TEXT [Commentary]

  2.   Pronouncement on Jerusalem (3:1-7)

1 What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem,

the city of violence and crime!

2 No one can tell it anything;

it refuses all correction.

It does not trust in the LORD

or draw near to its God.

3 Its leaders are like roaring lions

hunting for their victims.

Its judges are like ravenous wolves at evening time,

who by dawn have left no trace of their prey.

4 Its prophets are arrogant liars seeking their own gain.

Its priests defile the Temple by disobeying God’s instructions.

5 But the LORD is still there in the city,

and he does no wrong.

Day by day he hands down justice,

and he does not fail.

But the wicked know no shame.

6 “I have wiped out many nations,

devastating their fortress walls and towers.

Their streets are now deserted;

their cities lie in silent ruin.

There are no survivors—

none at all.

7 I thought, ‘Surely they will have reverence for me now!

Surely they will listen to my warnings.

Then I won’t need to strike again,

destroying their homes.’

But no, they get up early

to continue their evil deeds.

NOTES

3:1 What sorrow. Lit., “woe” (hoy [TH1945, ZH2098]). Woe oracles customarily contain such elements as invective, criticism, and threat. Not all oracles beginning with hoy bear the marks of woe oracles, however. See notes on Nah 3:1; Hab 2:6.

rebellious. The root of this word is debated. Some suggest the existence of a root ro’i II, meaning “excrement” (Jastrow, cf. HALOT 1.630). Some derive it here from yare’ [TH3373, ZH3710] (fear, frightful), and others from marah [TH4784, ZH5286] (rebel). The NLT has followed the last alternative. This root is used overwhelmingly in the OT in contexts dealing with Israel’s rebellion against God or his commandments, whether in word or deed.

polluted. Although the Hebrew root may be employed concerning discoloration in general (Isa 63:3), it is used often of religious defilement or disqualification (Ezra 2:62; Neh 7:64; Mal 1:7), particularly of the misdeeds of Israel’s priesthood (Neh 13:29).

violence and crime! The NLT expresses the force of the Hebrew yonah [TH3238A, ZH3561] (oppression) by listing two characteristics of it. The Peshitta translates the word as “Jonah,” assuming the city addressed here to be Nineveh (NLT’s “Jerusalem” does not occur in the Hebrew text). However, this scarcely makes good sense in context (cf. 3:4, 11). The Hebrew term is utilized in a variety of ways but most frequently of intolerance toward or the suppression of the rights and privileges of others. It especially characterizes the rich and influential members of society who take advantage of the less fortunate (cf. Exod 22:21; Lev 19:33; Deut 23:16).

3:2 correction. By “correction” (or “chastisement”) is meant the several instances of affliction and rebuke that God sends into the lives of his own to bring about their spiritual growth (Prov 1:7-8; 3:11-12). Like Zephaniah, Jeremiah lamented the people’s failure to profit from God’s chastening (Jer 5:3; 7:28).

3:3 leaders . . . judges. For the term “leaders,” see note on 1:8. As for judges, this noun was used of those leaders of Israel to whom civic, as well as judicial, responsibilities were entrusted. In time, the latter sense became the dominant one, especially from Samuel onward (cf. 1 Sam 7:15-17; 8:1-2). These two terms, along with the mention of prophets and priests in v. 4, served as the focal point for Ezekiel’s adaptation of 3:3-4 for his denunciation of God’s people (Ezek 22:25-28). Fishbane (1985:463) singles out Ezekiel’s use of Zephaniah as a classic case of intra-biblical exegesis.

ravenous wolves at evening time. The exact force of Zephaniah’s simile has been greatly debated. The MT’s “wolves of the evening” was followed by the Vulgate and the Peshitta, whereas the LXX translates, “wolves of Arabia.” The dissatisfaction with the idea of evening wolves has led some to translate “wolves of the steppe/plain/wasteland” (e.g., NJB, REB). The NLT renders the graphic sense of the passage. (For a discussion of the term “wolves of the evening,” see Elliger 1950:158-178; Sabottka 1972:104-105.)

3:4 arrogant. Von Orelli (1897:274) observes that the Hebrew root of the term rendered “arrogant” means “to overcook”; hence the prophets are those who boil over with personal desire. Jeremiah uses the root to describe the prophets’ deceit. He charges them with falsehood of every kind (Jer 23:30-32).

3:5 the LORD . . . does no wrong. Lit., “the LORD is righteous.” See commentary on Hab 2:4.

justice. Keil (1954:57) observes that the term involves more than rendering a righteous verdict; it includes “a righteous state of things.” Robertson (1990:322) remarks, “As faithfully as the Lord provided daily manna for his people during their trial period in the wilderness, so in the chaotic last days of Jerusalem the Lord’s righteousness was coming to light.”

3:6 walls and towers. The NLT renders the force of the single Hebrew word here that designates the corner tower or key point in the defensive wall. See note on 1:16.

