Zephaniah 1:11

1:11 Wail, you who live in the market district, ¹ 

for all the merchants ²  will disappear ³ 

and those who count money ⁴  will be removed. ⁵ 

Zephaniah 2:11

2:11 The Lord will terrify them, ⁶ 

for ⁷  he will weaken ⁸  all the gods of the earth.

All the distant nations will worship the Lord in their own lands. ⁹ 

Zephaniah 3:7

3:7 I thought, ¹⁰  ‘Certainly you will respect ¹¹  me!

Now you will accept correction!’

If she had done so, her home ¹²  would not be destroyed ¹³ 

by all the punishments I have threatened. ¹⁴ 

But they eagerly sinned

in everything they did. ¹⁵ 

Zephaniah 1:2

The Lord’s Day of Judgment is Approaching

1:2 “I will destroy ¹⁶  everything from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.

Zephaniah 1:18

1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them

in the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.

The whole earth ¹⁷  will be consumed by his fiery wrath. ¹⁸ 

Indeed, ¹⁹  he will bring terrifying destruction ²⁰  on all who live on the earth.” ²¹ 

Zephaniah 3:8

3:8 Therefore you must wait patiently ²²  for me,” says the Lord,

“for the day when I attack and take plunder. ²³ 

I have decided ²⁴  to gather nations together

and assemble kingdoms,

so I can pour out my fury on them –

all my raging anger.

For ²⁵  the whole earth will be consumed

by my fiery anger.

Zephaniah 1:8-9

1:8 “On the day of the Lord’s sacrificial meal,

I will punish the princes ²⁶  and the king’s sons,

and all who wear foreign styles of clothing. ²⁷ 

1:9 On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, ²⁸ 

who fill the house of their master ²⁹  with wealth taken by violence and deceit. ³⁰ 

Zephaniah 2:3

2:3 Seek the Lord’s favor, ³¹  all you humble people ³²  of the land who have obeyed his commands! ³³ 

Strive to do what is right! ³⁴  Strive to be humble! ³⁵ 

Maybe you will be protected ³⁶  on the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.

Zephaniah 3:19

3:19 Look, at that time I will deal with those who mistreated you.

I will rescue the lame sheep ³⁷ 

and gather together the scattered sheep.

I will take away their humiliation

and make the whole earth admire and respect them. ³⁸ 

Zephaniah 1:4

1:4 “I will attack ³⁹  Judah

and all who live in Jerusalem. ⁴⁰ 

I will remove ⁴¹  from this place every trace of Baal worship, ⁴² 

as well as the very memory ⁴³  of the pagan priests. ⁴⁴ 

Zephaniah 2:14-15

2:14 Flocks and herds ⁴⁵  will lie down in the middle of it,

as well as every kind of wild animal. ⁴⁶ 

Owls ⁴⁷  will sleep in the tops of its support pillars;

they will hoot through the windows. ⁴⁸ 

Rubble will cover the thresholds; ⁴⁹ 

even the cedar work ⁵⁰  will be exposed to the elements. ⁵¹ 

2:15 This is how the once-proud city will end up ⁵²  –

the city that was so secure. ⁵³ 

She thought to herself, ⁵⁴  “I am unique! No one can compare to me!” ⁵⁵ 

What a heap of ruins she has become, a place where wild animals live!

Everyone who passes by her taunts her ⁵⁶  and shakes his fist. ⁵⁷ 

[1:11]  ¹ tn Heb “in the Mortar.” The Hebrew term מַכְתֵּשׁ (makhtesh, “mortar”) is apparently here the name of a low-lying area where economic activity took place.

[1:11]  ² tn Or perhaps “Canaanites.” Cf. BDB 489 s.v. I and II כְּנַעֲנִי. Translators have rendered the term either as “the merchant people” (KJV, NKJV), “the traders” (NRSV), “merchants” (NEB, NIV), or, alternatively, “the people of Canaan” (NASB).

[1:11]  ³ tn Or “be destroyed.”

[1:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “weigh out silver.”

[1:11]  ⁵ tn Heb “be cut off.” In the Hebrew text of v. 11b the perfect verbal forms emphasize the certainty of the judgment, speaking of it as if it were already accomplished.

