Exegesis Introduction To Zephaniah

INTRODUCTION TO THE
BOOK OF ZEPHANIAH
Pastor William E. Wenstrom Jr.

WENSTROM BIBLE MINISTRIES
Marion, Iowa
ã 2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries
Introduction to Zephaniah
Zephaniah prophesied in the late seventh century prior to the fall of Nineveh in
612 B.C. which the prophet predicted would take place (Zeph. 2:13-15). Zephaniah
also predicts the fall of Judah at the hands of Babylon without mentioning Babylon
by name. The prophet also predicted the fall of Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Ethiopia
and the Assyrian Empire. Furthermore, he prophesied about the tribulation portion
of Daniel’s Seventieth Week as well as the millennium of Jesus Christ.
Like Joel, the book of Zephaniah focuses upon the prophetic theme of the Day
of the Lord. In fact, Zephaniah contains more references to “the day of the Lord”
than any other Old Testament book. As we will note, this phrase depending on the
context can refer to the past, the near future and the distant future as well as the far
distant future and specifically the Seventieth Week of Daniel and the subsequent
Millennial reign of Jesus Christ.
Zephaniah’s indebtedness to Joel is evident, not only in basic theme but in
details relative to the coming judgment (e.g., cf. Zeph 1:14–18 with Joel 2:1–11).
Like Joel, Zephaniah is at home with subject matter admirably suited to the Day of
the Lord theme: the hopeless corruption of society (Zeph 1:8, 10–13, 18; 3:5), false
worship practices (Zeph 1:4–6, 9; 3:2, 4), the need for repentance (Zeph 1:10; 2:1–
3) and a reminder of God’s love for his own (Zeph 3:14–17) that calls for humility,
faith and faithfulness (Zeph 2:3; 3:12). For a repentant people there is a fond hope
of restoration (Zeph 3:8–10) and everlasting felicity (Zeph 3:13–20).1
Zephaniah prophesies that the Lord will judge Judah as well as the nations for
their sins against Him. His prophecies declared imminent judgment upon the
Gentile nations of his day as well as the nation of Judah. His prophecies spoke of
the distant future from his perspective in the seventh century B.C. since he
prophesies about a future regathering and restoration of the nation of Israel which
would no longer be divided into northern and southern kingdoms. He also predicts
that the nations will also worship the Lord along with Israel and be blessed by the
Lord.
Constable writes “The Book of Zephaniah has been called ‘a compendium of
the oracles of the prophets.’2 This is true for two reasons. First, Zephaniah's general
message is similar to that of most of the other writing prophets. Second, he used
the same terms as several of the other prophets (cf. 1:7 and Hab. 2:20; 1:7 and Joel
1:15; 1:7 and Isa. 34:6; 2:14 and Isa. 13:21; 34:11; 2:15 and Isa. 47:8).”3
1
Ryken, L., Wilhoit, J., Longman, T., Duriez, C., Penney, D., & Reid, D. G. (2000). In Dictionary of biblical imagery (electronic ed., pp. 979–
980). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
2
Walker, Larry Lee. "Zephaniah." In Daniel-Minor Prophets. Vol. 7 of The Expositor's Bible Commentary. 12 vols. Pages 539; Edited by Frank
E. Gaebelein and Richard P. Polcyn. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1985.
3
Constable, Thomas L., Notes on Zephaniah-2015 Edition, copyright 2015; Published by Sonic Light: http://www.soniclight.com/
2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1

Minor Prophets
The book of Zephaniah is one of the “Minor Prophets,” which are called the
Book of the Twelve in the Hebrew Bible. Zephaniah is the last of the nine Minor
Prophets written before the Exile.
These twelve books cover a period of approximately three hundred years, from
760 B.C. to approximately 450 B.C., ending with Malachi. Except for the book of
Jonah, these books all identify the author in a heading. They are arranged in the
biblical canon chronologically with the exception of Joel and Obadiah. Hosea,
Amos, Jonah and Micah were written in the eighth century B.C. Nahum, Habakkuk
and Zephaniah were penned in the seventh century B.C. Joel, Obadiah, Haggai and
Zechariah were composed in the sixth century B.C. while Malachi was written in
the fifth century B.C.
In the Hebrew Bible, the Minor Prophets were treated as a unity. Though they
share similar themes, each are distinct literary units with distinct messages.
House notes: “Part of the conflict in the Twelve exists in the lives of the
prophets, for they must represent both God and the people, denounce sin and plead
of mercy, ask questions and be men of faith, as well as reveal God’s will and at the
same time interpret it for the people. The prophets struggle to discover their
identity much as the other non-divine characters attempt to find their place in
God’s order of existence.”4
The Old Testament was divided into three sections: (1) The Torah (2) The
Prophets (Nabhiim) (3) The Writings (Kethubim).
The first section is called the Torah meaning “the Law” contained: (1) Genesis
(2) Exodus (3) Leviticus (4) Numbers (5) Deuteronomy.
The second section was the Prophets which were divided into two sections: (1)
The Former Prophets (2) The Latter Prophets.
The Former Prophets: (1) Joshua (2) Judges (3) Samuel (4) Kings. The Latter
Prophets were divided into two categories: (1) Major (2) Minor.
Major Prophets: (1) Isaiah (2) Jeremiah (3) Ezekiel.
The Minor Prophets were also called the Twelve because they were all
contained one book: (1) Hosea (2) Joel (3) Amos (4) Obadiah (5) Jonah (6) Micah
(7) Nahum (8) Habakkuk (9) Zephaniah (10) Haggai (11) Zechariah (12)
Malachi.
The third and last section was called the Writings: (1) The Poetical Books:
Psalms, Proverbs and Job (2) The Five Rolls (Megilloth): Song of Solomon, Ruth,
Ecclesiastes, Esther and Lamentations (3) The Historical Books: Daniel, Ezra and
Nehemiah (1 book) and Chronicles.
4
Barker, K. L. (1999). Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (Vol. 20). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

While the Minor Prophets are 12 distinct books, major themes emerge from the
corpus as a whole and contribute to the larger biblical narrative. The Minor
Prophets assume that Yahweh of Israel is the king of the world and has absolute
authority over the nations of the earth. He uses some nations (such as Assyria and
Babylon) as His instruments of judgment, yet He also holds them accountable for
their mistreatment of His people. He regards the nations as His subjects and
punishes them for violating His standards (Amos 1–2). He displays great concern
for even the most evil nations and will ultimately include all nations within His
earthly kingdom. Yahweh has a covenant, or contract, relationship with His people.
The eighth century prophets accused the people of breaking the Mosaic Law and
remind them of the judgments threatened in the covenant (Deut 28). The postexilic
prophets made it clear that the covenantal relationship was still intact, and that the
returning exiles were responsible to uphold the covenant. While Micah is the only
one of the 12 to refer directly to the Abrahamic promise, other prophets picture the
fulfillment of its blessings (Hos 1:10; Amos 9:15; Mic 7:18–20; Zech 8:13). The
eighth century prophets anticipated a time when Yahweh would reestablish the
Davidic dynasty and restore its former glory (Hos 3:5; Amos 9:12; Mic 5:2).
Zechariah and Haggai attached the Davidic promise to the governor Zerubbabel, a
Davidic descendant (Hag 2:23; Zec 12:8–10) associated with the Branch
prophesied by Jeremiah (compare Jer 23:5; 33:15 with Zech 3:8; 6:12).5
An inspired prophet could be identified using the tests for prophets in
Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 18:14-22.
Moses wrote the Pentateuch (Ex. 17:14; 24:4-7; 34:27; Deut. 31:9,22,24; Ezra
7:6; Ps. 103:7; Josh. 8:31, 23:6; I Kings 2:3). Some prophets clearly state that they
were ordered to write (Jer. 30:2; Ezek. 43:11; Is. 8:1) and each of the Twelve
Minor Prophets call themselves prophets.
The historical books were written by prophets (I Chron. 29:29; II Chron. 9:29;
12:15; 13:22; 20:34; 32:32; 33:19). Daniel accepted the book of Jeremiah as
scripture (Dan. 9:2) and Joshua received Moses’ writing as Scripture (Josh. 1:26)
and Isaiah and Micah accepted each other's writings as scripture
contemporaneously (Is. 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-4). Solomon, Samuel, Daniel, Isaiah and
Ezekiel all had dreams and visions, which squares with God’s description of a
prophet (Deut. 13:1; Num. 12:6-8).
The noun prophetes in the Greek New Testament refers to the Old Testament
prophets of Israel. They were the authorized spokesmen for God and proclaimed
His will, purpose and plan (See Hebrews 1:1-2). The death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ was foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament Scriptures (See 1
Corinthians 15:3-4).
5
Barry, J. D., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Mangum, D., & Whitehead, M. M. (2012). Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible
Software.

There were a number of activities that the prophets of God were involved in
such as communicating doctrine, issuing judgments, communicating future events,
serving in the Temple, performing miracles, proclaiming Messianic prophecies,
and interceding through prayer for the people (Hab. 3). An inspired prophet could
be identified using the tests for prophets in Deut. 13:1-5; 18:14-22.
The New Testament quotes the Old Testament over six hundred times (all of the
Old Testament books are quoted except Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Ecclesiastes, and
Song of Solomon and Acts 2:30 and Matthew 24:15 identify David and Daniel as
prophets).
Not only did the apostles learn from the Old Testament Scriptures and quote
them extensively in their writings but also our Lord in His human nature did as
well. After His resurrection from the dead, the Lord Jesus Christ employed the Old
Testament Scriptures to instruct His disciples that the Messiah had to die and rise
again from the dead (See Luke 24:44-47).
The prophets of God who were sent to Israel were in effect covenant enforcers
in the sense that they called the people to repent by confessing their sins to God to
be restored to fellowship with God. They also exhorted them to obedience to God
to maintain that fellowship with God. By rejecting this message, Israel put
themselves under divine discipline. The fact that God sent the prophets to warn
Israel reveals that God did not want to judge the nation and in fact loved the nation.
Authorship
The name “Zephaniah” means “Yahweh hides” or “Yahweh has hidden” or

“Yahweh treasured.” Three other men in the Old Testament bear the name (2
Kings 25:18; 1 Chronicles 6:36; Jeremiah 21:1; 52:24; Zechariah 6:10). This name
could be alluding to God’s protection of a remnant of faithful believers in Israel as
He judges the apostasy of the majority in that nation. It also could be referring to
God’s protection of Zephaniah during his childhood during the reign of the wicked
king Manasseh (2 Kings 21:16). The latter would demonstrate his parents’ faith in
the Lord even at their son’s birth.
Barker writes “Zephaniah’s parents may have been pious people who
worshiped the Lord alone and longed for revival among the people of Judah. The
name for their child may have been the prayer on their lips concerning the safety of
their son.”6
Zephaniah 1:1 records that Zephaniah was the descendent of Cushi, Gedaliah,
Amariah and Hezekiah. This is unique that the prophet Zephaniah would trace his
ancestry back four generations. No other prophet in Israel ever did this. This would
indicate that he was descended from the fourteenth king of Judah, namely
6
Barker, K. L. (1999). Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (Vol. 20, p. 384). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Hezekiah who reigned from 716-687 B.C. Thus, Zephaniah was from royalty and
was from the tribe of Judah. He would thus be the prophet with the most royal
blood except for of course David and Solomon. He would also thus be a distant
relative of King Josiah in whose reign he prophesied.
Now, many scholars do not agree with this conclusion that Zephaniah was a
descendant of King Hezekiah. However, why would Zephaniah go to such lengths
in describing his ancestry and tracing it back to the fourth generation? Why go
back and stop at Hezekiah if this is not King Hezekiah of Judah? There is no other
reason why Zephaniah would trace his ancestry back so far which can account for
such a long genealogy which is unique among the prophets of Israel. He wanted his
readers to know he descended from one of Judah’s great kings. In fact, the
prophets of Israel were not inclined to give explicit descriptions of themselves.
Many are shrouded in mystery.
Leon Wood writes “Zephaniah is unusual in tracing his lineage over four
generations. Since he is the only prophet that does this, there must be a reason, and
that reason apparently lies in the identity of the fourth person mentioned. The name
given is Hizkiah. The significance of this may well be that King Hezekiah is in
mind.... The lineage he gives is Hezekiah, Amariah, Gedaliah, Cushi, and
Zephaniah. Comparing this with the line of Judah’s kings, the following results:
King Manasseh and Amariah were brothers, King Amon and Gedaliah were first
cousins, King Josiah and Cushi were second cousins, and the three sons of Josiah,
all of whom ruled (Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah), were third cousins of
Zephaniah.”7
Patterson comments “In support of Wood’s position it could be suggested that,
if Hezekiah’s son Amariah was born of a member of the king’s harem, perhaps no
legal recognition was accorded him,8 so that he could have been older than
Manasseh, a possibility allowing an expanded time frame from Hezekiah to
Zephaniah’s day. Amariah could also have been born to one of Hezekiah’s
daughters, who would remain unmentioned in the genealogies, and could have
been older than Manasseh. Indeed, it is unlikely that Hezekiah, born in 741/40
B.C., had no children before 710 B.C. Under either scenario Zephaniah’s
mentioning of Hezekiah would merely indicate his justifiable pride in his descent
from the great king whose memory was held in high esteem (2 Kings 18:5).9 In
fairness to those who dispute Zephaniah’s royal lineage, none of the arguments in
favor of his descent from Hezekiah is conclusive. As Bullock remarks: ‘However
7
Leon Wood, The Prophets of Israel (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), p. 321.
8
See R. de Vaux, Ancient Israel, trans. John McHugh (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961), pp. 53-54.
9
S. M. Lehrman (“Zephaniah,” in The Twelve Prophets, Soncino Books of the Bible, 12th ed., ed. A. Cohen [New York: Soncino, 1985], p. 231)
points out that the name Hezekiah was given to several persons in the later period, doubtless due to the fame of the godly king.

appealing the identification of Hizkiyyah with King Hezekiah, it cannot be
substantiated.’10”11
Kselman writes “In addition to locating Zephaniah’s prophetic activity in the
reign of Josiah, the editorial heading of the book (1:1) provides the prophet with a
four-generation genealogy that traces Zephaniah’s lineage back to Hezekiah. While
most scholars have regarded as unprovable Zephaniah’s descent from the 8th-
century reforming king Hezekiah of Judah, Wilson (1980: 279–80), emphasizing
the unusual character of the abnormally long genealogy, has argued for the royal
descent of Zephaniah, a prophet who called for reform from within the political
and religious establishment.”12
Barker writes “Another reason suggested for taking the line of Zephaniah to the
fourth generation concerns the reference to his being a ‘son of Cushi,’ which some
might have interpreted as a ‘Cushite,’ that is, an Ethiopian. The biblical writer may
have felt the need to establish the Israelite origin of the prophet. Fohrer accepted
the latter position, arguing that if Hezekiah the king had been intended, then his
royal status would have been mentioned. Hezekiah was a common name in Judah,
and Fohrer believed that Zephaniah’s ancestors were mentioned ‘to avoid the
embarrassing misconception that Zephaniah’s father, Cushi, was an Ethiopian and
not a Judean.’13 A. Berlin considers the reasoning here to be ‘forced’ and the
conclusion improbable.14 Against the theory is the fact that Cushi is used as a
proper name in Jer 36:14 (see also “Cush the Benjamite” in Ps 7:1). Dillard and
Longman respond that ‘the simple occurrence of this personal name is a slim basis
to support’ the connection of Cushi with Ethiopia. They conclude that ‘there can be
little question’ that Zephaniah’s royal lineage ‘is the reason for the length of the
genealogy.’15”16
Zephaniah was born during the reign of Manasseh who reigned from 686-643
B.C. This wicked king led Judah into idolatry, bloodshed and internationalism (2
Kings 21:1-18; 2 Chronicles 33:1-20). Zephaniah lived through a transition of
power from this wicked king to Josiah. In fact, he appears to have greatly
10
C. H. Bullock, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophetic Books (Chicago: Moody, 1986), p. 166.
11
Patterson, Richard D., An Exegetical Commentary-Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah; www.Bible.org; 2007.
12
Kselman, J. S. (1992). Zephaniah, Book of. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 6, p. 1077). New York:
Doubleday.
13
G. Fohrer, Introduction to the Old Testament (London SPCK, 1970), 416. See also E. Sellin, Introduction to the Old Testament (London:
Hodder and Stoughton, 1923), 185; A. Bentzen, Introduction to the Old Testament. 2 vols. 2d ed. (Copenhagen: G. E. C. Gad, 1952), 2:153; J.
Blenkinsopp, A History of Prophecy in Israel (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1983), 140.
14
A. Berlin, Zephaniah, AB (N.Y.: Doubleday, 1994), 67. Nogalski, Literary Precursors, 182, discounts the idea of an African heritage for the
prophet as ingenuous.
15
R. B. Dillard and T. Longman III, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 415. R. K. Harrison also states:
“There seems little doubt that he [king Hezekiah] was in fact intended to be understood by the reader.… There appears to be little ground for the
supposition of Bentzen that Cushi his father was actually an Ethiopian, and that Zephaniah was a Negro slave in the service of the Temple”
(Introduction to the Old Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969], 939.
16
Barker, K. L. (1999). Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (Vol. 20, pp. 384–385). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

influenced his distant cousin. Therefore, Zephaniah was a contemporary of
Jeremiah, Habakkuk and Micah since they all lived and prophesied during the
reign of Josiah as well.
Zephaniah appears to have seized upon the opportunity to call the aristocracy of
Judah to repentance and obedience to Yahweh. He influenced the young king to
institute reforms in the nation which would rid the country of idolatry and pagan
influence. He displayed great courage in denouncing the materialism and greed of
his age and the exploitation of the poor (1:8, 10-13, 18). He was very much aware
of the world conditions and was very much concerned about the reputation of the
God of Israel (1:6; 3:7). He was also concerned for the well-being of the believing
remnant in Israel who humbly obeyed the Lord’s commands (2:3; 3:9, 12-13).
Patterson writes “Zephaniah was a man for his times. He had a lively
expectation of Israel’s future felicity in the land of promise (3:10, 14-20). If he was
a man of social prominence and therefore had the ear of Judah’s leadership, it
reminds all of us who read his messages that God uses people of all social strata.
Zephaniah’s life and ministry are a testimony that one man, yielded wholly to God,
can effect great things.”17
Richards writes “The emergence of so many powerful prophets during this
king’s reign suggests how significant the moment was. As Josiah, who became
king at age eight, matured, Assyrian power was at a low ebb. The nation enjoyed a
brief period of relief from foreign intervention, and attention was focused on
internal affairs. The primary concern of the young king, which was increasingly
evident, was the moral and spiritual reform of his people. We can divide Josiah’s
reign into three stages: a pre-reformation time, from 640 to 628 B.C., a period of
intense reform, from about 629–622 B.C., and a post-reform period from 622 to
Josiah’s death in 609 B.C.”18
Wiersbe writes “This man is no ordinary preacher. He is the great-great-
grandson of King Hezekiah, one of Judah’s most famous rulers. He has royal blood
in his veins, but more important, he has the message of God on his lips. Strange to
say, Zephaniah preached during the reign of godly King Josiah, and it was a time
of religious ‘revival’ (see 2 Kings 22–23). Josiah came to the throne at the age of
eight, and at the age of sixteen he committed himself to the Lord. When he was
twenty, he began a great reformation in the land, pulling down the idols and
judging the false priests and prophets. He then began to rebuild the temple and led
the nation in a celebration of the Passover. To all appearances, it was a time of
religious concern and consecration. But Zephaniah saw deeper; he saw the hearts
of the people, and he knew that their religious zeal was not sincere. The reforms
were shallow; the people got rid of the idols in their homes, but not the idols in
17
18
Richards, L. O. (1991). The Bible reader’s companion (electronic ed., p. 565). Wheaton: Victor Books.

their hearts. The rulers of the land were still greedy and disobedient, and the city of
Jerusalem was the source of all kinds of wickedness in the land. Even today, many
believers lack discernment and think that every ‘religious movement’ is a genuine
work of the Lord. Sometimes mere outward reformation only prepares the way for
a work of the devil (Matt. 12:43–45).”19
The duration of Zephaniah’s ministry is unknown, and the impact of his
preaching on Josiah’s reforms is unclear. Josiah’s sweeping reforms probably
delayed the judgment that Zephaniah warned about. Unfortunately, the effects of
these reforms did not last. After Josiah’s death, Judah quickly returned to its sinful
ways. The final four kings who succeeded Josiah did not follow the Lord; God
punished his disobedient people by sending them into exile. Zephaniah ministered
during an important transition time as the Neo-Assyrian Empire was coming to an
end, and the Babylonians were beginning their rise to power.20
Zephaniah appears to have lived in the city of Jerusalem which is indicated by
his statements in this book which bears his name. For instance, he describes the
geography of Jerusalem (1:10-13) and makes several references to this city (1:4,
12; 3:1, 7, 11, 14, 16). All of which indicate he was a long-time resident of this
city. In fact, in Zephaniah 1:4, the prophet refers to Jerusalem as “this place” which
is strong evidence that the prophet lived in the city of David.
Date
Zephaniah 1:1 makes clear that the prophet Zephaniah received his prophetic
message from the Lord during the reign of Josiah, King of Judah who became king
at the age of eight in 640 B.C. Josiah’s reign ended in 609 B.C. He began to “seek
the God of his father David” eight years later and four years after that began to
institute a spiritual reformation of the nation in approximately 622 B.C. (2 Chron.
34:3).
Scholars are in disagreement regarding whether Zephaniah served before or
after the recovery of the Law by Hilkiah and the subsequent reforms instituted by
Josiah in 622 B.C. (2 Kings 22-23; 2 Chronicles 34). The conditions described by
Zephaniah regarding the moral and spiritual condition of Judah in his day have
caused many to believe that Zephaniah was speaking of the condition of Judah
after the Josianic reforms that began after the finding of the book of the Law.
Others believe that the conditions Zephaniah denounces could only be true of the
early portion of Josiah’s reign before the discovery of the Law.
19
Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Zep). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
20
Yates, G. E. (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). Zephaniah, Book of. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair
Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Many scholars contend that the political situation in Judah which Zephaniah
describes was brought about by a Scythian raid in approximately 630 B.C. Thus,
they believe that Zephaniah responded to this invasion with an urgent message to
Judah. The Scythian invasion is mentioned by Herodotus (1.41.103-6). However,
Herodotus does not mention Judah as being the victim of a Scythian raid.
Patterson has the following excellent comment which this author is in
agreement with, he writes “With capable scholars on both sides of the question,
one is at first tempted to conclude with D. A. Schneider that ‘the evidence is
insufficient to decide this debate.’21 In examining the internal data, however,
several conclusions seem to favor the earlier period in Josiah’s reign: (1) religious
practices in Judah were still plagued with Canaanite syncretistic rites such as
characterized the era of Manasseh (1:4-5, 9); (2) many failed to worship Yahweh at
all (1:6); (3) royalty were enamored with wearing the clothing of foreign
merchants (1:8) who had extensive business enterprises in Jerusalem (1:10-11);
and (4) Judahite society was beset by socio-economic ills (1:12-13, 18) and
political and religious corruption (3:1-4, 7, 11). All this sounds like the same sort
of wickedness that weighed heavily on the heart of Habakkuk. Moreover, several
of the specific sins (e.g., 1:4-5, 9; 3:4) would have been corrected in Josiah’s
reforms. Accordingly, I am inclined to side with those who prefer a date before
621 B.C. But how much before? Some have suggested that the political situation
brought about by a Scythian raid (c. 630 B.C.) 22 occasioned both Zephaniah’s
response to God’s call and his urgent message concerning God’s impending
judgment of the world.23 However, because the evidence of such an invasion is
now considered to be tenuous at best, ‘the Scythian hypothesis has now been
almost universally abandoned.’24 Thus the search for a precise date for Zephaniah
cannot be pressed too far. Nevertheless the conditions denounced by Zephaniah do
seem to echo the social and religious ills decried by Habakkuk, so that if Habakkuk
ministered in the mid-seventh century B.C. a date earlier in Josiah’s reign is
plausible. If so, Pusey may be on the right track: The foreground of the prophecy
of Zephaniah remarkably coincides with that of Habakkuk. Zephaniah presupposes
that prophecy and fills it up. Habakkuk had prophesied the great wasting and
destruction through the Chaldaeans, and then their destruction.... Zephaniah ...
brings before Judah the other side, the agency of God Himself. God would not
21
D. A. Schneider, “Book of Zephaniah,” ISBE 4:1189.
22
According to Herodotus (1.41.103-6) the Scythians had plundered Ashkelon during a raid against Egypt (which ended when Psamtik I bought
them off). Herodotus does not mention any invasion against Judah.
23
See, e.g., E. A. Leslie, “Book of Zephaniah,” IDB 4:951-53; G. A. Smith, The Book of the Twelve Prophets, rev. ed. (Garden City, N.Y.:
Doubleday, 1929), p. 40.
24
Fensham, “Zephaniah,” p. 983. For a defense of the Scythian hypothesis, see CAH 3:295 where the somewhat fantastic elements of
Herodotus’s account are duly recognized as well as the probability that the supposed Scythian sack of Ashdod was as much an Egyptian
enterprise as Scythian. See also R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971), p. 940.

