The countries surrounding Jerusalem have been called to repent before the approaching Day of the Lord. Now YHWH's focus turns to Judah.
Zephaniah 3:1-4, Decay of Jerusalem
Woe to the city of oppressors,
rebellious and defiled!
She obeys no one,
she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the LORD,
she does not draw near to her God.
Her officials within her are roaring lions;
her rulers are evening wolves,
who leave nothing for the morning.
Her prophets are unprincipled;
they are treacherous people.
Her priests profane the sanctuary
and do violence to the law.
The leaders and priests of Jerusalem are decadent, depraved, rebellious. The rulers are described as predatory lions and wolves that leave nothing for the morning. Zephaniah's knowledge of these city leaders fits one who, as a descendant of King Hezekiah, presumably had access to royalty and power≥
Despite the evil in Jerusalem, it is notable that the text still identifies YHWH as "her God," that is, as personally concerned about His special city. (Verse 3 is similar to Ezekiel 22:27, another list of sins of the leaders of Jerusalem.)
Zephaniah 3:5, Justice, Morning by Morning
The LORD within her is righteous;
he does no wrong.
Morning by morning he dispenses his justice,
and every new day he does not fail,
yet the unrighteous know no shame.
Despite the evil in the city, YHWH is righteous and dispenses justice. Implied here is praise of YHWH for being righteous. Unlike the rulers mentioned above, YHWH acts each morning to provide justice.
Zephaniah 3:6-7, Is Judah any different?
“I have destroyed nations;
their strongholds are demolished.
I have left their streets deserted,
with no one passing through.
Their cities are laid waste;
they are deserted and empty.
Of Jerusalem I thought,
‘Surely you will fear me and accept correction!’
Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed,
nor all my punishments come upon her.
But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did.
Written in first person, YHWH expresses His disappointment in Judah. The other nations have been judged and will be demolished. But surely Jerusalem would have been faithful! But they have not been....
Zephaniah 3:8, Wait for me
Therefore wait for me,”
declares the LORD,
“for the day I will stand up to testify.
I have decided to assemble the nations,
to gather the kingdoms
and to pour out my wrath on them—
all my fierce anger.
The whole world will be consumed
by the fire of my jealous anger.
All the nations, even Judah, will be judged and consumed. Those who follow YHWH will need to "wait" for His actions. (This waiting is especially difficult for frail mortal humans!)
Walker (p. 559) says that the Masoretes, the ancient Jewish scribes who copied the Masoretic text, noted that verse 8 here is the only verse in the Old Testament that includes all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, including final forms -- except for shin with the dot on the left. (This observation says something about the obsession the scribes had regarding copying the ancient text!)
This ends the second portion of Zephaniah. The third portion, the last twelve verses, is on purification and restoration.
Zephaniah 3:9-13, A remnant
“Then I will purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call on the name of the LORD
and serve him shoulder to shoulder.
From beyond the rivers of Cush
my worshipers, my scattered people,
will bring me offerings.
On that day you, Jerusalem, will not be put to shame
for all the wrongs you have done to me,
because I will remove from you your arrogant boasters.
Never again will you be haughty on my holy hill.
But I will leave within you the meek and humble.
The remnant of Israel will trust in the name of the LORD.
They will do no wrong;
they will tell no lies.
A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths.
They will eat and lie down
and no one will make them afraid.”
The third portion of the scroll of Zephaniah moves on to a future day in which a remnant will be called to Israel from far away, from "beyond the rivers of Cush." (In the ANE, this is the ends of the earth!) In that future day, Jerusalem will be the home of the humble, of those who trust in YHWH.
As Motyer points out (p. 953), the passage ends with an ANE "pastoral motif that abounds throughout the Bible." Peace is represented by flocks settling down quietly to graze and rest. The pain will end; Eden will be restored.
Zephaniah 3:14-17, Sing!
Sing, Daughter Zion;
shout aloud, Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has taken away your punishment,
he has turned back your enemy.
The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
“Do not fear, Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.
The LORD your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.”
The first verse in thus passage addresses Zion (Jerusalem), Israel and then back to Jerusalem, in three parts, addressing all of the nation. In that day, the residents of Jerusalem will sing and shout with joy. Indeed, even YHWH will sing!
Zephaniah 3:18-20, Honor for the exiles and the lame
“I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals,
which is a burden and reproach for you.
At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you.
I will rescue the lame;
I will gather the exiles.
I will give them praise and honor
in every land where they have suffered shame.
At that time I will gather you;
at that time I will bring you home.
I will give you honor and praise
among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes
before your very eyes,”
says the LORD.
The first line of verse 18, above, is a strange one. Motyer argues that it is aimed at the people who go to the religious feasts but do not observe them in their hearts. The feasts are a burden they would like to ignore. A century before, the prophet Amos (Amos 8:3-6) singled out exactly those individuals.
The people of Israel will be rescued from their oppressors. The "lame" (physically disabled) and the "exiles" (the outcasts) will have their fortunes restored. The promised rescue in verse 19 is then repeated with emphasis in verse 20.
These final twelve verses look forward to a joyous remnant. With this promise, the prophecy of Zephaniah ends.
Some Random Thoughts
Some argue that "goodness" or "righteousness" are attributes of God by definition -- that is, to act with righteousness is to merely act as God desires. Yet Old Testament passages like verse 5, above, are intended to praise God for being righteous, as if righteousness was an independent attribute. A follower of God might ask,
From where does righteousness come?
This is not an easy philosophical question for Christians or for deists in general. Indeed the Greeks of Plato's time asked that question and gave it a name: The Euthypro Dilemma.
Regardless of the origin of righteousness, the followers of YHWH are told to Wait, to wait for a reversal of the Fall and the appearance of a new Eden. (See Revelation 21-22 for a New Testament version of this future day.)
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