Why give a prophet’s genealogy? (1:1)
This genealogy of five generations is significant since it was more typical to list only a prophet’s father. Zephaniah is traced back to Hezekiah, perhaps the famous king who died about 50 years earlier (686 BC). This could mean that Zephaniah was a member of the extended royal family. Some note, however, that Hezekiah was a common name and that the verse stops short of identifying this Hezekiah as the king—seemingly a major oversight if he was indeed the king.
Is this describing the end of the world? (1:2)
Yes, but not only that. Zephaniah was describing Judah’s coming judgment (vv. 4–13) against the backdrop of a final, worldwide judgment (vv. 2–3, 14–18). Old Testament prophecies sometimes had two meanings—one involving the immediate future and the other foreshadowing events of the end times.
What did Jerusalem worship? (1:4–5)
Baal was the Canaanite storm god who was believed to enable crops to grow and women to have children. Molek was likely Milkom, the Ammonites’ chief god. See Who was Molek? (Jer 32:35). The starry host includes the sun, moon and stars, all of which were objects of worship in Zephaniah’s day (2Ki 23:5).
What is the day of the LORD? (1:7)
This is a phrase referring to times when God decisively defeats his enemies in battle. The phrase had its origin in the ancient Near East during a time when kings would sometimes boast that they had won a war in a single day. The Old Testament applies the phrase to several different historical events, including God’s judgments on Israel (Am 5:18, 20), Judah (Zep 2:2–3), Babylon (Isa 13:6), Egypt (Eze 30:3) and Edom (Isa 34:8–9). Several passages also associate the Lord’s day with his final, culminating judgment on the earth. See the article What is the day of the LORD? (Isa 13:6).
Who are those clad in foreign clothes? (1:8)
Probably the wealthy princes who had become enamored with foreign customs—not just with clothing but also with idol worship. Their behavior was a telltale sign that they had lost the sense of being God’s distinct people among the surrounding nations.
What was wrong with refusing to step on a threshold? (1:9)
This verse likely refers to a practice associated with the Philistine god Dagon. When Dagon’s head and hands were found on the threshold after the idol fell and broke before the ark of the Lord, the priests of Dagon would no longer step on the temple threshold (1Sa 5:5). The practice could also stem from a superstitious belief that demons lived at the entrance of a house. In either case, the practice illustrates how some of God’s people had become thoroughly indoctrinated with pagan thinking.
What were the Fish Gate and the New Quarter? (1:10)
The Fish Gate was in the north wall of the city and was named for the fish brought by merchants from Tyre and the Sea of Galilee. Jerusalem was most vulnerable to attacks from the north. The New Quarter was a section of the city that had apparently developed between the first and second walls in the northwest part of Jerusalem as the number of merchants increased, creating a newer market area that was probably near the Fish Gate. See Map 10 at the back of this Bible.
What’s so bad about wine left on its dregs? (1:12)
When fermenting wine is not separated from its sediment (dregs) at the right time, it gets thick, loses its taste, becomes bitter and is of little use. Like such congealed wine, Jerusalem’s complacent and spiritually insensitive leaders were no longer effective or useful.
What is in store for Jerusalem? (1:14–17)
The great day of the LORD is a day of judgment under the hand of God, the Mighty Warrior. See What is the day of the LORD? (1:7).
How can God be so jealous that he wants to destroy the whole earth? (1:18)
Zephaniah gives a dreadful depiction of the day of the Lord. Scripture commonly associates the day of the Lord with God’s final judgment—the total defeat of his enemies. However, the day of the Lord also involves the protection and restoration of God’s people, as Zephaniah later indicates (2:3; 3:9).
Will God really destroy all who live on the earth? (1:18)
This is poetic language used to communicate the vast extent of God’s righteous judgment. God had promised Noah and his sons that he would never again destroy all living creatures with a flood (Ge 9:11). Even when God is angry, we cling to that promise. And God keeps his word. Though he has good reason to give up on us, he doesn’t. He keeps pursuing us so that we might become those he intends us to be.
How can one feel safe in a world that’s being destroyed? (2:3)
In the midst of horrible destruction, there is no shelter apart from God. That is why the prophets were brutally honest about dark times. They remind us that so many of the things in which we put our trust—nations, armies, material things, idols—crumble before the wrath of God. There is only one thing that lasts: the steadfast love of God (La 3:22–25).
Why was God against the Philistines? (2:5)
God regarded the Philistines as enemies because, like many other nations, they had oppressed and opposed his people for hundreds of years. Like other nations of the earth, they had abandoned the faith of their forefather Noah. They had rejected God’s self-revelation, made obvious through creation (Ro 1:20–23), and had worshiped false gods and idols (Jdg 10:6).
Judah had broken its covenant with God and deserved nothing but punishment. But after the judgment, God would fulfill his promise to redeem and restore his people.
How had Judah been insulted and taunted? (2:8)
The Moabites and the Ammonites were perennial thorns in the side of Israel. As neighbors of Israel, they had consistently threatened the people of God (Nu 22:4–6; Jdg 3:12–14; 2Sa 10:1–19; Eze 25:2–4). The particular issue at hand here was the verbal threats from these two people groups. Shame was often associated with such threats, but the prophet assured the people that God had not turned a deaf ear to those insults.
