on that day of the Lord’s anger.
For the whole land will be devoured
by the fire of his jealousy.
He will make a terrifying end
of all the people on earth.#1:18 Or the people living in the land.
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