have them forget Himself in His instruments. Hence all is attributed to God. 25
When one considers that Josiah was only eight years old when he ascended the
throne in 640 B.C. and was dependent upon royal officials of questionable integrity
(cf. 3:3), the cause for Zephaniah’s alarm is apparent. Further, that Josiah’s
reforms were not instituted until the twelfth year of his reign (628 B.C.), four years
after his initial spiritual awakening (2 Chron. 34:3), suggests that Zephaniah’s
prophetic activities may have had a salutary effect in the reformation of that era.
Thus a date of 635-630 B.C. is not unlikely. Accepting such a date means that the
historical setting has advanced little beyond that of Nahum and Habakkuk.
Externally the Pax Assyriaca held sway. Of that great era W. W. Hallo observes
that, in addition to the Assyrian rulers’ attention to administrative matters and
details relative to extensive building projects, literature and learning too came into
their own, and the vast library assembled by Assurbanipal at Nineveh is only the
most dramatic expression of the new leisure. In spite of their protestations to the
contrary, the later Sargonid kings were inclined to sit back and enjoy the fruits of
empire.26 Yet it is somewhat ironic that Ashurbanipal, who had already reigned
some thirty years by the time of Zephaniah and under whom the zenith of Assyrian
affluence and culture was achieved, was possessed by a personal weakness that
would be mirrored in the Assyrian state itself. It was a defect of Ashurbanipal as a
king that he had nothing in him of the great strategist, statesman, or soldier. He
was as barren in political insight as he was rich in vindictiveness. It was his
misfortune that he was called to be king when by inclination he was a scholastic. 27
Because Ashurbanipal was preoccupied with the belles lettres that inspired him to
collect the ancient texts, particularly those dealing with traditional wisdom and
religious matters,28 affairs in the empire began to show signs of the decay that
would hasten its demise a scant generation after his death in 626 B.C. 29 Indeed,
already by Zephaniah’s day ‘an uneasy consciousness of impending disaster
overhung the court, and not all the claims of a less and less honest history could
conceal the danger on every side.’30 Under such conditions it is small wonder that
Josiah was increasingly free to pursue his reform policies, extending them even to
25
E. B. Pusey, The Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1953), 2:226. For the reform measures of Josiah, see R. D. Patterson and H. J. Austel,
“1, 2 Kings,” in EBC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988), 4:281-88. Other scholars who decide for a date early in the reign of Josiah include C. H.
Bullock, P. C. Craigie, F. C. Fensham, and C. von Orelli. Duane L. Christensen (“Zephaniah 2:4-15: A Theological Basis for Josiah’s Program of
Political Expansion,” CBQ 46 [1984]: 678) affixes a precise date of 628 B.C. for Zeph. 2:4-15 and declares: “In its original form Zeph 2:4-
15 presents a theological basis for Josiah’s program of political expansion at the expense of Assyria, particularly in Philistia and Transjordan.”
26
W. W. Hallo and W. K. Simpson, The Ancient Near East (New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1971), p. 141.
27
H. W. F. Saggs, The Might That Was Assyria (London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1984), p. 116.
28
One must not assume, however, that Ashurbanipal’s interests were not much more diverse. Indeed, his famed library probably held texts
representative of every type of Akkadian literature, as well as business and administrative documents and correspondence. Ashurbanipal also
gave attention to great building projects and the beaux arts. See further A. T. Olmstead, History of Assyria (Chicago: U. of Chicago, 1968), pp.
489-503.
29
Some ancient sources indicate that Ashurbanipal himself grew increasingly degenerate; see W. Maier, The Book of Nahum (Grand Rapids:
Baker, 1980), p. 129.
30
Olmstead, History of Assyria, p. 488.

the northern kingdom (2 Kings 23:1-25; 2 Chron. 34:32-35:19). In addition, Judah
could know a political and economic resurgence that it had not experienced since
the days of Hezekiah. The time was ripe for national self-assertion expressed in the
progressive steps of Josiah’s reformation.... So Judah saw the dawning of the day
of freedom, though Josiah proceeded cautiously step by step before venturing into
the Assyrian province of Samaria.31 Leon Wood remarks: The three decades of
Josiah’s reign were among the happiest in Judah’s experience. They were
characterized by peace, prosperity, and reform. No outside enemies made war, the
people could concentrate on constructive activity, and Josiah himself sought to
please God by reinstituting matters commanded in the Mosaic Law. 32 Zephaniah
therefore lived in a critical time of transition. Externally, the Assyrian ship of state
began to show the stress of age and, creaking and groaning in all its timbers and
joints, floundered in the seas of economic and political adversity. The ancient Near
East was in the grip of climactic change, for ‘the whole balance of power in the
Near Eastern world shifted radically from what it had been for almost three
hundred years. Assyria was in its death throes.’33 Internally, the relaxing of
Assyrian pressure allowed Judah and its king the liberty to pursue the cause of
righteousness without fear. It was an exciting and pivotal age in which to live.
Zephaniah was to prove equal to its challenges. Indeed, he may well have been the
Lord’s catalyst for the great reformation that would sweep across the land.”34
Kselman writes “Zephaniah was a Judahite prophet active during the reign of
Josiah (640–609 B.C.E.), probably before the reforms undertaken by Josiah as a
result of the declining power of Assyria. Attempts to locate Zephaniah later, in the
reigns of Jehoiakim or Zedekiah, have not generally won assent. The Josianic date
for Zephaniah is consistent with the Deuteronomistic features of the text: e.g., ‘the
host of heaven’ in 1:4 (cf. Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:10; 21:3; Jer 8:2), worship
‘on the rooftops’ in 1:5 (cf. 2 Kgs 23:12; Jer 19:13; 32:29), and the futility curse in
1:13 (cf. Deut 28:30).”35
Eiselen writes “The title (1:1) places the prophetic activity of Zephaniah
somewhere within the reign of Josiah, that is, between 639 and 608 BC. Most
scholars accept this statement as historically correct. The most important exception
is E. Koenig (Einl, 252 ff), who places it in the decade following the death of
Josiah. Koenig’s arguments are altogether inconclusive, while all the internal
31
John Gray, I and II Kings, 2d ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1970), p. 720.
32
Leon Wood, A Survey of Israel’s History (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1970), p. 366.
33
Eugene H. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987), p. 441.
34
35
Doubleday.
l
Einl Einleitung

evidence points toward the reign of Josiah as the period of Zephaniah’s activity.
Can the ministry of the prophet be more definitely located within the 31 years of
Josiah? The latter’s reign falls naturally into two parts, separated by the great
reform of 621. Does the work of Zephaniah belong to the earlier or the later
period? The more important arguments in favor of the later period are: (a) Dt
28:29, 30 is quoted in Zeph 1:13, 15, 17, in a manner which shows that the former
book was well known, but, according to the modern view, the Deuteronomic Code
was not known until 621, because it was lost (2 K 22:8). (b) The “remnant of Baal”
(1:4) points to a period when much of the Baal-worship had been removed, which
means subsequent to 621. (c) The condemnation of the ‘king’s sons’ (1:8)
presupposes that at the time of the utterance they had reached the age of moral
responsibility; this again points to the later period. These arguments are
inconclusive: (a) The resemblances between Dt and Zeph are of such a general
character that dependence of either passage on the other is improbable. (b) The
expression in 1:4 bears an interpretation which made its use quite appropriate
before 621 (Eiselen, Minor Prophets, 508). (c) “King’s sons” may be equivalent to
“royal princes,” referring not to Josiah’s children at all. The last two objections
lose all force if the LXX readings are accepted (1:4, “names of Baal”; 1:8, “house
of the king”). On the other hand, there are several considerations pointing to the
earlier date: (a) The youth of the king would make it easy for the royal princes to
go to the excesses condemned in 1:8, 9. (b) The idolatrous practices condemned by
Zephaniah (1:3–5) are precisely those abolished in 621. (c) The temper described
in 1:12 is explicable before 621 and after the death of Josiah in 608, but not
between 621 and 608, when religious enthusiasm was widespread. (d) Only the
earlier part of Josiah’s reign furnishes a suitable occasion for the prophecy.
Evidently at the time of its delivery an enemy was threatening the borders of Judah
and of the surrounding nations. But the only foes of Judah during the latter part of
the 7th cent, meeting all the conditions are the Scythians, who swept over Western
Asia about 625 BC. At the time the prophecy was delivered their advance against
Egypt seems to have been still in the future, but imminent (1:14); hence the
prophet’s activity may be placed between 630 and 625, perhaps in 626. If this date
is correct, Zephaniah and Jeremiah began their ministries in the same year.”36
Historical Background
The book of Zephaniah was written during a time in history when the Assyrian
Empire was decaying and the Babylonian Empire was emerging on the world
n
Can Canaanite
X
LXX Septuagint
36
Eiselen, F. C. (1915). Zephaniah, Book Of. In J. Orr, J. L. Nuelsen, E. Y. Mullins, & M. O. Evans (Eds.), The International Standard Bible
Encyclopaedia (Vol. 1–5, p. 3144). Chicago: The Howard-Severance Company.

stage. The Assyrian kings Tiglath-Pileser (727 B.C.), Sargon (705 B.C.) and
Sennacherib (681 B.C.) dominated the Near East for more than a century. At the
height of this Assyrian dominance under Esarhaddon, they defeated Tirhakah, the
king of Egypt (671 B.C.). After Ashurbanipal (627 B.C.) who was known for his
cultural interests such as the establishment of a huge royal library, the empire was
troubled by internal struggles. The Babylonians asserted their independence from
Assyria in 626 B.C. and joined the Medes in attacking Assyria.
Judah was dominated by the Assyrian Empire. They threatened Jerusalem in
722 B.C. but God delivered the city (2 Kings 18-19). Zephaniah prophesied against
the Assyrian Empire and her great city Nineveh (Zeph. 2:13). In 612 B.C., Nineveh
fell to the Babylonians. Seven years later the Babylonians headed north and west.
They defeated the Egyptian armies at Carchemish on the upper Euphrates. Though
Zephaniah does not mention Babylon explicitly in his prophecies, history reveals
that he prophesied against them. The Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar would
attack Judah and Jerusalem on three different occasions in 605, 597 and 587 B.C.
As we noted, the opening verse in the book of Zephaniah locates the ministry of
the prophet Zephaniah during the reign of King Josiah of Judah. His reign was
from 640-609 B.C. The reforms of his great-grandfather Hezekiah (715-686 B.C.)
did not have any lasting effect on the nation. In fact, his son, Manasseh and his
grandson Amon reversed his policies and plunged Judah into idolatry. Amon’s
officials assassinated him and they put his eight-year old son Josiah on the throne.
At age 16, the young king began to worship Yahweh (2 Chronicles 34:3). His
devotion to the God of Israel resulted in two major periods of reform. The first
began in 628 B.C. (2 Chronicles 34:3-7) and the second came with the discovery of
the book of the Law in the temple in 622 B.C. (2 Kings 22:3-23:27; 2 Chronicles
34:8-35:19).
On hearing its contents read aloud, Josiah was overcome with remorse because
of his nation’s rejection of the commands and prohibitions in the Law. Then, after
receiving a favorable communication from the Lord, the young king instituted a
reformation which was supported by priests, prophets and government officials and
was based upon the newly discovered book of the Law.
The precise nature of the scroll found is difficult to ascertain. Traditionally it
comprised the whole Pentateuch. However, the fact that it is was described as “the
book of the covenant” (2 Chronicles 34:30) and that it could be read within a
relatively short time, would indicate that it consisted of one part of the Pentateuch
only. Many scholars believe that the scroll consisted of the book of Deuteronomy.
However, more than likely the law scroll consisted of the Decalogue, the covenant
code, the regulations regarding the Tabernacle and portions of the ancient laws
pertaining to holy living contained in the first chapters of the book of Leviticus.

Josiah’s reforms involve the destruction of the sites of the worship of Baal and
Mesopotamian astral deities. There was also a removal of the high places and the
repair of the temple of Yahweh. There was a centralization of the worship of the
God of Israel in Jerusalem and an observance of the Passover. However, although
Josiah set an example of godly living for the nation of Judah, there were many in
Judah who did not follow his lead. Consequently, men like Zephaniah issued
prophecies against these rebels in the nation. The prophecies of Zephaniah
denounced the idolatry of Judah and threatened divine retribution while
simultaneously offering grace by proclaiming the need for repentance. Zephaniah
also asserted the superiority of the God of Israel over the deities of other pagan
nations.
These reforms repudiated the Assyrian domination of Judah. Assyrian power as
we noted was diminished during this period of history and thus enabling Josiah to
institute his reforms.
It was during the reign of Josiah that the whole balance of power in the Near
Eastern world shifted radically from what it had been for almost three hundred
years. During Josiah’s reign the world transitioned from a world dominated by
Assyrian power to a period dominated by the Babylonian Empire.
Hannah commenting on the historical background of the book of Zephaniah
writes “Politically Judah was benefiting from a power vacuum among the
superpowers of the day, so much so that King Josiah extended his influence
militarily as far north as Naphtali. At that time Assyria—which had carried off the
10 Northern tribes in 722 B.C., under Sargon II—was rapidly suffering eclipse.
When Sin-shar-ishkun (623–612 B.C.), Ashurbanipal’s son, was reigning over
Assyria, the Neo-Babylonian Empire began to emerge under Nabopolassar in 626.
Also the Medes, under Cyaxares II in 625, pulled out from under Assyrian
authority. So Josiah was encouraged to remove Assyrian religious practices from
Judah. As a result Judah prospered politically. The collapse of the Assyrian Empire
was delayed as the Egyptians under Psamtik I (664–609) allied with them, but a
coalition of Medes and Babylonians destroyed Assyria’s capital city, Nineveh, in
612. Before Josiah’s reign, Manasseh (695–642) and Manasseh’s son Amon (642–
640) had introduced wicked practices into Judah. Manasseh built altars to Baal and
worshiped the sun, moon, and stars. He built altars to these stellar objects and
placed them in the temple courts (2 Kings 21:4–5) and he made a carved Asherah
pole (an image of the goddess Asherah) and placed it in the temple (2 Kings 21:7).
Child sacrifice and astrology prospered (2 Kings 21:6; 23:10–11). King Amon,
who may have been named after an Egyptian deity, continued his father’s policies
until his assassination (2 Kings 21:19–26; 2 Chron. 33:21–25). Josiah succeeded
Amon in 640 at the age of 8. In 632, at age 16, Josiah began to seek after the God
of his forefather David. In 628, Josiah started a reform movement in which much
of the idolatry was purged from Jerusalem and Judah. About that time Jeremiah
(627) commenced his ministry and Judah moved toward independence from
Assyria with a possible revival of the idea of an undivided kingdom like that of
David and Solomon. Then in the 18th year of Josiah’s reign (622) a copy of the
Law was discovered by Hilkiah the high priest (2 Kings 22:3–8). This accentuated
the religious renewal including a new enthusiasm for celebrating the Passover (2
Kings 23:1–25). Unfortunately, the promising reform movement was superficial
for it did not deeply affect the politico-religious life of the nation. Worship of
Yahweh was reestablished, but idolatry was not entirely removed. Both Zephaniah
and Jeremiah prophesied to a politically prospering people of coming judgment
because Josiah’s reform movement still went unheeded.”37
Literary Genre
Zuck writes “Literary genre refers to the category or the kind of writing
characterized by a particular form(s) and/or content. Distinguishing the various
genres (kinds of literature) in Scripture helps us interpret the Bible more
accurately. ‘We do this with all kinds of literature. We distinguish between lyric
poetry and legal briefs, between newspaper accounts of current events and epic
poems. We distinguish between the style of historical narratives and sermons.’38”39
In the Bible, we have what we call the “legal” genre which appears in the
Pentateuch and refers to the body of material that includes commandments for the
Israelites (cf. Exodus 20–40, Leviticus; Numbers 5–6, 15, 18–19, 28–30, 34–35),
and nearly all of Deuteronomy. There are two types of legal material: (1) Apodictic
law which are direct commands (cf. Exodus 20:3–17; Leviticus 18:7–24; 19:9–19,
26–29, 31, 35). The second type of legal material is casuistic law which means
case-by-case law. In these commands a condition setting forth a specific situation
introduces the laws (cf. Leviticus 20:9–18, 20–21; Deuteronomy 15:7–17).
Another genre that appears in the Bible quite frequently, is narrative which is a
story told for the purpose of conveying a message through people and their
problems and situations. Biblical narratives are selective and illustrative. The
biblical narratives are not intended to be full biographies giving every detail of
individuals’ lives. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the biblical writers
carefully selected the material they included to accomplish certain purposes.
Biblical narratives usually follow a pattern in which a problem occurs near the
beginning of the narrative, with increasing complications that reach a climax. Then
37
Hannah, J. D. (1985). Zephaniah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
(Vol. 1, pp. 1523–1524). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
38
R.C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1979), 49.
39
Campbell, D. K. (1991). Foreword. In C. Bubeck Sr. (Ed.), Basic Bible Interpretation: A Practical Guide to Discovering Biblical Truth (p.
126). Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook.

it moves toward a solution to the problem and concludes with the problem solved.
As the problem develops, suspense usually intensifies and issues and relationships
become more complicated until they reach a dramatic climax.
There are different types of narratives: (1) Tragedy: A story of the decline of a
person from verity to catastrophe such as Samson, Saul, and Solomon. (2) Epic: A
series of episodes unified around an individual or a group of people. An example
of this is Israel’s wilderness wanderings. (3) Romance: A narrative in which the
romantic relationship between a man and a woman is narrated. The Books of Ruth
and the Song of Songs are illustrations of this kind of narrative. (4) Heroic: A story
built around the life and exploits of a hero or a protagonist, an individual who
sometimes is a representative of others or an example for others. Examples are
Abraham, Gideon, David, Daniel, and Paul. (5) Satire: An exposure of human vice
or folly through ridicule or rebuke. The Book of Jonah is a satire because Jonah, as
a representative of Israel, is ridiculed for his refusal to accept God’s universal love.
(6) Polemic: An aggressive attack against or refuting of the views of others.
Examples of this are Elijah’s “contest” with the 450 Baal prophets (1 Kings 18:16–
46), and the 10 plagues against the gods and goddesses of Egypt.
Another genre that appears in the Scriptures is poetry. Job, Psalms, Proverbs,
Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs are the five major poetical books. But we must
keep in mind that poetry is included in many of the prophetic books such as in
Zephaniah.
Wisdom literature is another genre in the Bible. Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes
contain this genre. This type of literature is poetry. However, not all poetic
material is Wisdom literature.
The Gospels are another genre. Some approach the gospel as simply as
historical narratives, as if the books were written simply to record biographical
information on the life of Christ. However, they are not biographies in the normal
sense in that they exclude much material from the life of Christ which one would
normally expect to find in a historical biography. The Gospels include quite a bit of
biographical material on Christ, but they are more than biographies since they
contain both doctrine and narrative, which set forth information on the person of
Jesus Christ. Jesus’ teachings in parables and in direct discourse are interspersed
with the records of His miracles and encounters with individuals.
Another genre that appears in the Bible is logical discourse which is also called
epistolary literature and refers to the epistles of the New Testament, Romans
through Jude are examples of this genre in the New Testament. They contain two
kinds of material: (1) expository discourse: expounding certain truths or doctrines,
often with logical support for those truths (2) hortatory discourse: exhortations to
follow certain courses of action or to develop certain characteristics in light of the
truths presented in the expository discourse material.
Lastly, prophetic literature constitutes another genre that appears in the Bible.
This genre includes predictions of the future at the time of the writing of the
material with injunctions often included that those who hear the prophecy adjust
their lives in light of the predictions. There is also a special form of prophetic
literature, namely, apocalyptic, which focuses specifically on the end times, while
presenting the material in symbolic form.
Zuck writes “An awareness of the literary genre or kind of literature of a given
Bible book helps more in synthesis than detailed analysis. It helps give a sense of
the overall thrust of the Bible book, so that verses and paragraphs can be seen in
light of the whole. This helps prevent the problem of taking verses out of context.
It also gives insight into the nature and purpose of an entire book, as seen, for
example, in the Book of Jonah. Structural patterns help us see why certain passages
are included where they are. Also attention to literary genre keeps us from making
more of the passage than we should or from making less of the passage than we
should.40
With the exception of Zephaniah 1:1 and 2:10-11 the book of Zephaniah is
poetry but would fall under the genre of prophetic literature.
J.M.P. Smith writes “Zephaniah can hardly be considered great as a poet. He
does not rank with Isaiah, nor even with Hosea in this particular.... He had an
imperative message to deliver and proceeded in the most direct and forceful way to
discharge his responsibility. What he lacked in grace and charm, he in some
measure atoned for by the vigour and clarity of his speech. He realised the
approaching terror so keenly that he was able to present it vividly and convincingly
to his hearers. No prophet has made the picture of the day of Yahweh more real.” 41
Patterson states “Great poet or not, Zephaniah is nonetheless to be commended for
his powerful pronouncements, carefully contrived puns (e.g., 2:4-7) and striking
imagery. Concerning the last point, Crenshaw calls attention to Zephaniah’s
‘especially vivid description of the Deity wandering through the streets of
Jerusalem, lamp in hand, searching for those who are overcome by a false sense of
security’ (1:12).’42”43
There are various literary genres employed by Zephaniah. There are judgment
oracles (1:2-3, 4-6, 8-9) as well as calls for repentance (1:7; 2:1-3; 3:8). There are
40
Campbell, D. K. (1991). Foreword. In C. Bubeck Sr. (Ed.), Basic Bible Interpretation: A Practical Guide to Discovering Biblical Truth (pp.
127–135). Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook.
41
J. M. P. Smith, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Zephaniah and Nahum, ICC (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1911), p. 176.
42
James L. Crenshaw, Story and Faith (New York: Macmillan, 1986), p. 277.
43

also calls to praise and a psalm of praise (3:14-17) as well as salvation oracles (3:9-
13, 18-20).
Zephaniah contains several prophetic genres or forms. First the most prominent
in the book is the prophecy of punishment or divine retribution (1:2-6). This would
include first the announcement of the punishment (1:2-4) followed by the
accusation of offense (1:5-6). Other examples of this genre are found in the
prophecies regarding Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Cush and Assyria (2:4-15).
The prophet Zephaniah also employs prophetic exhortation which is a form
with a command followed by a clause which presents motivation for obeying the
command (1:7, 10; 3:8, 14). These two are similar in form to the prophecy of
punishment and in function to the prophetic exhortation.
There is a call to repentance followed by the presentation of the motivation for
repenting (2:1-3) which in turn expands the development of the accusation. So the
prophetic charge against Jerusalem of failing to repent which is found in
Zephaniah 3:1-7 explains the reasons why the Lord also punishes Jerusalem along
with the other nations mentioned in the book. This charge thus becomes the basis
for a renewed call for Judah to repent.
Patterson presents his view regarding the structure of Zephaniah, he makes the
following insightful comment, “Zephaniah writes to inform his readers of the
coming Day of the Lord. His message is twofold: (1) this day is a judgment upon
all nations and peoples, including God’s own covenant people, due to their sins
against God and mankind; and (2) it is a day of purification for sin, when the
redeemed of all nations shall join a regathered Israel in serving God and
experiencing His blessings. This basic theme of judgment and its consequences is
developed in two distinctive portions, the first of which serves notice of the
judgment and furnishes a description of its severity (1:2-2:3) and the second of
which depicts the extent and purposes of the judgment (2:4-3:20). The early
portion of Zephaniah begins with an announcement of God’s intention to bring
judgment upon the whole earth (1:2-3), including apostate Judah and Jerusalem
(1:4-6). Thus people are urged to ‘be silent before the Sovereign LORD’ (1:7,
NIV) who, as the divine host at a sacrificial meal, has invited His guests (the
nations) to partake of the sacrifice (Judah) He has prepared (1:7-9). Those who in
their godless greed have taken advantage of others are warned that they will lament
over their lost material gain (1:10-13). The first half of the book comes to a
climactic close with a powerful description of the coming Day of the Lord and all
its attendant terrors (1:14-18) and then urges its readers to assemble before the
Lord and seek His help in leading a humble and righteous life (2:1-3). Zephaniah
initiates the latter portion of his prophecy with a series of divine pronouncements
against the peoples who had plagued God’s people: Philistines, Moabites,
Ammonites, Egyptians, Assyrians (2:4-15). He then denounces Jerusalem, whose
people have strayed from God to follow debased and corrupt leaders (3:1-7). Once
again he issues a warning: His people must listen carefully to God’s message, for
His judgment is imminent and assured (3:8). The prophecy concludes by supplying
the reason for the coming judgment. God will pour out His wrath not just for the
sake of justice but that mankind might experience His cleansing (3:9). At a future
time God will return His purified people to Jerusalem to serve Him in truth and
sincerity (3:10-13). A redeemed and regathered Israel will rejoice in God and enjoy
Him in everlasting felicity (3:14-20). Thus Zephaniah, like several other OT books,
is arranged as a bifid. This conclusion is reinforced by considering its structural
components. (1) The section 1:1-2:3 forms an inclusio by means of the bookending
theme of God’s dealing with the earth (1:2, 3; 2:2). A similar reference to the earth
closes the second section (3:20). (2) The two halves of Zephaniah are arranged in
complementary fashion: (a) pronouncements of judgment (1:2-6; 2:4-3:7) on the
nations/earth (1:2-3; 2:4-15) and on Judah/Jerusalem (1:4-6; 3:1-7); (b)
exhortations and warnings (1:7-13; 3:8); and (c) teachings concerning the Day of
the Lord (1:14-2:3; 3:9-20), each of which is closed by admonitions (2:1-3; 3:14-
20). This bifid structure is accomplished by means of distinctive stitch-words. In
the first portion of the book, the first stanza is linked to the second via the careful
employment of the Tetragrammaton, while the second stanza is linked to the third
by reference to the Day of the Lord. In the second portion of the book, judgment
(3:5, 8) and the nations (3:6, 8) provide stitching between the pronouncement
section (2:4-3:7) and the following exhortation (3:8); ‫בִּי‬ (kî, because/for”) links the
exhortation to the added teachings concerning the Day of the Lord (3:9-13, 14-20).
Each subunit likewise displays careful stitching. Thus the pronouncement against
the earth (1:2-3) is linked to that against Judah/Jerusalem by the repetition of the
phrase ‘cut off’ (1:3, 4). One may also note the use of the Tetragrammaton and
themes related to the Day of the Lord throughout the second and third stanzas (1:7-
13; 1:14-2:3). In the second portion of the book, the pronouncement against the
nations (2:4-15) is linked to that against Judah/Jerusalem via the employment of
the word ‘woe’ (2:5; 3:1), and the two strophes (3:9-13, 14-20) of the teaching
stanza are stitched together with such ideas as ‘scattered’ (3:10, 19) and
‘afraid/fear’ (3:13, 16) as well as the phrase ‘in that day’ (3:11, 16).675 The
structural design is schematized in the chart on page 284.”44
Patterson has a further comment, “A great deal of discussion has developed as
to Zephaniah’s use of the genre of apocalyptic. George Adam Smith observes that
at times Zephaniah turns to ‘ ... a vague terror, in which earthly armies merge in
heavenly; battle, siege, storm, and darkness are mingled, and destruction is spread
upon the whole earth. The shades of Apocalypse are upon us.; 45 Similar language
44
45
G. A. Smith, The Book of the Twelve Prophets (rev. ed.; 2 vols.; Garden City: Doubleday, 1929),2:54.

