ZEPHANIAH, ninth in order of the minor prophets, prophesied "in the days of Josiah" ( Zep 1:1), that is, between 642 and 611 B.C. The name means "Jehovah hath guarded," literally, "hidden" ( Ps 27:5; 83:3). The specification in the introductory heading, of not only his father, but also his grandfather, and great-grandfather, and great-great-grandfather, implies that the latter were persons of note, or else the design was to distinguish him from another Zephaniah of note at the time of the captivity. The Jews' supposition, that persons recorded as a prophet's ancestors were themselves endowed with the prophetic spirit, seems groundless. There is no impossibility of the Hezekiah, who was Zephaniah's great-great-grandfather, being King Hezekiah as to the number of generations; for Hezekiah's reign of twenty-nine years, and his successor's reign of fifty-five years, admit of four generations interposing between. Yet the omission of the designation, "king of Judah," is fatal to the theory (compare Pr 25:1; Isa 38:9).
He must have flourished in the earlier part of Josiah's reign. In Zep 2:13-15 he foretells the doom of Nineveh, which happened in 625 B.C.; and in Zep 1:4 he denounces various forms of idolatry, and specially that of Baal. Now Josiah's reformation began in the twelfth and was completed in the eighteenth year of his reign. Zephaniah, therefore, in denouncing Baal worship, co-operated with that good king in his efforts, and so must have prophesied somewhere between the twelfth and eighteenth years of his reign. The silence of the historical books is no argument against this, as it would equally apply against Jeremiah's prophetical existence at the same time. Jewish tradition says that Zephaniah had for his colleagues Jeremiah, whose sphere of labor was the thoroughfares and market places, and Huldah the prophetess, who exercised her vocation in the college in Jerusalem.
The prophecy begins with the nation's sin and the fearful retribution coming at the hands of the Chaldeans. These are not mentioned by name, as in Jeremiah; for the prophecies of the latter, being nearer the fulfilment, become more explicit than those of an earlier date. The second chapter dooms the persecuting states in the neighborhood as well as Judea itself. The third chapter denounces Jerusalem, but concludes with the promise of her joyful re-establishment in the theocracy.
The style, though not generally sublime, is graphic and vivid in details (compare Zep 1:4-12). The language is pure, and free from Aramaisms. There are occasional coincidences with former prophets (compare Zep 2:14, with Isa 34:11; Zep 2:15, with Isa 47:8; Zep 3:10, with Isa 18:1; Zep 2:8, with Isa 16:6; also Zep 1:5, with Jer 8:2; Zep 1:12, with Jer 48:11). Such coincidences in part arise from the phraseology of Hebrew prophetic poetry being the common language of the inspired brotherhood. The New Testament, at Ro 15:6, seems to refer to Zep 3:9.
Zep 1:1-18. GOD'S SEVERE JUDGMENT ON JUDAH FOR ITS IDOLATRY AND NEGLECT OF HIM: THE RAPID APPROACH OF THE JUDGMENT, AND THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF ESCAPE.
1. days of Josiah--Had their idolatries been under former
kings, they might have said, Our kings have forced us to
this and that. But under Josiah, who did all in his power
to reform them, they have no such excuse.
son of Amon--the idolater, whose bad
practices the Jews clung to, rather than the good example
of Josiah, his son; so incorrigible were they in sin.
Judah--Israel's ten tribes had
gone into captivity before this.
2. utterly consume--from a root to "sweep away,"
or "scrape off utterly." See
Jer 8:13, Margin, and here.
from off the land--of Judah.
3. Enumeration in detail of the "all things" (
Zep 1:2; compare
Jer 9:10; Ho 4:3).
the stumbling-blocks--idols which
cause Judah to offend or stumble (
Eze 14:3, 4, 7).
with the wicked--The idols and their
worshippers shall be involved in a common destruction.
4. stretch out mine hand--indicating some remarkable and
unusual work of vengeance (
Isa 5:25; 9:12, 17, 21).
Judah--including Benjamin. These two
tribes are to suffer, which thought themselves perpetually
secure, because they escaped the captivity in which the ten
tribes were involved.
Jerusalem--the fountainhead of the
evil. God begins with His sanctuary (
Eze 9:6), and those who are nigh Him (
Le 10:3).
the remnant of Baal--the remains of
Baal worship, which as yet Josiah was unable utterly to
eradicate in remote places. Baal was the Phœnician
tutelary god. From the time of the Judges (
Jud 2:13), Israel had fallen into this idolatry; and
Manasseh lately had set up this idol within Jehovah's
temple itself (
2Ki 21:3, 5, 7). Josiah began his reformation in the
twelfth year of his reign (
2Ch 34:4, 8), and in the eighteenth had as far as
possible completed it.
