Name means: “The Lord Has Hidden,” possibly reflecting Zephaniah’s birth during the dark days of King Manasseh (c. 686–642 B.C.).
Home: Probably Jerusalem.
Family: Descendant of Hezekiah, probably King Hezekiah of Judah (c. 715–686 B.C.); son of Cushi; likely a cousin and contemporary of King Josiah (c. 640–609 B.C.).
Occupation: Prophet in Judah during the early reign of King Josiah, probably before the spiritual reforms of 621 B.C. (2 Kin. 23:4–20).
Best known as: A prophet from Judah’s royal family who warned that the nation’s immorality and idolatry made judgment inevitable (Zeph. 1:4–13; 3:1–7). He also predicted that a penitent remnant would survive the coming judgment and enjoy the Lord’s blessings (2:1–3; 3:8–20).
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The Day of the Lord in Zephaniah
Although the Book of Zephaniah has only fifty-three verses, it contains eighteen references to “the day of the LORD.” Like other Old Testament prophets, Zephaniah sees this coming day from a range of perspectives:
• As a day of sacrifice (Zeph. 1:7, 8). Zephaniah refers to “sacrifice” ironically, because the sacrifice turns out to be people—idolaters of Judah who worship Baal, Milcom, or astronomical objects (1:4, 5). The “guests” at this sacrificial meal are the Babylonians, who do the honor of “eating” the sacrifice.
• As a day of wrath or judgment (1:14—2:3; 3:8). As the Lord bursts forth in anger to halt evil, the world spins into chaos and people cry out in terror (1:2, 3, 15–18). Nations are consumed (1:2, 3; 2:4–15), as is Jerusalem (3:1–7).
• As a new day of hope and joy (3:9–20). Once the wrath subsides and the noise of judgment fades, the Lord will restore a righteous people to the world.
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Corrupt Commerce Has Catastrophic Consequences
Zephaniah warned that “the day of the LORD” would cause havoc in Jerusalem’s business districts. The prophet envisioned God carrying lamps (Zeph. 1:12) through every sector of the city, exposing evil and destroying the wicked. His wrath would reach outside Jerusalem to bring trouble and distress, gloom and clouds, darkness and desolation to Judah’s “fortified cities” and “high towers” (1:15, 16). God would hold the entire nation accountable for its sins, but as the capital city, Jerusalem would bear double responsibility.
Jerusalem’s Business Districts
1. The Fish Gate (Zeph. 1:10) was one of Jerusalem’s main entrances (compare 2 Chr. 33:14; Neh. 3:3). Probably located at the northwestern corner of the city, it was a trade center for merchants bringing fish to market from Tyre and the Sea of Galilee (compare Neh. 13:16). This could well have been the gate through which the Babylonian conqueror King Nebuchadnezzar entered Jerusalem (587 B.C.), thus fulfilling Zephaniah’s prophecy.
2. The Second Quarter (Zeph. 1:10) was a business district west of the temple mount, built inside the Broad Wall around 700 B.C. to accommodate an influx of refugees from Samaria, which had fallen to the Assyrians in 722 B.C.
3. Maktesh (meaning “Mortar”; Zeph. 1:11) was the principal market district, probably located in the valley that ran north and south between Mount Moriah, which was the site of the temple, and the hill to the west.
More: James Cash Penney, founder of the department store J. C. Penney, was a Christian businessman who consistently sought to operate his company along biblical principles. See here for an article on his life.
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The Hebrew word for merchant or trader was the same as the name Canaanite. The Canaanites were savvy businesspeople who developed a thriving international trade. Zephaniah likely used this term to intentionally insult Judah’s people. They had become prosperous like the Canaanites, and like the Canaanites, they had turned against God to worship pagan idols. To learn why God commanded these people be pushed from the Promised Land, see “The Canaanites” at Joshua 3:10.
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Whenever God moves to correct sin, He always leaves an escape for sinners: the opportunity to repent. Scripture reveals that God is consistently merciful to all who recognize their wrongdoing, confess their sin, and reorient their lives toward Him (see “A Sorrow unto Repentance” at Joel 2:12–17). As Zephaniah described the “great day of the LORD,” a looming event of terrifying wrath (Zeph. 1:14, 15), he paused to offer a way out. By seeking the Lord, righteousness, and humility, anyone could hide from God’s anger, covered over by His forgiveness.
Zephaniah had strong precedents for offering these terms:
• In response to Jonah’s preaching (c. 759 B.C.; Jon. 3), the Ninevites had humbled themselves with fasting, sackcloth, ashes, and prayer, repenting of their immorality and idolatry. The Lord withheld His judgment of the city.
• King Hezekiah (c. 715–686 B.C.) had responded with repentance to God’s warnings in the days of Micah the prophet, and the Lord stayed His hand from striking Judah (Jer. 26:17–19).
