TEXT [Commentary]

  B.   Warnings Based on Judgment (1:7-13)

7 Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign LORD,

for the awesome day of the LORD’s judgment is near.

The LORD has prepared his people for a great slaughter

and has chosen their executioners.[*]

8 “On that day of judgment,”

says the LORD,

“I will punish the leaders and princes of Judah

and all those following pagan customs.

9 Yes, I will punish those who participate in pagan worship ceremonies,

and those who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.

10 “On that day,” says the LORD,

“a cry of alarm will come from the Fish Gate

and echo throughout the New Quarter of the city.[*]

And a great crash will sound from the hills.

11 Wail in sorrow, all you who live in the market area,[*]

for all the merchants and traders will be destroyed.

12 “I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners

to punish those who sit complacent in their sins.

They think the LORD will do nothing to them,

either good or bad.

13 So their property will be plundered,

their homes will be ransacked.

They will build new homes

but never live in them.

They will plant vineyards

but never drink wine from them.

NOTES

1:7 Stand in silence. See note on Hab 2:20 regarding the word has [TH2013A, ZH2187].

day of the LORD’s judgment. See commentary on 1:14-18 and Joel 2:28-31.

a great slaughter. Lit., “a sacrifice”; so also in 1:7b (cf. NLT mg). The sacrificial terminology used here of the Lord’s slaughter of those enacting pagan rites is not otherwise developed and is probably built around a type of fellowship offering (cf. Lev 7:11-21). Several instances of such sacrificial banquets occur in the OT (e.g., 1 Sam 9:22-24; 2 Sam 15:11; 1 Kgs 1:9-10, 24-25; cf. TDOT 4.25-26). The invited guests have commonly been held to be “the pagan conquerors (mainly Babylon)” (Bailey 1999:427) but could also be God’s people. (The NLT rendering “chosen their executioners” reflects the former understanding.) If the latter understanding is accepted, there could be an analogy here with the occasion when Jehu invited the ministers of Baal as his guests for a sacrifice to Baal (2 Kgs 10:18-29) and they became both the guests and the sacrificial victims. Likewise Zephaniah’s prophecy, which is followed by a warning concerning the punishment of God’s offending people (vv. 8-13) and subsequently by a prophecy relative to the Day of the Lord (vv. 14-18) may suggest that “those invited might also be the victims of the sacrifice” (Sweeney 2000:504), namely, God’s own people (cf. NJB). The Day of the Lord is elsewhere associated with a sacrificial banquet (Isa 34:6; Jer 46:10; Ezek 39:17-20).

1:8 I will punish. Though the Hebrew verb paqad is often translated “visit,” it must be contextually nuanced. In many cases, it is employed where a superior takes action for or against his subordinates. In contexts involving hostility, it connotes punishment (Jer 11:22; Hos 1:4; Amos 3:2, 14).

leaders. The Hebrew noun used here refers to officials at various levels, frequently coming from leading tribal families and forming powerful advisory groups throughout Israel’s history (cf. Exod 18:13-26; 1 Kgs 4:2-6; 2 Kgs 24:12; 2 Chr 35:8). The term may designate the chieftains of Israel (Num 21:18), court officials (1 Chr 22:17), district supervisors (1 Kgs 20:14-15), city officials (Judg 8:6), military leaders (1 Kgs 2:5; 2 Kgs 1:9-14; 5:1; 25:23, 26), or even religious leaders (Ezra 8:24). The importance of such leaders in Zephaniah’s day is underscored not only in their mention before the members of the royal family here, but also in their prominence in the enumeration of the levels of Judahite society during the reign of Josiah (Jer 1:18; 2:26; 4:9). Jeremiah emphasized their importance and responsibility, using the term more than three dozen times.

princes of Judah. Lit., “sons of the king.” J. M. P. Smith (1911:196) rightly points out that “the reference here cannot be to the sons of Josiah, the eldest of whom was not born until six years after Josiah assumed the crown . . . and was not old enough to have wielded any influence until well toward the close of Josiah’s long reign.” If the date for Zephaniah adopted in the introduction is correct, the reference must be principally to the sons of the deceased King Amon.

those following pagan customs. Lit., “those clad in foreign clothes.” As in the case of the following line in v. 9, the NLT brings out the implications of this phrase in a context of idolatrous practice. In this line, however, it may be only rich clothes supplied by merchants that are in view (cf. 1:11), an idea that would elaborate on the well-to-do status of the princes of Judah mentioned in the previous line.

1:9 those who participate in pagan worship ceremonies. Lit., “those who leap over the threshold.” The citizens of Judah and Jerusalem perpetuated the custom of avoiding contact with the threshold of a temple by leaping over it. The practice had originated among the priests of Dagon during the incident of the collapse of his statue before the Ark of the Lord (1 Sam 5:1-5). The Targum renders the phrase, “all who walk in the laws of the Philistines.” The NLT reading suggests that this practice may be representative of yet other pagan religious activities. Less likely are the views that suggest that this phrase has to do with those who force their way into houses to confiscate the property of the poor (an interpretation in medieval Jewry) or that the custom has to do with mounting the podium which held the god’s statue (Sabottka 1972).

