Sofonias 3
A.T. Robertson · Citado em PreceptAustin
Sofonias 3
Robertson - Despite the appearance that corruption prevails on every side, the Lord daily manifests his righteous judgments. Even the faithful remnant, suffering under the oppressive tyrannies of a depraved leadership, must acknowledge the daily realities of the Lord’s justice. As faithfully as the Lord provided daily manna for his people during their trial period in the wilderness, so in the chaotic last days of Jerusalem the Lord’s righteousness was coming to light. (NICOT - Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah) MacKay comments on the significance of the morning in Hebrew thought - ‘Morning by morning’ is associated with the regularity of sacrifice in Israel (Ex 30:7; Lev 6:12; 2Chr 13:11; Ezek 46:13–15) and of the provision of manna (Ex 16:21). Here it is a matter of the administration of justice. The judges of the land normally met in the morning (v. 3), but they were corrupt. The morning was when the king heard cases as the final court of appeal in the land (Jer. 21:12), but Josiah was the exception among Judah’s kings of this time in that he sought the LORD and promoted justice (Jer. 22:15–16). (Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah) Barker - God gives his justice each new day. Righteousness is doing those acts which God himself requires because of the relationship with him. Justice takes the righteous acts to the legal sphere, insuring the care for the needy of society. The affirmation of God’s “justice” (mishpat) contains a play on words with the “rulers” (shaphat) of Zeph 3:3. Those who should have been dispensing justice (the rulers) are those who use their position to pick the people clean, leaving nothing to the morning (Zeph 3:3). But the Lord dispenses justice every morning....Justice” is a word of such broad meaning and significance in the Old Testament that it is difficult to translate. It “can be used to designate almost any aspect of civil or religious government,” for example: the act of deciding a case by a judge (Dt 25:1; Josh 20:6); place where a judge decides a case (1Kgs 7:7); process of litigation (Job 22:4; Isa 3:14); a case or suit brought before the judge (1Kgs 3:11; Job 13:18); the sentence or decision the judge announces (1Kgs 20:40; Jer 26:11, 16); the time the decision is made (Ps 1:5; Eccl 12:14); sovereign authority (Deut 1:17; Pr 16:33); the just claims of God (Isa 30:18; Ps 37:28); that which is right as that which agrees with God’s character (Ps 106:37; Pr 12:5; Mic 6:8); an ordinance or law designed to establish justice in society (Ex 15:25; Isa 42:4; Dt 33:10); the just rights an individual possesses in the legal system (Dt 18:3; Jer 32:7). Because God is righteous, does no wrong, and daily dispenses justice, Israel should be secure. By implementing his word in their justice system, they could be sure every case was settled in righteousness and every person would receive his due. Reality contrasted theory. A righteous, just God faced an unrighteous, self-centered people. Zephaniah’s recitation of the goodness of God should have caused the unrighteous to meditate on their behavior. God had been so good, how could they continue in arrogance before God? They were shameless before the great God who manifested his goodness before them daily. (See comments in Micah, Nahum, Habakkuh, Zephaniah) He does not fail - NET = "At dawn He appears without fail." Pulpit Commentary - In spite of this hourly manifestation of God's justice, and the enactments of the Law so well known, the perverse nation will not amend its ways, feels no shame at its backslidings (Jeremiah 3:3; Jeremiah 6:15). Kaiser - God’s moral standards are plainly visible to all; He never fails! Nor have His standards failed! Isaiah speaks of the One Who never fails... Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing. (Isa 40:26) But the unjust knows no shame - But indicates a contrast. What is he contrasting? In context he is describing the Righteous One Who is present and Who every morning reveals His justice. Judah's exposure to His righteous "light" should be enough to cause the evil doer's consciences to feel shame. And yet their conscience was so seared, they did not even blush at their evil deeds, as we see in another description of Judah by the prophet Jeremiah... Were they ashamed because of the abomination they had done? They certainly were not ashamed, and they did not know how to blush; Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time of their punishment they shall be brought down," Declares Jehovah. (Jer 8:12) 🙏 THOUGHT: This description is reminiscent of those wicked men in our day who are involved in despicable "trades" like drug dealing, human trafficking and pornography, all so abominable that most would blush just at the mention of those terms because their conscience is tender and sensitive (cp Ro 2:14,15+). These purveyors of such grotesque evil which destroys lives and marriages, have in turn so destroyed their consciences that they cannot feel shame or remorse and are driven by their insatiable avarice, lust and ever deepening depravity. And yet they will surely one day see Jehovah the righteous One in their