King Josiah and his fellow Judeans took Zephaniah up on his offer. They enacted extensive spiritual reforms, including widespread demolition of idols and a restoration of true worship (2 Kin. 23:1–25).
These reforms may have already been underway when Zephaniah spoke, but whatever the timing, the Lord delayed His judgment until after Josiah died (22:15–20; 23:26, 27). Even when the Babylonians eventually obliterated Jerusalem (587 B.C.), people who reverenced God survived the ordeal, just as Zephaniah and other prophets had predicted. These survivors included the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 40:1–6) and an official named Ebed-Melech (38:7–13; 39:15–18).
God’s wrath against sin is still real today (Rom. 1:18). If we want to escape His judgment, we are welcome to accept the Lord’s mercy much like the people of Zephaniah’s day: in repentance from sin and obedience to God. Christ’s death ensures that the penalty for our sin is past (3:21–26), but real faith includes repentance. When we trust in Jesus and turn from sin, we can be confident that we will be “hidden in the day of the LORD’s anger” (Zeph. 2:3; compare Acts 17:30, 31; 1 Thess. 1:9, 10).
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Zephaniah prophesied that a remnant of Judah would someday seize control of the territories of their longtime enemies the Philistines. For centuries, the Philistines lived in five principal city-states—Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath. From these strongholds they chipped away at Israelite territory, especially during periods when the Lord used them to discipline His people. But according to Zephaniah, the Philistines would eventually be punished for their own wrongdoing.
More: For more about these coastal neighbors of the Israelites, see “The Philistines” at Judg. 13:1. To learn more about their cities, see Ashkelon’s profile at Judg. 14:19; Gaza’s profile at Judg. 16:1; Ashdod’s profile at 1 Sam. 5:1; and Gath’s profile at 1 Sam. 27:3.
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The people who heard Zephaniah preach had grown so deaf to the Lord’s warnings that He occasionally took extreme actions to shake them out of their complacency. He “cut off” entire nations and cities—including Israel—as an example of the judgment that was poised to fall. The Lord hoped that His people would “receive instruction” before it was too late. But in spite of the Lord’s best efforts, Judah remained stubbornly “rebellious and polluted,” refusing to receive correction (Zeph. 3:1, 2). Rulers, prophets, judges, and priests persisted in doing evil, shutting out God’s urgent warnings (3:3, 4).
God still loudly warns us through circumstances He brings our way—calamities that happen to us and others, and above all Scripture’s straightforward instruction. Many people—even entire nations—ignore God’s alarms. But in the end, the Lord always has His way (3:9).
More: Zephaniah’s prophecy was one of many messages in which God warned His people against turning from Him. When judgment finally fell, the people were without excuse. See “Storm Warning” at Lam. 2:17.
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Zephaniah prophesied that the Lord would restore His “dispersed ones” from “beyond the rivers of Ethiopia.” Given the limited means of travel and comprehension of scope in the world of Zephaniah’s day, this was an amazing promise.
Ethiopia likely represented the southwestern limits of Judah’s knowledge of the world. The interior of Africa, “beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,” was literally off the map for the Israelites. It was uncharted territory. But the context of this promise shows that Zephaniah anticipated the day when God would bring people from the ends of the earth to create a holy people who would worship and serve Him in one harmonious community (Zeph. 3:9, 12, 13). Among these would be people from “beyond the rivers of Ethiopia.”
The prophet called this new people “the daughter of My dispersed ones” (3:10) and “the remnant of Israel” (3:13). Zephaniah’s vision thus seems to connect with Jeremiah’s predictions of a scattering of the Jews across the world (see “Scattered Among the Gentiles” at Jer. 9:16 and “The Dispersion of the Jews” at Jer. 52:28–30), followed by an eventual homecoming (Jer. 30:10, 11, 18–22; 31:1–40).
By the sixth century, Jewish colonies were beginning to crop up along the Nile and the Mediterranean coast of Africa. Some have suggested that Zephaniah’s prophecy refers to a Jewish community in northern Abyssinia. But the prophecy may look beyond a strictly Jewish restoration. It seems to match David’s prediction that Ethiopians would someday “stretch out [their] hands to God” (see “A Promise to Africa” at Ps. 68:31). And Isaiah looked to a day when distant lands where God was unknown would send representatives to Him at Jerusalem, a vision that tightly corresponds with the church’s mission (see “Isaiah’s Vision and Our Mission” at Is. 66:18–21).
As far as we know, Zephaniah had no idea of the vast land and peoples living “beyond the rivers of Ethiopia.” But whether in Africa or any other place on earth, whenever anyone trusts in Christ, heaven celebrates the addition of one more member to the global community called to serve God “with one accord” (Zeph. 3:9; Luke 15:7).
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