1:10 New Quarter. The Hebrew term used here is commonly translated “the second quarter” and was perhaps an addition to the upper Tyropoeon Valley.

1:11 market area. The term has been variously understood. Among the ancient versions, the Septuagintal tradition renders it three different ways, the Vulgate translates it “pillars,” the Peshitta transliterates it as a proper noun, and the Targum identifies it as the Brook Kidron. Among modern versions, one may find “mortar” (NASB, NRSV, La Sacra Biblia), “hollow” (NJB), “market district” (NIV), “mill” (Die Heilige Schrift), or simple transliteration (KJV, La Sainte Bible, Cohen). Due to its derivation from kathash [TH3806, ZH4197] (to pound), it has been understood as a hollow or a place pounded out, and related to a commercial district, probably a functional rendering rather than an attempt at a geographical or etymological identification.

all you who live in the market area. Lit., “all the people of Canaan.” The noun “Canaan,” like the adjective “Canaanite,” may often be translated “merchant” due to the Canaanites’ (especially the Phoenicians’) established reputation as traders (cf. Isa 23:8; Ezek 16:29; 17:4; Hos 12:7-8). This NLT rendering combines the thought of this line in the MT with that of the next (lit., “all who weigh out the silver will be cut off”).

1:12 I will search with lanterns. J. M. P. Smith (1911:201) likens God’s diligent searching of Jerusalem to that of Diogenes equipped with a lantern in his quest for truth. This is not a search for truth, however. Smith is on target when he goes on to observe that “the figure expresses the thought of the impossibility of escape from the avenging eye of Yahweh. . . . The figure is probably borrowed from the custom of the night-watchman carrying his lamp and may involve also the thought of the diligent search of Jerusalem that will be made by her conquerors in their quest for spoil.”

those who sit complacent in their sins. Lit., “the men who are thickening on their lees.” The image, drawn from wine left too long on its lees, portrays those who are indifferent to spiritual matters. The imagery envisions an indifference that goes beyond the smug self- satisfaction suggested by the word “complacency” to an attitude that has hardened into deliberate disregard for the Lord and his standards. Rose (1981:193-208) proposes that the affluent class had become so entrenched in its wealth that it assumed God must be supportive of its lifestyle. Thus wealth was interpreted as a sign of divine favor.

1:13 Willis (1987:74) calls attention to Zephaniah’s use of parallelism here (in an A–B–A–B structure) to emphasize that “divine punishment is able to thwart the apparent prevalence of human achievements (cf. Ezek 27:33; 28:9; Amos 5:11).”

COMMENTARY [Text]

Having delivered God’s pronouncement of judgment against all humanity and especially his covenant people, Zephaniah turns to exhortations. In view of the certainty and severity of coming judgment, God’s prophet has some advice: “Be silent!” “Hush!” It is a call for submission, fear, and consecration.

While Yahweh is Judah’s God, he is also the master of its destiny. Judah has perpetuated Israel’s sin (2 Kgs 17:18-20) in following Baal and other pagan practices. In doing so, it has forsaken its rightful master to follow another master (Baal). The folly of such conduct would become apparent. Judah’s true master was about to demonstrate the powerlessness of him who was no master at all. The last remnants of Baalism would be cut off.

Zephaniah also reminded his hearers that they stood in the presence of the living God whose all-seeing eye (Jer 32:19) had observed all their evil deeds and would reward them (Job 24:22-24; 34:21-22; Ps 66:7; Amos 9:8). Judah’s idolatry was loathsome in his eyes (Jer 16:17). They had lost sight of the truth that God was the unseen observer in Israel, not only on occasions of religious ceremony, but also in every activity of life, and had strayed from the resulting mandate that their lives were to reflect his holy character in every facet (cf. Lev 19:2; 20:7, 22-24). Contrary to their foolish thoughts that either God had not seen their wickedness or did not care to intervene, their day of judgment was at hand.

Zephaniah’s great concern for his people was underscored by his realization of the imminence of God’s coming judgment. The Day of the Lord was near. As employed by the prophets, the “Day of the Lord” refers to that time when, for his glory and in accordance with his purposes, God intervenes in human affairs to execute judgment against sin and/or deliver his people (see King 1995:16-32). That time could be in the present (Joel 1:15), be in the near future (Isa 2:12-22; Jer 46:10; Ezek 13:5; Joel 2:1, 11; Amos 5:18-20), be future-eschatological (Isa 13:6, 9; Ezek 30:2-3; Mal 4:1-6), or be primarily eschatological (Joel 3:14-15; Zech 14:1-21; cf. 1 Thess 5:1-11; 2 Thess 2:2; 2 Pet 3:10-13). Zephaniah’s urgent warning spoke of imminent judgment.