concerning Zephaniah has been put forward by such evangelicals as Freeman and
Ralph Smith.46 Certainly the presence of apocalyptic themes and language is
noticeable in Zephaniah’s description of the Day of the Lord as being one of
darkness and gloominess, accompanied by remarkable earthly and celestial
phenomena (1: 15) and as being the outpouring of a divine wrath that brings
destruction, devastation, and death (l: 14-18) through a period of great warfare (1:
16-18). Further apocalyptic language may be seen in Zephaniah's stress on the
element of divine intervention in a climactic judgment that will effect the
restoration and everlasting felicity of God's people (3:8-20). However, it must be
confessed that such themes as divine intervention followed by a golden age of
peace and prosperity in connection with the judgment of the Day of the Lord are
present elsewhere in the OT prophets (e.g., Isa 24-27; Ezek 38-48; loeI2:1-32
[Heb. 2:1-3:5]; 3:9-21 [Heb. 4:9-21]; Zech 14:1-21). This makes the isolation of a
special apocalyptic genre in distinction from normal eschatological prophecy
somewhat difficult and calls into question any proposal of apocalyptic material per
se in Zephaniah. Indeed, while many of Zephaniah's themes will permeate the
pages of the later apocalyptists, Zephaniah's presentation is considerably removed
from the emotional fervor that will mark those writers. Accordingly, it may be
safest to conclude that while Zephaniah's language anticipates apocalyptic, it does
not contain an apocalypse; it is ‘emergent apocalyptic.’”47
So to summarize, the book of Zephaniah is primarily poetry but his prophetic
literature which contains several literary genres, namely, oracles, repentance,
praise and salvation oracles. It also contains the prophetic genres of divine
retribution and prophetic exhortation as well as prophetic eschatology.
Structure
This book of Zephaniah contains a variety of literary techniques which would

include judgement speeches, calls for repentance, a hymn as well as salvation
speeches. Its structure is similar to the book of Isaiah as well as Ezekiel since all
three begin with a set of oracles directed at Judah and then moves to a collection of
oracles directed at foreign nations. All conclude with a series of oracles regarding
the future restoration of the nation of Israel despite her great apostasy. The figure
of inclusio marks the oracles of judgment. This figure is a literary device that
repeats words or themes at the beginning and end of a section. The repetition
brackets the section. The Bible makes frequent use of inclusios in order to structure
both long and short sections of text.
46
8H. E. Freeman, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets (Chicago: Moody, 1968), pp. 232-33; R. L. Smith, Micah-Malachi (WBC;
Waco: Word, 1984), pp. l30-32.
47
Patterson, Richard, A Literary Look at Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah; Grace Theological Journal 11.1 (1991), pages 5-7.

The title of Zephaniah (1:1) contains three parts: (1) the prophetic word formula
(2) identification of the prophet and his ancestry (3) identification of the historical
context of the prophet’s ministry. Zephaniah 1:1 contains the title of the book and
as we noted the identification of the book’s human author. The prophetic word
formula (“the word of the Lord came to”) is the typical introductory phrase used
among the prophetic books (cf. Jeremiah 1:2; Ezekiel 1:3; Hosea 1:1; Joel 1:1;
Jonah 1:1; Micah 1:1; Haggai 1:1; Malachi 1:1). This formula asserts the prophecy
originates with God and not the prophet.
The book of Zephaniah consists of three major sections: (1) Zephaniah 1:2-2:3
(2) 2:4-3:7 (3) 3:8-20. Zephaniah 1:2-2:3 contains the announcement of judgment
upon Judah and the city of Jerusalem (1:2-6). This is followed by an exhortation to
prepare for the day of the Lord (2:1-3). Then, the second major section of the book
contained in Zephaniah 2:4-3:7 presents a series of prophecies of punishment
against various nations in the prophet’s day (2:4-15). Also it contains a prophetic
charge of failure against Jerusalem for failing to repent of their sinful behavior
toward the Lord (3:1-7). All these prophecies and the prophetic charge against the
inhabitants of Jerusalem provide the basis for obeying the commands contained in
Zephaniah 2:1-3. The third and final major section of the book which appears in
Zephaniah 3:8-20 contains two prophetic exhortations. The first is an exhortation
to wait for the Lord to take action (3:8-13). The second is an exhortation to rejoice
with regards to the Lord’s promise (3:14-20).
Barker discusses the various views of the structure of Zephaniah and provides
his own, he writes “Zephaniah’s internal structure has traditionally been considered
to be tripartite. The first chapter, and frequently the first three verses of the second,
is considered to announce and describe judgment against the nations and the nation
of Judah on ‘the day of the LORD’ (1:7). Then the second chapter or 2:4–15
declares judgment against the nations, specifically citing Philistia (vv. 4–7), Moab
and Ammon (vv. 8–11), Cush (v. 12), and Assyria (vv. 13–15). Finally, the third
chapter announces that out of judgment will come blessing and joy for a righteous
remnant. The first eight verses of chap. 3 are sometimes considered part of the
second division since they deal with judgment, specifically against Jerusalem, ‘the
city of oppressors’ (3:1). Although critical scholars have generally regarded all or
most of the first chapter as authentic, much of the second and especially the third
chapter have usually been regarded as from a later hand. O. Kaiser, for example,
representing a basic consensus of critical scholarship, saw a three-element
eschatological pattern in Zephaniah consisting of an announcement of judgment
against Judah and Jerusalem (1:2–2:3), oracles against foreign nations and
Jerusalem (2:4–3:8), and oracles of salvation (3:9–20). But he could only assign to
Zephaniah the judgment messages with any certainty. He questioned the

authenticity of 3:1–13 and especially the universalism found in 2:11 and 3:9b–10. 48
Conclusions concerning Zephaniah’s redactional history have often been related to
considerations of the history of the growth of the Book of the Twelve as a whole. 49
For example, J. Nogalski works with a model of the creation of the Book of the
Twelve that has Zephaniah as crucial, for the book in his view participated both in
a shaping of Hosea, Amos, Micah, and Zephaniah by Deuteronomistic editors
during the middle of the exile, and it was involved in the editorial shaping that
produced an expanded corpus including Joel, Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Haggai,
Zechariah 1–8, and Malachi. Zephaniah is thus ‘the turning point from pre-exilic to
post-exilic situations.’50 The Deuteronomistic corpus ‘centered heavily upon
YHWH’s judgment, and ultimately sought to advance a theological explanation for
Jerusalem’s destruction.’51 The Joel layer that expanded the Deuteronomistic
corpus explained previous prophecies in light of the Babylonian crisis, showing
that all the nations who divested Judah would be devastated, while those in Judah
who repented would find their situation restored.52 P. House, on the other hand, has
argued for the unity of the Book of the Twelve without recourse to redactional
additions. In his view Zephaniah forms the concluding part of the middle section in
the three-part structure of the Book of the Twelve. It joins Nahum and Habakkuk
in emphasizing Punishment: Covenant and Cosmic.53 It is a ‘pivotal book,’
confirming all the horrible expectations of judgment in Hosea–Micah and
completing the carnage begun in Nahum and Habakkuk. ‘But from 3:8–20
Zephaniah introduces the reader to the possibilities of restoration outlined in
Haggai- Malachi.… The importance of Zephaniah as a plot-shaper in the Twelve
can hardly be over-estimated.’54 For House, then, in the structure of the Book of
the Twelve, ‘Zephaniah begins the process of falling action and resolution, but
only after showing how complete God’s judgment will be.’ 55 Concerning the
48
O. Kaiser, Introduction to the Old Testament: A Presentation of its Results and Problems (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1975), 230–231. See the
judgments of this approach made by E. J. Young, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1969), 274.
49
For a brief history of research, see B. A. Jones, The Formation of the Book of the Twelve: A Study in Text and Canon, SBLDS (Atlanta:
Scholars Press, 1995), 14–42.
50
J. Nogalski, Literary Precursors to the Book of the Twelve, BZAW 217 (Berlin/New York: de Gruyter, 1993), 206. For a preliminary
discussion of Nogalski and the contribution of P. R. House to this topic see the Introduction to Habakkuk: “Literary Features of the Book.”
51
Ibid., 280. In this collection Zephaniah 1:1–3:8 functioned as the “Southern parallel to Amos. It depicted YHWH’s irreversible decision to
bring judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem because the lesson from Hosea to Micah had not been heeded.”
52
J. Nogalski describes the literary conclusions without giving a clear theological structure of the final compilation (Redactional Processes in
the Book of the Twelve, BZAW 218 [New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1993], 275–78).
53
House, Unity, 72.
54
Ibid., 151. Cp. pp. 89, 95–96. House (pp. 93–94) contends that Zephaniah gathers the major elements of Nahum–Zephaniah in much the same
way Amos and Micah summarize the emphases on sin in their section. Thus both Judah and the nations will suffer for their sins, the sins of the
covenant nation and of the nations being listed.
55
Ibid., 119. He notes (pp. 147–50): “At the conclusion of Habakkuk the reader, like the prophet, is waiting for Yahweh’s redemption (3:16–19).
Zephaniah’s method of ending this suspense is to first dispel any possible doubts about the thoroughness of God’s judgment.… As a summary
book, Zephaniah lists the many sinful groups, whether powerful or weak, in order to show that the nations will be as desolate as nature on the day
of Yahweh.… Zephaniah claims that individuals also face condemnation (1:4, 8, 12–13). None who sins can escape the Lord’s wrath.… All
creation will be swept away. Though Zephaniah certainly pictures the Day of Yahweh as a time of extreme devastation, from the destruction
unfolds a theme of forgiveness (3:8–9).… The possibility of a redeemed remnant has become a completed picture of a new and powerful people.

internal composition of Zephaniah, Nogalski finds two judgment layers in Zeph
1:2–2:3: the earlier and original focusing on Jerusalem and Judah, and the later
looking to a universal judgment. This later layer is the tool for joining the
Deuteronomistic corpus of the Book of the Twelve to the expanded corpus. Similar
patterns of local judgment framed in universal judgment are found in Nahum 1 and
Habakkuk 3, with all three passages reflecting language from Joel. 56 Habakkuk
3:16b ‘makes it clear that Judah will not escape punishment at the hands of the
Babylonians. Precisely this thought creates the link between Habakkuk and
Zephaniah. Zephaniah functions as the depiction of the Babylonian destruction of
Jerusalem presumed in Hab 3:16b.’57 For Nogalski, the original book began with
1:4, vv. 2–3 representing a different theology dependent upon the ‘P’ account of
creation and thus postexilic.58 In chaps. 2–3 he sees the abrupt change that turns
from judgment on the nations back to judgment on Jerusalem in 3:1–8. He sees a
picture of a weakened Judah that is only a remnant (2:7, 9) pointing to a time after
the destruction of Jerusalem. He concludes that the oracles against the nations
represent oracles from just before 700 B.C. that have been rewritten in some
fashion by an editor seeking to provide hope for the remnant. Finally, he points to
3:9–20 as a unit with inner logic and cohesion but with a tenor quite distinct from
all that precedes.59 Zephaniah 3 is crucial for Nogalski, for vv. 18–20 function in
the combination of Zephaniah with Haggai, Zechariah 1–8, and Malachi as well as
in adapting Mic 4:6–7 to the context of the larger collection and setting the stage
for Haggai. The Zephaniah verses also contain allusions back to Joel. For
Nogalski, then, the original Zephaniah corpus ended at 3:8a, to which was added
3:12–13, with 3:14–19 on the whole being part of the Deuteronomistic corpus.
Later in the transmission of the Deuteronomistic corpus, 3:9–11 entered. 60 Such
concern over the redaction of the book brings strong response from scholars not
convinced by such detailed and subjective analysis. Heflin says three reasons lead
scholars to find inauthentic elements in the book: the understanding that one
prophet could not announce judgment and then turn around and announce
salvation, linguistic elements judged to have arisen only during the exilic and
postexilic periods, and historical allusions such as 2:8 that belong to a different
period of history. Heflin bluntly concludes: ‘Quite frankly, all of these arguments
are arbitrary and subjective. They are often based on insufficient evidence.… No
Once judgment is fully expended in 3:8 it becomes an avenue for Good to demonstrate mercy through the lives of the cleansed people.… While
the nations are not promised as much as the remnant, the fact that they can come to Yahweh at all is an incredible promise.”
56
See his summary in Nogalski, Literary Precursors, 198.
57
Ibid., 199.
58
Ibid., 189.
59
Ibid., 171–76.
60
Ibid., 177–78.

valid reason exists to deny any of the book to the prophet.’61 For Heflin, then, the
book is not a gradual accretion of materials from different periods of history
serving to unite different literary corpuses. Rather the book of Zephaniah ‘is a
collection of sermons and sermon summaries from different periods in the
prophet’s life, joined together not so much by chronology as by purpose. The book
is a literary unit that develops in logical sequence the major themes of judgment,
purification, and restoration. The themes are incomplete without each other.’ 62
Achtemeier reinforces Heflin’s argument: ‘there is an organic wholeness about the
book that argues against its overall arrangement by an editorial hand. The theme of
sinful human pride runs through the whole work, and its separate parts are held
together by similar and contrasting images.… Hebrew rhetorical structures prevent
the separation of the supposed three parts of the book: 2:3 belongs inseparably with
2:4, and 3:8 joins with 3:9.’ 63 Jones offers substantive critiques of the various
attempts to bring structural, literary, and/or redactional unity to the Book of the
Twelve. The methodologies of each of the scholars do not lend themselves to
validation by other scholars; they rest on subjective bases; and they ignore other
solutions to the problems such as access to common traditions, use of common
cultic materials, literary dependency, or coincidence.64 The theories dependent
upon speculative redactional hypotheses become topheavy, building one
hypothesis upon another and finding a farflung redactional unity by showing that
the present literary contexts do not demonstrate such unity. The very complexity of
the theories and of the processes outlined to develop texts also argues against the
plausibility of the theories.56 Although J. J. M. Roberts considers the book in
general to be original, ‘a clear statement of the message of Zephaniah,’ with few
‘late, secondary alterations to the composition,’65 he nevertheless considers the
work to be the result of “compositional editing” by which ‘the larger compositional
61
Heflin, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Haggai, 121–24. See also Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament, 942.
62
Heflin, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Haggai, 124.
63
Achtemeier, Nahum–Malachi, 62. She analyzes the book in six units: 1:2–6; 1:7–13; 1:14–18; 2:1–4; 2:5–15; 3:1–20. She does consider,
however, 3:18–20 to “represent later Deuteronomic updatings of the work” (p. 62).
64
Jones, Formation of the Book of the Twelve, 19–23.
656
Ibid., 30. He is also critical of House’s “formalist literary theory” as too simplistic, ignoring the complexity and fragmentary quality of the
present texts. Rather, one must let remain “the individual and diverse elements of the Minor Prophets that do not fit into any unifying scheme; …
the discordant features of the book cannot altogether be silenced” (p. 32, describing the work of H. Marks, “The Twelve Prophets,” The Literary
Guide to the Bible, ed. R. Alter and F. Kermode [Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1987], 207–32). Cf. N. Gottwald, “Tragedy and Comedy
in the Latter Prophets,” Semeia 32 (1984), 83–96. Jones himself begins with the assumptions of S. Talmon that Qumran textual evidence allows
one to conclude that “the stylistic techniques of ancient authors and the techniques used by copyists to introduce variations into the text were
essentially identical” (p. 44, referring to S. Talmon, “The Textual Study of the Bible—A New Outlook, Qumran and the History of the Biblical
Text, ed. S. Talmon and F. M. Cross, Jr. [Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1975], 321–99). Cf. E. Ulrich, “The Canonical Process, Text
Criticism, and Latter Stages in the Composition of the Bible,” “Sha’arei Talmon. Studies in the Bible, Qumran, and the Ancient Near East
Presented to Shemaryahu Talmon, ed. M. Fishbane and E. Tov (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1992), 267–91; and E. Tov, Textual Criticism of the
Hebrew Bible (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1992). This gives Jones the goal that “text-critical materials therefore may provide an objective database
for evaluating the kind of redactional changes that scholars have suggested for the Book of the Twelve” (p. 47).
65
Roberts identifies “secondary additions” as “an explanatory gloss in 1:3 … a secondary transposition of verses at 2:4–5, and there are two late
universalizing glosses at 2:11 and 3:10” (J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah: A Commentary, OTL [Louisville: W/JK, 1991],
163).

structures within the book have been fashioned out of smaller, independent oracles,
presumably given originally in an oral setting.’66 A. Berlin objects that such a
method which is ‘programmed a priori to discover small separate units’ presumed
to be original ‘trivializes the units and may totally miss the overarching literary
interpretation of a pericope.’ She objects that Roberts’ method ‘sees little purpose
in searching for a line of thought sustained or developed over several contiguous
oracles because he views the ordering of these oracles as more or less random; or
even if there is a logic to the ordering (chronological or thematic), it is secondary
and not to be used in understanding the meaning of the original unit.’ He thus ‘puts
the emphasis on the individual units, denying any purpose to the collector of these
units other than a naive recording of them’ and ‘denies or minimizes the existence
of the book qua book, a work in its own right with a coherent design.’ Berlin
counters that ‘most if not all compilers, ancient and modern, have a purpose and
seek to make their compilations coherent.’67 All modern scholars begin their
analysis of the book with the recognition that Zephaniah wrote totally in poetry. 68
House sees a prophetic drama with a comic plot. 69 The plot contains the following
devices: Exposition (1:1–7), Complication (1:8–2:11), Climax of Crisis (2:12–3:5),
Resolution of Crisis (3:6–13), and Falling Action and Conclusion (3:14–20).
‘Cosmic punishment is at the forefront’ and ‘becomes more detailed as the book
progresses.’70 This cosmic punishment is not the final message, however, for
ultimately an international remnant will worship Yahweh (3:9) with Judah being
restored (3:14–20). House summarizes the plot: God ‘wants Judah to be a nation
that serves Him. That purpose is thwarted by the sin and idolatry of Judah and her
neighbors. Through the work of Yahweh, the severity of His day, and the salvation
of the remnant, however, the Lord overcomes the obstacles to His purpose. Judah
is restored, and even the heathen nations, those outside God’s covenant, are invited
to join the new society created by the day of the Lord. Justice and mercy prevail in
this very inclusive plot instead of a sense of rigid law. In fact, the expectation of
God’s legalistic intractability is exposed by the plot’s resolution. Joy prevails
rather than a sense of fate.’71 House sees the change of speakers between Yahweh
66
Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, 161. The oracles against the nations in 2:4–15, e.g., “have been shaped into a loose compositional
unity, but there are indications that that unity is not the rhetorical unity of their oral presentation. The oracles reflect no common form, and there
are no recurring patterns to tie them together” (p. 195).
67
A. Berlin, Zephaniah: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, AB (New York: Doubleday, 1994), 20–22. She notes that the
oracles against the nations unit “exists now as a whole and there is no manuscript evidence that it ever existed otherwise; and that viewing it as a
whole yields an interpretation much more interesting and compelling than viewing it as a collection of separate parts” (pp. 22–23).
68
Cf. M. O’Connor, Hebrew Verse Structure (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1980), 240–62.
69
House, Zephaniah, especially 91–116. House calls his method a “classicist method of discovering Zephaniah’s genre” (p. 52). On pp. 105–116
House combines prophetic with comic to describe the sub-genre of the drama, showing particularly on p. 115 how the “characteristics of comic
and prophetic literature fit together.” Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, 161–62 vigorously denies House’s results as “seriously
flawed.” Berlin notes the lack of evidence of drama in ancient Israel and prefers to understand the person shifts in Zephaniah as “a normal aspect
of prophetic writing” (Zephaniah, 12).
70
House, Unity, 94.
71
House, Zephaniah, 67–68.

and the prophet as the ‘key to the book’s structure.’ 72 ‘Each set of speeches has an
artistic purpose, whether it is to present a problem, heighten suspense or tension, or
conclude the work with a satisfactory resolution. Both speakers are important, for
each actor’s part is versatile enough to initiate plot elements or buttress the
comments of the other. These structural achievements point to an author with a
definite plan for presenting his story, and one who can carry out his plan with
subtlety and ingenuity.’73 W. Rudolph recognizes a dual focus in the book on
nations and nation with promises of judgment and of salvation for each. He
identifies an oracle threatening Judah (1:2–2:3) and an oracle against the nations
(2:4–15) parallel to later threats against Jerusalem (3:1–7) and against the nations
(3:8). The final part then reverses the subject and the order with a salvation oracle
for the nations (3:9–10) and salvation for Israel in Judah and scattered among the
nations (3:11–20).74 Patterson likewise recognizes Zephaniah’s dual nature, finding
it in both theme and structure. The message, he says, is to announce the day of the
Lord as (1) a day of ‘judgment upon all nations and peoples, including God’s own
covenant people, due to their sins against God and mankind’ and (2) ‘a day of
purification for sin, when the redeemed of all nations shall join a regathered Israel
in serving God and experiencing His blessings.’ This twofold message is reflected
in the structure: 1:2–2:3 announces and describes the judgment and its severity,
and 2:4–3:20 ‘depicts the extent and purposes of the judgment.’ 75 J. A. Motyer
follows the traditional three part scheme (1:2–2:3; 2:4–3:8; 3:9–20) but focuses on
lexical and semantic repetition to discover ‘a complex chiastic format.’ 76
Especially prominent in his analysis is inclusio. He observes that the first section
(1:2–2:3) is framed by uses of the phrase ‘seek the LORD’ in the first and last
poems (1:6; 2:3). The second section is framed by repetition of “none will be left”
(mēʾên yôšēb) in 2:5 and 3:6 and the Hebrew word pāqad (with opposite
meanings) in 2:7 (“will care for them”) and 3:7 (“my punishments come”). He also
notes that the first two sections are framed by repetition of kārat, “cut” in 1:3–4
and 3:6–7. Sections two and three are framed by repetition of ‘restore their/your
fortunes’ in 2:7 and 3:20. The prominent word “day” (yôm; 1:7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15,
16, 18; 2:3) and the word ‘time’ (ʾēt; 1:12) in the opening section both recur in the
last section (3:8, 11, 16, 19, 20). Also framing the entire book are ‘matching
expressions of universality,’ that is, ‘the face of the earth’ in 1:2, 3 and ‘all the
earth’ in 3:19, 20, and the similar expressions ‘the word of the LORD’ in 1:2 and
72
Ibid., 57. House thinks the speeches “reveal plot, movement, characterization, and genre.” The speeches are determined simply by the use of
first or third person for God.
73
Ibid., 61.
74
W. Rudolph, Micha, Nahum, Habakuk, Zephanja, KAT (Gütersloh: Gerd Mohn, 1975), 255.
75
Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, 281–82. See his chart and its explanation on pp. 282–85.
76
J. A. Motyer, “Zephaniah,” in The Minor Prophets, 3 vols., ed. T. E. McComiskey (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993), 3:902. The following
summary is taken from pp. 3:902–4.