Chemarims--idol priests, who had not
reached the age of puberty; meaning "ministers of the
gods" [SERVIUS on Æneid, 11], the same
name as the Tyrian Camilli, r and l being
interchangeable (compare
Ho 10:5, Margin). Josiah is expressly said (
2Ki 23:5, Margin) to have "put down the
Chemarim." The Hebrew root means
"black" (from the black garments which
they wore or the marks which they branded on their
foreheads); or "zealous," from their idolatrous
fanaticism. The very "name," as well as
themselves, shall be forgotten.
the priests--of Jehovah, of Aaronic
descent, who ought to have used all their power to
eradicate, but who secretly abetted, idolatry (compare
Zep 3:4; Eze 8:1-18; 22:26; 44:10). From the
priests Zephaniah passes to the people.
5. worship the host of heaven--Saba: whence, in
contrast to Sabeanism, Jehovah is called Lord of
Sabaoth.
upon the housetops--which were flat
(
2Ki 23:5, 6, 12; Jer 19:13; 32:29).
swear by the Lord--rather, "swear
to JEHOVAH" (
2Ch 15:14); solemnly dedicating themselves to Him
(compare
Isa 48:1; Ho 4:15).
and--"and yet (with
strange inconsistency,
1Ki 18:21; Eze 20:39; Mt 6:24) swear by Malcham,"
that is, "their king" [MAURER]: the same
as Molech (see on Am 5:25),
and "Milcom the god of . . . Ammon" (
1Ki 11:33). If Satan have half the heart, he will have
all; if the Lord have but half offered to Him, He will have
none.
6. This verse describes more comprehensively those guilty of defection from Jehovah in any way ( Jer 2:13, 17).
7. Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord-- (
Hab 2:20). Let the earth be silent at His
approach [M AURER]. Or, "Thou whosoever hast been wont
to speak against God, as if He had no care about earthly
affairs, cease thy murmurs and self-justifications; submit
thyself to God, and repent in time" [CALVIN].
Lord . . . prepared a
sacrifice--namely, a slaughter of the guilty Jews, the
victims due to His justice (
Isa 34:6; Jer 46:10; Eze 39:17).
bid his guests--literally,
"sanctified His called ones" (compare
Isa 13:3). It enhances the bitterness of the judgment
that the heathen Chaldeans should be sanctified, or
consecrated as it were, by God as His priests, and be
called to eat the flesh of the elect people; as on
feast days the priests used to feast among themselves on
the remains of the sacrifices [CALVIN]. English
Version takes it not of the priests, but the
guests bidden, who also had to "sanctify" or
purify themselves before coming to the sacrificial feast
(
1Sa 9:13, 22; 16:5). Nebuchadnezzar was bidden
to come to take vengeance on guilty Jerusalem (
Jer 25:9).
8. the princes--who ought to have been an example of good
to others, but were ringleaders in all evil.
the king's children--fulfilled on
Zedekiah's children (
Jer 39:6); and previously, on Jehoahaz and Eliakim, the
sons of Josiah (
2Ki 23:31, 36; 2Ch 36:6; compare also
2Ki 20:18; 21:13). Huldah the prophetess (
2Ki 22:20) intimated that which Zephaniah now more
expressly foretells.
all such as are clothed with strange
apparel--the princes or courtiers who attired
themselves in costly garments, imported from abroad; partly
for the sake of luxury, and partly to ingratiate themselves
with foreign great nations whose costume as well as their
idolatries they imitated, [CALVIN]; whereas in costume, as
in other respects, God would have them to be separate from
the nations. GROTIUS refers the "strange apparel"
to garments forbidden by the law, for example, men's
garments worn by women, and vice versa, a heathen usage in
the worship of Mars and Venus (
De 22:5).
9. those that leap on the threshold--the servants of the
princes, who, after having gotten prey (like hounds) for
their masters, leap exultingly on their masters'
thresholds; or, on the thresholds of the houses which they
break into [CALVIN]. JEROME explains it of those who
walk up the steps into the sanctuary with haughtiness.
ROSENMULLER translates, "Leap over the
threshold"; namely, in imitation of the Philistine
custom of not treading on the threshold, which arose from
the head and hands of Dragon being broken off on the
threshold before the ark (
1Sa 5:5). Compare
Isa 2:6, "thy people . . . are
soothsayers like the Philistines." CALVIN'S
view agrees best with the latter clause of the verse.
fill . . . masters'
houses with violence, &c.--that is, with goods obtained
with violence, &c.
10. fish gate-- (
2Ch 33:14; Ne 3:3; 12:39). Situated on the east of the
lower city, north of the sheep gate [MAURER]: near the
stronghold of David in Milo, between Zion and the lower
city, towards the west [J EROME]. This verse describes the
state of the city when it was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar.