Both cities were destroyed when burning sulfur rained down on them (Ge 19:24–25).
Did Moab and Ammon eventually worship the Lord? (2:11)
Moab and Ammon (v. 9) are not necessarily the only nations in view here, though this verse appears in the section directed to them. The nations mentioned in this chapter may symbolize the four points of the compass: Moab and Ammon to the east of Judah, Philistia to the west, Cush to the south and Assyria to the north. See Judah’s Enemies (Eze 25:2). This speaks of a time when—because of God’s judgment—Moab, Ammon and all the people of the earth will recognize God’s power and will worship him as the one true God (Zep 3:9; Rev 21:24).
Why would Assyria say, I am? (2:15)
The phrase could also be translated “Who says in their heart, I.” Assyria’s claim was that she was the center of the world, with no others vying for the position. This national egocentrism came under the scrutiny of God—the only true “I.”
Why would others shake their fists at Assyria? (2:15)
This gesture of contempt expresses the satisfaction others would feel that vengeance had been accomplished against the Assyrians, who were hated by many for their brutal treatment of conquered nations.
What is the city of oppressors? (3:1)
Verses 2 and 5 indicate that Jerusalem is in view. Verse 2 identifies her God as the LORD, the special name for Israel’s God. Verse 5 speaks of the Lord dwelling within her, a reference to God’s presence in the Jerusalem temple.
How were the religious leaders unprincipled, untrustworthy and violent? (3:4)
These prophets, who claimed to be God’s spokespersons, refused to expose the social injustice of Judah’s civil leaders. Instead, they proudly claimed that their false assurances of a bright future for Judah were messages from God. The priests, who were supposed to teach the people God’s law, did not follow the proper standards for ceremonial purity and neglected Sabbath observations.
What can ordinary people do about sinful religious leaders? (3:4)
While Zephaniah may have been a member of the royal family, it is also possible that he was an ordinary person who was deeply concerned about the corrupt priests in Jerusalem who worshiped Baal and Molek as well as the Lord (1:4–6). For the sake of God’s honor, ordinary people ought to demand the highest standards of morality from, and spiritual oversight of, those in leadership.
Does God balance the scales of justice daily? (3:5)
God often allows injustice to sweep through and even temporarily dominate a society. But the point of this verse is not that God provides immediate justice for everyone but that he regularly promotes justice in the world. Sooner or later he will reward righteousness and pay back all evildoers in full.
Is this describing the end of the world? (3:8)
Yes, but not only that. Zephaniah was describing Judah’s coming judgment (1:4–13) against the backdrop of a final, worldwide judgment (1:2–3, 14–18). Old Testament prophecies sometimes had two meanings—one involving the immediate future and the other foreshadowing events of the end times.
How would they tell no lies? (3:13)
The remnant of Israel would be purified in their actions and in the words that came from their lips. The cleanness of the tongue, or lack of deception in the tongue, is interestingly juxtaposed to the praise of the Lord in Zion (v. 14). The purpose of clean lips is for the exaltation and praise of the Lord.
This is a reference to Jerusalem. Cities were commonly personified as women and were said to be daughters of the country to which they belonged.
Is this book a warning or an encouragement? (3:15)
Both, as is the case with most Old Testament prophetic books. A prophet’s typical audience consisted of a wide variety of people, including both hardened sinners and faithful followers of the Lord.
The prophets aimed their accusations and warnings at the civil and spiritual leaders who were violating God’s standards and jeopardizing the well-being and future of the nation. Though God intended these hard-hitting messages to shock sinners and drive them to repentance, the prophets’ words often fell on deaf ears.
The positive messages promised that God would someday reverse the effects of judgment and restore his people. Zephaniah intended to encourage the followers of the Lord by assuring them that God would preserve a remnant and ultimately fulfill his promises to their ancestors. Assured of eventual vindication, the faithful could persevere through hard times and look past the coming judgment with anticipation (3:16–20).
Why does God punish some and not others? (3:15)
God deals with us in his wisdom and mercy, thus his judgments are not the same as ours. We tend to be severe with others, while forgiving ourselves. God judges everyone according to his absolute standard, and everyone falls short. While the prophet’s words about God’s judgments are harsh, they are followed by tender words of mercy to those who trust God.
It would seem so, although this also may be a way of describing God’s feelings in terms we can understand—bringing God’s feelings down to a human level. Still, God expresses emotions, including joy, in a variety of ways. The Hebrew word translated singing may even refer to a shout of delight or happy laughter. This shows the great joy the Lord will feel when Jerusalem, his chosen city, is repopulated by his people and the pain of past judgment has passed once and for all.
How were their festivals a burden and a reproach? (3:18)
Some think this means that during the exile, while the temple lay in ruins, God’s people would mourn for the feasts they were missing. Others believe this indicates the closer fellowship with God people would experience once the traditional feasts were replaced by the reality of God’s coming kingdom in Jesus Christ. Some also see this as a picture of the millennial age after the second coming of Christ.