‘says the LORD’ in 3:20. Significant contrasts include the false king (malkām;1:5)
and the true king (melek yiśrāʾēl yhwh;3:15), the baffled warrior and the saving
warrior (gibbôr;1:14; 3:17), the name to be obliterated (1:4) and the admired name
(3:19–20), Jerusalem under judgment (1:4, 12) and Jerusalem restored to divine
favor (3:14, 16), the call to humility (ʾănāwâ;2:3) and the humble people
(ʾānî;3:12), the prevalence of deceit (mirmâ;1:9) and the city free of deceit
(tarmît;3:13).77 Thus Motyer argues that Zephaniah is ‘a coherent book
presentation, a structured treatise on the theme of “the day of the Lord.”’ 78 A study
that likewise recognizes a threefold structure but places emphasis on the hortatory
sections is that of R. B. Chisholm, Jr. Chisholm considers the three main sections
to be 1:2–18; 2:4–3:7; and 3:10–20. These are linked, however, by two ‘hortatory
hinges’ that connect their respective larger sections together. The first two sections
are hinged by the exhortation to seek the Lord in 2:1–3, which both concludes the
section on the day of the Lord and introduces the woe oracles against the nations in
2:4–15 (note that 2:4 begins with kî, “for” in Hb.) and the woe oracle against Judah
in 3:1–7. Then the exhortation to wait for the Lord in 3:8–9 both concludes the
woe oracle against Judah (note the initial word “therefore”) and also introduces the
final restoration section.79 Current study of Zephaniah is thus pointing in two
directions. One is the pivotal role it plays in the unified meaning of the Book of the
Twelve. Such study has too often, however, been done on the basis of theories of
extensive redactional work rather than on the basis of the logical structure,
meaning, and purpose of the current prophetic canon. This means the second
direction must be traveled before the first can be explored. This second direction is
the literary structure and meaning of each book in the Book of the Twelve.80”81
Kselman writes “The structure of the book of Zephaniah follows the familiar
prophetic pattern of oracles of disaster and judgment (1:2–3:8), followed by
oracles of salvation (3:9–20). The book begins with an apocalyptic picture of
universal world judgment (1:2–3) which will fall first upon Judah and Jerusalem
(1:4–2:3). This picture is followed by a series of oracles against the nations (2:4–
15), a traditional prophetic speech form. In Zephaniah 3, there is a repetition of the
77
J. A. Motyer, “Zephaniah,” in The Minor Prophets, 3 vols., ed. T. E. McComiskey (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993), 3:902. The following
summary is taken from pp. 3:902–4.
78
Ibid., 3:901. For an intriguing variation of the threefold structure see I. J. Ball, Jr., “The Rhetorical Shape of Zephaniah,” Perspecitves on
Language and Text, ed. E. W. Conrad and E. G. Newing (Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns, 1987), 155–65. He identifies 2:1–7 as not only a summary
of Zephaniah’s message but also a structural miniature of the book: (1) warning of the coming day of the Lord (2:1–3; 1:2–18), (2) destruction of
the enemy (2:4; 2:8–15), and (3) woe and salvation (2:5–7; 3:1–20). Ball has also elaborated this study in Zephaniah: A Rhetorical Study
(Berkeley: Bibal, 1988).
79
R. B. Chisholm, Jr., Interpreting the Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990), 201–215. Similarly E. R. Clendenen recognizes a
threefold structure “governed by the three exhortations to ‘be silent’ (1:7), ‘gather’ and ‘seek the LORD’ (2:1–3), and ‘wait” (3:8).” Whereas the
first exhortation is “sandwiched between two announcements of the Lord’s wrath,” the other two exhortations begin the second and third sections
and are followed by explanations introduced by ‘for’ ” (“Zephaniah,” Holman Concise Bible Commentary, ed. D. S. Dockery [Nashville:
Broadman & Holman, 1998], 377–78).
80
81

pattern of divine judgment on Jerusalem (3:1–5) and on the nations (3:6–8),
followed chiastically by promises of salvation to the nations (3:9–10) and to Zion
(3:11–20).”82
Zephaniah contains several different figures of speech such as metaphor and
simile (1:7, 11, 12; 2:1, 2, 4-7, 9; 3:3, 8, 13, 16) as well as literary and historical
references (1:3; 2:4, 9; 3:9-10, 18). It also has the figure of personification (1:14;
3:14-16), anthropopathisms (1:4, 12-13; 3:7-8, 15), irony (1:11; 2:12), merismus
(1:12) and synecdoche (1:16; 2:11, 13-14; 3:6). The prophet also employs the
figures of enallage (3:7), hendiadys (3:7, 19), chiasmus (3:19), alliteration and
paronomasia (1:2, 15, 17; 2:1, 4, 7, 12; 3:10), repetition and refrain (1:2-3, 14-16,
18; 2:2-3; 3:14-15).
Unity
Patterson commenting on the unity of Zephaniah writes “Although the first half
of Zephaniah has generally been acknowledged as genuine, critical scholarship has
largely impugned the authenticity and unity of the latter half. The results of critical
inquiry, however, have often been diverse, so that ‘literary criticism of Zephaniah
has been quite checkered and is not easy to summarize.’ Those who deny the
authorial integrity of the book do so largely on stylistic and thematic grounds.
Given portions are said to be contrary to the spirit of the Zephaniah who
prophesied dire punishment or reflective of the viewpoint of a subsequent
generation. Few critics are as extreme in their denial of the unity of Zephaniah as
L. P. Smith and E. R. Lacheman, who consider the book to be a third-century B.C.
pseudepigraphic production.83 Most commonly it is the third chapter that has come
under fire, largely due to its subject matter. Although past scholars often tended to
deny the entire third chapter to the prophet (e.g., Beer, Duhm, Marti, Schwally,
Stade), recent scholarship has been moderate, fixing its concerns on verses 9-20.
Thus Larue remarks: Attempts to include oracles of restoration and healing in the
collection of authentic pronouncements of Zephaniah are not convincing, for not
only do these additions remove the force of the prophetic promise of destruction,
but they reflect the mood, setting and hopes of the late Exilic period. 84 Indeed these
verses have come under almost universal attack, with vv. 9-10 and 14-20 being
consigned to exilic or postexilic times.85 Even Eissfeldt, who holds largely to the
82
Doubleday.
83
L. P. Smith and E. R. Lacheman, “The Authorship,” pp. 137-42.
84
Gerald A. Larue, Old Testament Life and Literature (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1968), p. 238.
85
Such was the earlier verdict of Budde, S. R. Driver, and J. M. P. Smith, and it has been perpetuated in recent times by Leslie, “Zephaniah,” pp.
952-53; J. A. Bewer, The Literature of the Old Testament, 3d ed. (New York: Columbia U., 1962), pp. 146-47. Manfred Oeming (“Gericht Gottes
und Geschichte der Völker nach Zef 3, 1-13,” TQ 167 [1987]: 289-300) has isolated what he considers to be revisions in 3:8 and 3:10 that betray
a pro-Jewish nationalistic outlook reflecting later times.

unity and authenticity of the book, has serious doubts as to these verses: ‘Perhaps
we should therefore deny to Zephaniah not only the oracle of salvation which
begins afresh in vv. 18-20, but also vv. 14-17, and regard the latter as an exilic or
post-exilic addition.’86 If the third chapter has suffered at the hands of its critics,
the second has fared little better. Every verse has been rejected by one scholar or
another, although critical focus has centered on 2:4-15. The conclusions reached
have often been confusing and contradictory. Although most have admitted the
authenticity of 2:1-3, Beer questions even this, and Zephaniah’s writing of parts or
all of 2:3 is impugned by Duhm, Marti, Nowach, and Stade. 87 Other verses and
their critics include 4-15 (Budde), 5-12 (Schwally, Sellin and Forher), 6b-c
(Duhm), 7a, e (Nowach), 7a-10 (Beer), 7b-11 (S. R. Driver), 8-10 (G. A. Smith), 8-
11 (Duhm, Marti, J. M. P. Smith), 8-12 (Nowach), 11 (Stade), 13-15 (Eichhorn),
and 15 (Beer, Duhm, Marti, Sellin, and Fohrer). Such a catalog of opinion
illustrates D. A. Schneider’s contention that ‘although many scholars have judged
that Zephaniah underwent later editing, there has been no convincing convergence
of their views on any large number of verses.’ 88 Probably because of the great
divergence in the end product of such research recent critics have been more
cautious, and usually prefer to think of mere amplifications of a genuine core. They
point out, rightly, that the ‘remnant’ theme was at least as early as Amos, and the
frequent use of the ‘prophetic perfect’ in Zephaniah’s eschatological oracles is no
more problematic than elsewhere.89 Indeed, the supposed exilic or postexilic point
of view in chap. 3, where hope for Israel’s restoration and blessing is expressed,
existed side by side with pronouncements of judgment throughout the prophets.
Thus R. K. Harrison has shown that ‘other prophecies of woe commonly
concluded with an expectation of restoration and final felicity, such as are found in
Amos, Micah, Nahum, and Habakkuk.’90 Moreover, as B. K. Waltke points out, the
view that the themes of judgment and hope cannot come from the same era is
inconsistent with the form of parallel prophecies in the ancient Near E. H.
Gressmann wrote: ‘The numerous old Egyptian oracles attest to the formal unity of
threat and promise as the original form.... Now that we are acquainted with the
Egyptian oracle, it is no longer doubtful that the literary-critical school was on the
wrong path’ (“Prophetische Gattungen,” Der Messias, Book II [1929], 73). The
same phenomenon is attested in the Mari letters.91 As for the disputed portions in
chap. 2, while individual details may at present render these verses difficult to
86
Otto Eissfeldt, The Old Testament: An Introduction, trans. P. R. Ackroyd (New York: Harper & Row, 1976), p. 425.
87
Recently Klaus Seybold (“Text und Auslegung in Zef 2, 1-3,” Biblische Notizen 25 [1984]: 49-54) has decided against the authenticity of
2:2b-3 while maintaining that 2:1-2a has the true ring of the prophet’s concern for the poor.
88
Schneider, “Zephaniah,” p. 1189.
89
Hummel, The Word, p. 353.
90
Harrison, Introduction, p. 942.
91
B. Waltke, “Book of Zephaniah,” ZPEB 5:1051.

reconcile with a pre-621 B.C. date, one needs to keep in mind not only the general
nature of the prophecies involved (most suggested specific applications are
hazardous at best) but also that the limited sources for the recovery of precise data
relative to the historical situation in any given period in the ancient Near East make
dismissal of the accuracy of 2:4-15 premature. The basic problem with the critical
position on chaps. 2 and 3 of Zephaniah may come down, as Bullock suggests, to a
presuppositional point of view: What we are dealing with here is a whole set of
presuppositions espoused by critical scholarship, which not only disavows a
strongly predictive element in the prophets, but also confidently sorts the material
on the basis of vocabulary that is thought to be confined to specific periods. 92 In
light of the diversity of critical views and the demonstrated literary integrity of the
book, I suggest that the case for the unity of Zephaniah is strong. Accordingly
‘there is no sufficient reason for denying to Zephaniah any portion of his
prophecy.’93”94
Lexham Bible Dictionary has the following article on the unity of Zephaniah,
“Roberts’ comment on the literary unity of Zephaniah reflects the general
consensus: ‘In general, the book may be taken as a clear statement of the message
of Zephaniah’ (Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, 163). Sweeney argues
that the only possible expansions to the prophet’s original message occur in Zeph
1:3–4 and 3:20 (Sweeney, Zephaniah: A Commentary). Portions of the oracles
against the nations in Zeph 2:4–15 and the eschatological promises of salvation in
Zeph 3:9–20 are often viewed as later additions (Redditt, Introduction to the
Prophets, 303–04). Christensen has noted that the oracles against Philistia, Moab
and Ammon, Cush, and Assyria fit well within the context of Josiah’s attempts to
expand Judah’s territories during his reign (Christensen, “Zephaniah 2:4–15”). In
light of the overall witness of the prophetic tradition, it also seems unnecessary to
suppose that Zephaniah preached judgment without an accompanying message of
salvation. Goldingay states that the idea that the prophets proclaimed only
judgment “conflicts with a consistent portrayal in the text itself of the Old
Testament prophets as combining an emphasis on warning with an element of
promise” (Goldingay, Minor Prophets II, 95). Zephaniah 3:19–20 clearly refers to
a return from exile, but this scenario is common in the prophetic books and was
also the message of Jeremiah, a contemporary of Zephaniah (Jer 30–31). Return
from exile was already an important issue in Zephaniah’s day because of the
Assyrian deportation of the people of Israel from the previous century. Those who
have seen editorial expansion of Zephaniah’s original message still stress the
92
Bullock, Old Testament Prophetic Books, p. 170.
93
E. J. Young, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1953), p. 266.
94

canonical and literary unity of the book (Berlin, Zephaniah; Childs, Introduction to
the Old Testament, 457–62).”95
Text
Barker writes “Manuscript tradition is unanimous in including Zephaniah as

one part of the larger unit, the Book of the Twelve. Its position within the twelve is
also constant in the manuscript evidence, though some manuscripts, especially in
the Greek tradition, have a unique order for the first six books, and one Qumran
manuscript may reflect a collection where Malachi is not the final book. 96 Such a
collection appears to have been known at least since the time of Jesus ben Sira
about 200 b.c. (see Sir 48:10; 49:10). Luke appears to refer to such a collection in
Acts 7:42–43; 13:40–41; 15:15. The Hebrew text of Zephaniah is quite well
preserved so that few, if any, changes to the text need be considered.9798
Kselman writes “While the Masoretic Text (M T) of Zephaniah is generally
without difficulties, there are a number of passages that contain obscurities (e.g.,
1:2, 14; 2:1–2; 3:17–19). Further textual data are now available from the Dead Sea
Scrolls: two fragmentary pesharim (commentaries) on Zephaniah from Qumran
Cave 1 (1QpZeph 1:18–2:2) and Cave 4 (4QpZeph 1:12–13) and a scroll of the
Minor Prophets from Murabaʿat, dating from ca. 100 C.E., containing most of
Zephaniah (1:1; 1:11–3:6; 3:8–20) in a textual tradition very close to the M T. The
Septuagint (LXX) of Zephaniah has been studied exhaustively by Gerleman
(1942), who concluded that the LXX Vorlage of the consonantal text of Zephaniah,
while not identical to the MT, stood very close to it, despite variants due to scribal
errors, omissions, glosses, different word divisions and vocalizations, and a few
instances of possible tendentious translations, e.g., in 2:11, where the Hebrew
ʾĕlōhê hāʾāreṣ (“the gods of the earth”) was translated as tous theous tōn ethnōn
tēs gēs (“the gods of the peoples of the earth”) under the influence of Jewish
monotheism. Finally, a Greek translation of the twelve Minor Prophets from the 1s t
century C.E., discovered at Naḥal Ḥever (8 Ḥe v XII gr) contains fragments of
95
Yates, G. E. (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). Zephaniah, Book of. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair
Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.
96
Jones, Formation, 5–6.
97
See Motyer, “Zephaniah,” 3:900–901; Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, 163; Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, 294;
Rudolph, Micha, Nahum, Habakuk, Zephanja, 256.
98
Barker, K. L. (1999). Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (Vol. 20, p. 403). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
T
MT Masoretic Text
h
1QpZeph Numbered caves of Qumran, yielding written material; followed by abbreviation of biblical or apocryphal book
h
4QpZeph Numbered caves of Qumran, yielding written material; followed by abbreviation of biblical or apocryphal book
.
ca. circa (about, approximately)
T
MT Masoretic Text
X
LXX Septuagint
T
MT Masoretic Text
t
1st first
v
Ḥev Naḥal Ḥever texts

Zephaniah (1:1–4, 13–17; 2:9–10; 3:6–7). The importance of this discovery for
LXX textual studies has been demonstrated by D. Barthélemy (1963; for the
Zephaniah fragments, see 163–78).99
Canonicity
The divine origin of Zephaniah and thus its canonical authority were recognized
in Israel from the time of its composition. Specifically, it was recognized as
canonical among the faithful remnant in Israel. Many of the prophecies contained
in the book with regards to Judah, Jerusalem, Philistia, Ammon, Moab, Ethiopia
and Assyria were fulfilled within a hundred years after they were first published.
Patterson has the following comment regarding Zephaniah’s canonicity, he
writes “Although critical concern has been expressed as to the authenticity of
Zephaniah, its canonicity has never been called into question. It was known to the
author of the Apocalypse of Zephaniah (Frag. B7), accepted by Philo and
Josephus, and included in the early church canonical lists. Our Lord appears to
have drawn upon Zeph. 1:3 in His parable concerning the end of the age (Matt.
13:41), as did John (cf. Rev. 6:17 with Zeph. 1:14-18; Rev. 14:5 with Zeph.
3:13; Rev. 16:1 with Zeph. 3:8). In addition, the Talmud (T. B. Sanhedrin 98a) and
early Christian Fathers (e.g., Clement of Alexandria, Cyprian, Augustine) cited
Zephaniah as authoritative in their condemnation of man’s pride and idolatry.”100
Theme
One of the major lines of prophecy running throughout the Old Testament and
continuing through the New Testament is the prophetic truth related to the “Day of
the Lord.” It is a critical phrase in understanding God’s revelation regarding the
future of planet earth, the city of Jerusalem, the nation of Israel as well as the
Gentiles. The writers of the New Testament use this phrase based on their
understanding of the Old Testament prophets. This phrase was used by the
prophets of Israel in the Old Testament when they were speaking of both near
historical events as well as future eschatological events. The New Testament
writers understood this and applied the phrase to both the judgment which will
terminate the tribulation period of Daniel’s Seventieth week as well as the
judgment which will bring the creation of the new heavens and the new earth.
X
LXX Septuagint
99
Doubleday.
100

The term “Day of the Lord” occurs in the following passages: Isa. 2:12; 13:6, 9;
Ezek. 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18 (twice), 20; Obadiah 15;
Zeph. 1:7, 14 (twice); Zech. 14:1; Mal. 4:5; Acts 2:20; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:2; 2
Pet. 3:10.
The phrases “that day” or “the day” or “the great day” also refer to the day of
the Lord and appear more than 75 times in the Old Testament.
The term “Day of the Lord” and the phrases “that day” or “the day” or the
“great day” are used with reference to Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Isaiah 13:5-6;
Ezekiel 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 29, 31; 38:10-19; 39:11, 22; Obadiah 14-15;
Zephaniah 1:14, 18; 2:2-3; Zechariah 12:3-4, 6, 8-9; Malachi 4:5), the Second
Advent of Christ (Zechariah 12:11; 14:4, 6, 8), millennium (Ezekiel 45:22; 48:35;
Joel 3:18; Zechariah 14:9; Zephaniah 3:11), and the creation of the new heavens
and earth (2 Peter 2:10).
Now, if you notice that there are only four passages in the New Testament in
which “the day of the Lord” appears (Acts 2:20; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:2; 2 Pet.
3:10). However, this phrase is used often by the writers of the Old Testament.
Thus, Paul and Peter’s understanding of the day of the Lord was based upon their
understanding of this use of the phrase in the Old Testament.
Hannah writes that “ʽThe day of the LORD’ is an expression used more
frequently in this prophecy than in any other Old Testament book. Thus the theme
of the book is the impending judgment of God on Judah for its disobedience. A
corollary of the judgment motif within Zephaniah and the other prophets is the
preservation of the true remnant by the mercies of the covenant-keeping God.
Though judgment was sure, God’s promise to protect His people and fulfill His
promises was steadfast and everlasting. The book’s theme is capsuled in Zephaniah
1:7a: ‘Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near.’”101
Now a survey of the use of the phrase “the day of the Lord” in both the Old and
New Testaments reveal that it is used with reference to the contemporary history of
the writer (cf. Is. 13:6; Joel 1:15). However, it is also used in relation to the future
such as Daniel’s Seventieth Week (cf. 2 Thess. 2:2) and the creation of the new
heavens and new earth (2 Pet. 3:10).
When the writer uses the phrase with regards to God’s judgments, it is often
accompanied by a pronouncement of God’s blessing (cf. Zech. 14:1-21). This
phrase “the day of the Lord” is used of a period of time when God will judge
nations (Obad. 15; Zeph 2). Other times it is used with regards to God judging the
nation of Israel (Joel 1:15) or Jerusalem (Zeph. 3:1-12). Interestingly, often this
judgment of Israel and Jerusalem is followed by a pronouncement of the
101
Hannah, J. D. (1985). Zephaniah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
(Vol. 1, p. 1524). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

