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Zephaniah
Chapter One
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO ZEPHANIAH 1
After
the title of the book
Zephaniah 1:1
follows the Lord's threatening of the land of Judea with an utter consumption
of it
and of all creatures in it
for the sins of its inhabitants
especially
their idolatry and apostasy
Zephaniah 1:2
and
this is represented under the notion of a sacrifice
to which guests are bid;
and which even princes
and those of the blood royal
should not escape
nor
ministers of state
or such who filled their masters' houses with violence
Zephaniah 1:7. Some
particular places are mentioned
where there should be a great noise of crying
and howling
and especially Jerusalem
which should be diligently searched
and
its goods become a booty
and its houses desolate
Zephaniah 1:10.
This destruction is spoken of as near at hand
and is described as very
terrible and distressing
Zephaniah 1:14 and
as inevitable; nothing would be able to deliver from it
Zephaniah 1:18.
Zephaniah 1:1 The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi
the son of Gedaliah
the
son of Amariah
the son of Hezekiah
in the days of Josiah the son of Amon
king of Judah.
YLT
1A word of Jehovah that hath
been unto Zephaniah son of Cushi
son of Gedaliah
son of Amariah
son of
Hezikiah
in the days of Josiah son of Amoz
king of Judah:
The word of the Lord which
came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi
.... This is the title of
the book
which expresses the subject matter of it
the word of the Lord; the
word of prophecy from the Lord
as the Targum; and shows the divine authority
of it; that it was not of himself
nor from any man
but was of God; as well as
describes the penman of it by his descent: who or what this his father was;
whether a prophet
according to the rule the Jews give
that
when the name of
a prophet and his father's name are mentioned
he is a prophet
the son of a
prophet; or
whether a prince
a person of some great family
and even of the
blood royal
as some have thought
is not certain; or who those after mentioned:
the son of Gedaliah
the son of Amariah
the son of Hizkiah; which last
name
consisting of the same letters with Hezekiah
king of Judah
some have
thought
as Aben Ezra
that he is intended; and that Zephaniah was a
great-grandson of his; and which some think is confirmed by his style and
diction
and by the freedom he used with the king's family
Zephaniah 1:8 but
it is objected
that
if so it was
Hizkiah
or Hezekiah
would have been
called king of Judah; that it does not appear that Hezekiah had any other son
besides Manasseh; and that there was not a sufficient distance of time from
Hezekiah for four descents; and that
in fact
there were but three generations
from him to Josiah
in whose days Zephaniah prophesied
as follows; though it
is very probable that these progenitors of the prophet were men of note and
character
and therefore mentioned
as well as to distinguish him from others
of the same name
who lived
in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah: not Amos
as
the Arabic version: Amon and Manasseh
who reigned between Hezekiah and Josiah
were both wicked princes
and introduced idolatrous worship among the Jews;
which Josiah in the twelfth year of his reign began to purge the people from
and endeavoured a reformation; but whether it was before or after that
Zephaniah delivered out this prophecy is not certain; it may seem to be before
by the corruption of the times described in it; and so it may be thought to
have some influence upon the after reformation; though it is thought by many it
was after; since
had he been in this office before the finding of the book of
the law
he
and not Huldah the prophetess
would have been consulted
2 Kings 22:14 nor
could the people so well have been taxed with a perversion of the law
had it
not been as yet found
Zephaniah 3:4 and
besides
the reformation seems to be hinted at in this prophecy
since mention
is made of the remnant of Baal
which supposes a removal of many of his images;
and also notice is taken of some that apostatized after the renewal of the
covenant
Zephaniah 1:4
moreover
the time of the Jews' destruction and captivity is represented as
very near
Zephaniah 1:7 which
began a little after the death of Josiah
in the fourth year of Jehoiakim; to
which Dr. LightfootF6Works
vol. 1. p. 117. adds
that the prophet
prophesies against the king's children
Jehoahaz
Jehoiakim
and Zedekiah
for
their new fashions
and newfangled apparel
Zephaniah 1:8 and
therefore it must be in the latter part of his reign; and
if so
it shows how
a people may relapse into sin after the greatest endeavours for their good
and
the best of examples set them. Mr. WhistonF7Chronological Tables
cent. 9. and Mr. BedfordF8Scripture Chronology
p. 674. place him in
the latter part of his reign
about 611 or 612 B.C.: there were three that
prophesied about this time
Zephaniah
Jeremiah
and Huldah the prophetess; of
whom the Jewish Rabbins say
as Kimchi quotes them
Jeremiah prophesied in the
streets
Zephaniah in the synagogues
and Huldah among the women.