midst (Rev 20:11-15+)! And He will judge them justly for their unspeakably perverted practices, casting them "into hell (gehenna), where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE (Ed: Jesus is saying that they will be sent to a horrible place where they will have eternal consciousness of their evil deeds. While they still may not be ashamed, they will clearly be aware that God has dealt justly with them and that they are appropriately reaping fire for eternity as just retribution for sowing evil in time), AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED." (Mark 9:47-48+) Zephaniah 3:6 "I have cut off nations; Their corner towers are in ruins. I have made their streets desolate, with no one passing by; Their cities are laid waste, without a man, without an inhabitant.: BGT ἐν διαφθορᾷ κατέσπασα ὑπερηφάνους ἠφανίσθησαν γωνίαι αὐτῶν ἐξερημώσω τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτῶν τὸ παράπαν τοῦ μὴ διοδεύειν ἐξέλιπον αἱ πόλεις αὐτῶν παρὰ τὸ μηδένα ὑπάρχειν μηδὲ κατοικεῖν LXE I have brought down the proud with destruction; their corners are destroyed: I will make their ways completely waste, so that none shall go through: their cities are come to an end, by reason of no man living or dwelling in them. KJV I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant. NET "I destroyed nations; their walled cities are in ruins. I turned their streets into ruins; no one passes through them. Their cities are desolate; no one lives there. CSB I have cut off nations; their corner towers are destroyed. I have laid waste their streets, with no one to pass through. Their cities lie devastated, without a person, without an inhabitant. ESV "I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; their cities have been made desolate, without a man, without an inhabitant. NIV "I have cut off nations; their strongholds are demolished. I have left their streets deserted, with no one passing through. Their cities are destroyed; no one will be left--no one at all. NLT "I have wiped out many nations, devastating their fortress walls and towers. Their streets are now deserted; their cities lie in silent ruin. There are no survivors-- none at all. NRS I have cut off nations; their battlements are in ruins; I have laid waste their streets so that no one walks in them; their cities have been made desolate, without people, without inhabitants. NJB I have exterminated the nations, their corner-towers lie in ruins; I have emptied their streets, no one walks through them; their cities have been destroyed and are now deserted and unpeopled. NAB I have destroyed nations, their battlements are laid waste; I have made their streets deserted, with no one passing through; Their cities are devastated, with no man dwelling in them. YLT I have cut off nations, Desolated have been their chief ones, I have laid waste their out-places without any passing by, Destroyed have been their cities, Without man, without inhabitant. cut: Isaiah 10:1-34; 15:1-16; 19:1-25; 37:11-13,24-26,36; Jeremiah 25:9-11; Jeremiah 25:18-26; Nahum 2:1-3; 1Corinthians 10:6,11 A WARNING AND AN EXAMPLE! I have cut off nations; Their corner towers are in ruins. I have made their streets desolate, with no one passing by; Their cities are laid waste, without a man, without an inhabitant - NET Zephaniah 3:6 "I destroyed nations; their walled cities are in ruins. I turned their streets into ruins; no one passes through them. Their cities are desolate; no one lives there." While this passage describes the fate of the nations, it is notable that this description fits precisely with what transpired in Judah and Jerusalem less then 50 years later (Zephaniah written about 625BC) when Nebuchadnezzar's third siege was successful in 586 BC. The Lord takes the people of Judah (and all who would eventually read this text) to school, and gives them (and us) a lesson in world history Walter Kaiser quips - At this point, the Lord takes the people of Judah (and all who would eventually read this text) to school, and gives them (and us) a lesson in world history....History is full of examples of nations that are no longer on the scene, but had anyone thought to ask why? Wasn’t their wreckage directly related to their moral collapse and disregard for the basic principles of righteousness taught in the Word of God—whether or not they were believing nations? Judah needed to look no further for such an example than the Northern kingdom that had gone into captivity in 721BC (or 722BC). Nations and peoples are responsible to learn from history. It was hoped that Judah would heed the tragic realities of the past and reverse her headlong rush into disaster. (See The Preacher's Commentary) I have cut off nations (Dt 12:29, 19:1, Jos 11:21, 23:4, Jdg 4:24, 2Sa 7:9) - Jehovah begins to speak and His first Person discourse extends through Zeph 3:13. Jehovah is warning Judah that He has judged other nations for their sins. How could Judah expect to escape His judgment? Israel had been given a "heads up" by Moses before they entered the Promised Land regarding the pagan nations... When the LORD your God cuts off (karath;) before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, beware (not a