[2:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “will be awesome over [or, “against”] them.”

[2:11]  ⁷ tn Or “certainly.”

[2:11]  ⁸ tn The meaning of this rare Hebrew word is unclear. If the meaning is indeed “weaken,” then this line may be referring to the reduction of these gods’ territory through conquest (see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah [AB 25A], 110-11). Cf. NEB “reduce to beggary”; NASB “starve”; NIV “when he destroys”; NRSV “shrivel.”

[2:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “and all the coastlands of the nations will worship [or, “bow down”] to him, each from his own place.”

[3:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “said.”

[3:7]  ¹² tn Or “fear.” The second person verb form (“you will respect”) is feminine singular, indicating that personified Jerusalem is addressed.

[3:7]  ¹³ tn Or “dwelling place.”

[3:7]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “cut off.”

[3:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “all which I have punished her.” The precise meaning of this statement and its relationship to what precedes are unclear.

[3:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “But they got up early, they made corrupt all their actions.” The phrase “they got up early” probably refers to their eagerness to engage in sinful activities.

[1:2]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew text combines the infinitive absolute of אָסַף (’asaf, “gather up, sweep away”) with a Hiphil prefixed first person form of סוּף (suf, “come to an end”; see Jer 8:13 for the same combination). This can be translated literally, “Sweeping away, I will bring to an end.” Some prefer to emend the text so that the infinitive and finite form of the verb are from the same root (“I will certainly sweep away,” if from אָסַף [cf. NEB, NIV, NRSV]; “I will certainly bring to an end,” if from סוּף). For a discussion of proposals see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 167, 169.

[1:18]  ²¹ tn Or “land” (cf. NEB). This same word also occurs at the end of the present verse.

[1:18]  ²² tn Or “passion”; traditionally, “jealousy.”

[1:18]  ²³ tn Or “for.”

[1:18]  ²⁴ tn Heb “complete destruction, even terror, he will make.”

[1:18]  ²⁵ tn It is not certain where the Lord’s words end and the prophet’s words begin. It is possible that Zephaniah begins speaking in the middle of v. 17 or at the beginning of v. 18 (note the third person pronouns referring to the Lord).

[3:8]  ²⁶ tn The second person verb form (“you must wait patiently”) is masculine plural, indicating that a group is being addressed. Perhaps the humble individuals addressed earlier (see 2:3) are in view. Because of Jerusalem’s sin, they must patiently wait for judgment to pass before their vindication arrives.

[3:8]  ²⁷ tn Heb “when I arise for plunder.” The present translation takes עַד (’ad) as “plunder.” Some, following the LXX, repoint the term עֵד (’ed) and translate, “as a witness” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV). In this case the Lord uses a legal metaphor to picture himself as testifying against his enemies. Adele Berlin takes לְעַד (lÿ’ad) in a temporal sense (“forever”) and translates “once and for all” (Zephaniah [AB 25A], 133).

[3:8]  ²⁸ tn Heb “for my decision is.”

[3:8]  ²⁹ tn Or “certainly.”

[1:8]  ³¹ tn Or “officials” (NRSV, TEV); NLT “leaders.”

[1:8]  ³² sn The very dress of the royal court, foreign styles of clothing, revealed the degree to which Judah had assimilated foreign customs.

[1:9]  ³⁶ sn The point of the statement all who hop over the threshold is unclear. A ritual or superstition associated with the Philistine god Dagon may be in view (see 1 Sam 5:5).

[1:9]  ³⁷ tn The referent of “their master” is unclear. The king or a pagan god may be in view.

[1:9]  ³⁸ tn Heb “who fill…with violence and deceit.” The expression “violence and deceit” refers metonymically to the wealth taken by oppressive measures.

[2:3]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “seek the Lord,” but “favor” seems to be implied from the final line of the verse.

[2:3]  ⁴² tn Or “poor.” The precise referent of this Hebrew term is unclear. The word may refer to the economically poor or to the spiritually humble.