Zephaniah 1:2 2 “I
will utterly consume everything From the face of the land
” Says the Lord;
YLT
2I utterly consume all from
off the face of the ground
An affirmation of Jehovah.
I will utterly consume all
things from off the land
saith the Lord. That is
from the land of
Judah
by means of the Chaldeans or Babylonians: this is a general denunciation
of the judgments of God
the particulars follow: or
"in gathering I will
gather"; all good things out of the land; all the necessaries of life
and
blessings of Providence; all that is for the sustenance and pleasure of man
as
well as all creatures
by death or captivity; and so the land should be
entirely stripped
and left naked and bare. The phrase denotes the certainty of
the thing
as well as the utter
entire
and total consumption that should be
made
and the vehemence and earnestness in which it is expressed.
Zephaniah 1:3 3 “I
will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens
The fish
of the sea
And the stumbling blocks[a] along with
the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land
” Says the Lord.
YLT
3I consume man and beast
I
consume fowl of the heavens
and fishes of the sea
And the stumbling-blocks --
the wicked
And I have cut off man from the face of the ground
An affirmation
of Jehovah
I will consume man and
beast
.... Wicked men for their sins
and beasts for the sins of men;
and
as a punishment for them
the creatures whom they have abused to the
gratifying of their lusts:
I will consume the fowls of the heaven
and the fishes of the sea; so that there
shall be none for the use of man
which are both delicate food; the latter were
not consumed at the general deluge. Kimchi thinks this is said by way of
hyperbole; but it is possible for these to be consumed
as men by famine
pestilence
and captivity
and beasts by murrain; so the fowls of the air by
the noisomeness of it; and the fishes of the sea
that is
such as were in the
sea of Tiberias
and other lakes in Judea
by the stagnation of the waters
or
by some disease sent among them; unless wicked men
comparable to them
are
intended; though they are expressly mentioned
both before and after:
and the stumblingblocks with the wicked: that is
idols
which are stumblingblocks to men
and cause them to offend and fall;
these
together with those that made them
and the priests that sacrificed unto
them
and the people that worshipped them
should be consumed from off the
land: or
"the stumblingblocks of the wicked"; for את is sometimes used as a sign of the genitive case
as
NoldiusF9Ebr. Concord. Part. p. 122. observes; and so the Vulgate
Latin version and the Targum render it:
and I will cut off men from off the land
saith the Lord: this is
repeated for the certainty of it; or else this designs another sort of men from
the former; and that
as before wicked men are designed
here such as are not
perfectly wicked
as Kimchi observes; yea
the righteous should be carried
captive
so that the land should be left desolate
without men
good or bad;
for even good men may fall in a general calamity
and be cut off from the land
though not from the Lord. The Septuagint indeed here render it wicked men. The
phrase
"saith the Lord"
is twice expressed
for the certain
confirmation of it; for it may be concluded it will be
since God has said it
again and again that it shall be.
Zephaniah 1:4 4 “I
will stretch out My hand against Judah
And against all the inhabitants of
Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place
The names of the
idolatrous priests[b] with the pagan
priests—
YLT
4And stretched out My hand
against Judah
And against all inhabiting Jerusalem
And cut off from this
place the remnant of Baal
The name of the idolatrous priests
with the
priests
I will also stretch out
mine hand upon Judah
.... Under whom the tribe of Benjamin is comprehended
which are
only designed; the ten tribes having been carried captive in Hezekiah's time
many years before this: not "to Judah"
as beckoning to come and
hearken to him
as calling to repentance and reformation; this he had done
but
was rejected
and therefore determines to stretch out his hand "upon"
them; nor "over Judah"
to protect and defend them; but "upon
Judah"
exerting his power
stirring up his wrath
and executing his
vengeance; and this is dreadful and intolerable to bear! and when his hand is
stretched out
it cannot be turned back; and when laid on
can never be
removed
till he pleases:
and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the
metropolis of Judea
the royal seat of the kings of the house of David; where
were the temple of the Lord; the ark
the symbol of his presence; the altar
where his priests sacrificed
and the place where his people worshipped; and
yet these inhabitants should not escape the hand of the Lord
