Zephaniah 3
Judgment on Jerusalem’s Wickedness 1–7
The Nations Judged, the Remnant Purified 8–13
The Lord Rejoices Over Zion 14–20
Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain
Study Notes for Zephaniah 3
Verse 1
filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city — The city is not named here, but v.14 and v.16 address Jerusalem. ‘Filthy’ (mara), ‘polluted’ (ga’al) and ‘oppressing’ (yanah) are its three marks. Yanah is the verb of the law against wronging the stranger: ‘Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him’ (Ex 22:21).
Verse 2
She obeyed not the voice — There are four refusals, each with ‘not’: to hear (shama), to take correction (musar), to trust, to draw near (qarab). Jeremiah says the same of Judah: ‘a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction’ (Jer 7:28). Musar returns in v.7 as ‘instruction’, the very thing the LORD hoped she would receive.
Verse 3
roaring lions… evening wolves — The rulers who should guard the people prey on them: ‘As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people’ (Prov 28:15). ‘Evening wolves’ hunt at dusk (Hab 1:8); these judges leave nothing ‘till the morrow’. Ezekiel gives the same likeness for Jerusalem’s princes (Ezek 22:27).
Verse 4
done violence to the law — Chamas, to treat violently, is the verb of Ezek 22:26, ‘Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things’. ‘Light’ (pochaz, reckless) is said of the hirelings of Abimelech, ‘vain and light persons’ (Judg 9:4). Prophets and priests both handle the LORD’s word and house, and misuse them.
Verse 5
The just LORD is in the midst thereof — ‘Midst’ is qereb, the same word as ‘within her’ of the princes in v.3: the LORD is in the city that holds them. ‘Every morning’ answers the wolves that leave nothing ‘till the morrow’; both are boqer. His judgment comes to light daily, ‘but the unjust knoweth no shame’. He is ‘in the midst’ again in vv.15 and 17.
Verse 7
they rose early, and corrupted all their doings — Shakam, to rise early, is the verb the LORD uses of his own sending of prophets, ‘daily rising up early and sending them’ (Jer 7:25). Here the people rise early for corruption. He had hoped, ‘Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction’ (musar, as in v.2). ‘Corrupted’ is shachath, the word of Gen 6:12.
Verse 8
wait ye upon me — Chakah, to wait with expectation, is the word to the faithful after the people’s refusal. ‘Determination’ is mishpat, judgment, the word of ‘his judgment’ in v.5 and ‘thy judgments’ in v.15: the judgment that comes to light each morning ends in the gathering of the nations. ‘The fire of my jealousy’ repeats 1:18.
Verse 9
a pure language — Literally a ‘pure lip’ (saphah berurah). Saphah is the ‘language’ of Babel, where the LORD said ‘let us go down, and there confound their language’ (Gen 11:7). Here it is turned to purity, that all may ‘call upon the name of the LORD’. ‘With one consent’ is literally ‘with one shoulder’ (shekem), as under one yoke.
Verse 10
beyond the rivers of Ethiopia — The same far land as Isa 18:1, from which Isa 18:7 says ‘the present be brought unto the LORD of hosts’. ‘Suppliants’ (athar) are worshippers who entreat him, and ‘mine offering’ (minchah) is the grain offering. A man of Ethiopia ‘had come to Jerusalem for to worship’ (Acts 8:27).
Verse 11
them that rejoice in thy pride — Ga’avah, pride, and the haughty (gabah) are taken ‘out of the midst of thee’, the qereb that held the preying princes (v.3) and now holds the humble (v.12) with the LORD himself (v.15). The ‘holy mountain’ is kept, and what goes is pride in it, so that ‘In that day shalt thou not be ashamed’.
Verse 12
an afflicted and poor people — Ani and dal, the humble and the low. They ‘trust’ (chasah, take refuge) ‘in the name of the LORD’, where the city had ‘trusted not in the LORD’ (v.2, batach). It is the people the prophet had called to seek him: ‘Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth’ (2:3).
Verse 13
neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth — This is the reverse of the leaders in vv.3–4. ‘Feed and lie down’ is shepherd’s language: ‘I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down’ (Ezek 34:15); ‘none shall make them afraid’ is the promise of Lev 26:6. Of the redeemed Revelation says, ‘in their mouth was found no guile’ (Rev 14:5).
Verse 14
Sing, O daughter of Zion — Four verbs of joy in one verse: ranan, rua (the shout of a victory or trumpet), samach and alats, ‘with all the heart’. Zech 9:9 repeats the call for the coming King, ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem’, which Matthew cites at Christ’s entry into Jerusalem (Matt 21:5).
Verse 15
the king of Israel, even the LORD — This is the title of Christ in John 12:13, ‘Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord’, where the crowd’s cry is joined to ‘Fear not, daughter of Sion’ (John 12:15). ‘Judgments’ (mishpatim) is the word of v.8: the sentence decreed is lifted. The King is ‘in the midst of thee’, where the princes had preyed (v.3).
Verse 16
Let not thine hands be slack — Raphah, to sink down, hang limp. It is used of failing courage in 2 Chr 15:7, ‘let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded’. Hebrews takes up the same figure: ‘lift up the hands which hang down’ (Heb 12:12). The command comes ‘in that day’, after ‘Fear thou not’.
Verse 17
he will rest in his love — Charash is literally to be silent: the LORD, ‘mighty’ (gibbor) to save, is quiet in his love, then breaks into ‘singing’ (rinnah, a ringing cry). The rejoicing is sus, as in Isa 62:5, ‘as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee’, and in Deut 30:9, ‘the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good’.
Verse 18
sorrowful for the solemn assembly — Mo’ed is the LORD’s appointed feast. Those grieved by the loss of it are the ones he gathers: ‘The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts’ (Lam 1:4). Yagah, ‘sorrowful’, is Lamentations’ word too, ‘her virgins are afflicted’. The reproach was ‘a burden’ (mas’eth), something lifted and carried.
Verse 19
her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out — The same pair stands in Micah’s promise: ‘will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out’ (Mic 4:6). Tsala’, to limp, is Jacob’s word at Peniel: ‘he halted upon his thigh’ (Gen 32:31). The ‘shame’ (bosheth) borne in every land becomes ‘praise’ and ‘fame’, literally ‘name’.
Verse 20
a name and a praise — Shem and tehillah, the pair of v.19 and of Deut 26:19, where Israel is to be ‘high above all nations… in praise, and in name, and in honour’. ‘Turn back your captivity’ is shub shebut, the idiom of restoration, and ‘before your eyes’ makes the turning something the captives themselves see.