suggestion, but a command; Lxx = prosecho) that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise? (Dt 12:29-30) Kenneth Barker - Zeph 3:5–7 appear to revolve around the theme of Israel’s knowledge of the goodness of the Lord and their need to turn from their sins. Seeing the righteousness of the Lord should have caused the people to feel the intense sorrow associated with sin (Jer 31:18–19). Yet they went on with their sin. Any rational person would have thought as the Lord did that the people would fear the Lord and accept his correction. By accepting the correction of the Lord, the people could have averted the disaster. Instead of accepting God’s chastisement, they persisted in their sin, thus insuring the judgment of God. In pride the wicked of Zeph 3:3, 4—the officials, rulers, prophets, and priests—carried on in their rebellion against God. (See Micah, Nahum, Habakkuh, Zephaniah) Zephaniah 1:3 also used karath I will remove man and beast; I will remove the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, And the ruins along with the wicked; And I will cut off man from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. So just as God had cut off nations, now He would be forced to do the same to Jerusalem and Judah. Their corner towers are in ruins (same word pinnah is used Zeph 1:16 describing the Day of the Lord) - ESV translates this as "Battlements (see note below)." These were the key defense posts, the most strongly fortified point of a walled city. If they were in ruins, everything was in ruins! The Lxx translates "corner towers" with the interesting word huperephanos (huper = over, above + phaino = shine) which literally describes the one above and when speaking of men refers to one who shows (shines) himself above others (in a word, pride). Theophylact called it "the citadel and summit of all evils." Surely there is a play on words by the Septuagint translators, who seem in a sense to personify the "corner towers" as possessing an arrogance voicing the thought "We are invincible!" And is not that exactly what men do with their possessions or money or power (etc) - they fallaciously think themselves to be impregnable! The are like the man in Proverbs 18:11 (+) which says "A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his own imagination." In marked contrast, Solomon describes the truly "rich" man in Pr 18:10-+! I have made their streets desolate - Notice God says "I have made" indicating He is sovereign over nations and would be sovereign over Judah's fall. Isaiah declares "For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?" (Isa 14:27). And again Jehovah Himself declares "Even from eternity I am He; And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?" (Isa 43:13) With no one passing by - Emphasizes the utter devastation of Judah. Their cities are laid waste - The citizens were either dead or deported! MacKay adds that "Their ruins testify to the ineffectiveness of human devices when the LORD decides to act." (Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah) Without a man, without an inhabitant - Note how the description of desertion, devastation and desolation is "piled up" in this verse. MacKay - This had not been capricious conduct on the LORD’S part, but fully warranted by the sin of the nations (Ge 13:13; 18:20; Lev. 18:25–27; Dt. 9:4; 1Ss 15:2–3). He had not acted a moment sooner than was proper; for instance, he waited because the sin of the Amorites had not yet reached full measure (Gen. 15:16). (Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah) Desolate (02717)(chareb) is a verb that means to be desolate, ruined or destroyed, in essence to lay in ruins in a state of utter destruction. (Ezek 26:19; 30:7) To be dry (Jdg 16:7-8), to dry up (Ge 8:13, 2Ki 19:24), to lay waste. Note that most of the uses of this word are in the prophets where we see them repeatedly warn of coming desolation not just to Israel but to other nations (eg, Tyre in Ezek 26:2,19).. Chareb is translated in the Lxx with the verb exeremoo (eremos = wilderness, uninhabited, waste, desert, desolate) meaning to make quite desolate, to devastate (Used in Lxx of Lev 26:31-32, Jdg 16:24, 2Ki 19:24, Ezek 6:6, 12:20, 19:7, Amos 7:9, Zeph 3:6). The root verb eremoo (to be brought to ruin, become desolate, be devastated - Mt 12:25) is used in the Lxx translations of 2Ki 19:17, Isa 34:10, 37:18, Isa 49:17, 60:12, Jer 26:9, Ezek 26:2, 19, 29:12, 30:7 . Xeraino (to stop a flow of something resulting in dryness, to dry out, to whither) in Isa 42:15. NAS Usage: become waste(2), desolate(4), destroyer(1), devastated(3), devastators(1), laid waste(5), lay waste(1), made their desolate(1), utterly ruined(1). Chareb - 18v - Jdg 16:24; 2Kgs 19:17 (Lxx = eremoo - to make uninhabitable); Isa 34:10; 37:18; 42:15; 49:17; 60:12; Jer 2:12; 26:9; Ezek 6:6; 12:20; 19:7; 26:2, 19; 29:12; 30:7; Amos 7:9; Zeph 3:6 Corner (06438)(pinnah) refers to a location where various surfaces or lines meet to form an angle. In this context the "corner towers" were the apparently places in the walls from which arrow could be shot, stones hurled, etc. (See description and picture of Battlements). Clearly corner towers were vital for defense of a