having sinned
against him; nor should these things be any security to them:
and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place; either what
of the idolatry of Baal
or belonging to it
remained among the Jews after the
ten tribes were carried captive; which must be the sense
if this prophecy was
before the reformation was begun by Josiah; or
if after
the meaning is
what
was left unremoved by him
as any of the images of Baal
or altars erected for
his worship
or vessels consecrated to his service
or groves that were for his
use; all which would be cut off and destroyed by the Chaldeans
as well as the
worshippers of him that remained:
and the name of the Chemarims
with the priests; that is
the priests of Baal
with the priests of the tribe of
Levi
who sometimes tampered and officiated with them in idolatrous service;
for the word "Chemarim" is translated "idolatrous priests"
2 Kings 23:5 said
to be put down by Josiah
in whose days Zephaniah prophesied; and must be the
same with these
and it is used for such in Hosea 10:5 so
called
either from the black garments they wore
as some think; or from the
colour of their faces
smutted with the smoke of the incense they frequently
offered; or of the fires in which they sacrificed
or made the children to pass
through to Molech. HillerusF11Onomastic. Sacr. p. 113. thinks they
are the same with those heathen priests called "Phallophori";
deriving the word from one in the Arabic language
which has the signification
of the "Phalli"; which were obscene images
carried about in an
impudent manner by the priests of Bacchus
in the performance of his sacred
rites: the carrying of them was first instituted by Isis
as PlutarchF12De
Iside & Osiride. says; and if this was the case here
it is no wonder they
should be so severely threatened. Some take them to be a sort of servants or
ministers to the priests of Baal
who waited on them at the time of service;
and so are distinguished from them in this clause
taking the word
"priests" in it to design the priests of Baal; and the Vulgate Latin
version renders it
"the name of sextons with the priests". The word
is used now by the Jews for Popish monks that live in cloisters; and Elias
LevitaF13Tishbi
p. 163. Vid. Buxtorf. Lex. Talmud. in voce כמר. thinks these here are so called from their living in
such like recluse places. The Targum is
"and
the name of their worshippers with their priests;'
one
and the other; priests of Baal
and apostate priests of the Lord; the
worshippers of Baal
and those that attend upon his priests
shall all feel the
weight of Jehovah's hand
and the lighting down of his arm with indignation.
Zephaniah 1:5 5 Those
who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; Those who worship and swear oaths
by the Lord
But who also swear by Milcom;[c]
YLT
5And those bowing themselves
On the roofs to the host of the heavens
And those bowing themselves
Swearing
to Jehovah
and swearing by Malcham
And upon them that worship
the host of heaven upon the house tops
.... The sun
moon
and
stars
which some worshipped upon their house tops; the roofs of their houses
being flat
as the roofs of the houses of the Jews generally were; from hence
they had a full view of the host of heaven
and worshipped them openly; and
fancied
the nearer they were to them
the more acceptable was their service;
see Jeremiah 19:13
and them that worship
and that swear the Lord
and that
swear by Malcham; that is
that worship the true God
or at least pretend to do
so
and swear by him when they take an oath: or
"that swear to the
Lord"; as the wordsF14הנשבעים ליהוה "qui jurant Domino"
Drusius; "qui
jurant Jehovae"
Cocceius; "jurantes Domino Jehovae"
Burkius.
may be rendered; that swear allegiance to him
to be true and faithful to him
to serve and obey him
and to keep his statutes and ordinances; and yet they
swear by Malcham also
or Milchom
or Melchom
the same with Molech
or Mo
the
god of the Ammonites. These were such as partly worshipped God
and partly
idols; they divided their religion and devotion between them
sometimes served
the one
and sometimes the other; they halted between two opinions
and were a
sort of occasional conformists; and such were as detestable to God as those
that worshipped idols; as the Papists are
who pretend to worship God and their
images
or God in them
and with them; and so all such persons that seek for
justification and salvation
partly by their own works
and partly by Christ
are displeasing to the Lord
and miss of the thing; stumbling at the stumbling
stone
and so fall and perish.
Zephaniah 1:6 6 Those
who have turned back from following the Lord
And have
not sought the Lord
nor inquired of Him.”
YLT
6And those removing from
after Jehovah
And who have not sought Jehovah
nor besought Him.