[2:3]  ⁴³ tn The present translation assumes the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) here refers to God’s covenantal requirements and is a synonym for the Law. The word can mean “justice” and could refer more specifically to the principles of justice contained in the Law. In this case the phrase could be translated, “who have promoted the justice God demands.”

[2:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “Seek what is right.”

[2:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “Seek humility.”

[2:3]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “hidden.” Cf. NEB “it may be that you will find shelter”; NRSV “perhaps you may be hidden.”

[3:19]  ⁴⁶ tn The word “sheep” is supplied for clarification. As in Mic 4:6-7, the exiles are here pictured as injured and scattered sheep whom the divine shepherd rescues from danger.

[3:19]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “I will make them into praise and a name, in all the earth, their shame.” The present translation assumes that “their shame” specifies “them” and that “name” stands here for a good reputation.

[1:4]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “I will stretch out my hand against,” is an idiom for hostile action.

[1:4]  ⁵² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:4]  ⁵³ tn Heb “cut off.”

[1:4]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “the remnant of Baal.”

[1:4]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “name.” Here the “name” is figurative for the memory of those who bear it.

[1:4]  ⁵⁶ tc Heb “of the pagan priests and priests.” The first word (כְּמָרִים, kÿmarim) refers to idolatrous priests in its two other appearances in the OT (2 Kgs 23:5, Hos 10:5), while the second word (כֹּהֲנִים, kohanim) is the normal term for “priest” and is used of both legitimate and illegitimate priests in the OT. It is likely that the second term, which is omitted in the LXX, is a later scribal addition to the Hebrew text, defining the extremely rare word that precedes (see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah [OTL], 167-68; cf. also NEB, NRSV). Some argue that both words are original; among the modern English versions that include both are NASB and NIV. Possibly the first word refers to outright pagan priests, while the second has in view once-legitimate priests of the Lord who had drifted into idolatrous practices. Another option is found in Adele Berlin, who translates, “the idolatrous priests among the priests,” understanding the second word as giving the general category of which the idolatrous priests are a part (Zephaniah [AB 25A], 75).

[2:14]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “flocks.” The Hebrew word can refer to both flocks of sheep and herds of cattle.

[2:14]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “[and] all the wild animals of a nation.” How גוֹי (goy, “nation”) relates to what precedes is unclear. It may be a corruption of another word. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 193.

[2:14]  ⁵⁸ tn The Hebrew text reads here גַּם־קָאַת גַּם־קִפֹּד (gam-qa’at gam-qippod). The term קָאַת refers to some type of bird (see Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (Isa 34:11); one of the most common translations is “owl” (cf. NEB “horned owl”; NIV, NRSV “desert owl”; contra NASB “pelican”). The term קִפֹּד may also refer to a type of bird (cf. NEB “ruffed bustard”; NIV, NRSV “screech owl”). Some suggest a rodent may be in view (cf. NASB “hedgehog”); this is not unreasonable, for a rodent or some other small animal would be able to sleep in the tops of pillars which would be lying in the ruins of the fallen buildings.

[2:14]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “a sound will sing in the window.” If some type of owl is in view, “hoot” is a more appropriate translation (cf. NEB, NRSV).

[2:14]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “rubble [will be] on the threshold.” “Rubble” translates the Hebrew word חֹרֶב (khorev, “desolation”). Some emend to עֹרֵב (’orev, “raven”) following the LXX and Vulgate; Adele Berlin translates, “A voice shall shriek from the window – a raven at the sill” (Zephaniah [AB 25A], 104).

[2:14]  ⁶¹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “cedar work” (so NASB, NRSV) is unclear; NIV has “the beams of cedar.”

[2:14]  ⁶² tn Heb “one will expose.” The subject is probably indefinite, though one could translate, “for he [i.e., God] will lay bare.”

[2:15]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “this is the proud city.”

[2:15]  ⁶² tn Heb “the one that lived securely.”

[2:15]  ⁶³ tn Heb “the one who says in her heart.”

[2:15]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.”

[2:15]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “hisses”; or “whistles.”

[2:15]  ⁶⁶ sn Hissing (or whistling) and shaking the fist were apparently ways of taunting a defeated foe or an object of derision in the culture of the time.