city and the fact that they lay in ruins indicates they were overrun by enemy troops. NAS Usage: chiefs(2), corner(16), corner towers(2), corners(7), cornerstone(3), cornerstone*(1). Pinnah - 31v - Ex 27:2; 38:2; Jdg 20:2; 1 Sam 14:38; 1Kgs 7:34; 2 Kgs 14:13; 2 Chr 25:23; 26:9, 15; 28:24; Neh 3:24, 31f; Job 1:19; 38:6; Ps 118:22; Pr 7:8, 12; 21:9; 25:24; Isa 19:13; 28:16; Jer 31:38, 40; 51:26; Ezek 43:20; 45:19; Zeph 1:16; 3:6; Zech 10:4; 14:10 Cut off (03772)(karath) literally means to cut, to cut off or to sever an object from its source or cut into parts and implies a violent action. For example, Zipporah "cut off her son’s foreskin." (Ex 4:25) or the Jews "cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes." (Nu 13:2-24, cf Dt 19:5, 20:19-20, Jdg 9:48-49, 1Sa 5:4, 17:51, 24:4-5,11, 31:9, 2Sa 10:4, 2Sa 20:22) In another literal use as punishment to Israel for breaking the Mosaic covenant (cf Dt 29:25, 31:16), God says He will "cut down (karath) your incense altars" (Lev 26:30, cf Jdg 6:25-26, cf 1Sa 28:9). A sacrificial animal was not to be offered if it was "cut" (karath) (Lev 22:24). Karath means "chewed" (cutting food with teeth) in Nu 11:33. NAS translates karath as - beams(3), cease(1), chewed(1), completely cut off(1), covenanted(1), cut(10), cut her off(1), cut him off(5), cut it down(1), cut it off(1), cut them down(1), cut you down(1), cut you off(2), cut down(23), cut off(129), cuts(1), cuts off(4), cutter(1), destroy(1), destroyed(3), fail(1 = 2Sa 3:29), kill(1), lack(8 - 1Ki 2:4), made(52), make(31), makes(2), making(2), making an in writing(1), perish(1). Figuratively karath refers to being "cut off" from Israel for some disobedience such as failing to receive circumcision or celebrate Passover (Ge 17:14, Ex 12:15, Nu 9:13 - karath translated in both in Lxx with verb exolethreuo which means to utterly destroy or "root out"). "The person who does anything defiantly (willfully), whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off (Lxx = exolethreuo) from among his people." (Nu 15:30-31) The idea of a disobedient or unclean individual being "cut off" is the meaning in almost all of the uses in the Leviticus (Lev 7:20, 21, etc). Many of the uses of karath in this context in Leviticus are translated in the Lxx with the verb apollumi, which describes that which is ruined and no longer usable for its original, intended purpose. The question arises is what does karath signify in these uses? Does it just mean the person becomes a social outcast or does it signify actual physical death? See Covenant Solemn & Binding for detailed analysis of this question. See also discussion of the verb exolethreuo which also addresses this question. Karath refers to cutting off one's name in Israel by providing no male descendants (Ru 4:10, 1Sa 24:21, 1Ki 14:10, 21:21, 2Ki 9:8). Karath refers to the cutting off of the waters of the Jordan River to allow Israel to pass over (Josh 3:13, 16, 4:7). Karath is used in Joshua 9:23 of the Gibeonites who would "never cease (karath - cut off from) being slaves." Karath speaks of literal death, as in Ge 9:11 where God promises "all flesh shall never be cut off (karath; Lxx = apothnesko = to die) by the water of the flood." Karath can refer to the people of the land being "cut off," as in Ge 41:36, where it is translated "perish during the famine." The Septuagint uses ektribo (to cause removal by irritation, obliterate as by rubbing, thus destroy), a verb also used to describe the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah (Ge 19:13). Here in Zeph 3:6 karath refers to destroying pagan nations, which should have been a warning to Judah. Similarly karath is applied to the nation of Israel as a whole being cut off because of breaking the Mosaic covenant (Isa 9:14, 48:19, Jer 7:28, 44:7-9, Ezek 14:13-15, Zech 13:2). In Leviticus God says He "will let loose among you the beasts of the field" to "destroy you cattle and reduce you number so that your roads lie deserted." (Lev 26:22) Karath is used with beriyth meaning to "cut a covenant" or establish a covenant between two parties, either between God and men (Abrahamic Covenant = Ge 15:18, Mosaic Covenant = Ex 24:8, Dt 5:2-3, 9:9; see Abrahamic versus Mosaic and Abrahamic vs Old vs New) or between men (Ge 21:27, 32, 26:28, 31:44, 2Sa 3:12-13, 21, 5:3; 1Sa 18:3, 20:15-16, 22:8, 23:18 between Jonathan and David [See discussion of their Covenant - Exchanging of Robes]; cutting covenant was prohibited = Ex 23:32, Dt 7:2, Jdg 2:2, a dictum which Joshua disobeyed - Josh 9:6-7,11). In the context of cutting covenant karath is translated in the Lxx with diatithemi (see detailed discussion) which is used in the sense of making "a last will or testament" (Heb 9:16+). There is a very important use of karath in Da 9:26 (See in depth discussion) where the angel tells Daniel "Then after (Don't miss this crucial expression of time) the sixty-two weeks ("seven weeks and sixty-two week" - in sum, after 69 weeks or 483 years) the Messiah will be cut off (karath) and have nothing, and the people (Romans) of the prince who is to come (Antichrist) will destroy the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (Temple). And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined." The