And them that are turned
back from the Lord
.... Who once were worshippers of him
but now become apostates
and had turned their backs on him and his worship. Some think this describes
those who renewed their covenant with God in Josiah's time
and after that
revolted from him
who must be very abominable to him; and therefore he
threatens to stretch out his hand
and pour out his wrath upon them:
and those that have not sought the Lord
nor inquired for
him; profane abandoned sinners
that lived without God in the world
and as if there was no God; never concerned themselves about the worship of
him
having no faith in him
love to him
or fear and reverence of him; so far
were they from seeking him in the first place diligently
zealously
and with
their whole heart
that they never sought him at all; nor took any pains to get
any knowledge of him
or of his mind and will
and manner of worship; but were
altogether careless about these things
and unconcerned for them.
Zephaniah 1:7 7 Be
silent in the presence of the Lord God; For the
day of the Lord is at hand
For the Lord has
prepared a sacrifice; He has invited[d] His
guests.
YLT
7Hush! because of the Lord
Jehovah
For near [is] a day of Jehovah
For prepared hath Jehovah a sacrifice
He hath sanctified His invited ones.
Hold thy peace at the
presence of the Lord God
.... When he comes forth
and appears in the way of his
judgments
do not dispute the point with him
or pretend to offer reasons
against his proceedings
or in order to disprove the justice of them; stand in
awe and reverence of him
who is the Lord God omniscient and omnipotent
holy
just
and true; humble yourselves under his mighty hand; be still
and know that
he is God; and let not one murmuring and repining word come out of your mouth.
The Targum is
"let
all the wicked of the earth perish from before the Lord God:'
for the day of the Lord is at hand; the time of
his vengeance on the Jewish nation for their sins
which he had fixed in his
mind
and had given notice of by his prophets: this began to take place at
Josiah's death
after which the Jews enjoyed little peace and prosperity; and
his successor reigned but three months
was deposed by the king of Egypt
and
carried thither captive
and there died; and Jehoiakim
that succeeded him
in
the fourth year of his reign was carried captive into Babylon
or died by the
way thither; so that this day might well be said to be at hand:
for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice: his people
the Jews
who were to fall a victim to his vengeance
and a sacrifice to his
justice
to atone in some measure for the injury done to it by their sins; thus
they that had offered sacrifice to idols
and neglected the sacrifices of the
Lord
and especially the great sacrifice of Christ typified by them
the only
proper atoning one
should themselves become a sacrifice to the just resentment
of God; this he had prepared in his mind
determined should be done
and would
bring about in his providence; see Isaiah 34:6
he hath bid his guests: or "called
ones"F15קראיו "vocatos
suos"
Pagninus
Montanus
Cocceius
Burkius; "invitatos suos"
Vatablus
Tigurine verson
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Drusius. ; the
Chaldeans
whom he invited and called to this sacrifice and feast: or whom he
"prepared"
or "sanctified"F16הקדיש "praeparavit"
Vatablus
Junius &
Tremellius
Piscator; so Ben Melech; "sanctificavit"
V. L. Montanus
Cocceius
Burkius. ; he prepared them in his purpose and providence; he set
them apart for this service
and called them to it; to be the sacrificers of
this people
and to feast upon them; to spoil them of their goods and riches
and enjoy them. These guests may also design
as Kimchi observes
the fowls of
the heaven
and the beasts of the field
invited to feast upon the slain; see Ezekiel 39:17.
Zephaniah 1:8 8 “And
it shall be
In the day of the Lord’s
sacrifice
That I will punish the princes and the king’s children
And all such
as are clothed with foreign apparel.
YLT
8And it hath come to pass
In the day of the sacrifice of Jehovah
That I have laid a charge on the heads
And on sons of the king
And on all putting on strange clothing.
And it shall come to pass
in the day of the Lord's sacrifice
.... 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 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 1:9 9 In
the same day I will punish All those who leap over the threshold
[e] Who fill
their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
YLT
9And I have laid a charge on
every one Who is leaping over the threshold in that day
Who are filling the
house of their masters [With] violence and deceit.