restoration of Israel with the Messiah dwelling in her midst as her king (Zeph.
3:14-20).
The phrase “day of the Lord” occurs nineteen times in the Old Testament and
occurs only in six minor and two major prophets. It is found in Obadiah 15 where
it is used of God’s judgment of Edom which had a near fulfillment through
Nebuchadnezzar. This is indicated by the statements in Obadiah 1-14 which
address only Edom. However, this phrase also pointed to Obadiah 15 being
fulfilled in the far distant future and the establishment of Christ’s millennial
kingdom which is indicated by Obadiah 15-21. In verses 15-16 there is an abrupt
shift to the prophet addressing all the nations. And thus Edom becomes the pattern
for future nations. Also the destruction of the nations in verse 16 is a future event
and has not taken place in human history to this point. Furthermore, verses 17-21
speaks of Israel’s restoration which will occur during the millennial reign of Christ.
Lastly, verse 21 says that this kingdom will be the Lord’s which is a reference to
Jesus Christ’s millennial kingdom.
The phrase “day of the Lord” occurs five times in Joel (1:15; 2:1; 2:11, 31;
3:14). Joel’s prophecy can be described as having a near fulfillment with the locust
plague taking place in Joel’s day. It also can be described as having a far view in
that it will be fulfilled during the tribulation period of Daniel’s Seventieth Week
and Jesus Christ’s subsequent millennial reign. Joel equates the invading armies
during the tribulation with the locust plague that Israel suffered in his day. Chapter
one deals with the locust plague in Joel’s day while chapter two describes the
invading armies of Israel during the tribulation period of Daniel’s Seventieth
Week. Joel 2:30-32 is referring to Jesus Christ’s Second Advent in which He will
deliver Israel from Antichrist and the Tribulational armies. Joel 3:1-16 predicts the
future judgment of the nations during the tribulation while Joel 3:17-21 predicts
the future restoration of Israel and the millennial reign of Christ.
The phrase “the day of the Lord” also appears twice in the book of Amos (5:18,
20). The prophecy of Amos is directed to the historical situation in his day which is
indicated by the fact that he wrote to the ten northern tribes in 7:10 and to King
Jeroboam predicting his future exile to Assyria in 5:27, 6:14, 7:19 and 17. Amos
was predicting the fall of Samaria which took place in 722 B.C. (2 Kgs. 17). The
prophet emphasizes the inevitability of this destruction in Amos 5:19-20. The
prophet also predicts the Lord intervening on Israel’s behalf (9:11-15). So Amos
only uses the phrase “the day of the Lord” in a near sense meaning that his use of
the phrase is only contained in a prophecy which was exclusive to the historical
situation in his day.
The phrase “the day of the Lord” occurs twice in Isaiah (13:6, 9). However, the
first reference to “the day of the Lord” appears in Isaiah 2:12. In Isaiah 2:2-4, there
is a prophecy regarding the future establishment of God’s kingdom. In verses 5-9
of this chapter there is a reference the sinful state of Israel during Isaiah’s day.
Then, in verses 10-22, he issues a prophecy regarding the far future of judgment. It
appears that this prophecy will be fulfilled during the Seventieth Week of Daniel
and subsequent millennial reign of Christ rather than God judging Israel through
Assyria and Babylon since Isaiah 2:1-2 predicts that Zion will be the world capital
and Isaiah 2:2-4 predicts that God will judge between the nations and there will be
no more war.
In Isaiah chapter 13 is a prophecy regarding Babylon. Isaiah 13:1-8 addresses
God’s use of Babylon as His instrument to destroy Israel (13:5-6). The fulfillment
of “day of the Lord” with regards to this did not take place for a little over one
hundred years. So the reference to “the day of the Lord” in Isaiah 13 speaks of a
near fulfillment which was fulfilled by Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar (605-587
B.C.). But it does appear that this prophecy speaks of far eschatological fulfillment
as indicated by Isaiah 13:9-16 which describes even the stars of the stellar universe
being affected by God’s judgment of the world for its evil. The description of
God’s judgment in these verses echoes Matthew 24:29, Revelation 6:12-13 and
Joel 2:31 which speak God’s judgment of the world during the tribulation portion
of the Daniel’s Seventieth Week.
“The day of the Lord” is found in Ezekiel twice (13:5; 30:3). Ezekiel wrote his
book in the midst of the fulfillment of the near judgment. He was taken captive to
Babylon in 597 B.C. He wrote in 592 B.C. six years after the second deportation of
Jews to Babylon. In Ezekiel 13, the prophet spoke against false prophets (1-16) and
prophetesses (17-23). In this chapter we have a reference to the time from the
beginning of Judah’s deportation in 605 B.C. to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587
B.C. Thus Ezekiel like Amos is speaking of only a near reference to the day of the
Lord in his day.
In Ezekiel 30, the prophet refers to “the day of the Lord” in the context of the
destruction of Egypt (29:19-20) which was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar
defeated Egypt. All the nations who were in alliance with Egypt also were defeated
by Babylon. There is thus no far eschatological reference to all the nations.
Zechariah makes a reference to the day of the Lord in chapter 14 of this book.
The prophecy in this chapter deals entirely with the far eschatological fulfillment
rather than a near one since the Assyrian and Babylonian judgments from God
were already history. Zechariah 14:1-2 is a prophecy regarding the last three and a
half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week. Zechariah 14:3-8 is a prophecy regarding
the Second Advent of Jesus Christ which ends Daniel’s Seventieth Week.
Zechariah 14:9-21 is a prophecy regarding the subsequent millennial reign of Jesus
Christ.
The day of the Lord is found in Malachi 4:5 which also will have a far
eschatological fulfillment during the tribulation period.
Lastly, “the day of the Lord” appears in the book of Zephaniah (1:7, 14). The
reference to “the day of the Lord” in Zephaniah 1:7 had a near fulfillment since
Zephaniah 1:8-13 describes the situation in this prophet’s day in Judah. However,
in Zephaniah 1:14, the context would indicate that “the day of the Lord” will have
a far eschatological fulfillment since Zephaniah 1:15-18 speaks of God judging the
inhabitants of the earth which He will do during the Seventieth Week of Daniel.
So to summarize, “the day of the Lord” prophecies were already fulfilled in
history in several different ways: (1) Assyrian deportation of the northern kingdom
of Israel in 722 B.C. (Amos 5:18, 20), (2) locust plague in Joel’s day (Joel 1:15),
(3) Babylonian exile of Judah between 605-587 B.C. (Zeph. 1:7; Ezek. 13:5), (4)
Babylonian defeat of Egypt in 587 B.C. (Ezek. 30:3), (5) destruction of Edom
(Obad. 1-14). There are several “day of the Lord” prophecies which will be
fulfilled during the last three and a half years of Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Zeph.
1:14; Joel 2:1; 2:11, 31; 3:14; Zechariah 14:1-2; Is. 13:6-16). There are some that
will be fulfilled through the Second Advent of Jesus Christ (Zech. 14:3-8) and His
subsequent millennial reign (Zech. 14:9-21; Joel 3:17-21).
There are certain features with regards to all of these “day of the Lord”
prophecies. First, there is God’s judgment of sin and His sovereignty over the
nations including Israel. There is also the concept of imminency in regards to those
prophecies having a near fulfillment (Joel 1:15; Is. 13:6; Zeph. 1:7; Ezek. 30:3) as
well as those having a far eschatological fulfillment (Obad. 15; Joel 3:14; Zeph.
1:14). There was also the idea of God’s blessing on the nations and Israel and her
future restoration under her Messiah and King.
Therefore, we can conclude that the phrase “the day of the Lord” prophecies
described the immediate future as well as those events taking place during the
Seventieth Week of Daniel and Christ’s Second Advent and millennial reign. Thus,
in far eschatological sense, the “day of the Lord” is “not” a literal twenty-four
period but rather, it is an extended period of time. It begins with God’s dealing
with Israel after the rapture of the church that takes place prior to Daniel’s
Seventieth Week. It extends through the Second Advent of Jesus Christ and His
millennial reign, culminating with the creation of the new heavens and the new
earth. However, the day of the Lord could also be a period of time taking place
during the prophet’s own lifetime or not too long after.
Purposes
The reason for the book is to proclaim “the day of the Lord” to those Jews
living in Judah in Zephaniah’s day to warn them of the God of Israel’s imminent
judgment of their nation for their sinful lives. The book is designed to warn,
convict and encourage and motivate those believers in Israel who were in apostasy
or who did not believe in the God of Israel to repent. For those who were believers
in apostasy repentance would involve confession of sin followed by obedience to
the Lord’s commands. For those who were unbelievers, this would involve
exercising faith in the God of Israel.
J.E. Smith writes “The immediate purpose of the Book of Zephaniah is to warn
Judah of approaching doom. The ultimate purpose is to warn all sinners and give
encouragement to those who repent. While the book focuses largely on the theme
of God’s wrath, it does hold out the promise of redemption and salvation for those
who believe. According to Payne, of the fifty-three verses in the book, forty-seven
89% are predictive. These statistics make Zephaniah the most predictive book of
the Bible. Payne counts twenty separate predictions the most prominent of which
(about half the predictive verses) is that of Jerusalem’s fall to Babylon. 102 The
theme of the book is the day of Yahweh. Zephaniah emphasizes the imminence
(1:2, 3; 2:4–15; 3:8), universality (1:14ff.) and terror of that day (1:17). He depicts
the great day of Yahweh as a day of judgment upon the wicked (2:3; 3:9ff.), but
mercy for the remnant.103
Another purpose of Zephaniah is to warn and encourage the future generation
of Jews who will live during Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Zeph. 1:14-18). The book
also serves to warn the nations of impending judgment during the Seventieth Week
of Daniel (Zeph. 1:14-18). It also serves to announce that God will establish His
kingdom on the earth and that not only Israel will serve and worship Him but all
the Gentile nations of the earth will as well.
Theology
The theology of Zephaniah is rich. First, there is the declaration of the God of
Israel’s sovereignty over Israel and all the nations of the earth (Zeph. 3:8). The
term “sovereignty” connotes a situation in which a person, from his innate dignity,
exercises supreme power, with no areas of his province outside his jurisdiction. As
applied to God, the term “sovereignty” indicates His complete power over all of
creation, so that He exercises His will absolutely, without any necessary
conditioning by a finite will or wills.
Isaiah 40:15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are
regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like
fine dust. (NASB95)
Isaiah 40:17 All the nations are as nothing before Him, they are regarded
by Him as less than nothing and meaningless. (NASB95)
102
Payne, op. cit., pp. 440–443.
103
Smith, J. E. (1994). The Minor Prophets. Joplin, MO: College Press.

Daniel 2:19 Next in a vision during the night the mystery was revealed to
Daniel. Then Daniel showered the God of the heavens with adoring praise,
honor, recognition and worshipful thanksgiving. 20 Daniel responded and
said: “God has had His name showered with adoring praise, honor,
recognition and worshipful thanksgiving from eternity past and in addition
this will continue throughout eternity future because He inherently is wisdom
as well as power. 21 Namely, He determines the appointed times as well as the
durations of time. He deposes kings as well as elevates kings. He gives wisdom
to wise men as well as knowledge to those who possess the capacity to receive
understanding. 22 God reveals unfathomable events, yes events which are
hidden. He alone knows what is in the darkness. Specifically, the light resides
in Him. 23 For the benefit of You, O God of my fathers, I myself give thanks,
yes and praise too because You gave to me wisdom, yes and power too.
Indeed, now You have made known to me what we requested from You
because You made known to us the king’s secret.” (Author’s translation)
The apostle Paul also taught that the nations receive their time and place as a
result of the sovereignty of God (Acts 17:22-34).
Psalm 66:7 He rules by His might forever; His eyes keep watch on the
nations; Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah. (NASB95)
The humanity of Christ in hypostatic union has been promoted by the Father as
the supreme ruler of history as a result of His victory over Satan at the Cross.
Colossians 2:9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form 10
and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule
and authority. (NASB95)
Philippians 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ
Jesus 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality
with God a thing to be grasped 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a
bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point
of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him,
and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name 10 so that at the
name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on
earth and under the earth 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NASB95)
1 Timothy 6:13 I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all
things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius
Pilate 14 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the
appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ 15 which He will bring about at the
proper time -- He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and
Lord of lords 16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in
unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor
and eternal dominion! Amen. (NASB95)
King writes “Another aspect of the day of the Lord expressed by Zephaniah is
that this day demonstrates Yahweh’s universal sovereignty and unrivaled
superiority. Though Yahweh is the King of Israel (3:15), He is much more than
that. His dominion knows no boundaries. His hegemony extends to all nations.
Moreover, He can brook no rivals and will tolerate no pretenders or other
claimants to the throne, since He is superior to all of them. On the day of the Lord
He is shown to be without peer. Emphasis on Yahweh’s universal sovereignty
comes to the fore quickly in the Book of Zephaniah. Immediately after the
superscription, Yahweh announced, ‘I will completely destroy everything upon the
face of the earth’ (1:2). This macrocosmic judgment, which will overwhelm all
animate life, implies the extent of Yahweh’s dominion and sovereignty. He is Lord
over all the world. Universal judgment indicating Yahweh’s worldwide
sovereignty is proclaimed again in 1:18, which reiterates the warning that Yahweh
will suddenly and completely destroy all the inhabitants of the earth. Chapter 2
proclaims this same aspect of the day of the Lord but expresses it differently. The
Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Cushites, and Assyrians are all slated for
punishment. Of interest here is the fact that these nations represent the four points
of the compass. Yahweh’s dominion is not limited to Judah, nor does it extend
from there in only one direction. Rather, it stretches westward (to Philistia),
eastward (to Moab and Ammon), southward (to Cush), and northward (to Assyria).
On His day Yahweh is shown to be no localized deity, restricted or hampered by
political or geographic boundaries. The third chapter of Zephaniah also heralds
Yahweh’s universal sovereignty. Yahweh announced His purpose to assemble the
nations on the day of the Lord and then to execute judgment on all the earth (3:8).
In fact this is probably the clearest statement in Zephaniah of the universal
dominion of Yahweh. A few commentators say 1:2 and 18 may refer to a localized
destruction of Judah instead of a universal destruction. While it is true that ‫( ֲאדָ מָה‬v.
2) and ‫( אֶ ֶרץ‬v. 18) can both mean land (i.e., of Judah) and not necessarily the entire
earth, Zephaniah clarified the extent of the judgment on the day of the Lord in
chapter 3. As a prelude to destroying the earth (‫) ֶא ֶרץ‬, Yahweh will assemble
‘nations’ (‫ )ּגֹוי ִם‬and ‘kingdoms’ (3:8 ,‫) ַמ ְמלָכֹות‬. These words in the plural elucidate
the meaning of earth (‫)אֶ ֶרץ‬, clarify the extent of the coming judgment, and point up
the universal sovereignty of Yahweh. Happily, Yahweh’s worldwide hegemony is
revealed not only through His acts of judgment. His redemptive acts also serve to
demonstrate His sovereignty. More will be said about these redemptive acts later,
but suffice it to state here that peoples from the most distant places the mind can
conceive (2:11; 3:9–10) will experience salvation and will worship Yahweh on His
day. He is the redemptive King not only of the Judahites, but also of people from
many nations. Zephaniah developed this concept of the Lord’s universal
sovereignty by proclaiming that the day of the Lord will also reveal His unrivaled
superiority. Yahweh has no equals. He shares His throne with no one. This fact is
especially prominent in chapter 2, in which Yahweh is portrayed as eliminating
two types of false claimants to deity. First, 2:11 states that Yahweh will ‘starve’ or
‘weaken’ the other gods. If Yahweh has the ability to starve or weaken these other
gods, then He is unquestionably superior to them. Also He is peerless around the
globe, for ‘all the gods of the earth’ will meet their demise at His hands. Yahweh’s
superiority over the second pretender to deity is expressed in 2:13–15. Whereas in
verse 11 Yahweh is said to deal with the false gods of the nations, here He will
deal with a nation that thinks itself to be god. Nineveh, capital of the most
powerful nation on the earth at that time, thought it dwelt ‘securely’ (v. 15). The
Hebrew root word here is ‫ּבטח‬, the verbal form of which is often translated ‘to
trust.’ Nineveh was simply trusting in itself, apparently unaware that trust reposed
in any object other than God will end in shame (Pss. 115:3–11; 118:5–9; 146:3–
5).104 But this was not Nineveh’s worst sin. Personified, Nineveh said in its heart, ‘I
am, and there is none besides me’ (Zeph. 2:15). It posited itself as the ultimate
reality. This blasphemous claim was equivalent to saying, ‘I am the lord, and there
is no other’ (Isa. 45:5, 14, 18, 21). As Achtemeier notes, ‘No God who is really
God can let such a claim go unchallenged.’105 And indeed He did not. Nineveh,
with its overweening attitude, inflated by its own greatness, thinking itself to be
without equal, was destined for a collision on the day of the Lord with the only
One who is truly without peer. Nineveh, the flower of civilization, would become a
heap of ruins and an object of derision. Evidently Nineveh did not realize what the
day of the Lord would clearly reveal. There is only one Sovereign and His
dominion has no boundaries. His preeminence is without question.”106
Zephaniah also describes the God of Israel as intervening in the affairs of
mankind since it speaks of God judging Judah and the nations. This is called the
“immanency” of God. The immanency of God means that He involves Himself in
and concerns Himself with and intervenes in the lives of members of the human
race, both saved and unsaved.
The Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms writes immanence is “the idea that
God is present in, close to and involved with creation. Unlike pantheism, which
teaches that God and the world are one or that God is the ‘soul’ (animating
principle) of the world, Christian theology teaches that God is constantly involved
104
John N. Oswalt, “‫ ָּבטַח‬,” in Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 1:101–2.
105
Achtemeier, Nahum-Malachi, 78.
106
King, G. A. (1995). The Day of the Lord in Zephaniah. Bibliotheca Sacra, 152, 20–22.

with creation without actually becoming exhausted by creation or ceasing to be
divine in any way.”107
J. I. Packer writes “God is both transcendent over, and immanent in, his world.
These 19th-century words express the thought that on the one hand God is distinct
from his world, does not need it, and exceeds the grasp of any created intelligence
that is found in it (a truth sometimes expressed by speaking of the mystery and
incomprehensibility of God); while on the other hand he permeates the world in
sustaining creative power, shaping and steering it in a way that keeps it on its
planned course. Process theology jettisons transcendence and so stresses the
immanence of God and his struggling involvement in the supposedly evolving
cosmos that he himself becomes finite and evolving too; but this is yet another
unbiblical oddity.”108
King writes “Zephaniah’s teaching on the day of the Lord features a number of
aspects. One aspect that is strongly emphasized is that the day of the Lord brings
Yahweh’s intervention into human affairs. In other words, God will intrude into
the human realm. There will be a divine-human ‘collision.’ Zephaniah expressed
this divine intervention and the divine-human encounter in a variety of ways. First,
the command, ‘Be silent before Lord Yahweh’ (1:7), is clear evidence of the
nearness of deity. Humans are called to be mute in light of the approaching
encounter with Yahweh on His day. In fact the word ‫“( הַס‬Be silent”) itself seems
to denote the presence of Yahweh in this instance. As one writer observes, ‘This
solemn summons to silence by the prophet implies the imminence of the Lord
himself. Standing before his awesome majesty on his great day inspires the most
humble and reverent demeanor.’109 A second way Zephaniah portrayed divine
intervention into human affairs is through the repeated use of the verb ‫ ָּפ ַקד‬by
Yahweh in the first person singular. Three times in chapter 1 Yahweh declared
‫( פָּקַ דְ תִּ י‬vv. 8–9, 12). This word is usually translated ‘I will punish’ in these three
instances, and ‘punish’ probably conveys the sense of what is intended here as well
as any other single word. However, this translation may mask the personal
intrusion of Yahweh connoted by this Hebrew verb. The meaning of the root word
is ‘to visit or inspect in order to take appropriate action.’ Keller captures something
of the personal involvement by Yahweh implied by this word, when he states that
‫‘ פָּקַ ד‬signifies simply to inspect, to control and if need be, to intervene in one
manner or another in order to reestablish the order.’ 110 In other words the personal
intervention of Yahweh is accentuated by the use of this particular verb. In light of
this broader meaning, Yahweh announced that He will pay a personal visit to
107
Grenz, S., Guretzki, D., & Nordling, C. F. (1999). Pocket dictionary of theological terms (63). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
108
Ferguson, S. B., & Packer, J. (2000). New dictionary of theology (electronic ed.) (276–277). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
109
Robertson, The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, 266.
110
Carl-A. Keller, “Sophonie,” in Michee, Nahoum, Habacuc, Sophonie, ed. Rene Vuilleumier and Carl A.-Keller (Neuchatel: Delachaux et
Niestle, 1971), 193.

inspect the government officials (v. 8), those wearing foreign garments (v. 8),
those participating in pagan rituals (v. 9), and other miscreants. Indeed, all who are
spiritually stagnant in Jerusalem are scheduled for an encounter with Yahweh (v.
12). A third way Zephaniah highlighted this divine intrusion is with Yahweh’s
avowal in 1:12, ‘I will search Jerusalem with lamps.’ This portrayal, one of the
best known from Zephaniah, is a stunning picture of Yahweh. The Lord is not
described as directing executioners to conduct the investigation as in Ezekiel 9:1–
6, nor as allowing His living word to seek out the wrongdoers as in Zechariah 5:1–
4. No, Yahweh Himself will handle the matter. Yahweh declared His intention to
probe the dark corners of Jerusalem Himself. These two clauses, ‘I will punish’
(1:8–9, 12) and ‘I will search’ (1:12), combine to trumpet the message, ‘Get ready
for a personal encounter with Yahweh on His day.’ Zephaniah expressed this
divine intervention in several other places. Repeatedly Yahweh is quoted as using
first-person verbs in declaring His plans to intrude into human affairs. Zephaniah
contains a host of such announcements: ‘I will destroy’ (1:2–3), ‘I will cut off’ (v.
3), ‘I will stretch out My hand’ (v. 4), ‘I will gather’ (3:18), ‘I will give them praise
and renown’ (vv. 19–20), and ‘I will bring you in’ (v. 20). Moreover, some third-
person verbs, such as ‘He will stretch out His hand’ (2:13), ‘He will destroy’
(2:13), and ‘He will rejoice’ (3:17), also signify Yahweh’s intervention in human
affairs. He is the actor in the drama that will occur on His day, and the arena of His
activity is the human realm. This divine involvement in human affairs is probably
the most salient feature of Zephaniah’s proclamation of the day of the Lord. This is
not surprising in light of a careful examination of the phrase ‘the day of Yahweh.’
As many scholars have noted, the emphasis in this phrase is not on a specific time
period. On the contrary, the emphasis in the phrase ‫ יֹום י ְהוָה‬is on the proper noun,
Yahweh, the one who intervenes in human affairs to initiate and bring to pass
certain events. As Koch noted, ‘This is rather a day which actually is Yahweh, in
which his Godhead will take fully visible form.’111 VanGemeren notes similarly,
‘The day of the Lord signifies first and foremost Yahweh’s intrusion into human
affairs. His coming (theophany) is portrayed in the conceptual imagery of Warrior,
Judge, and the great King.’112 Perhaps the reason Zephaniah articulated this aspect
of the day of the Lord so forcefully is to contradict the belief of some Jerusalemites
that Yahweh is uninvolved in human affairs. Their heartfelt sentiment was,
‘Yahweh will not do good, nor will He do evil’ (1:12). Achtemeier calls this verse
the central indictment of the entire book. 113 Evidently a significant group of people
in Jerusalem could be called deists or even practical atheists, because their
sentiment was tantamount to believing that Yahweh will do nothing at all. What a
111
Klaus Koch, The Assyrian Period, vol. 1 of The Prophets, trans. Margaret Kohl (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983), 161 (italics his).
112
VanGemeren, Interpreting the Prophetic Word, 174.
113
Achtemeier, Nahum-Malachi, 69.

surprise is in store for these practical atheists! Yahweh, whom they held to be
dormant and passively detached from the earth, will intervene in a decisive way.
Far from being inactive and static, Yahweh is depicted ‘as being personally
involved in his judgment, which will be devastating in its totality.’ 114 His actions
on the day of the Lord will give the lie to those who accuse Him of passivity and
detachment. According to Zephaniah, the day of the Lord is a time of divine
intervention.”115
The book of Zephaniah also speaks of the God of Israel’s wrath or we can say
His righteous indignation (Zeph. 1:14-18), which refers to His legitimate anger
towards evil and sin since both are contrary to His holiness or perfect character and
nature. In fact, God’s righteous indignation expresses His holiness, which pertains
to the absolute perfection of God’s character. His holiness is expressing the purity
of His character or moral perfection and excellence and means that God can have
nothing to do with sin or sinners. He is totally separate from sin and sinners unless
a way can be found to constitute them holy and that way has been provided based
upon the merits of the impeccable Person and Finished Work of the Lord Jesus
Christ on the Cross.
The presence of evil, sin and injustice is totally absent in the character of God,
thus God does not tolerate evil or sin because it is contrary to His character, i.e. His
inherent moral qualities, ethical standards and principles.
Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary defines “holiness” as “the
quality or state of being holy; sanctity” and they define “sanctity” as, “sacred or
hallowed character.”
One of the definitions that Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary
gives for the adjective “holy” is, “entitled to worship or profound religious
reverence because of divine character or origin or connection with God or
divinity.”
One of the definitions for the noun “character” that Webster’s New Universal
Unabridged Dictionary provides that applies to the context of our passage is the
following: “the aggregate of features and traits that form the apparent individual
nature of some person or thing.”
If we paraphrase these definitions, we would say that the God’s holiness refers
to “the aggregate (i.e. sum total) of perfect features and traits that form the divine
nature of God.”
Therefore, God’s holiness refers to the absolute perfection of His character,
expressing His purity of His character or moral perfection and excellence and
intolerance and opposition and rejection of sin and evil, thus God is totally separate
from sin and sinners. Thus, God’s holiness is related to all of His divine attributes
114
David W. Baker, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1988), 91.
115