It was through the fish gate that he entered the city. It
received its name from the fish market which was near it.
Through it passed those who used to bring fish from the
lake of Tiberias and Jordan. It answers to what is now
called the Damascus gate [HENDERSON].
the second--namely, the gate which was
second in dignity [CALVIN]. Or, the second or
lower part of the city. Appropriately, the fish gate, or
extreme end of the lower part of the city, first resounds
with the cries of the citizens as the foe approaches; then,
as he advances further, that part of the city itself,
namely, its inner part; lastly, when the foe is actually
come and has burst in, the hills, the higher ones,
especially Zion and Moriah, on which the upper city and
temple were founded [M AURER]. The second, or lower
city, answers to Akra, north of Zion, and separated from it
by the valley of Tyropœon running down to the pool of
Siloam [HENDERSON]. The Hebrew is translated
"college,"
2Ki 22:14; so VATABLUS would translate here.
hills--not here those outside, but
those within the walls: Zion, Moriah, and Ophel.
11. Maktesh--rather, "the mortar," a name applied
to the valley of Siloam from its hollow shape [JEROME]. The
valley between Zion and Mount Olivet, at the eastern
extremity of Mount Moriah, where the merchants dwelt.
Zec 14:21, "The Canaanite," namely, merchant
[Chaldee Version]. The Tyropœon (that is,
cheese-makers') valley below Mount Akra
[ROSENMULLER]. Better Jerusalem itself, so called as
lying in the midst of hills (
Isa 22:1; Jer 21:13) and as doomed to be the scene of
its people being destroyed as corn or drugs are pounded in
a mortar (
Pr 27:22) [MAURER]. Compare the similar image of a
"pot" (
Eze 24:3, 6). The reason for the destruction is
subjoined, namely, its merchant people's
greediness of gain.
all the merchant people--literally,
the "Canaanite people": irony: all the merchant
people of Jerusalem are very Canaanites in greed for
gain and in idolatries (see on
Ho 12:7).
all . . . that bear
silver--loading themselves with that which will prove but a
burden (
Hab 2:6).
12. search . . . with candles--or lamps; so as to
leave no dark corner in it wherein sin can escape the
punishment, of which the Chaldeans are My instruments
(compare
Zep 1:13; Lu 15:8).
settled on their
lees--"hardened" or crusted; image from the crust
formed at the bottom of wines long left undisturbed (
Jer 48:11). The effect of wealthy undisturbed
ease ("lees") on the ungodly is
hardening: they become stupidly secure (compare
Ps 55:19; Am 6:1).
Lord will not do good . . .
evil--They deny that God regards human affairs, or renders
good to the good; or evil to the evil, but that all things
go haphazard (
Ps 10:4; Mal 2:17).
13. Therefore their goods shall become a booty, &c.--Fulfilling the prophecy in De 28:30, 39 (compare Am 5:11).
14. voice of . . . day of . . .
Lord--that is, Jehovah ushering in that day with a roar of
vengeance against the guilty (
Jer 25:30; Am 1:2). They who will not now heed (
Zep 1:12) His voice by His prophets, must heed it when
uttered by the avenging foe.
mighty . . . shall cry
. . . bitterly--in hopeless despair; the might on
which Jerusalem now prides itself, shall then fail utterly.
15. wasteness . . . desolation--The Hebrew terms by their similarity of sounds, Shoah, Umeshoah, express the dreary monotony of desolation (see on Na 2:10).
16. the trumpet--namely, of the besieging enemy (
Am 2:2).
alarm--the war shout [MAURER].
towers--literally, "angles";
for city walls used not to be built in a direct line, but
with sinuous curves and angles, so that besiegers advancing
might be assailed not only in front, but on both sides,
caught as it were in a cul-de-sac; towers were built
especially at the angles. So TACITUS describes the walls of
Jerusalem [Histories, 5.11.7].
17. like blind men--unable to see whither to turn
themselves so as to find an escape from existing
evils.
flesh--Hebrew,
"bread"; so the Arabic term for
"bread" is used for "flesh" (
Mt 26:26).
18. Neither . . . silver nor . . . gold
shall . . . deliver them, &c.-- (
Pr 11:4).
fire of his jealousy-- (
Eze 38:19); His wrath jealous for His honor consuming
the guilty like fire.
make even a speedy riddance of
all--rather, a "consummation" (complete
destruction: "full end,"
Jer 46:28; Eze 11:13) "altogether
sudden" [MAURER]. "A consumption, and that
a sudden one" [C ALVIN].
Zep 2:1-15. EXHORTATION TO REPENT BEFORE THE CHALDEAN INVADERS COME. DOOM OF JUDAH'S FOES, THE PHILISTINES, MOAB, AMMON, WITH THEIR IDOLS, AND ETHIOPIA AND ASSYRIA.