In the same day also will
I punish all those that leap on the threshold
.... Not in a ludicrous
way
who
by dancing and leaping
made sport for persons
and brought their
masters much gain
as the damsel possessed with a spirit of divination did
Acts 16:16 rather
that entered rashly and irreverently into the house of God; or else in an
idolatrous way
who
when they went into an idol's temple
did not tread upon
the threshold
but leaped over it
as the priests of Dagon
after the fall of that
idol on the threshold
1 Samuel 5:4. So
the Targum
"and
I will visit all those that walk in the laws (or according to the customs) of
the Philistines;'
whose
idol Dagon was: but it seems better to interpret it of such
who
seeing houses
full of good things
in a rude
bold
insolent manner
thrust themselves
or
jumped into them
and took away what they pleased; or when they returned to
their masters' houses with their spoil
who set them on
and encouraged them in
these practices
leaped over the threshold for joy of what they had got
as
Aben Ezra observes; which agrees with what follows:
which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit; that is
with
goods got by rapine and force
and by fraudulent ways and methods: this is to
be understood of the servants of great men
who
to feed the ambition and
avarice of their masters
used very oppressive methods with inferior persons to
get their substance from them
and gratify their masters. Cocceius interprets
these "three" verses of the day of Christ's coming in the flesh being
at hand
when the true sacrifice should be offered up
and God would call his
people to feed by faith upon it; when all civil power and authority in the
sanhedrim and family of David should be removed from the Jews; and all
friendship with the nations of the world
signified by likeness of garments;
and the priestly dignity
the priests
according to him
being those that leaped
over the threshold; that is
of the house of the Lord
the temple
and filled
it with the spoil of widows' houses
unsupportable precepts
and false
doctrines.
Zephaniah 1:10 10 “And
there shall be on that day
” says the Lord
“The
sound of a mournful cry from the Fish Gate
A wailing from the Second Quarter
And
a loud crashing from the hills.
YLT
10And there hath been in that
day
An affirmation of Jehovah
The noise of a cry from the fish-gate
And of a
howling from the Second
And of great destruction from the hills.
And it shall come to pass
in that day
saith the Lord
.... In the day of the Lord's sacrifice
when he shall punish the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem by the Chaldeans;
which
as well as what follows
shall surely come to pass
because the Lord has
said it; for not one word of his shall pass away
but all be fulfilled:
that there shall be the noise of a
cry from the fish gate; a gate of the city of Jerusalem so called
which suffered as the
rest in the destruction of the city by the Babylonians
and
after the
captivity
was rebuilt by the sons of Hassenaah
Nehemiah 3:3
according to Jerom
it was on the west side of the city
and led to Diospolis
and Joppa; and was the nearest road to the Mediterranean sea
or any of the
roads to Jerusalem
from whence fish were brought
and brought in by this gate;
and very probably the fish market was near it
from whence it had its name;
though Cocceius places it in the north corner of the east side of the city
and
so was nearer Jordan
the sea of Tiberias
and the city of Tyre
from whence
fish might be brought hither
and sold
Nehemiah 13:16
however
be it where it will
the enemy it seems would attack it
and enter in
by it; upon which a hideous cry would be made
either by the assailants
the
Chaldeans
at their attack upon it
and entrance through it; or by the
inhabitants of it
or that were nearest to it
upon their approach
or both:
and an howling from the second; either from the second
gate; and if the fish gate is the same with the first gate
Zechariah 14:10
then this may be pertinently called the second. Jarchi calls it the bird gate
which was the second to the fish gate. So the Targum
"from
the bird
or the bird gate;'
though
some copies of it read
from the tower or high fortress: or else this designs
the second wall
and the gate in that which answered to the fish gate; for
Jerusalem was encompassed with three walls; the fish gate was in the outermost
and this was in the second
to which the Chaldeans came next
and occasioned a
dreadful howling and lamentation in the people that dwelt near it. Kimchi
interprets it of the school or university that was in Jerusalem; the same word
is rendered the cottage in which Huldah the prophetess lived
2 Kings 22:14 and
there
by the Targum
"the
house of doctrine or instruction;'
so
then the sense is
a grievous outcry would be heard from the university or
school of the prophets; the enemy having entered it
and were slaying the
students
or seizing them in order to carry them captive:
and a great crashing from the hills; either that were in
Jerusalem
as Mount Zion and Moriah
on which the temple stood; or those that
were round about it
as Gareb
and Goath
and others; though some interpret
this of the houses of nobles that stood in the higher parts of the city
where
there would be a shivering
a breaking to pieces
as the word signifies
of
doors and windows without
and of furniture within.
Zephaniah 1:11 11 Wail
you inhabitants of Maktesh![f] For all
the merchant people are cut down; All those who handle money are cut off.
YLT
11Howl
ye inhabitants of the
hollow place
For cut off hath been all the merchant people
Cut off have been
all bearing silver.