or in other words, it is simply the harmony of all His perfections or attributes.
Therefore, God’s wrath, which is in reality, righteous indignation is an expression
of His holiness, righteousness and love in opposition to sin and evil.
God’s wrath or righteous indignation is used of God’s settled opposition to and
displeasure against sin meaning that God’s holiness cannot and will not coexist
with sin in any form whatsoever. It is not the momentary, emotional, and often
uncontrolled anger to which human beings are prone and does not refer to an
explosive outburst but rather it refers to an inner, deep resentment that seethes and
smolders, often unnoticed by others as in the case of God’s wrath.
God hates sin so much and loves the sinner so much that He judged His Son
Jesus Christ for every sin in human history-past, present and future and provided
deliverance from sin through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. The only way to avoid
God’s righteous indignation is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. John 3:36).
Jimmy Millikin writes “Used to express several emotions, including anger,
indignation, vexation, grief, bitterness, and fury. It is the emotional response to
perceived wrong and injustice. Both humans and God express wrath. When used of
God, wrath refers to His absolute opposition to sin and evil. When used of humans,
however, wrath is one of those evils that is to be avoided. The OT speaks very
frequently of both God’s wrath and human wrath, but the wrath or anger of God is
mentioned three times more often than human wrath. There are some 20 different
Hebrew words, used approximately 580 times, that refer to God’s wrath in the OT.
Most of these terms are borrowed from concrete physiological expressions. The
most frequent is ʾaph, occurring about 210 times. It is the word for ‘nose’ or ‘face.’
How such a word came to be used to express wrath has been traditionally
explained by the common notion that ‘snorting’ or ‘wheezing’ through the nose is
indicative of anger. The second most frequently used term is chemah (ca. 115
times), having the primary meaning of ‘heat’ (cp. Ezek. 3:14), but most frequently
translated with ‘fury’ or ‘wrath.’ The KJV captures the intensity of the emotion
expressed with this term by rendering it three times as ‘hot displeasure’ (Deut.
9:17; Pss. 6:1; 38:1). Lesser used terms are: charah (33 times), used commonly in
combination with aph and translated as ‘fierce wrath’ (KJV, NASB, NIV); qetseph
(28 times), meaning ‘indignation’; ebrah (24 times), translated as ‘wrath,’ ‘fury,’
and ‘burning anger.’ These anthropopathic terms must not be construed in such a
way as to attribute to God the irrational passion we find so frequently in man and
which is ascribed to pagan deities. They do, on the other hand, point to the reality
and severity of God’s wrath in the OT (Isa. 63:1–6). God’s wrath is not capricious
but is always a moral and ethical reaction to sin. Sometimes that sin may be spoken
of in general terms (Job 21:20; Jer. 21:12; Ezek. 24:13) and at other times specified
as the shedding of blood (Ezek. 8:18; 24:8), adultery (Ezek. 23:25), violence
(Ezek. 8:18), covetousness (Jer. 6:11), revenge (Ezek. 25:17), affliction of widows
and orphans (Exod. 22:22), taking brethren captive (2 Chron. 28:11–27), and
especially idolatry (Ps. 78:56–66). The means by which God expressed His wrath
was always some created agency: His angels, His people the Israelites, Gentile
nations, and the forces of nature. In the prophetic books the wrath of God is
commonly presented as a future judgment. It is usually associated with the concept
of ‘the day of the Lord’ (Zeph. 1:14–15), or simply “that day.” That day will be a
great and terrible day, a day of darkness and gloominess, day of the vengeance of
God (Joel 2:2, 11; Isa. 63:4). While some of these prophetic utterances may have
referred to the judgment of God in history, their ultimate fulfillment will come in a
final act by which the world and its inhabitants will give account to God (cp. the
NT use of the ‘day of the Lord,’ 1 Thess. 5:1–9; 2 Pet. 3:10). The wrath of God is
not mentioned as frequently in the NT nor is there the richness of vocabulary that
is found in the OT. There are only two primary NT terms for wrath: thumos and
orge. Both are used to express a human passion and a divine attribute or action.
When used of human passion, wrath is repeatedly named in lists of sins that are to
be avoided, and if not, may incite God’s wrath (Eph. 4:31; 5:6; Col. 3:8; Titus 1:7).
Some have seen a distinction in meaning in these synonyms, the difference being
that thumos expresses a sudden outburst of anger whereas orge emphasizes more
deliberateness. There may be an intentional difference in occasional uses of the
terms, but this does not prevent both terms from being condemned as vices when
applied to human passion. In addition, both terms are used to describe the character
of God, particularly in the book of Revelation. A few times they are used together,
and in such cases it is orge that is translated ‘wrath,’ and thumos as ‘indignation’
or ‘fierceness’ (Rom. 2:8; Rev. 14:10). There is great emphasis in the NT placed
on the wrath of God as a future judgment. John the Baptist began his ministry by
announcing the wrath of God that is to come, from which men should flee (Matt.
3:8). Jesus, likewise, pronounced a wrath that is to come upon Israel and produce
great distress (Luke 21:23). Paul speaks of a day of wrath to come that awaits
some, but from which believers are to be delivered (Rom. 2:5; Eph. 2:3; 1 Thess.
2:10). The idea of a future wrath of God is unfolded on a large scale in Revelation.
It is described in very graphic terms, as cataclysmic upheavals in the universe
(Rev. 6:12–17), ‘the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty’ (Rev.
19:15 HCSB), and “the cup of His anger” (Rev. 14:10). In the NT the wrath of God
is not only a future judgment, it is a present reality. It does not merely await people
at the future judgment. Jesus stated that the wrath of God abides on unbelievers,
and consequently they stand presently condemned (John 3:18, 36). For Paul, God’s
wrath is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Rom. 1:18),
all people in their natural state are ‘children under wrath’ (Eph. 2:3 HCSB). The
doctrine of the wrath of God is unpopular in much modern theological discourse.
Some deny that there is ever anger with God. Others think of God’s wrath as an
impersonal moral cause-and-effect process that results in unpleasant consequences
for evil acts. Still others view God’s wrath as His anger against sin but not the
sinner. God’s wrath is real, severe, and personal. The idea that God is not angry
with sinners belongs neither to the OT nor to the NT. God is a personal moral
being who is unalterably opposed to evil and takes personal actions against it.
Wrath is the punitive righteousness of God by which He maintains His moral
order, which demands justice and retribution for injustice. Moreover, God’s wrath
is inextricably related to the doctrine of salvation. If there is no wrath, there is no
salvation. If God does not take action against sinners, there is no danger from
which sinners are to be saved. The good news of the gospel is that sinners who
justly deserve the wrath of God may be delivered from it. Through the atoning
death of Christ, God is propitiated and His anger is turned away from all those who
receive Christ (Rom. 3:24–25). Therefore, those who have faith in Christ’s blood
are no longer appointed to wrath but are delivered from it and appointed “to obtain
salvation” (1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9).”116
The book of Zephaniah also describes the God of Israel as the judge of all
mankind (Zeph. 2; 3:1-7). He has authority to judge since He is the creator. The
Scriptures teach of God’s status as judge (Psalm 75:7; cf. Psalm 50:6; 76:8-9;
Ecclesiastes 11:9; Isaiah 33:22; 66:16; 2 Timothy 4:8; Hebrews 12:23; James
4:12). God also decides disputes (Judges 11:27; cf. Genesis 16:5; 31:53; 1 Samuel
24:15; Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3; James 5:9). He presides in the heavenly court in the
third heaven (Isaiah 3:13; cf. Psalm 50:4; 82:1; Daniel 7:9-10; Joel 3:12;
Revelation 20:11-15). God is judge over the whole of creation. He judges the
inhabitants of the earth (Genesis 18:25; cf. Psalm 9:8; 58:11; 82:8; 94:2; 96:13;
98:9). God judges every individual (Ezekiel 33:20; cf. Ecclesiastes 3:17; Hebrews
9:27; 1 Peter 4:5; Jude 15; Revelation 20:12). He judges the nations (Joel 3:12; cf.
Psalm 9:19-20; 110:6; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 3:8). God judges rulers of nations
(Isaiah 40:23; Jeremiah 25:17-27; Revelation 6:15-17). He also judges His own
people in the sense that He disciplines them as His children (Hebrews 10:30; cf.
Deuteronomy 32:36; Psalm 78:62; Jeremiah 1:16; 1 Peter 4:17). God will judge the
fallen angels (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). He judges Satan (Genesis 3:14-15; Matthew
25:41; 1 Timothy 3:6; Revelation 20:10).
God’s judgment is inescapable in that no one can hide from Him (Obadiah 4; cf.
Genesis 3:8-9; Job 11:20; Jeremiah 11:11; Amos 9:1-4). He searches human hearts
(Jeremiah 17:10; cf. 1 Chronicles 28:9; Psalm 7:9; Proverbs 5:21; Jeremiah 11:20).
God reveals secrets (Romans 2:16; cf. Ecclesiastes 12:14; Jeremiah 16:17; 1
Corinthians 4:5; Hebrews 4:13).
116
Millikin, J. A. (2003). Wrath, Wrath of God. In (C. Brand, C. Draper, A. England, S. Bond, E. R. Clendenen, & T. C. Butler, Eds.) Holman
Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.

God judged the inhabitants of the antediluvian period by sending a world-wise
flood (Genesis 6:7, 13, 17; 7:21-23). He has judged individuals both believers and
unbelievers (Genesis 4:9-12 Cain; Acts 5:3-10 Ananias and Sapphira; Acts 13:8-11
Elymas the sorcerer). He judged families (Joshua 7:24-25 of Achan; 1 Samuel
3:12-13 of Eli). He has judged cities (Genesis 19:24-25 Sodom and Gomorrah;
Joshua 6:24 Jericho). He has judged nations (Deuteronomy 7:1-5 the Canaanite
nations). He has judged rulers of nations (2 Chronicles 26:16-21 Uzziah; Daniel
4:31-33 Nebuchadnezzar; Daniel 5:22-30 Belshazzar; Acts 12:22-23 Herod). God
judges His own people (Judges 2:11-15; 2 Chronicles 36:15-20; Isaiah 33:22).
God reveals His holy character through His righteous judgments. By judging
men and angels He reveals his sovereignty (Psalm 9:7; 96:10; 99:4; Ezekiel 6:14),
His power (Exodus 6:6; 14:31; Ezekiel 20:33-36; Revelation 18:8), His holiness
(Leviticus 10:1-3; 1 Samuel 6:19-20; Ezekiel 28:22; Revelation 16:5), His
righteous indignation (Nahum 1:2-3; Romans 2:5), His truth (Psalm 96:13;
Romans 2:2; Revelation 16:7), His impartiality (2 Chronicles 19:7; Romans 2:9-
11; Colossians 3:25; 1 Peter 1:17), His compassion (Lamentations 3:31-33; Hosea
11:8-9; John 3:10; 4:2), His patience (Numbers 14:18; Nehemiah 9:30; 2 Peter
3:9), and His mercy (Nehemiah 9:31; Job 9:15; Psalm 78:38; Micah 7:18).
God the Father has awarded power and authority over all creation and every
creature to the incarnate Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, because of His
substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross (Phil. 2:5-11). Because
the Lord Jesus Christ controls history as sovereign ruler of history, He has the
authority to conduct the following judgments and evaluations in the future. The
humanity of Christ in hypostatic union has been awarded the sovereign rulership
over the entire cosmos for His voluntary substitutionary spiritual death on the cross
and as a result has been awarded by God the Father the power and authority to
preside over and conduct the following judgments: (1) Bema Seat Evaluation:
Takes place at the Rapture of the Church and is the evaluation of the Church Age
believer’s life after salvation (Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 John
2:24). (2) Israel: Takes place at the Second Advent and is the removing
unregenerate Israel from the earth leaving only regenerate Israel to enter into the
Millennial reign of Christ (Ezek. 20:37-38; Zech. 13:8-9; Mal. 3:2-3, 5; Matt. 25:1-
30). (3) Gentiles: Takes place at the Second Advent and is for the purpose of
removing unregenerate, anti-Semitic Gentiles from the earth (Matt. 25:31-46). (4)
Fallen Angels: Takes place at the end of the appeal trial of Satan which runs co-
terminus with human history and is execution of Satan and the fallen angels
sentence for the pre-historic rebellion against God (1 Cor. 6:3; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6;
Rev. 20:10). (5) Great White Throne: Takes place at the end of human history and
is the judgment of all unregenerate humanity in human history for the rejection of
Christ as Savior (Rev. 20:11-15).
The following groups of regenerate human beings throughout human history
will be subjected to an eschatological compulsory evaluation that the victorious,
resurrected incarnate Son of God as Sovereign Ruler of the entire cosmos will
conduct: (1) OT saints in heaven who lived during the dispensation of the Gentiles
(Adam to the Exodus). (2) OT saints in heaven that lived during the dispensation of
Israel (Exodus to 1st Advent). (3) All Church Age believers (Day of Pentecost to
the Rapture). (4) Regenerate Jews who will live during the Tribulation (Post-
Rapture to the Second Advent). (5) Regenerate Gentiles who will live during the
Tribulation (Post-Rapture to the Second Advent). (6) Regenerate Jews and Gentiles
who will live during the Millennial reign of Christ (Second Advent to Gog and
Magog Rebellion).
The following groups of unregenerate human beings throughout human history
will be subjected to an eschatological compulsory judgment that the resurrected
incarnate Son of God as Sovereign Ruler of the entire cosmos will conduct: (1)
Unbelievers who lived during the dispensation of the Gentiles (Adam to the
Exodus). (2) Unbelievers who lived during the dispensation of the Jews (Exodus to
the 1st Advent). (3) Unbelievers who lived during the Church Age (Day of
Pentecost to Rapture). (4) Unbelievers who lived during the Tribulation (Post-
Rapture to Second Advent). (5) Unbelievers who lived during the Millennium
(Second Advent to Gog Rebellion).
All fallen angels including Satan himself have already been subjected to a
judgment before human history but the execution of that sentence has been delayed
because the Supreme Court of Heaven granted Satan and the fallen angels an
appeal trial, which runs co-terminus with human history. The elect angels do not
come under judgment for the very same reason that regenerate human beings don’t
come under judgment because they have exercised personal faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ for salvation.
Every regenerate human being in every dispensation of human history must at
some point in the future submit to an evaluation of their lives after salvation which
will be conducted by the resurrected and sovereign humanity of Christ in
hypostatic union.
Regenerate Israel who lived during the Age of Israel and Tribulation period will
evaluated at the Second Advent (Ezek. 20:37-38; Zech. 13:8-9; Mal. 3:2-3, 5; Matt.
25:1-30). Regenerate Gentiles who lived during the Age of the Gentiles and
Tribulation period will be evaluated at the Second Advent (Matt. 25:31-46).
Church Age believers will be evaluated at the Bema Seat Evaluation of Christ
(Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:11-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 John 2:24). Regenerate Jews and
Gentiles who lived during the Millennium will be subjected to a judgment at the
conclusion of human history (Rev. 20:15).

Every unregenerate human being in every dispensation of human history must
submit to a judgment, which will also be conducted by the resurrected and
sovereign incarnate Son of God at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-
15).
Every fallen angel has already been judged and sentenced to the Lake of Fire by
the Supreme Court of Heaven before human history. The execution of that
sentence will not be carried out until the conclusion of the appeal trial of Satan and
the fallen angels (Rev. 20:10).
King writes “Yet another aspect of the day of the Lord, related to the previous
one, is that it brings the outpouring of Yahweh’s judgment. This is both a universal
judgment and a localized or specific judgment. In other words, it has both
macrocosmic and microcosmic elements. The phrase ‘from the face of the earth,’
which is strategically placed as an inclusio in 1:2–3, underscores the theme of
universal judgment at the outset of the book. Ball has observed that this ‘exact
phrase is found thirteen times in the MT, all but one involving punishment.’ 117
Twice it is used in the Flood narrative when Yahweh declared His intentions to
blot out humans and animals ‘from the face of the earth’ (Gen. 6:7; 7:4). By using
this phrase in the context of judgment, Zephaniah raised the specter of a
destruction along the lines of the Flood, but he added that judgment on the day of
the Lord will surpass even the Flood in its totality. According to Zephaniah 1:3, no
living creature will be spared punishment, whether human, animal, fish, or fowl.
This presents a contrast with the Flood for in that event fish were not destroyed
(Gen. 7:21–23). Thus the judgment on the day of the Lord will be the most
complete ever experienced. The full extent of this judgment is understood only
when it is realized that it is the undoing or ‘reversal of creation.’ 118 The original
order of creation was fish, birds, animals, and humans (Gen. 1:20–24, 27). This
order is almost completely reversed in Zephaniah. Zephaniah was stressing that
just as Yahweh was active in the creation of animate life, so on His day He will be
active in its “decreation,” its removal from the earth. Yahweh’s destruction ‘will be
just as bleak as his creating was abundant.’119 Though Zephaniah declared that the
day of the Lord will bring about destruction on all animate life, he emphasized in
several ways its judgment on people, who are the primary recipients of Yahweh’s
punishment. First, in Zephaniah 1:3 humans are twice specified as the object of
God’s punishment, while the other creatures are referred to only once. Moreover,
in verse 3 the verb ‘to cut off’ (‫)כ ַָּרת‬, which denotes the judgment on human beings,
is a strong term ‘used at times in the technical sense of carrying out the death
117
Ivan J. Ball, A Rhetorical Study of Zephaniah (Berkeley, CA: Bibal, 1988), 46.
118
This is the term of M. DeRoche, “Zephaniah 1:2, 3: The ‘Sweeping’ of Creation,” Vetus Testamentum 30 (1979): 106.
119
Ibid., 107.

penalty (cf. Ex. 31:14; Lv. 20:3–6).’120 Also the succeeding verses and chapters
elaborate on the judgment on humans, applying it to specific groups of people. The
microcosmic dimensions of judgment are demonstrated with the singling out of the
nation of Judah in Zephaniah 1:4–13 and some of the surrounding nations in
chapter 2. But why this judgment on the day of the Lord? The statement, ‘because
they have sinned against Yahweh’ (1:17), does double duty, supplying the general
reason for the coming judgment and also indicating that Yahweh is not capricious
or arbitrary in sending it. Rather, this punishment is a result of and in response to
human choices. Zephaniah mentioned several sins that invite judgment on the day
of the Lord. One such sin is the lack of social justice. This mistreatment of others,
a prominent theme in the prophetic books, is mentioned several times by
Zephaniah. Some people were said to ‘fill the house of their lord with violence and
treachery’ (1:9). It is uncertain whether this ‘house’ is the temple of Yahweh, a
pagan temple, or the king’s palace. But wherever it is, some heinous conduct was
transpiring there for, as Haag notes, ‘violence’ (‫ ) ָחמָס‬signifies primarily the
oppression of the poor and humble. More specifically, it connotes ‘cold-blooded
and unscrupulous infringement of the personal rights of others, motivated by greed
and hate and often making use of violence and brutality.’ 121 In 3:1 Jerusalem is
labeled as a “defiled” and “oppressing” city. “Defiled” (‫ )נִגְָאלָה‬is used in Isaiah
59:3 of hands stained with blood because of social injustice. Oppressing (‫ )יֹונָה‬is a
participle implying mistreatment of the poor and needy (Ezek. 18:12). When these
words are used in tandem to describe Jerusalem, they suggest that tyrannical and
unjust abuses of power were being practiced. The citizens of Jerusalem were
defiant of Yahweh (Zeph. 3:2) and despotic to humanity. That the poor were being
mistreated comes as no surprise because the judges, who should have been
defending the rights of the oppressed, were instead joining in the despotism. The
judges were like ‘evening wolves, who have no strength in the morning’ (3:3).
Writers disagree on the meaning of this metaphor. A plausible explanation is that
these judges were exhausting all their energies by preying on those whose rights
they were supposed to protect, and they were doing it so thoroughly that they had
no strength left for the morning, when justice should have been dispensed (3:5; Jer.
21:12). Not surprisingly, these actions garnered the censure of Yahweh, for He
does no injustice at all (Zeph. 3:5). In fact He works to counter the actions of
wicked judges by bringing His justice to light every morning (v. 5). Perhaps these
corrupt judges had forgotten that Yahweh is the Defender of the rights of the poor
and needy (Ps. 109:31). Such a dearth of social justice prompts a severe judgment
on the day of the Lord. Another sin inviting Yahweh’s judgments on His day is
self-aggrandizement, attempting to magnify oneself at the expense of Yahweh or
120
Baker, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, 91.
121
. Haag, “‫ ָחמָס‬,” in Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, 4 (1980): 482.

His people. The Moabites and Ammonites reproached Judah and made boasts
against it (2:8). Unfortunately for Moab and Ammon, the people whom they
taunted and boasted over in an attempt to shame and disgrace them are no ordinary
people. They are Yahweh’s people who enjoy a special relationship with Him.
Interestingly, before 2:8, the prophet did not use a possessive pronoun or divine
title to indicate any special relationship between Yahweh and His people, but now
he did so with relish. Five times in three verses Zephaniah underscored this special
relationship (“My people,” vv. 8–9; “Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel,” v. 9;
“my nation,” v. 9; “the people of Yahweh of hosts,” v. 10). This special
relationship makes Moab and Ammon’s taunting remarks and boastful attitude
particularly abhorrent. They reviled the people of Yahweh, and by extension,
Yahweh Himself. Zephaniah so closely identified Israel with Yahweh that a sin
against the former was an offense against the latter. As Szeles observes, ‘Since
Yahweh entitles himself ‘God of Israel,’ he reveals that when hurt touches his
people, it touches him too.’122 Because Moab and Ammon attempted to disgrace
Yahweh’s people, the Lord in turn will disgrace them on His day. Nineveh’s self-
aggrandizement was discussed in the preceding section. Its claim to lordship
incited the punishment of Yahweh. Its pompous, blasphemous pronouncement, “I
am, and there is none besides me” (2:15), will result in its becoming a spectacular
ruin on Yahweh’s day. This judgmental aspect of the day of the Lord emphasizes
that it is a time of universal accountability. As 3:8 indicates, Yahweh will summon
all the nations of the world to a grand assize where He will sit as the arbiter.
Everyone will be held accountable for his or her actions. On His day Yahweh will
execute judgment on those who have violated His principles of justice and those
who have magnified themselves against Him. Zephaniah stressed that this
judgment will expose the inadequacy of any earthly protection or security on the
day of the Lord. The powerful warrior (1:14) will not be able to withstand the
judgment of that day. The mighty soldier may have shown exemplary courage in
the past. Perhaps he has never been frightened in his life. But on that day he will
cry out bitterly in view of his impotence and his imminent defeat. The fortified
cities are perhaps thought invincible by their inhabitants, and the corner towers are
the most impregnable parts of these fortresses (1:16). Yet these two objects are
singled out as targets for judgment on the day of the Lord. What is most defensible
from a human point of view is rendered defenseless before the onslaught of
Yahweh’s wrath. People might think their silver and gold (1:18) will render them
immune from misfortune. Even if they face an enemy army, their wealth could be
used to pay tribute, thus buying off the enemy. But Zephaniah wrote that silver and
gold will be totally powerless to bring about deliverance on that day. Human
122
Maria Eszenyei Szeles, Wrath and Mercy: A Commentary on the Books of Hakakkuk and Zephaniah, International Theological Commentary
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 96.

strength, human structures, and human resources will all prove futile to shield
anyone from Yahweh’s judgment on His day. This fact suggests that if anyone is to
be delivered or saved, it will be by divine intervention, an act of Yahweh’s mercy
and grace. No one will be able to avoid the judgment bar of Yahweh on His day. If
some might think they can hide from the judgment, Yahweh announced, “I will
search” (1:12). And if any think the darkness will enshroud them, thereby enabling
them to avoid the search, Yahweh expressed His intention to use lamps. Indeed the
day of Yahweh is a day of inescapable, universal judgment.”123
The book of Zephaniah also addresses the subjects of pride and humility (Zeph.
2:3, 10; 3:11). In the Scriptures, pride is a great evil because it involves pretending
to a greatness and glory that belongs rightly to God alone. It is condemned as evil
(1 Samuel 15:23; Proverbs 21:4; James 4:16; cf. Mark 7:22-23; Romans 1:29-30; 2
Corinthians 12:20; 2 Timothy 3:1-2; 1 John 2:16). It is a characteristic of Satan
(Ezekiel 28:2; 1 Timothy 3:6; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:4, the antichrist)
There are warnings about pride in the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 16:5, 18; cf.
Proverbs 3:7, 34; 6:16-17; 11:2; 25:6-7, 27; 26:12; 27:1; 29:23) as well as
elsewhere in Scripture (Psalm 119:21; cf. Leviticus 26:19). God is said to be
opposed to the proud (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34).
Arrogance is an attitude of the heart (Mark 7:21-22; cf. Job 35:12; Psalm 10:2-
11; 73:3-12; 86:14; 94:3-7; Malachi 3:15; Romans 1:28-31). It arises from self-
confidence (Isaiah 9:9-10; Daniel 4:29-30; Revelation 18:7; cf. Exodus 15:9; 1
Kings 20:11; 2 Kings 14:10; 2 Chronicles 25:19; Isaiah 28:15; Ezekiel 16:49;
Hosea 12:8; Habakkuk 2:4-5; Luke 18:9; Acts 8:9-10; 2 Peter 2:10-12). Arrogance
expresses itself in words (Psalm 17:10; 119:51; James 3:5; cf. 1 Samuel 2:3; Psalm
31:18; 119:69; 123:4; Proverbs 17:7; 21:24; Jeremiah 43:1-2). Arrogance is
essentially rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 1:43; 1 Samuel 15:23; cf.
Nehemiah 9:16-17,29; Job 36:8-9; Psalm 5:5; 119:85; Hosea 5:4-5; 7:10;
Zephaniah 3:1-4). It may even be found in the church (2 Corinthians 12:20; cf. 1
Corinthians 4:18; 1 Timothy 6:17). The Christian should reject arrogance
(Proverbs 8:13; Jeremiah 9:23-24; cf. Jeremiah 13:15; Romans 11:20; 1
Corinthians 1:28-31; 4:7; 13:4; Ephesians 2:8-9). God punishes the arrogant
whether they are a believer or a non-believer (Isaiah 2:17-18; Exodus 18:11; 1
Samuel 15:23).
On the other hand, humility is viewing ourselves from God’s perspective
meaning we are sinners saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ and
expresses itself in obedience to the Father’s will, which manifests itself in loving
and serving others. It expresses itself in putting others ahead of yourself. The
people of Judah in the prophet Zephaniah’s day had a distorted view of themselves
123

and were not viewing themselves from God’s perspective which is that they were
creatures of God and subordinate to Him.
Humility is the antithesis to arrogance. It is a mental attitude. Humility is
characterized by obedience to the will of God. The humble believer will imitate the
Lord Jesus Christ’s servant mentality and as a result perform acts of service for
both God and man. Christian service demands humility, which is the antithesis to
arrogance. The people of Judah in the prophet Zephaniah’s day did not have a
servant’s mentality but rather were rebellious and were disobedient to the will of
God which forbids idolatry. Romans 2:14-15 teaches that every human being
including the Jews of Zephaniah’s day knew inherently that they were wrong for
worshipping images and false gods since this passage teaches that every human
being has inherently the Ten Commandments in their soul.
God commands humility (Micah 6:8; James 4:10; 1 Peter 3:8; cf. Exodus 10:3;
Proverbs 16:19; Isaiah 57:15; 58:5; Zephaniah 2:3; Luke 14:9-11; Romans 12:3; 1
Corinthians 1:28; Ephesian 4:2; Colossians 3:12; Titus 3:2; James 3:13; 1 Peter
5:5). He promotes the humble (Luke 1:52; cf. 2 Samuel 7:8; 1 Kings 14:7).
Believers should humble themselves before God (2 Chronicles 7:14; 1 Peter
5:6; cf. 2 Samuel 22:28). Humility is linked with repentance (1 Kings 21:29; 2
Kings 22:19; 2 Chronicles 12:6-7, 12; 30:11; 33:12,19; 34:27). Humility is also
linked with God’s favor (Psalm 18:27; 25:9; 138:6; 147:6; 149:4; Proverbs 3:34;
18:12; James 4:6; Isaiah 29:19; 38:15; 57:15; Proverbs 15:33; 22:4; Psalm 35:13;
Jeremiah 44:10). A lack of humility is the direct result of disobedience.
God humbles His people to renew and restore them (Psalm 44:9; cf. Leviticus
26:41; Deuteronomy 8:2, 16; 1 Kings 11:39; 2 Chronicles 28:19; Psalm 107:39;
Isaiah 9:1; 2 Corinthians 12:21). He humbles the proud (Luke 18:14; cf. 1 Samuel
2:7; Isaiah 2:11,17; 5:15; 13:11; 23:9; 25:11; 26:5; Daniel 4:37). In the book of
Zephaniah, we see God announcing that He will humble the people of Judah in
Zephaniah’s day which He accomplished through Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian
army.
There are many outstanding examples of humble people in the Bible (Genesis
32:10 Jacob; Genesis 41:16 Joseph; Numbers 12:3 Moses; 1 Samuel 9:21 Saul; 1
Samuel 18:18; 2 Samuel 7:18 David; 1 Kings 3:7 Solomon; Daniel 2:30 Daniel;
Matthew 3:14 John the Baptist; Luke 1:43 Elizabeth; Luke 1:48 Mary, the mother
of Jesus Christ; Paul: 1 Timothy 1:15; Acts 20:19).
There is also of course the example of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5-8; cf. Isaiah
53:3-5,7-8; Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:5; John 12:15; Matthew 11:29; 20:28; Luke
22:26-27; John 13:4; 2 Corinthians 8:9).
Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the
humble is wisdom. (NASB95)

Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, and
before honor comes humility. (NASB95)
Proverbs 18:12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, but
humility goes before honor. (NASB95)
Matthew 23:10-12 “And do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader,
that is, Christ. 11 But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And
whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall
be exalted.” (NASB95)
Humility is subordinating ones’ self interest to the best interests of others. The
incarnate Son of God Jesus Christ became a human being and died a
substitutionary spiritual and physical death on the cross in the interests of sinful
humanity (John 13:1-17). Humility is expressed by the believer who regards his
fellow believer more highly than himself and subordinates his interests to the best
interests of his fellow believer (Philippians 2:3-4).
When a believer regards his fellow believer more highly than himself he is
imitating the humility of the Lord Jesus Christ who subordinated His interests to
the best interests of sinners. If Christ subordinated His interests to the best interests
of all believers by becoming a human being and dying a substitutionary spiritual
and physical death on the cross, then the Christian is obligated to operate this way
towards his fellow believer. The believer, who regards his fellow believer more
highly than himself and thus subordinates his interests to the best interests of his
fellow believer is not only humble but also has a servant’s mentality.
Paul’s statement in Romans 15:17 reveals that he possessed a humble servant’s
mentality as his Savior did.
Romans 15:17 Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting
in things pertaining to God. 18 For I will not presume to speak of anything
except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience
of the Gentiles by word and deed, 19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the
power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as
Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. (NASB95)
The humility of Paul as expressed in Romans 15:14-19 was demonstrated by
the fact that he recognized that he depended upon who and what God is and what
He had provided for him to execute His will.
True humility recognizes that we are nothing in ourselves but we are significant
based upon who and what God is and our union with Christ. Our service as
Christians is significant and important not because of who we are but rather it is
significant and important because it is the Father’s will that we serve Him and
others. True humility recognizes that success in ministry is dependent upon God’s
message and His power to effect the conversion of sinners and the transformation
of their character to Christ-likeness. True humility as demonstrated in the life of
the apostle Paul recognizes that we are nothing but instruments in the hands of
Almighty God. Paul’s statement is echoed throughout his writings and found in the
book of Acts as well and his epistles (Acts 15:1-12; 21:18-19; 2 Corinthians 3:1-7;
Galatians 2:1-8).
Another theological subject mentioned in the book of Zephaniah is idolatry
(Zeph. 1:5-6). The Scripture teaches that Satan and the kingdom of darkness are
behind the idolatry and the worship of the false gods in the world. Therefore,
unregenerate members of the human race were worshipping demons by
worshipping the various gods and practicing idolatry.
Deuteronomy 32:17 and 1 Corinthians 10:20 teach that the worship of idols is
connected to the worship of demons since the sacrificing to idols is in reality
sacrificing to demons who promote the worship of idols. Idolatry is the worship of
something created as opposed to the worship of the Creator Himself.
Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (NASB95)
Exodus 20:23 “You shall not make other gods besides Me; gods of silver or
gods of gold, you shall not make for yourselves.” (NASB95)
Idolatry is not only the giving to any creature or human creation the honor or
devotion, which belongs to God alone, but also is putting anything ahead of your
relationship with God and which would prevent you from doing His will (1 Cor
10:14; Gal 5:20; Col 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3).
Ultimately in the New Testament idolatry came to mean, not only the giving to
any creature or human creation the honor or devotion which belonged to God
alone, but the giving to any human desire a precedence over God's will (1 Cor
10:14; Gal 5:20; Col 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3). The idolatry of the Egyptians is an
expression of their total depravity.
The book of Zephaniah also speaks of God’s grace and mercy in Zephaniah
3:12-20 since this passage reveals that God will restore Israel to her land and her
Messiah will dwell within her.
Grace is all that God is free to do in imparting unmerited blessings to those who
trust in Jesus Christ as Savior based upon the merits of Christ and His death on the
Cross. It is God treating us in a manner that we don’t deserve and excludes any
human works in order to acquire eternal salvation or blessing from God.
Grace means that God saved us and blessed us despite ourselves and not
according to anything that we do but rather saved us and blessed us because of the
merits of Christ and His work on the Cross. It excludes any human merit in
salvation and blessing (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) and gives the Creator all the credit
and the creature none.
By means of faith, we accept the grace of God, which is a non-meritorious
system of perception, which is in total accord with the grace of God. Grace and
faith are totally compatible with each other and inseparable (1 Tim. 1:14) and
complement one another (Rom. 4:16; Eph. 2:8). Grace, faith and salvation are all
the gift of God and totally exclude all human works and ability (Eph. 2:8-9).
Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds, which we have done in
righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and
renewing by the Holy Spirit. (NASB95)
The unique Person of the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross-
is the source of grace (2 Cor. 8:9) and He is a gift from the Father (2 Cor. 9:15).
Jesus Christ was full of “grace and truth” (John 1:17) and the believer receives
the grace of God through Him (John 1:16). It is by the grace of God that Jesus
Christ died a substitutionary spiritual death for all mankind (Heb. 2:9). Therefore,
the throne in which Christ sits is a “throne of grace” (Heb. 4:16).
The grace of God has been extended to every member of the human race
because of the act of love and justice on the Cross. At the Cross, the Father
imputed the sins of every person in history-past, present and future to the
impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union on the Cross and judged Him as
a substitute for the entire human race (Titus 2:11).
The message of God’s saving act in Christ is described as the “gospel of the
grace of God” (Acts 20:24), and the “word of His grace” (Acts 20:32; cf. 14:3).
By His grace, God justifies the undeserving and unworthy through faith in His Son
Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24). Grace is an absolute and is no longer grace if we are
saved on the basis of human works (Rom. 11:6).
Ephesians 1:3-14 teaches that believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are the
recipients of three categories of grace: (1) “Antecedent” grace: The Father’s work
in eternity past. (2) “Living” grace: Our spiritual life and its accompanying
invisible assets. (3) “Eschatological” grace: Resurrection bodies and our eternal
inheritance.
Therefore, since God has dealt graciously with the believer, the believer is in
turn commanded to be gracious with all members of the human race, both believers
and unbelievers (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13; 4:6; 1 Thess. 3:12).
A Christian is someone who is a “partaker” of the grace of God (Phil. 1:7) and
he is to live by the same principle of grace after salvation (Col. 2:6; Rom. 6:4).
Grace is the Christian’s sphere of existence (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; Col. 1:2). The
believer who rejects this principle is said to have “fallen from grace,” (Gal. 5:1-
5).
God in His grace and love disciplines the believer in order to get the believer
back in fellowship with Himself (Heb. 12:5-12). He also trains the believer through
undeserved suffering in order to achieve spiritual growth (2 Cor. 12:7-11).
The believer is commanded to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). The believer experiences the grace of God while in
fellowship with God, which is accomplished by obedience to the Word of God.
God in His grace has given the believer the ability to learn and apply bible doctrine
through the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in order to achieve spiritual maturity
(Jn. 16:13-15; 1 Cor. 2:9-16).
God in His grace has provided the church with the spiritual gift of pastor-
teacher to communicate the mystery doctrine for the church age, which produces
spiritual growth (Eph. 3:1-5; 4:8-12, 16). The Christian life from beginning to end
is built upon God's policy of grace (2 Cor. 6:1-9; Rom. 5:2; John 1:16).
The grace of God has been manifested and revealed to the entire human race in
time through the following: (1) Unique Theanthropic Person of Jesus Christ (2)
Salvation work of Christ on the Cross (3) Word of God (4) Holy Spirit’s various
salvation and post-conversion ministries.
God the Father according to His grace policy has provided the unbeliever the
spiritual gift of evangelism and the royal ambassadorship of believers as the
vehicles that God the Holy Spirit employs to communicate the Gospel of Jesus
Christ for their salvation (Jn. 16:7-11; Eph. 4:11; 2 Cor. 5:17-21).
God the Father according to His grace policy has provided the believer with the
spiritual gift of pastor-teacher as the vehicle, which the Holy Spirit employs to
communicate the Word of God, which produces spiritual growth (Eph. 3:1-5; 4:8-
12, 16).
God the Father according to His grace policy has provided the human race the
Word of God and the Spirit of God, which reveal His plan from eternity past
(Word: 2 Pet. 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:15-16; Spirit: Jn. 16:13-15; 1 Cor. 2:9-16).
In relation to the unbeliever, God the Father’s gracious provision of salvation
based upon faith in the merits of the Person and Work of Christ on the Cross-is
revealed by the Holy Spirit through the communication of the Gospel. In relation
to the believer, the Holy Spirit through the communication of the Word of God
reveals all the benefits of God the Father’s gracious provision for their salvation.
The Spirit of God through the communication of the Word of God reveals all
that the Father has graciously done and provided for the believer to do His will.
Therefore, we learn about the grace of God by listening to the Spirit’s voice, which
is heard through the communication of the Word of God (Colossians 1:3-6).
The Word of God informs the believer of all that God the Father has provided
for the believer through Person, Work and Life of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy
Spirit reveals the will of the Father through the communication of the Word of God
(Acts 21:11; 28:25; 1 Cor. 12:3; 1 Tim. 4:1; Heb. 3:7; Rev. 2:7, 11, 17; 3:6, 13,
22).
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is not only His impeccable unique Person
and Work on the Cross but also it is the gift of His Words, His thoughts as
communicated to the believer by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:16).

The Spirit does not operate independently from the Word of God when He is
actively working on behalf of the believer (John 16:13-15). God the Holy Spirit in
common grace makes the Gospel message understandable to the unbeliever (John
16:7-11; 1 Cor. 2:10-15). God in His grace has to seek after spiritually dead human
beings who have no ability to seek Him (Rom. 3:11; 5:6-11; Eph. 2:1-5).
In the Greek New Testament, the term charis is used in the expression “grace
and peace” that appears in the introduction to his epistles (Phil. 1:2; Rom. 1:7).
In Philippians 1:2 and Romans 1:7, charis, “grace” refers to the revelation of
the blessings and benefits given to the believer at the moment of salvation, and
which blessings and benefits are imparted by the Holy Spirit through the
communication of the Word of God, which is the mind of Christ.
These blessings and benefits would include the revelation of the following: (1)
character of God and the Lord Jesus Christ; (2) blessings effected by the work of
the Trinity; (3) will of the Father; (4) provisions to perform the Father’s will, (5)
rewards for executing the Father’s will.
The impartation of these blessings to the believer pivots off his obedience to the
will of the Father. Both the believer and the unbeliever “learn” of the grace of God
(i.e. His unmerited favor) by “listening” to the voice of the Spirit, which is heard
through the communication of the Word of God.
The unbeliever receives the grace of God at the moment of salvation by obeying
the voice of the Spirit, which is heard by the unbeliever through the
communication of the Gospel for salvation by an evangelist or a believer operating
under his royal ambassadorship.
The believer receives the grace of God by obeying the voice of the Spirit who
speaks to the believer regarding the will of the Father through the communication
of the Word of God by the believer’s divinely ordained pastor-teacher, or fellow-
believer. The Holy Spirit reveals the Word of God to the believer making it
understandable to the believer since the Word of God is spiritual phenomena (Jn.
16:13-15; 1 Cor. 2:10-16).
The human race would have no knowledge of who and what God is, what He
has graciously done for the human race through the death, resurrection, ascension
and session of Jesus Christ if it were not for the Spirit of God. He inspired the
Scriptures, which reveals these things and who speaks to humanity through the
communication of the Word of God. Nor would the human race know the extent to
which and manner in which God has loved the entire human race if it were not for
the Spirit of God inspiring the Scripture which reveals these things and who speaks
to humanity through the communication of the Word of God.
Believers would not know the deliverance that they can experience in time from
Satan, his cosmic system and the old sin nature if it were not for the Spirit
revealing through the communication of the Word of God the will of the Father
and what the Father did on their behalf through Christ’s death and resurrection,
ascension and session. They would know nothing of the fantastic future that the
believer has if it were not for the Spirit revealing it to the believer through the
communication of the Word of God (1 Cor. 2). The believer could not experience
fellowship with God if it were not for the Spirit and the Word.
The believer is able to experience a relationship with His Master, the Lord Jesus
Christ by obeying the Spirit’s voice, which is heard through the communication of
the Word of God. The believer experiences the blessings of having the character of
Christ reproduced in their lives by obeying the Spirit’s revelation of the Father’s
will, which is accomplished through the communication of the Word of God.
Obedience to the Father’s will as it is revealed by the Holy Spirit through the
communication of the Word of God in turn enables the Holy Spirit to reproduce
the life and character of Christ in the believer, which is the Father’s will for the
believer from eternity past.
God the Father is the author of the salvation plan of God for sinful mankind that
is based upon His grace policy and is executed by God the Son and revealed by the
Holy Spirit.
The attributes of each member of the Trinity are involved in grace in that the
grace of God is expressed through the harmonious function of all God’s divine
attributes in relation to both men and angels.
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are co-equal, co-infinite
and co-eternal and all with the same divine essence. God is not only a unity of
three Persons, all with same divine essence but also the essence of God is a unity
of invisible attributes, never working independently of each other. If they did work
independently of each other, this would corrupt the integrity of the divine essence.
Each of the divine attributes has a role to play in man’s salvation. Grace
involves the attributes of each member of the Trinity providing in imparting
unmerited blessings to the believer at the moment of salvation without
compromising the divine integrity. They are also involved in providing the
unbeliever the opportunity to receive these unmerited blessings by exposing them
to the Gospel of grace.
Grace is God giving of Himself (His holiness) in order to benefit all mankind.
Grace is the sum total of unmerited benefits, both temporal and spiritual, imparted
to the sinner through the harmonious function of the sum total of divine attributes
of each member of the Trinity as a result of the sinner making the non-meritorious
decision to trust in the Person and Work of Christ on the Cross. This is why John
writes the following: John 1:16, For of His fullness we have all received, and
grace upon grace. (NASB95)
God’s love is “merciful” meaning that God is compassionate towards His
enemies and pardons them (Eph. 2:1-7). Ephesians 2:1-7 teaches us that God’s
attribute of love causes Him to be “merciful” meaning that God is compassionate
towards His enemies and pardons them when they believe in Jesus Christ.
Mercy is God acting upon His policy of grace and withholding judgment. The
mercy of God is a manifestation of Who God is and is thus helps to compose His
glory (Ex. 34:7; Ps. 86:15; 119:156; 145:8; James 5:11). David acknowledged and
expressed in his song that God had been merciful to him (Ps. 30:1-3; Ps. 86:15;
103:1-14). The Lord Jesus Christ perfectly manifested the mercy and compassion
of God since He is the love of God incarnate who manifested perfectly the
character and nature of God, and thus has explained the love of God (cf. Jn. 1:18).
The mercy of God as an expression of the love of God was manifested perfectly
to the entire human race through the Father’s sacrifice of His Son at the cross of
Calvary and the Son’s willingness to be that sacrifice.
The Lord Jesus Christ revealed the love of God through His mercy and
compassion towards members of the human race during His First Advent (Mt.
9:27, 36; 14:14; 15:22, 32; 17:15; 20:30-31, 34; 23:37; Mk. 1:41; 5:19; 6:34; 8:2;
10:47-48; Lk. 7:13; 10:33; 15:20; 17:13; 18:38-39; Lk. 7:13; Jn. 11:35).
The mercy of God is related to the believer’s salvation since God saved us on
the basis of His mercy and not on the basis of human merit or actions (Tit. 3:5).
God has been merciful to all believers in that He sent His Son to the cross while we
were yet sinners (Romans 5:6-8).
In Luke 6:35-36, the Lord taught His disciples to imitate the Father in being
compassionate towards their enemies.
Mercy and compassion are chief tenants of the royal family honor code
(Matthew 5:7; Jn. 15:9-13; Rm. 12:8; 12:1; 12:9-16; 15:1-2; Ga. 6:2; Eph. 4:30-32;
Col. 3:12-14; Jam. 2:8; 1 Jn. 4:16-18; Jude 22).
Another critical doctrine found in the book of Zephaniah is that of the remnant
which speaks of a remainder of righteous people of God who survive judgment or
catastrophe.
Fruchtenbaum writes “The doctrine of the remnant means that, within the
Jewish nation as a whole, there are always some who believe and all those who
believe among Israel comprise the Remnant of Israel. The remnant at any point of
history may be large or small but there is never a time when it is non-existent. Only
believers comprise the remnant, but not all believers are part of the remnant for the
remnant is a Jewish remnant and is, therefore, comprised of Jewish believers.
Furthermore, the remnant is always part of the nation as a whole and not detached
from the nation as a separate entity. The remnant is distinct, but distinct within the
nation.”124
In the Old Testament, in relation to the nation of Israel, a “remnant” referred to
a small percentage of the population of the nation of Israel who survived divine
124
Fruchtenbaum, A. G. (1994). Israelology: the missing link in systematic theology (Rev. ed., p. 601). Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries.

judgment in the form of the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions and deportations.
The concept has its roots in Deuteronomy 4:27-31; 28:62-68; 30:1-10. In these
passages, Moses warns Israel that they would be dispersed throughout the nations
for their disobedience but would be brought back to the land based upon God’s
grace and covenantal faithfulness. The prophets subsequent to Moses continued
this doctrine when teaching the nation of Israel during the time each lived.
The Septuagint uses the noun leimma of a remnant in Israel during the days of
King Hezekiah when Sennacherib invaded Israel and threatened to destroy
Jerusalem (2 Kings 18:13-2 Kings 19:37). The prophet Jeremiah uses the word
often of the remnant in his day (Jeremiah 40:11, 15; 41:10, 16; 42:2, 15, 19; 43:5;
44:7, 12, 14, 28; 44:28; 47:4, 5; 50:20). In Jeremiah 42:2 and 50:20 the remnant
refers to those Israelites returning from the Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah uses the
remnant of those Israelites who will experience the millennial reign of Christ
(Jeremiah 23:3; 31:7).
Zechariah also speaks of a remnant of Israelites during the millennial reign of
Christ (Zechariah 8:6, 11, 12). The prophet Micah also speaks of a future remnant
of Israelites during the millennium (Micah 2:12; 4:7; 5:7-8; 7:18) and so does
Zephaniah (2:7, 9, 3:13).
The remnant doctrine appears in the writings of Isaiah (Isaiah 10:20-22; 11:11,
16; 15:9; 16:14; 17:3; 28:5; 37:4, 31, 32; 46:3). It is used in Nehemiah (1:3) and in
the writings of Ezra of the returning Israelites from Babylon (Ezra 9:8, 13, 14, 15).
Haggai speaks of this remnant that returned from Babylon (1:12, 14; 2:2).
Paul mentions this remnant doctrine in Romans 9:6 and then develops it further
in Romans 9:27-29. In Romans 9:6, he taught that the nation of Israel’s rejection of
Jesus of Nazareth does not imply that God promises to the nation have been
nullified because those who descended in a racial sense from Israel, aka Jacob are
never considered by God to be spiritual Israel.
Romans 9:6 Now, this does not by any means imply that the word
originating from God is nullified because each and every person who
descended from Israel, these are, as an eternal spiritual truth, by no means,
Israel. (Author’s translation)
In Romans 9:27-33, Paul instructs his readers that the prophets of Israel had
foretold this rebellion against the Lord and that only a remnant would be delivered
from eternal condemnation in the lake of fire. That a remnant has always been
preserved by God in Israel is demonstrated during the church age where only a
small percentage of Jews have trusted in Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah. There will
only be a remnant that will be saved during Daniel’s Seventieth Week and at the
Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, in Romans 9:27-33, Paul continues to demonstrate his premise in
Romans 9:6. Romans 9:27-33 reconciles the promises of God to Israel with the
small number of Jewish Christians and serves to substantiate the premise found in
Romans 9:6. So the doctrine of the remnant taught by Paul in Romans 9:27-29
serves to support his premise in Romans 9:6. By doing this Paul is actually
defending his gospel since its failure to attract the majority of Jews in his day to
trust in Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah was undoubtedly used to discredit it.
Just as Israel was at fault in the past for rejecting her prophets sent to her by
God, so during Paul’s day Israel was at fault for rejecting the greatest of her
prophets, Jesus of Nazareth as well as Paul’s gospel.
In Romans 9:27, Paul cites Isaiah 10:22 to teach that only a remnant of Jews
throughout history will be saved, which supports his premise in Romans 9:6 that
not all racial Israel is considered by God to be spiritual Israel, children of the
promise and spiritual descendants of Abraham.
Romans 9:27 However, Isaiah cries out over Israel, “Though the number
which is the posterity descended from Israel is like the sand, which is by the
sea only the remnant will be delivered.” (Author’s translation)
Then, in Romans 9:28, Paul quotes from Isaiah 10:23 to warn unregenerate
Israel of eternal condemnation in that the Lord Jesus Christ will execute this
judgment thoroughly and decisively.
Romans 9:28 In fact, the Lord will execute judgment upon the inhabitants
of the land thoroughly and decisively. (Author’s translation)
In Romans 9:29, Paul quotes Isaiah 1:9 to teach that if the Lord had not been
merciful by leaving a remnant in Israel that it would have become like Sodom and
would have been make like Gomorrah in that not only would the nation have been
destroyed but all its citizens would have suffered eternal condemnation as well.
Romans 9:29 So that just as Isaiah predicts, “If the Lord over the armies
had not left to us descendants and He has, we would have become like Sodom
and in addition like Gomorrah, we would have been made like.” (Author’s
translation)
Paul alludes to this remnant doctrine in Romans 10:16.
Romans 10:16 But on the contrary, by no means did everyone obey the
gospel for Isaiah says, “Lord, who will exercise absolute confidence in our
message?’” (NASB95)
“By no means did everyone obey” is composed of the negative adverb ou,
“not” and the nominative masculine plural form of the adjective pas, “all” and the
third person plural aorist active indicative form of the verb hupakouo, “they heed.”
In Romans 10:16, the verb hupakouo means, “to obey” and is used with the
unregenerate citizens of the nation of Israel as its subject and the gospel as its
object. The emphatic negative adverb ou emphatically is used to deny the reality of
an alleged fact of this obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ occurring among the
majority of Israelites. It emphatically negates the idea that Israel obeyed the gospel
command to trust in Jesus of Nazareth as Savior. Therefore, the verb hupakouo and
the emphatic negative adverb ou refer to the nation of Israel’s disobedience to the
command that is found in the gospel to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The adjective pas, “all” and the third person plural form of the verb is a
reference to the citizens of the nation of Israel since in Romans 9-11 Paul is
discussing the nation of Israel’s failure to accept Jesus of Nazareth as their Savior.
Further indicating that Paul is speaking of Israel specifically rather than the
Gentiles is that Paul is quoting Isaiah 53:1, which was addressed to Israel in
Isaiah’s day and Paul applied it to the Jews in his day.
The adjective is used as a substantive without the article and with the negative
ou and means “everyone.” These two word is a figure of speech called “litotes”
(pronounced: lie-ta-tees), which is an affirmation expressed in negative terms, or in
other words, a positive point is made by denying its opposite. Therefore, the
expression ou pantes, literally means “only a few.”
This expression echoes Paul’s “remnant” doctrine he introduced in Romans 9:6
and developed further in Romans 9:27-29. Throughout Israel’s history she had
rejected the Word of the Lord as witnessed by the Assyrian and Babylonian
captivities.
Jesus Christ is the incarnate Word of God; thus Israel has always rebelled
against Him since to disobey His Word is to disobey Him. Israel’s rejection of the
incarnate Word of God resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by
the Roman armies in 70 A.D. resulting in a long dispersion that lasted until 1948
when Israel was brought back into the land of Palestine. The reason why there will
always be a remnant of believers in Israel is the four unconditional covenants that
God made with Israel.
The four unconditional covenants to Israel: (1) Abrahamic deals with the race
of Israel (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:16; 22:15-18). (2) Palestinian is the promise of land to
Israel (Gn. 13:15; Num. 34:1-12). (3) Davidic deals with the aristocracy of Israel
(2 Sam. 7:8-17) (4) New deals with the future restoration of Israel during the
millennium (Jer. 31:31-34).
There two categories of covenants: (1) Conditional (2) Unconditional.
The fulfillment of unconditional covenants depended entirely upon the
faithfulness of God rather than the man whereas the fulfillment of a conditional
covenant depended upon the faithfulness of man.
In a conditional covenant, that which was covenanted depended on the recipient
of the covenant for its fulfillment, not on the one making the covenant. Certain
obligations or conditions would need to be kept by the recipient of the covenant
before the giver of the covenant would be obligated to fulfill what was promised.
This type of covenant has an “if” attached to it. The Mosaic Covenant made by
God with Israel is an example of a conditional covenant.
In an unconditional covenant, on the other hand, that which was covenanted
depended for its fulfillment solely on the one making the covenant. That which
was promised was sovereignly given to the recipient of the covenant on the
authority and integrity of the one making the covenant, entirely apart from the
merit or response of the receiver. It was a covenant with no “if” attached to it
whatsoever.
Now we need to clarify an important aspect of an unconditional covenant. An
unconditional covenant which binds the one making the covenant to a certain
course of action, may have blessings attached to it that are conditioned on the
response of the recipient. That response is simply faith or to trust that God will
deliver on His promise.
The fulfillment of unconditional covenants does not depend on the continued
obedience of the recipient but rather the integrity and faithfulness of God who
instituted the covenant. Therefore, God will always have a remnant of believers in
Israel since He is faithful to His promises to the nation of Israel that appear in these
covenants.
The concept of the remnant appears in Romans 11:5, where it refers to the
“remnant” of believers in Israel in Paul’s day, in the first century.
Romans 11:1 Therefore, I ask, God the Father has not rejected His people,
has He? Absolutely not! Because I myself also am an Israelite, a biological
descendant of Abraham, descended from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God the
Father has by no means rejected His people whom He knew in advance. Or,
have you totally forgotten what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he
repeatedly pleaded with God the Father against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have
murdered Your prophets. They have destroyed Your altars. I myself alone am
left. Also, they are making it a top priority to diligently, earnestly and
tenaciously seek my life, sparing no expense to do so because it is of great
value to them!” 4 However, in direct contrast, what does the divine response
say to him? “I have reserved for the benefit of Myself seven thousand men,
who are indeed of such character and of a particular class of individuals that
have never bowed a knee to Baal.” 5 Therefore, in the same way also, there is
in existence at this particular moment in history, a remnant in accordance
with election by means of grace. 6 For you see if and let us assume that it is
true for the sake of argument that it is, as an eternal spiritual truth on the
basis of grace. And we agree that it is true! Then, it is never at any time on the
basis of meritorious actions as constituting its source, otherwise grace never at
any time exists as grace. (Author’s translation)
Election is never used in Scripture in relation to the unbeliever since 1 Timothy
2:4 and 2 Peter 3:9 teach that God desires all men to be saved. In Acts 9:15, the