God’s prophet went on to call that day the day of the Lord’s sacrifice (see note on 1:7). The metaphor of the sacrificial banquet is a poignant one. The sacrifice itself is Judah and Jerusalem. But who are the guests? If one sees in the metaphor a second reason for the call for silence, the guests could be understood as the citizens of Judah and Jerusalem. Thus, the call for silence (= submission to the Lord) is issued (1) because of the awesome day of the Lord’s judgment and (2) because that day can be survived only by genuine believers in Yahweh. The metaphor of the banquet (1:7) also strengthens the previous two lines while giving unity to the whole verse. The sacrifice was to be held in the presence of Yahweh, was imminent, was hosted by Yahweh himself, and was to be attended by his guests.

So construed, the metaphor of the sacrificial banquet reinforces the announcement of the Day of the Lord and provides a ray of hope in the clouds of doom. As guests called to a sacrificial feast were to come with their uncleanness removed, so the Judahites were urged to respond to the invitation of Yahweh their host. Although judgment was coming, there was still time. By acknowledging God as their master and responding in fear to the prospect of judgment, God’s people could join a believing remnant and come to the feast as guests acceptable to him. There was yet hope.

The figure of the sacrificial banquet, however, also entailed a further word of caution because the alternative of being unfit for attendance carried with it an ironic twist: Guests who remained unrepentant, and hence unclean, would be disqualified and would, like those in Jehu’s day (2 Kgs 10:18-28), discover that their invitation to the banquet also entailed their role as sacrificial victims. God had summoned others (the Babylonians) who would destroy both Judah and Jerusalem and the unrepentant people who inhabited them (1:8-13).

The call for the merchants to wail (1:11) was also especially dramatic. Their wealth would be taken away. Though one could hope for the lamenting that leads to repentance, such was unlikely. Rather, these people would lament their lost wealth. Ironically, Zephaniah told them to go ahead and wail, for such would suit their lot.

The money-loving merchants were also labeled for what they were: Canaanites and money-grubbers. The metaphor was an apt one, for like their Canaanite precursors they worshiped pagan gods and spent their lives trafficking in commercial pursuits. The merchants of Judah were no better than those of Israel (cf. Ezek 16:29; Hos 12:7), and both betrayed their Canaanite ancestry (Ezek 16:3). Jesus would also warn of the perils of the pursuit of wealth (Matt 6:24; Luke 16:19-31), and Paul would caution the church’s leaders against being money-lovers (1 Tim 3:3). Lamentably, the temptation to make merchandise of the ministry must be mastered in every generation (cf. 2 Cor 2:17). Whereas money and wealth can be a useful resource for the advancement of the Lord’s work and the rightful enjoyment of life, it must never become an end in itself (1 Tim 6:10; Heb 13:16).

No less revealing is the announced judgment on the citizens of Jerusalem (1:12-13). God will punish those whose greed and self-satisfaction has grown into a settled indifference toward God and his standards. Like wine left on its dregs so long that it has become sickeningly sweet and then spoiled, so also many of Jerusalem’s citizens had remained in their apostate lifestyle so long that they had become satisfied with it and then grown indifferent to genuine piety.

If not in theory, then at least in practice, the people of Judah behaved like full-fledged pagans. They proclaimed that God does neither good nor harm to individuals or society (cf. Isa 41:23; Jer 10:5). To their surprise, God would demonstrate his intervention in human affairs. Not an absentee God, he would send an invading force that would search out and plunder Jerusalem. The implementation of the Lord’s proclamation would come so quickly that all who had lived in pursuit of ill-gotten gain would not survive to enjoy their wealth. All that for which they had labored so hard and long would fall into the hands of others. In their preoccupation with self and riches, they would lose them both (cf. Luke 12:16-21). Thus, God’s righteous standards would be upheld (Lev 26:27-33; Deut 28:30, 39). As they had been applied to Israel (cf. Amos 5:11; Mic 6:15), so they would be applied to Judah and Jerusalem.

Whereas today’s believer may applaud Zephaniah’s warnings to his fellow countrymen as necessary (due to the apostasy, immorality, and injustice of that time), it is another matter for one to apply them to oneself. But such conduct is no less culpable now than it was then. Indeed, a far more insidious danger lurks today. Apathy and inactivity abound, and these will ultimately take their toll. Where these attitudes form the dominant force in society, those who display them should not be surprised when they are caught up with evildoers in the very things that lead to the deterioration and destruction of that society. Craigie (1985:114) concludes, “Zephaniah’s words on indifference touch the conscience of multitudes, those who are not guilty of unbelief, but are equally never overwhelmed by belief. . . . The way things are is partly because that is the way we have allowed them to become. We can sit back, smug and somnolent in a desperate world, but we cannot at the same time absolve ourselves from all responsibility, and we shall eventually be caught in the very chaos we permit.”