Howl
ye inhabitants of
Maktesh
.... The name of a street in Jerusalem
as Aben Ezra; perhaps it
lay low in the hollow of the city
and in the form of a mortar
from whence it
might have its name
as the wordF17המכתש
"mortarii"
Vatablus
Tigurine version; "cavi"
Junius
& Tremellius
Piscator; "loci concavi"
Calvin. signifies; which
is used both for a hollow place and for a mortar
Judges 15:19 unless
it might be so called from such persons dwelling in it
that used mortars for
spice
and other things. The Targum is
"howl
all ye that dwell in the valley of Kidron;'
and
Jerom thinks the valley of Siloah is intended
which is the same; which
AdrichomiusF18Theatrum Terrae Sanctae
p. 163. says
was broad
deep
and dark
and surrounded the temple in manner of a foss
or ditch; and
was disposed in the form of a mortar
called in Hebrew "machtes"; in
Latin
"pila"; in which merchants and tradesmen of all kinds dwelt.
It is thought by others to be the same which JosephusF19De Bello
Jud. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 1. calls "the valley of the cheese mongers"
which lay between the two hills Zion and Acra. The reason of their howling is
for all the merchant people are cut down; either cut to
pieces by the sword of the enemy
and become silent
as the wordF20נדמה "conticuit"
V. L. "in silentium
redactus est"
Drusius. sometimes signifies
and the Vulgate Latin version
here renders it; become so by death
and laid in the silent grave
and no more
concerned in merchandise; or else stripped of all their wealth and goods by the
enemy
and so cut down
broke
and become bankrupt
and could trade no more.
The word for merchant signifies a Canaanite; and the Targum paraphrases it
thus
"for
all the people are broken
whose works are like the works of the people of the
land of Canaan:'
all they that bear silver are cut off; that have
large quantities of it
and carry it to market to buy goods with it as
merchants; these shall be cut off
and so a great loss to trade
and a cause of
howling and lamentation; or such that wear it in their garments
embroidered
with it; or rather in their purses
who are loaded with this thick clay
abound
with it. The Targum is
"all
that are rich in substance shall be destroyed.'
Zephaniah 1:12 12 “And
it shall come to pass at that time That I will search Jerusalem with
lamps
And punish the men Who are settled in complacency
[g] Who say in
their heart
‘The Lord will not do good
Nor will He do
evil.’
YLT
12And it hath come to pass
at that time
I search Jerusalem with lights
And I have laid a charge on the
men Who are hardened on their preserved things
Who are saying in their heart:
Jehovah doth no good
nor doth He evil.
And it shall come to pass
at that time
that I will search Jerusalem with candles
.... To find
out the sins of the inhabitants of it
and the authors of them
and punish them
for them
however hid and concealed from the eyes of others
or thought to be:
this must be understood consistent with the omniscience of God
who knows all
persons and things; nothing is hid from him; men may fancy their sins are hid
being privately and secretly committed; but all will be manifest
sooner or
later; if not now
yet at the day of judgment; and sometimes they are made
manifest by God in this life
as here; for what the Lord here says he would do
he did it by instruments
by the Chaldeans
whom he sent to Jerusalem; and to
whom the gates of the city
the doors of houses
and the innermost recesses of
them
were opened and plundered by them; and all for the sins of the people
which were hereby exposed. So the Targum
"and
it shall be at that time that I will appoint searchers
and they shall search
Jerusalem
as they that search with candles;'
and
no doubt but this was literally true of the Chaldeans
who with candles might
search vaults and cellars
and such like dark places
where they supposed goods
and riches were concealed. The allusion may be to the searching with lamps for
leaven on the fourteenth of Nisan
when the passover began
in every corner of
a house
and
when they found it
burnt itF21Vid. Misn. Pesachim
c.
1. sect. 1
4. ; or in general to searching for anything which lies concealed
in dark places
where the light of the sun comes not
and can only be
discovered by the light of candles; and denotes that nothing should escape the
sight and knowledge of God
by whom a full discovery would be made of their
persons and sins
and cognizance taken of them in a vindictive way
as follows:
and punish the men that are settled on their lees; like wine on
the lees
quiet and undisturbed; in a good outward estate and condition
abounding in wealth and riches
and trusting therein; and which
as the Targum
paraphrases it
they enjoy in great tranquillity; Moab like
having never been
emptied from vessel to vessel
Jeremiah 48:11 and
so concluded they should ever remain in the same state
and became hardened in
sin
or "curdled"
and thickened
as the wordF23הקפאים "concreti sunt"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator; "congelati"
Calvin; "coagulatos"
Montanus
Cocceius; "qui concreverunt glaciei
vel casei ad instar"
Burkius. signifies; and were unconcerned about the state of religion
or the
state of their own souls; and fearless and thoughtless of the judgments of God;
but should now be visited
disturbed in their tranquil state
and be troubled
and punished:
that say in their heart; not daring to express
with their lips the following atheism and blasphemy; but God
who searched and
tried their hearts
knew it:
The Lord will not do good
neither will he do evil; which is a
flat denial of his providence; saying that he takes no notice of what is done
by men on earth
whether good or bad; and neither rewards the one
nor punishes
the other. So the Targum
as Kimchi quotes it
"it
is not the good pleasure of God to do good to the righteous
or to do evil to
the wicked;'
than
which nothing is more false! the Lord does good to all in a providential way
and to many in a way of special grace; and rewards with a reward of grace all
good men
both here and hereafter; and though he does not do any moral evil
yet he executes the evil of punishment in this world
and in that to come
on
evildoers.