Septuagint (LXX) translates karath in Daniel 9:26 with the verb exolethreuo which means to extirpate, to wipe out, to utter destroy (only NT use is Acts 3:23, also used in Lxx of Ex 30:33; 31:14; Dt 7:10) Almost every conservative evangelical source agrees this verse is clearly a reference to the crucifixion of Christ. Christ was indeed not only "cut off" from man and from life, but on the cross indicated that He was forsaken of God, crying out "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mt 27:46) Geisler writes "karath is used of the death of the Messiah." (Correcting the Cults) Isaiah has a similar description (but not using the verb karath) writing "By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off (Hebrew = gazar; Lxx = airo = take from) out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?" (Isa 53:8) Vine - karath basically means “to sever” something from something else by cutting it with a blade. The nuance depends upon the thing being cut off. In the case of a branch, one “cuts it down” (Nu 13:23), and one "[swings] the axe to cut down the tree” (Deut. 19:5). The word is also used of “chopping down” wooden idols (Ex. 34:13). Karath can signify “chopping off” a man’s head and feet (1Sa 5:4). In Jer 34:18 this verb means “to cut into two pieces.” (Ed: This description is similar to the passing between the pieces of flesh in Ge 15:17-18 when God cut a covenant with Abram; cf Dt 29:12 where "enter" connotes the idea of movement between two particular places, presumably the slain sacrifices which the contracting parties passed between. This means of cutting a covenant was also used among the Babylonians). “Cut off” may also imply cutting off in the sense of circumcision. In Ex. 4:25 Zipporah took a flint knife and “cut off” her son’s foreskin. In a related but different usage this word appears in Nu. 11:33, where it means “to chew” meat. “To cut off” can mean “to exterminate or destroy.” God told Noah that “all flesh [shall never again] be cut off … by the waters of a flood …” (Gen. 9:11). Karath can be used of spiritual and social extermination. A person “cut off” in this manner is not necessarily killed but may be driven out of the family and removed from the blessings of the covenant. God told Abraham that “the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant” (Gen. 17:14). One of the best known uses of this verb is “to make” a covenant. The process by which God made a covenant with Abraham is called “cutting”: “In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram” (Ge 15:18). The word “covenant” appears nine times before this in Genesis, but it is not connected with karath....Karath is frequently associated with making a covenant. This verb, therefore, constitutes a rather technical term for making (cutting) a covenant. In Genesis it often alludes to an act by which animals were cut in two and the party taking the oath passed between the pieces. This act was not created by God especially to deal with Abraham but was a well-known practice at that time among many men. Later, “cutting” a covenant did not necessarily include this act but seems to be an allusion to the Abrahamic covenantal process (cf. Jer 34:18). In such a covenant the one passing through the pieces pledged his faithfulness to the covenant. If that faithfulness was broken, he called death upon himself, or the same fate which befell the animals. In some cases it is quite clear that no literal cutting took place and that karat is used in a technical sense of “making an agreement in writing” (Neh. 9:38). Karath - 283 v - Gen 9:11; 15:18; 17:14; 21:27, 32; 26:28; 31:44; 41:36; Ex 4:25; 8:9; 12:15, 19; 23:32; Ex 24:8; 30:33, 38; 31:14; 34:10, 12f, 15, 27; Lev 7:20-21, 25, 27; 17:4, 9-10, 14; 18:29; 19:8; 20:3, 5-6, 17-18; 22:3, 24; 23:29; 26:22, 30; Nu 4:18; 9:13; 11:33; 13:23-24; 15:30-31; 19:13, 20; Deut 4:23; 5:2f; 7:2; 9:9; 12:29; 19:1, 5; 20:19f; 23:1; 29:1, 12, 14, 25; 31:16; Josh 3:13, 16; 4:7; 7:9; 9:6f, 11, 15f, 23; 11:21; 23:4; 24:25; Jdg 2:2; 4:24; 6:25f, 28, 30; 9:48f; Ruth 4:10; 1 Sam 2:33; 5:4; 11:1f; 17:51; 18:3; 20:15f; 22:8; 23:18; 24:4f, 11, 21; 28:9; 31:9; 2 Sam 3:12f, 21, 29; 5:3; 7:9; 10:4; 20:22; 1Kgs 2:4; 5:6, 12; 6:36; 7:2, 12; 8:9, 21, 25; 9:5, 7; 11:16; 14:10, 14; 15:13; 18:4f; 20:34; 21:21; 2Kgs 9:8; 11:4, 17; 17:15, 35, 38; 18:4; 19:23; 23:3, 14; 1Chr 11:3; 16:16; 17:8; 19:4; 2Chr 2:8, 10, 16; 5:10; 6:11, 16; 7:18; 15:16; 21:7; 22:7; 23:3, 16; 29:10; 34:31; Ezra 10:3; Neh 9:8, 38; Job 14:7; 31:1; 41:4; Ps 12:3; 34:16; 37:9, 22, 28, 34, 38; 50:5; 83:5; 89:3; 101:8; 105:9; 109:13, 15; Pr 2:22; 10:31; 23:18; 24:14; Isa 9:14; 10:7; 11:13; 14:8, 22; 18:5; 22:25; 28:15; 29:20; 37:24; 44:14; 48:9, 19; 55:3, 13; 56:5; 57:8; 61:8; Jer 6:6; 7:28; 9:21; 10:3; 11:10, 19; 22:7; 31:31ff; 32:40; 33:17f; 34:8, 13, 15, 18; 35:19; 44:7f, 11; 46:23; 47:4; 48:2; 50:16; 51:62; Ezek 14:8, 13, 17, 19, 21; 16:4; 17:13, 17; 21:3f; 25:7, 13, 16; 29:8; 30:15; 31:12; 34:25; 35:7; 37:26; Dan 9:26; Hos 2:18; 8:4; 10:4; 12:1; Joel 1:5, 9, 16; Amos 1:5, 8; 2:3; Obad 1:9f, 14; Mic 5:9ff; Nah 1:14f; 2:13; 3:15; Zeph 1:3f, 11; 3:6f; Hag 2:5; Zech 9:6, 10; 11:10; 13:2, 8; 14:2; Mal 2:12 Zephaniah 3:7 "I said, 