- Book: [[Zephaniah]] - Next chapter: [[Zephaniah 2]] # Overview - v.1: Introduction of the author - v.2-4: List of things to be destroyed. First, starting with "everything", then clarifying specifically: - v. 3: - man, beast, birds, fish - "idols that cause the wicked to stumble" - "all mankind on the face of the earth" - v. 4: - "[[Judah]] and all who live in [[Jerusalem]]" - "every remnant of [[Baal]] worship" - the idolatrous priests who: - bow down on the roofs to worship starry hosts - bow down and swear by both the [[Lord]] and [[Moloch]] - "turn back from following the Lord and neither seek [...] nor inquire of him" - v. 7-18: warning that "the day of the LORD is near" and describing it - v. 7b: "The [[Lord]] has prepared a sacrifice" and "consecrated those he has invited" - v. 8-12: the list of the punished - v. 8: - officials and the kings sons - "all those clad in foreign clothes" - v. 9: - "all who avoid stepping on the threshold" - those who fill the temple of their gods with violence and deceit - v. 10-13: more list of punished and particular ways they will be punished - v. 10 - "a cry will go up" from the Fish Gate, New Quarter, and hills - v. 11: those who live in the market district, merchants, and silver traders are on the list of people to be destroyed - **v. 12: those who are complacent... who think "The Lord will do nothing"** - v. 13: nature of punishment - wealth plundered - labour but not reap - v. 14-18: global description of his "day of wrath" - v. 14: clarifies that the day s near and will involve a shouted battle cry - v. 15-16: descriptions of the day - distress and anguish - trouble and ruin - darkness and gloom - clouds and blackness - trumpet and battlecry against fortified cities and corner towers - v. 17-18: general punishments for all people - v. 17: - grope about like those who are blind because they have sinned - blood poured out like dust, entrails like dung - v. 18: - riches will not save them - the whole earth will be consumed - it will be a "sudden end" of "all who live on earth" # Commentary It seems a major point of this chapter is on "those who are complacent" and think "The Lord will do nothing". Many of the highlighted list of people who are punished are people who ostensibly or on some level believe in [[God]] -- kings, merchants, "all people", etc. In v.4 this is stated clearly, explicitly calling out priests who are "idolatrous", and who don't fully follow [[God]] (worshiping other things in addition to the [[Lord]], or who don't seek and inquire of him). It seems then that the hyperbolic and total language of the destruction has the effect of instilling fear of the Lord in all listeners, and to make us really think whether or not we "seek and inquire of him" or whether we are worshipping other idols in addition to or instead of [[God]]. > [!NOTE] On hyperbolic language > [[Campbell Patterson]] notes that in [[Deuteronomy]] ~30, it's prophesied that [[Israel]]ites will be exiled to the ends of the sky, even though we know that isn't literally true # Details - Note in v. 4-5 the degree of pagan idolatry (i.e. "remnants of [[Baal]]"). In conjunction with [[2 Kings 21]] and [[2 Kings 23]], we know this takes place after [[Josiah]] ostensibly cleanses [[Baal]] worship. The implication here is that the phrase "remnants" is probably accurate -- worship of other gods behind closed doors and such - v. 5 "worship the starry host" -- according to the [[NET Bible]], the "host of heaven" is deified personifications of the sun, moon, stars, etc - v. 9 "all who avoid stepping on the threshold" -- perhaps a reference to the [[Philistine]] god [[Dagon]] (see [[1 Samuel 5]]:5) - As a whole, the language in this chapter (especially in v.10-13) strongly implies an invading army of some sort. # Questions - v. 7: "consecrated those he has invited" -- who has he invited? What does the consecration (ritual purification, right?) consist of, when the rest of the passage seems to involve total destruction? - v. 16-18: why is [[God]] talking in third person here? Seems a bit strange, no? The [[NET Bible]] says its actually unclear in the original text when quotes from [[God]] ends and when the prophets commentary begins, so why did the [[NIV]] make this choice? And why isn't "he" capitalized in v. 18? (or does capitalization not happen in other parts too and it's actually perfectly normal?)