Zephaniah 1:13 13 Therefore
their goods shall become booty
And their houses a desolation; They shall build
houses
but not inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards
but not drink
their wine.”
YLT
13And their wealth hath been
for a spoil
And their houses for desolation
And they have built houses
and
do not inhabit
And they have planted vineyards
And they do not drink their
wine.
Therefore their goods
shall become a booty
.... To the enemy; the riches they trusted in
and thought
themselves so secure of; and therefore denied divine Providence
which ought to
be depended upon amidst the greatest affluence; or otherwise the Lord has
various ways by which he can soon strip men of all their enjoyments
and
dispose of them to others:
and their houses a desolation; be pulled down by the
enemy; or left uninhabited
they being killed or carried captive
even their
whole families:
they shall also build houses
but not inhabit them; not long
at
least; not always
as they expected
and promised themselves when they built
them:
and they shall plant vineyards
and not drink the wine thereof: but before
the vines planted by them bring forth grapes
and these are pressed
and wine
made of them
they should fall into the hands of the enemy
who would drink it
and not they; and all this agreeably to what was threatened them in the law of
Moses
which they ought to have regarded
Deuteronomy 28:30.
Zephaniah 1:14 14 The
great day of the Lord is near; It is
near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out.
YLT
14Near [is] the great day of
Jehovah
Near
and hasting exceedingly
The noise of the day of Jehovah
Bitterly shriek there doth a mighty one.
The great day of the Lord is
near
it is near
and hasteth greatly
.... Not the day of
judgment
but the day of God's vengeance upon the Jews
which yet bore some
resemblance to that day of the Lord
and it may be therefore so called; as the
destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans had some likeness to it
and therefore
the signs of the one and of the other are given together by our Lord in Matthew 24:1 and
this was a day in which he would do great things
by the Chaldeans
and against
the Jews; and this is represented as very "near"; and repeated again
for the confirmation of it
and to arouse the thoughtless and careless about
it
and who put away this evil day far from them; yea
it is said to make great
haste
and to fly away swiftly
even faster than time usually does; though in
common it has wings ascribed unto it:
even the voice of
the day of the Lord; in which the Lord's voice will be heard; not his voice of grace
and mercy
as in the day of salvation; but of wrath and vengeance
which will
be terrible; hence it follows:
the mighty men shall cry there bitterly; not the voice
of the mighty men besieging the city
making a hideous noise to animate the
soldiers in making the assault
as some; but the mighty men within the city of
Jerusalem besieged
who
when they see the city broken up
would be in the
utmost terror
and cry bitterly
like women and children
being quite dismayed
and dispirited; even the men of war upon the walls
and in the garrisons
with
their officers and generals; and if this would be the case with them
how must
it be thought to be with others
the weak and timorous?
Zephaniah 1:15 15 That
day is a day of wrath
A day of trouble and distress
A day of
devastation and desolation
A day of darkness and gloominess
A day of clouds
and thick darkness
YLT
15A day of wrath [is] that
day
A day of adversity and distress
A day of waste and desolation
A day of
darkness and gloominess
A day of cloud and thick darkness.
That day is a day
of wrath
.... Both of the wrath of God against his people for their sins;
these judgments being the effects of his wrath
provoked by their iniquities;
and of the wrath and cruelty of the Chaldeans
exercised in a furious manner:
a day of trouble and distress; to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem
they being taken and led captive
their houses plundered and
demolished
and the whole city and temple laid in ruins:
a day of wasteness and desolation; of the whole country of
Judea
and the metropolis of it; of their houses
fields
and vineyards:
a day of darkness and gloominess
a day of clouds and thick
darkness: as it might be in a natural sense; the displeasure of God being
shown in the very heavens
by the darkness and gloominess of them
and the
thick clouds with which they were covered; and made still more dark and gloomy
by the burning of the city
and the smoke of it; and
in such circumstances
gloominess and melancholy must sit upon the minds of men: and thick clouds and
darkness portend greater troubles and calamities coming on; and the whole is
expressive of great adversity; for
as light frequently designs prosperity
so
darkness adversity.