'Surely you will revere Me, accept instruction.' So her dwelling will not be cut off according to all that I have appointed concerning her. But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds. BGT εἶπα πλὴν φοβεῖσθέ με καὶ δέξασθε παιδείαν καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐξολεθρευθῆτε ἐξ ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῆς πάντα ὅσα ἐξεδίκησα ἐπ᾽ αὐτήν ἑτοιμάζου ὄρθρισον διέφθαρται πᾶσα ἡ ἐπιφυλλὶς αὐτῶν LXE I said, But do ye fear me, and receive instruction, and ye shall not be cut off from the face of the land for all the vengeance I have brought upon her: prepare thou, rise early: all their produce is spoilt. KJV I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings. NET I thought, 'Certainly you will respect me! Now you will accept correction!' If she had done so, her home would not be destroyed by all the punishments I have threatened. But they eagerly sinned in everything they did. CSB I thought: You will certainly fear Me and accept correction. Then her dwelling place would not be cut off based on all that I had allocated to her. However, they became more corrupt in all their actions. ESV I said, 'Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.' But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt. NIV I said to the city, 'Surely you will fear me and accept correction!' Then her dwelling would not be cut off, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did. NLT I thought, 'Surely they will have reverence for me now! Surely they will listen to my warnings. Then I won't need to strike again, destroying their homes.' But no, they get up early to continue their evil deeds. NRS I said, "Surely the city will fear me, it will accept correction; it will not lose sight of all that I have brought upon it." But they were the more eager to make all their deeds corrupt. NJB I thought, 'At least you will fear me, at least you will bow to correction,' and none of the punishments I brought on them will disappear from their view. But no, it only made them more anxious to do whatever was corrupt. NAB I said, "Surely now you will fear me, you will accept correction"; She should not fail to see all I have visited upon her. Yet all the more eagerly have they done all their corrupt deeds. YLT I have said: Only, ye do fear Me, Ye do accept instruction, And her habitation is not cut off, All that I have appointed for her, But they have risen early, They have corrupted all their doings. Surely: Zeph 3:2; Isaiah 5:4; 63:8; Jeremiah 8:6; 36:3; Luke 19:42-44; 2Peter 3:9; So: Jeremiah 7:7; 17:25-27; 25:5; 38:17; according to: 2Chronicles 28:6-8; 32:1,2; 33:11; 36:3-10; they: Micah 2:1,2; corrupt: Genesis 6:12; Deuteronomy 4:16; Hosea 9:9 JEHOVAH'S APPEAL TO JUDAH WOULD BE SPURNED I said - Who said? Clearly God is speaking, like a loving "Husband" Who is trying to persuade His adulterous "Wife" Judah to come home. “I said" brings us right into the divine mind and heart.” (Motyer) Presumably He spoke words similar to these through the His mouthpieces, the prophets (eg, see Jer 35:15, 26:5, 44:4). Recall Jehovah began this discourse in Zeph 3:6 and it continues through Zeph 3:13. Before Jehovah pronounces judgment on Judah, He gently reminds and warns her of her errant ways. 🙏 THOUGHT: Is this not how Jehovah deals with us daily, we who like Robert Robinson rightly said are so "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love," and thus daily need to cry out "Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above." (Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing David Crowder) "I said, 'Surely you will revere Me, accept instruction.' So her dwelling will not be cut off according to all that I have appointed concerning her. But they were eager to corrupt all their deeds. NET = "I thought, 'Certainly you will respect me! Now you will accept correction!' If she had done so, her home would not be destroyed by all the punishments I have threatened. But they eagerly sinned in everything they did." Surely you will revere (yare - show reverential awe; LXX - phobeo) Me, accept instruction (musar; LXX - paideia =) - Alas, it was not to be so! One would think that after seeing Jehovah's judgment against the nations, such objective, historical truth would surely encourage Judah and Jerusalem to repent. But it was not to be. They must have falsely reasoned that God would never destroy His Temple and His holy city Jerusalem, where He had made His name to dwell. (Ezra 6:12, Ex 20:24, Dt 12:5,11, 1Ki 9:3) E H Merrill says "While the normal meaning of fear as dread or terror is retained in the theological use of the terms, a special nuance of reverential awe or worshipful respect becomes the dominant notion.” (Fear - Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology) Surely is an "emphatic affirmative" as if to say "based on the fact that you have observed My judgment on other nations, surely you will see your great need to fear Me and obey Me." Jamieson paraphrases God "I had hoped that My people by My judgments on other nations would be led to amendment; but they are not, so blinded by sin are they." To revere does not describe a fear of God that borders on sheer terror (Ex 3:6, 20:18, cf this as one of the first emotions in Adam after sin entered - Ge 3:10!), but a reverential fear and awe. Israel should have learned a proper fear of Jehovah from His past deliverances (Ex 14:31, Josh 4:24, cf Dt 6:1-2, 31:12, even their kings = Dt 17:19) Moses asked... Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? (Deut 10:12-13+) (NOTE how PROPER FEAR precedes and energizes one's WALK, WORSHIP, WORK AND OBEDIENCE). As Jeremiah declares... There is none like Thee, O LORD; Thou art great, and great is Thy name in might. Who would not fear Thee, O King of the nations? Indeed it is Thy due! For among all the wise men of the nations, And in all their kingdoms, There is none like Thee. (Jer 10:6-7, cf Jer 5:22, Job 37:23-24, Lk 12:4-5+, Rev 15:4+)... And I will make an everlasting covenant with them (Israel) that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that (Purpose clause - What purpose?) they will not turn away from Me. (Jer 32:40+, cp Jer 31:31-33+, Ezek 36:26-27+, Heb 13:20,21+; contrast their hearts in Zeph 3:2!) Walter Kaiser - There was no trembling in the face of the presence and power of God, nor any evidence of a willingness to receive His instruction. Despite all divine hope, Judah had resisted every loving attempt—in the form of divine punishments—to drive her back onto the right path. It was almost as if the people could not disengage themselves from a vice-grip of sin. (SEE The Preacher's Commentary) 🙏 THOUGHT: Beloved, is there some sin that has you in it's firm grip [cf Pr 5:22+]? Confess, repent and return that you might be revived, lest you experience, like Judah, Jehovah's just retribution! [cf Rev 2:4-5+, Pr 28:13+, 1Jn 1:9+]). 🙏 THOUGHT - God desires us to have a healthy fear of Him, and not an unhealthy type of fear which we all experience from time to time. The antidote for this latter genre of fear is faith. If you wrestle with fear (and who doesn't), see the related resources - How To Handle Fear Part 1, How To Handle Fear Part 2, How To Handle Fear Part 3, How To Handle Fear Part 4. See THE FEAR OF THE LORD Barker - Wisdom taught that fearing God was the starting point for wisdom (Pr 1:7; 31:30). To fear God was parallel to and synonymous with obeying his precepts (Ps 119:63; cp. Deut 5:29; 6:2; 13:4). Those who fear God praise and glorify him (Ps 22:23). To fear God means to hold Him in awe, to give to the Lord the honor due Him. Bowling noted five usages of “fear” with the sense of awe and reverence being the predominant usage in the Old Testament. The person who fears God makes his fear work in terms of personal piety and righteousness. In many passages, fearing God and proper living are so closely connected that they seem to be synonyms. In the present verse this seems to be the case. Fearing God and accepting correction seem to follow one upon the other. (See comments in Micah, Nahum, Habakkuh, Zephaniah) Accept instruction - Recall that in this same chapter Zephaniah had recorded the sad "quadruple" indictment that "She heeded no voice, She accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the LORD, She did not draw near to her God." (Zeph 3:2). Jeremiah also alludes to their failure to accept instruction... They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, teaching again and again, they would not listen and receive instruction. (Jer 32:33, 7:13, 25:3-4, Pr 1:24) In 2 Chronicles we read... And the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place;16 but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, until there was no remedy. (2Chr 36:15-16) So her dwelling will not be cut off according to all that I have appointed (paqad) concerning her - In other words if Judah feared and obeyed Jehovah, He would not destroy them. But they were eager (shakam) to corrupt (shachath; LXX - diaphtheiro -utterly depraved and ruined) all their deeds (Isa 1:4+) - But is a term of contrast from what could have been true of them if they had obeyed to what was in actuality true of them -- Instead of fearing God they did not pursue God, but pursued evil. They were eager (shakam; LXX - horthrizo - see note below) is translated in the KJV as "they rose early," as if to picture them so eager to sin that they jumped out of bed lest they lose time committing evil! They should have risen early to meet with God, but spurned meeting with Him ("She did not draw near to her God." Zeph 3:1), flaunting His goodness and "storing up for themselves wrath!" in the day of wrath which was soon to come on the nation (in 586 BC about 50 years after Zephaniah's prophecy in 625 BC). The LXX translates eager (shakam) here with the verb horthrizo, which means literally to rise early, to be up with the dawn (in NT only in Lk 21:38+ where the early risers were eager to listen to Jesus. 🙏 THOUGHT - As an aside, this is a good practice for all God's children! See Quiet Time-- 7 Minutes With God) Matthew
Sofonias 3
