Zephaniah 3:3

3:3 Her princes ¹  are as fierce as roaring lions; ² 

her rulers ³  are as hungry as wolves in the desert, ⁴ 

who completely devour their prey by morning. ⁵ 

Zephaniah 1:8

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

I will punish the princes ⁶  and the king’s sons,

and all who wear foreign styles of clothing. ⁷ 

[3:3]  ¹ tn Or “officials.”

[3:3]  ² tn Heb “her princes in her midst are roaring lions.” The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as fierce as”) for clarity.

[3:3]  ³ tn Traditionally “judges.”

[3:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “her judges [are] wolves of the evening,” that is, wolves that prowl at night. The translation assumes an emendation to עֲרָבָה (’aravah, “desert”). For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 128. The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as hungry as”) for clarity.

[3:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “they do not gnaw [a bone] at morning.” The precise meaning of the line is unclear. The statement may mean these wolves devour their prey so completely that not even a bone is left to gnaw by the time morning arrives. For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 129.

[1:8]  ⁶ tn Or “officials” (NRSV, TEV); NLT “leaders.”

[1:8]  ⁷ sn The very dress of the royal court, foreign styles of clothing, revealed the degree to which Judah had assimilated foreign customs.