Zephaniah 1:16 16 A
day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high
towers.
YLT
16A day of trumpet and
shouting against the fenced cities
And against the high corners.
A day of the trumpet and
alarm against the fenced cities
.... The trumpet of the enemy
sounding the
alarm of war against the fenced cities of Judea
which were taken before
Jerusalem; calling and gathering the soldiers together
and animating them to
the assault of them; and blowing them in a way of triumph; and as expressive of
victory
having got possession of them:
and against the high towers; or "corners"F24פנות "pinnas"
Montanus
Castalio;
"angulos"
Junius & Tremellius
Burkius. ; towers being usually
built corner-wise
and full of corners
and on the corners of walls of cities;
sometimes these signify princes
magistrates
and great men
Zechariah 10:4.
Zephaniah 1:17 17 “I
will bring distress upon men
And they shall walk like blind men
Because they
have sinned against the Lord; Their blood shall be poured out
like dust
And their flesh like refuse.”
YLT
17And I have sent distress to
men
And they have walked as the blind
For against Jehovah they have sinned
And poured out is their blood as dust
And their flesh [is] as dung.
And I will bring distress
upon men
.... Not upon men in general
but particularly on the men of
Judea
and inhabitants of Jerusalem; and especially those that were in the
fenced cities and high towers; and who might think themselves safe and secure;
but
being besieged
should be distressed with famine and pestilence
and with
the enemy; and more especially when stormed
and a breach made
and the enemy
just entering:
that they shall walk like blind men; not knowing which way to
go
where to turn themselves
what methods to take
or course to steer
no more
than a blind man. The phrase is expressive of their being at their wits' ends
void of all thought and consultation:
because they have sinned against the Lord; and therefore
he gives them up
not only into the hand of the enemy
but unto an infatuation
of spirit
and a judicial blindness of mind:
and their blood shall be poured out as dust; in great
quantities
like that
without any regard to it
without showing any mercy
and
as if it was of no more value than the dust of the earth. The Targum is
"their
blood shall be poured out into the dust;'
or
on it
and be drunk up by it:
and their flesh as the dung; or their carcasses
as
the same paraphrase; that is
their dead bodies shall lie unburied
and rot
and putrefy
and shall be cast upon fields like dung
to fatten them. The word
for "flesh"
in the Hebrew language
signifies bread or food; because
dead bodies are food for worms; but in the Arabic language
as Aben Ezra and
Jarchi observe
it signifies "flesh".
Zephaniah 1:18 18 Neither
their silver nor their gold Shall be able to deliver them In the day of the Lord’s wrath; But the whole land shall be devoured By the fire of His
jealousy
For He will make speedy riddance Of all those who dwell in the land.
YLT
18Even their silver
even
their gold
Is not able to deliver them in a day of the wrath of Jehovah
And
in the fire of His jealousy consumed is the whole land
For only a hastened end
doth He make Of all the inhabitants of the land!
Neither their silver nor
their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath
.... Which
they have gotten in an unjust way
and have hoarded up
and put their
confidence in; these were the lees on which they were settled; but now
as they
would be disregarded by the Lord
as insufficient to atone for their sins
and
appease his wrath
and procure his favour; see Job 36:18 so they
would be of no avail to them
to deliver from their enemies
who would not be
bribed therewith to save their lives; the same is said of the Medes at the
taking of Babylon
Isaiah 13:17
but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy; his zeal
against sin
and for his own glory
shall burn like fire; which shall consume
the whole land
and all the inhabitants of it
and was not to be stopped by
anything that could be done by them; so furious and raging would it be:
for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in
the land; burn up at once all the briers and thorns
even all that offend
and do iniquity
and spare neither root nor branch; or
as when a field is
cleared of the stubble on it
after the wheat is gathered in; or a grain floor
of its chaff
after the wheat is separated from it; thus with the besom of
destruction would the Lord sweep away the sinful inhabitants of Judea
and
clear it of them
as he did by the sword
by famine
by pestilence
and by
captivity.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)