Robertson - Now the prophet moves into the “holy of holies” by a rapturous description of the love of God for His people. This verse is the John 3:16 of the OT. The love of God for his own people is not a soft, sentimental emotion that has no strength to act on behalf of its object. For this God who loves is Yahweh. He is God. He is a mighty hero who saves. The term for mighty hero (gibbôr) frequently refers to a warrior who overpowers his enemies. The Lord goes forth as a “warrior” who marches against his foes (Isa. 42:13). (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament) Remember that the context of this great passage is the tumultuous, terrible Day of the LORD, when God's wrath is poured out on a world which has rejected His Son and His offer of free salvation. And so in the prior passage the prophet exhorts them "Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp." Zephaniah 3:17 is the reason they do not need to fear nor faint. Jehovah is there for the rescue and is a mighty Warrior, which refers to Messiah at His Second Coming when He crushes all opposition and evil-doers and delivers those who are His by grace through faith. F B Meyer refers to Zephaniah 3:17 as "a cluster of grapes" commenting that "These words were primarily addressed to the daughter of Zion, to Israel the Chosen People; and they undoubtedly foreshadow blessings which are yet to be realized. Ten times over in this chapter God assures His people of what He will most certainly do on their behalf. But a much wider circle than the Chosen Race may appropriate the blessed comfort of these words (cf 1Pe 2:9). Twice over in this paragraph we are told that the Lord, the King of Israel, is in the midst of His people (Zeph 3:15, 17). This is an indisputable fact. He is in the midst of His Church, so that it shall not be moved. Well would it be if each Christian were to devote some portion, however brief, in each day, to meditation upon this marvelous fact. “The mighty God, the King, is in the midst of me. I am God-tenanted, God-possessed. The High and Holy One who inhabits eternity has taken up His abode in my heart.” And this marvelous indwelling--more wonderful than if an angel were to indwell an ant or a humming-bird--is not dependent on frames or feelings or anything at all in us; but endures through all our changes and fluctuations unto the eternal ages. But if the mighty God is indeed in us, why is there so much weakness and failure in our lives? Alas, the answer is not far to seek--we have limited the Holy One of Israel. What now shall hinder us ridding ourselves of all which has hindered Him from doing His mighty works, so that He may do that which He so much loves, and which we so much need? Then we may expect Him to accomplish the four blessed “I wills” of this precious verse (Zeph 3:17KJV).As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride (cf. Isa62:4), the Lord will exult over His people with gladness and song, resting in quiet ecstasy over His people in whom is all His delight (cf. Dt30:9; Isa54). This is a love too great for words. Except for the time when Jesus sang a hymn with His disciples at the last supper (Mt 26:30), this is the only place in the Bible where we read of God actually singing. This beautiful verse also reveals Him as a mighty God, a saving God, a loving God, a rejoicing God and a resting God. The great millennial kingdom age will be a time of joy and singing and a time of resting. PROMISE #2 HE IS MIGHTY TO SAVE He is mighty (gibbor) to save (yasha) (NIV) - A victorious warrior (NAS), a Warrior Who can deliver (NET), a Warrior Who saves (CSB), a mighty one who will save (ESV), The Mighty One, will save (NKJV). The Septuagint translates it as dunatos sosei (literally "powerful He will save"). A victorious warrior presents Yahweh as the divine champion Who fights for His people and secures their deliverance. The Hebrew expression gibbōr yôšîaʿ literally means “a mighty one who saves.” Instead of Israel saving itself, God Himself enters the battle, defeats their enemies, and guarantees their security, a truth which is ultimately fulfilled in Revelation 19:11-21+. The image echoes many Old Testament scenes where the LORD fights for His people (e.g., the Exodus or victories over Israel’s enemies), emphasizing that their salvation is entirely the work of God. Why is He mighty to save? Moses answers... For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty (gibbor), and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. "He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing. (Dt 10:17-18+) Peter experienced His saving power when he was sinking down (Mt 14:30+) "But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”... Why did'st thou look at wind and sea? Have faith," said Christ, "and look to Me; I'll take thy hand, I'm mighty to save, Trust thou in Me; we will walk the wave, Together, we'll conquer the sea. In the future Day of the LORD, when Israel's hope seems lost because of the overwhelming force gathered against her, "the Sun (Son) of Righteousness will arise with healing in His wings," (Mal 4:2+) and He will deliver all Israel (all that believe in Messiah = the faithful remnant) (Ro 11:26-27+). (Now take a moment to worship our indescribably majestic Lord God with Robin Mark's wonderful song Days Of Elijah) Behold He comes riding on the clouds Shining like the Sun at the trumpet call; Lift your voice, it's the Year of Jubilee And out of Zion's hill Salvation comes F B