word is attributed to the Lord Jesus Christ when speaking to Ananias in describing
the apostle Paul at His conversion as being “chosen” by Him.
Ekloge is used with reference to the church age believers’ election in 1
Thessalonians 1:4 and 2 Peter 1:10. In Romans 9:11, 11:5, 7 and 28, the word is
used by Paul in relation to the election of those racial, descendants of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob who exercised faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and help to
compose “spiritual” Israel.
Election in these verses describes this remnant of born-again Israelites in Paul’s
day as those who were “chosen’ or “elected” to the privilege, responsibilities and
blessings related to the four unconditional covenants to Israel as well as an eternal
relationship and fellowship with the Trinity and service to the Father through faith
in Jesus Christ.
Romans 9:11 For you see, when they had not yet been born nor practiced
anything good or evil in order that God the Father’s predetermined plan,
which is in accordance with election would remain immutable. Never based
upon meritorious actions as constituting its source, but rather based upon the
one who effectually calls is the one who constitutes its source. (Author’s
translation)
God elected or chose the remnant in Paul and Zephaniah’s day before the
foundation of the world in the sense that God, in His foreknowledge, which is
based upon His omniscience, knew before anything was ever created, that they
would believe in His Son in time. God elected or chose them before the foundation
of the world since He knew beforehand that they would accept Jesus Christ as
Savior in time and therefore elected them to privilege.
Election means that God has a plan for them, which is to be conformed to the
image of Christ. Their election to privilege is a gift and irrevocable.
Romans 11:29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
(NASB95)
Election is the expression of the sovereign will of God in eternity past. The
election of this remnant in Israel in Paul’s day and Daniel’s day is God’s complete
agreement with His own foreknowledge. It is also based upon God’s grace policy
meaning that they do not merit election but rather they receive it based upon the
merits of the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross.
Election ensures the fact that God will never reject Israel altogether since in
every generation He elects in eternity past those who will believe in His Son in
time since election excludes human merit and failure.
In Romans 11:5, the noun charis, “grace” refers to God’s grace policy towards
the remnant of Israelite believers in Paul’s day and Daniel’s day in the sense that
God imparted to this remnant who are sinners, unmerited benefits, both temporal

and spiritual, as a result of making the non-meritorious decision to trust in Jesus
Christ as their Savior.
The election of this remnant of born-again Israelites in Paul’s day was by means
of God’s grace policy. Grace ensures the fact that God will never totally and
completely reject Israel since He deals with that nation according to His grace
policy, which excludes all human merit and overcomes human failure. It ensures
the fact that God will never totally and completely reject Israel since He does not
deal with Israel according to her faithfulness or lack thereof but rather in
accordance with His character and integrity and faithfulness.
There would never be a remnant in Israel and the nation would be totally
destroyed if they were elected by God based on their own merit. That this remnant
was elected by God based on His grace or unmerited favor, ensures the fact that
God will never totally and completely destroy Israel since God’s grace excludes
human merit.
The noun charis denotes that this remnant did not earn or deserve the unmerited
blessings of salvation but received them based on the merits of Jesus Christ and
His substitutionary spiritual and physical deaths on the cross. They received
salvation based on their faith in Christ, which is compatible with grace since both
give the sinner not credit and God all the credit.
Election of this remnant is in accordance with God’s grace because the justified
sinner was not yet created when he was elected nor had they done anything good or
bad to merit or not merit this election. Grace is all that God is free to do in
imparting unmerited blessings to those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior based
upon the merits of Christ and His death on the Cross. The remnant of believers in
Israel in Paul’s day and Daniel’s day was saved based upon the object of their
faith, Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection. It is God treating us in a manner
that we don’t deserve and excludes any human works in order to acquire eternal
salvation or blessing from God. Thus, this remnant didn’t deserve their salvation.
Grace means that God saved us and blessed us despite ourselves and not
according to anything that we do but rather saved us and blessed us because of the
merits of Christ and His work on the Cross. The remnant of Israelite believers in
Paul’s day and in Zephaniah’s day was saved despite themselves since they were
sinners.
King writes “Who is this remnant? In answering this question, it is helpful to
notice the categories suggested by Hasel, who differentiates between three groups
in discussing the remnant concept in Scripture: the historical remnant (the
survivors of a catastrophe), the faithful remnant (who are distinguished from the
former group by their genuine trust in God), and the eschatological remnant (who
go through the cleansing judgments of the end time and emerge triumphant after

the day of the Lord as the recipients of the everlasting kingdom). 125 Though this
grouping is useful, it must not be pressed too hard, for the distinction between the
groups is sometimes blurred in the biblical portrayal. That is, the groups should not
be understood as completely segregated from one another. In fact the remnant
concept as expressed in Zephaniah encompasses all three groups. Because they
survive a catastrophic punishment, they are a historical remnant (2:3, 7). Because
they put their trust in Yahweh, they are a faithful remnant (3:12). Because they
come forth victorious after the purging judgments of the day of Yahweh, they are
an eschatological remnant (3:15). Thus Zephaniah presented a historical, faithful,
and eschatological group of survivors, a remnant, who as the true people of
Yahweh, do the works of Yahweh and carry within them the seeds of hope for
fulfilling His plan on earth.”126
Interpretative Approach to Zephaniah
One must adhere to sound hermeneutical principles when interpreting the

prophecies contained in the book of Zephaniah. The rules and principles involved
in interpreting the Bible is called hermeneutics. The English word “hermeneutics”
comes from the Greek verb hermeneuo and the noun hermeneia. These words point
back to the wing-footed messenger god Hermes in Grecian mythology who was
responsible for transmuting what is beyond human understanding into a form that
human intelligence can grasp. He is said to have discovered language and writing
and was the god of literature and eloquence, among other things. He was the
messenger or interpreter of the gods, and particularly of his father Zeus. Thus, the
verb hermeneuo came to refer to bringing someone to an understanding of
something in his language (thus explanation) or in another language (thus
translation). Thus interpretation involves making clear and intelligible something
that was unclear or unknown.
A compound form of this verb appears in Luke 24:27 with regards to the Lord
Jesus Christ interpreting or explaining the Scriptures concerning Himself to His
disciples.
Luke 24:27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He
explained (diahermeneuo) to them the things concerning Himself in all the
Scriptures. (NASB95)
Adhering to sound hermeneutical principles will result in sound exegesis, which
refers to the process of determining the meaning of a text of Scripture, the Word of
God. Exposition refers to the explaining, declaring, telling, or relating of objective
truth.
125
Hasel, “Remnant,” 130.
126
King, G. A. (1994). The Remnant in Zephaniah. Bibliotheca Sacra, 151, 427.

Exegesis precedes exposition (i.e. communicating the Word of God to the
congregation). Exposition aims to apply the text and its meaning to men and
women today, enabling them to answer the question: what message has this for us,
or for me, in the present situation? Exposition must be firmly based upon exegesis:
the meaning of the text for hearers today must be related to its meaning for the
hearers to whom it was first addressed.
When interpreting the prophecies in the book of Zephaniah as is the case with
the rest of Scripture, one must not allegorize but let the Biblical text speak for
itself. Those who allegorize are not letting the text speak for itself but are putting
words into God’s mouth. Zephaniah like the rest of the Scriptures must be
interpreted in its historical setting. One must compare Scripture with Scripture.
Also, one must interpret literally and grammatically and not allegorize. Proper
interpretation involves paying attention to the context of a particular verse. One
must interpret a passage by taking into account the immediate context as well as
the context of the book it appears in and the rest of Scripture. This leads to a
pretribulational and premillennial view.
The basic differences between the premillennial and amillennial and between
pretribulation and posttribulation views are hermeneutical. In other words, they are
the direct result of method one chooses to interpret Scripture. The basic difference
between an amillennialist and a premillennialist is the direct result of the method
one chooses to interpret Scripture. Those who allegorize and do not interpret the
Scripture literally and specifically prophetic portions of Scripture will not be
pretribulational or premillennial but will be posttribulationalists and
amillennialists. Therefore, the method one chooses to interpret the book of
Zephaniah as is the case with the rest of Scripture, must be based upon sound
hermeneutical principles. Unsound method of interpreting Scripture leads to error
in interpretation and practice and false doctrine.
The allegorical method involves interpreting a literary text which regards the
literal sense as the instrument for a secondary and more spiritual profound sense.
This method either ignores or denies the historical context. The emphasis with this
method is entirely upon the secondary sense with the result that the original words
of the text have little or no significance at all. Thus, this method does not interpret
Scripture but ignores the meaning of the original sense with the justification that
one is seeking a deeper, spiritual meaning.
It is in error because it doesn’t interpret Scripture but puts words into God’s
mouth. It denies the authority of the Scripture. Furthermore, this method does not
provide any means at all to test the interpretation. Thus, the allegorical method of
interpreting Zephaniah or any portion of Scripture takes away the authority of
Scripture. It does not leave any basis upon which interpretations may be tested.

The direct antithesis of the allegorical method is the literal method of
interpreting the Scripture. The literal method gives each word the same exact basic
meaning it would have in normal and customary usage whether in writing,
speaking or thinking. It is also called by some the grammatical-historical method,
which emphasizes the fact that the meaning of a text is to be determined by
carefully considering its grammar and syntax as well as its historical setting.
Ramm writes, “The customary, socially-acknowledged designation of a word is
the literal meaning of that word. The ‘literal’ meaning of a word is the basic,
customary, social designation of that word. The spiritual, or mystical meaning of a
word or expression is one that arises after the literal designation and is dependent
upon it for its existence. To interpret literally means nothing more or less than to
interpret in terms of normal, usual, designation. When the manuscript alters its
designation the interpreter immediately shifts his method of interpreting.”127
The literal method is the normal approach in all languages. Also, parables,
allegories, types and symbols depend upon the literal meaning of the terms. The
Bible makes sense when interpreted literally. Furthermore, many erroneously
contend that the literal method does not take into consideration figures of speech,
symbols, allegories and types. However, this in fact not the case. This method
removes the subjective and emphasizes the objective meaning that it keeps man’s
imaginations from imposing itself on the text and lets the text speak for itself.
Ramm writes, “That this method is the only one consonant with the nature of
inspiration. The plenary inspiration of the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit guided
men into truth and away from error. In this process the Spirit of God used
language, and the units of language (as meaning, not as sound) are words and
thoughts. The thought is the thread that strings the words together. Therefore, our
very exegesis must commence with a study of words and grammar, the two
fundamentals of all meaningful speech.”128
Further in support of the literal method is that when the Old Testament is used
by the New Testament authors under the inspiration of the Spirit it is only used in a
literal sense. For example, the prophecies concerning the life, ministry, death and
resurrection of Christ were literally fulfilled two thousand years ago with the
person of Jesus of Nazareth. This tells us that the prophecies concerning His
Second Advent will also be fulfilled literally.
The literal method bases itself in fact, which means that it seeks to establish
itself in objective data such as grammar, logic, etymology, history, geography,
archaeology, theology, etc.
All sound exegesis of a passage of Scripture must begin with the words of the
text itself. Secondly, the interpreter must pay attention to the context in which any
127
Protestant Biblical Interpretation, page 64; Boston: W.A. Wilde Company, 1950
128
Ibid., page 54ff.

passage appears. Thirdly, one must interpret a passage of Scripture in its historical
setting.
In the book of Zephaniah, we must understand that Zephaniah lived in the
seventh century B.C. under the reign of King Josiah of Judah. Another important
consideration when interpreting Scripture is that the interpreter must understand
the grammar and syntax of a passage. Specifically, he must understand the
grammar and syntax of the original language of the passage. In Zephaniah, the
interpreter is analyzing the Hebrew text of the book. The interpreter must take into
consideration figurative language. He must have the presupposition that the word
is literal unless there is strong evidence for determining otherwise.
Now, the interpreter of the book of Zephaniah must be very careful since it
contains prophetic material. First and foremost, the interpreter must interpret
prophecy literally. He must take into consideration and analyze a passage in
relation to the words it contains as well as its context, grammar, syntax and
historical setting. When interpreting prophecy such as that which appears in the
book of Zephaniah, the interpreter must determine the historical background of the
prophet and the prophecy. He must determine the full meaning and significance of
all the names, events, geographical references, references to customs and culture.
He is to determine if the passage is prophecy or didactic. If the former, then is the
verse presenting a prophecy that is fulfilled, unfulfilled or conditional? The
interpreter also must determine if the same theme or concept is addressed in
another passage of Scripture. Simultaneously, the interpreter must pay attention to
the context. He is to be aware of whether the prophecy is local or temporal.
Furthermore, prophecy must be interpreted in harmony with the rest of God’s
prophetic program, which is a principle presented by Peter in 2 Peter 1:20-21.
Another important aspect of interpreting prophecy is understanding and being
aware that a passage might have a double reference. This means that in prophecy,
events often bear some relationship to one another and are in fact parts of one
program. In other words, certain events of the future are seen grouped together in
one defined area of vision even though they are at different distances. For example,
many times the major prophets issued prophecies concerning the Babylonian
captivity, the events of the day of the Lord, the return from Babylon, the world-
wide dispersion of Israel and their future return to the land and grouped them all
together seemingly indiscriminately.
Connected to this when interpreting prophecy, the interpreter must observe the
time relationships meaning that some events that are widely separated as to the
time of their fulfillment are sometimes treated within one prophecy. For example,
the prophecies concerning the First and Second Advents of Christ are spoken of
together in one pericope as though they were going to take place at the same time.
This phenomena is also seen with the second and third dispersions of the Jews,
which are viewed as taking place without interruption. So the prophet may view
widely separated events as continuous or future things as either past or present.
Another important aspect of interpreting prophecy is that of understanding and
being aware of the central theme of all prophecy, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ,
His person and work.
To summarize, one must interpret prophecy historically, which means that the
interpreter must know and understand the historical background of the prophet and
the prophecy. This will include understanding the full meaning and significance of
all proper names, events, geographical references, references to customs and
culture. Connected to this is that the interpreter must interpret grammatically
meaning that he must strictly observe the rules that govern grammatical
interpretation. He also must interpret according to the principle of double
reference, which we noted earlier. Finally, interpreting prophecy demands
consistency applying the literal-grammatical method. Failure to consistently apply
sound hermeneutical principles results in error in one’s conclusions and
interpretations, which results in false doctrine and ungodly conduct. Consistent
observance of these sound hermeneutical principles results in correct
interpretation, sound doctrine and godly conduct.
One of the results of applying these sound hermeneutical principles is that one
will see that the Scriptures make a distinction between Israel and the church. The
book of Zephaniah concerns itself with Israel and not the church. The essence of
dispensationalism is that it recognizes distinctions between the church and Israel,
which is the result of applying the literal-grammatical-historical method of
interpretation.
Dispensationalism recognizes distinctions in God’s program in history. The
dispensationalist follows the principle of interpreting the Bible literally, and does
not allegorize away the Bible, thus he is consistent in his interpretation. It
recognizes that God’s message to man was not given in one single act but was
unfolded in a long series of successive acts and through the minds and hands of
many men of varying backgrounds.
When approaching the interpretation of prophecy including the prophetic
material in Zephaniah, one must view prophecy as emphasizing primarily the
Messiah and the establishment of His millennial kingdom on planet earth.
Zuck writes “Scripture makes it clear that Jesus will return to establish His
reign on the earth. He is reigning now from heaven, but the earthly manifestation
of His reign when He comes in person is yet future. The Book of Psalms presents
Him as ‘the King of glory,’ who will enter the gates of Jerusalem (Ps. 24:7–10).
According to Isaiah 9:6–7 He is the Son on whose shoulders will rest the
government of the world and He will reign on David’s throne and over His
kingdom. As a righteous Branch of David He will serve as ‘a King who will reign
wisely and do what is just and right in the land’ (Jer. 23:5, italics added). Jesus,
born in Bethlehem, ‘will be Ruler over Israel’ (Micah 5:2), and ‘the Lord will rule
over them in Mount Zion’ (4:7). As Zechariah wrote, the Lord ‘will stand on the
Mount of Olives’ and the Lord ‘will come’ and ‘will be King over the whole earth’
(Zech. 14:4–5, 9). History is going somewhere; it is moving according to God’s
divine plan, which will culminate in the return of Christ, followed by His 1,000-
year reign on the earth, which in turn will be followed by the eternal state in the
new heaven and the new earth. Obviously it is incorrect to reduce the kingdom of
God to the Lord’s reign within an individual’s soul or to think of His kingdom as
only the individual believer’s immortality.”129
Furthermore, when approaching the interpretation of prophecy, the interpreter
must recognize the principle of “foreshortening” which means that the prophets
often envisioned the two advents of Christ as two mountain peaks, with a valley in
between. They could see the peaks but not the valleys.
So from our perspective here in the church age, we can look back and see the
time gap between the First and Second Advents. So many times the Old Testament
blends the two comings of Christ in one passage such as in Isaiah 61:1–2. This is
made clear when the Lord read from this chapter in the synagogue of Nazareth
(Luke 4:16–21), and stopped in the middle of verse 2 with the words “to proclaim
the year of the Lord’s favor.” He did not add the words “and the day of vengeance
of our God,” obviously a reference to the Lord’s return when He will take
vengeance on His enemies. Isaiah 9:6–7 is another example. The first part of verse
6 refers to Jesus’ birth, but the middle part of verse 6 along with verse 7 point to
His second advent by speaking of the government being on His shoulders and His
reigning on David’s throne.
Seeing events related to the two advents of Christ together, the Old Testament
prophets often did not understand how it would all unfold. This is why Peter wrote,
“The prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently
and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which
the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of
Christ and the glories that would follow” (1 Peter 1:10–11).
Another important guideline for interpreting prophecy is that of being aware of
the fact that sometimes the Scriptures include interpretations. This is seen in Daniel
chapter 2 and 7. In both chapters the prophecy is given and interpretation is given
as well.
Also, when interpreting prophetic literature, one must compare parallel
passages. For example, Revelation 13 needs to be studied in correlation with
129
Campbell, D. K. (1991). Foreword. In C. Bubeck Sr. (Ed.), Basic Bible Interpretation: A Practical Guide to Discovering Biblical Truth (pp.
241–249). Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook.

Daniel 9, and the closing verses of Joel 2 need to be studied in relation to
Revelation 19. The numerous passages on the Millennium in Isaiah 9; 24; Joel 2;
Zechariah 14; and Revelation 20:1–10 all need to be studied together.
The interpreter of prophecy must also look for prophecies that are already
fulfilled and those which are yet to be fulfilled. For example, a portion of the
closing verses of Joel 2 were fulfilled in any sense on the Day of Pentecost. The
final fulfillment of Joel 2:18–32 awaits the millennial reign of Christ.
Since the Bible is a divine book, we expect to see consistency in the Bible. This
means, for one thing, that since certain predictions have been fulfilled literally, we
can expect that unfilled prophecies will be carried out in the same way, literally.
Walvoord writes “The fact that so many prophecies have already been literally
fulfilled lends support for the expectation that prophecies yet to be fulfilled will
have the same literal fulfillment.”130
Outline
I. Introduction (1:1)
II. Announcement of Against Judah, Jerusalem and All the Earth (1:2-2:3)
A. Judgment Against All the Earth Inhabitants (1:2-3).
B. Judgment Against Judah (1:4-13).
C. The Character of the Day of the Lord (1:14-2:3)
1. Day of Wrath (1:14-18).
2. Day of Repentance (2:1-3).
III. Announcement of Judgment Against Gentiles and Jerusalem (2:4-3:7)
A. Judgment of Gentiles (2:4-15).
1. Judgment Against Philistia (2:4-7).
2. Judgment Against Moab and Ammon (2:8-11).
3. Judgment Against Cush (2:12).
4. Judgment Against Assyria (2:13-15).
B. Judgment of Jerusalem (3:1-7).
1. Indictment Against Jerusalem (3:1-4).
2. The Lord’s Judgment Against Jerusalem (3:5-7).
IV. The Restoration of Israel and the Nations (3:8-20).
A. Restoration of the Nations (3:9-10).
B. Restoration of Israel (3:11-20).
1. The Remnant (3:11-13).
2. The Joy of the Remnant (3:14).
130
John F. Walvoord, The Prophecy Knowledge Handbook (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1990), In two lengthy appendixes Walvoord lists the
scores of Bible prophecies with their now-past or yet-future fulfillments (pp. 647–769).

3. The Ruler of the Remnant (3:15-17).
4. The Vindication of the Remnant (3:18-20).

Exegesis Introduction To Zephaniah

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Exegesis Introduction To Zephaniah

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INTRODUCTION TO THE

Pastor William E. Wenstrom Jr.

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The name “Zephaniah” means “Yahweh hides” or “Yahweh has hidden” or

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This book of Zephaniah contains a variety of literary techniques which would

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Barker writes “Manuscript tradition is unanimous in including Zephaniah as

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Interpretative Approach to Zephaniah

One must adhere to sound hermeneutical principles when interpreting the

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