3:7 Surely they. The NLT reading provides a smoothing out of the enallage (grammatical interchange) in the Hebrew text that moves from the direct address of “surely you will fear me” to the indirect address of “therefore her dwelling will not be cut off.” The resultant sense casts the whole sentence as a divine musing: God’s concern was for Jerusalem’s repentance so that in the coming judgment total destruction could be avoided. The LXX and Peshitta apparently read me‘eneha [TH4480/5869/1886.3, ZH4946/6524/2023] (from her eyes/sight) in place of me‘onah [TH4583A/1886.3, ZH5061/2023] (her dwelling), a reading followed by G. A. Smith and J. M. P. Smith (cf. NJB, NRSV).

COMMENTARY [Text]

Having pronounced judgment on the surrounding nations, Zephaniah turned to his own nation and city. In cataloging Jerusalem’s crimes (3:1-5), he noted that its people were totally rebellious against God. Jeremiah also charged that the people were stubborn and rebellious (Jer 4:17) and that their leaders had kept them from fearing God, thereby causing them to turn away from God so as to miss his good purpose for them (Jer 5:23-25). The nation had neither obeyed God nor responded to his correction (Jer 7:21-28; cf. 11:6-8; 22:21). Ezekiel reminded his hearers of Israel’s penchant for impiety (Ezek 20:8, 13, 21). Because that sin was perpetuated in their day, it would bring God’s wrath against them (Ezek 20:3-38). Zephaniah’s point is much the same. He charged God’s people with refusing to obey God’s commandments and with an unwillingness to learn from chastisement.

Zephaniah went to the heart of the problem by noting the cause of Jerusalem’s obstinacy. It had neither concern nor time for God and his standards. God’s prophet called Jerusalem a defiled city. He pointed an accusing finger at Jerusalem’s religious leadership, those most responsible for the spiritual and moral fiber of the populace. Its prophets, who should have been God’s spokesmen, were non-prophets (cf. Jer 23:9-39). Their arrogance knew no bounds. Carried away by selfish conceit and personal ambition, they produced pompous pronouncements filled with idle boasting, platitudes, and lies.

The priests were no better (cf. Jer 2:8; 5:31; 6:13; 23:11). They who were charged with the purity of God’s house and the sanctity of his law (Deut 31:9-13; 1 Chr 23:28) violated both. Ezekiel (Ezek 22:26) repeated the same charges, pointing out that conditions in his day had only worsened, for the priests willfully profaned all that was sacred.

Zephaniah exposed Jerusalem’s leaders for what they were. The nobles who served as its officials and judges had betrayed their privileged positions. They who should have been fair and impartial became like ravenous beasts—roaring lions (cf. Prov 28:15; Ezek 22:25) preying on the possessions of the poor and the lives of the citizens, and wolves prowling about in the evening, gobbling up their unsuspecting prey and crushing them so thoroughly that none of their bones remained in the morning. Thus justice was perverted in the insatiable greed of Jerusalem’s leadership.

Zephaniah condemned all Jerusalem for being eager (shakam [TH7925, ZH8899], “be eager,” “rise early”) to get going at their shameful acts. Jeremiah painted a similarly sad picture of Jerusalem’s citizens. So apostate had they become in their desire to be about their own business that none had time to meet with God. Indeed, Jeremiah employed this same verb 11 times to picture God’s eagerness to meet with his people. He rose, as it were, to be on hand at the beginning of each day, longing to meet with them—but to no avail. Zephaniah reported that the people were eager, “rose early,” only to corrupt their ways further. It is little wonder then that Judah’s end was not long in coming. Accordingly, those who claim God as king in our generation would be well advised to get up early and eagerly meet with him who “rises early” to meet with his people.[122]

God’s evaluation of his people, delivered through his prophets, is timelessly instructive. Where people have abandoned the rightful sovereignty of God over their lives, preferring to play god themselves and departing from the standards of God’s Word as a guide for their lives, they are in danger of personal failure and God’s censure. People need to have their priorities in order, for misplaced trust in oneself is untrustworthy. Only God can serve as the central focus of a meaningful life (Deut 4:5-7; 6:4-6; Pss 84:12; 119:169; 125:1; Prov 3:5-6; Isa 26:3-4).

Likewise, leaders must be held accountable. Everything stands or falls on good Christian leadership. Woe to the church whose leaders, like those of Jerusalem, violate their high and holy calling and attempt to manipulate their sacred tasks for personal advancement.[123] In contrast to Judah’s corrupt leaders, those who would serve as special ministers for Christ are reminded that theirs must be a wholesome, balanced, and spiritually maturing walk (cf. Ps 101:6 with Gen 17:1; Deut 18:13; Matt 5:48; 2 Cor 13:11). Indeed, all of their life (“sacred” and “secular”) must be truly marked by humble, spiritual service for Christ (cf. Rom 15:26-27; 2 Cor 9:12-13), reflecting Christ’s manner of service (Mark 10:45).