1. Gather yourselves--to a religious assembly, to
avert the judgment by prayers (
Joe 2:16) [GROTIUS]. Or, so as not to be dissipated
"as chaff" (
Zep 2:2). The Hebrew is akin to a root meaning
"chaff." Self-confidence and corrupt desires are
the dissipation from which they are exhorted to gather
themselves [CALVIN]. The foe otherwise, like the wind,
will scatter you "as the chaff." Repentance is
the gathering of themselves meant.
nation not desired--(Compare
2Ch 21:20), that is, not desirable; unworthy of the
grace or favor of God; and yet God so magnifies that grace
as to be still solicitous for their safety, though they had
destroyed themselves and forfeited all claims on His grace
[CALVIN]. The Margin from Chaldee Version
has, "not desirous," namely of returning to God.
M AURER and GESENIUS translate, "Not waxing
pale," that is, dead to shame. English Version
is best.
2. Before the decree bring forth--that is, Before God's
decree against you announced by me (
Zep 1:1-18) have its fulfilment. As the embryo
lies hid in the womb, and then emerges to light in its own
due time, so though God for a time hides His vengeance, yet
He brings it forth at the proper
season.
before the day pass as the chaff--that
is, before the day for repentance pass, and
with it you, the ungodly, pass away as the chaff (
Job 21:18; Ps 1:4). MAURER puts it parenthetically,
"the day (that is, time) passes as the chaff (that is,
most quickly)." C ALVIN, "before the decree bring
forth" (the predicted vengeance), (then) the chaff
(the Jews) shall pass in a day, that is, in a moment,
though they thought that it would be long before they could
be overthrown. English Version is best; the latter
clause being explanatory of the former, and so the
before being understood, not expressed.
3. As in
Zep 2:1 (compare Note, see on Zep 1:12) he had warned the hardened among
the people to humble themselves, so now he admonishes
"the meek" to proceed in their right course, that
so they may escape the general calamity (
Ps 76:9). The meek bow themselves under
God's chastisements to God's will, whereas the
ungodly become only the more hardened by them.
Seek ye the Lord--in contrast to those
that "sought not the Lord" (
Zep 1:6). The meek are not to regard what the
multitudes do, but seek God at once.
his judgment--that is, law. The true
way of "seeking the Lord" is to "work
judgment," not merely to be zealous about outward
ordinances.
seek meekness--not perversely
murmuring against God's dealings, but patiently
submitting to them, and composedly waiting for
deliverance.
it may be ye shall be hid-- (
Isa 26:20; Am 5:6). This phrase does not imply doubt of
the deliverance of the godly, but expresses the difficulty
of it, as well that the ungodly may see the certainty of
their doom, as also that the faithful may value the more
the grace of God in their case (
1Pe 4:17-19) [CALVIN]. Compare
2Ki 25:12.
4. For--He makes the punishment awaiting the neighboring
states an argument why the ungodly should repent (
Zep 2:1) and the godly persevere, namely, that so they
may escape from the general calamity.
Gaza shall be forsaken--In the
Hebrew there is a play of similar sounds, Gaza
Gazubah; Gaza shall be forsaken, as its name implies.
So the Hebrew of the next clause, Ekron
teeakeer.
at the noonday--when on account of the
heat Orientals usually sleep, and military operations are
suspended (
2Sa 4:5). Hence an attack at noon implies one
sudden and unexpected (
Jer 6:4, 5; 15:8).
Ekron--Four cities of the
Philistines are mentioned, whereas five was the
normal number of their leading cities. Gath is omitted,
being at this time under the Jews' dominion. David had
subjugated it (
1Ch 18:1). Under Joram the Philistines almost regained
it (
2Ch 21:16), but Uzziah (
2Ch 26:6) and Hezekiah (
2Ki 18:8) having conquered them, it remained under the
Jews.
Am 1:6; Zec 9:5, 6; Jer 25:20, similarly mention only
four cities of the Philistines.
5. inhabitants of the seacoast--the Philistines dwelling on
the strip of seacoast southwest of Canaan. Literally, the
"cord" or "line" of sea (compare
Jer 47:7; Eze 25:16).
the Cherethites--the Cretans, a name
applied to the Philistines as sprung from Crete (
De 2:23; Jer 47:4; Am 9:7). Philistine means
"an emigrant."
Canaan . . . land of the
Philistines--They occupied the southwest of Canaan
(
Jos 13:2, 3); a name which hints that they are doomed
to the same destruction as the early occupants of the land.
6. dwellings and cottages for shepherds--rather, "dwellings with cisterns" (that is, water-tanks dug in the earth) for shepherds. Instead of a thick population and tillage, the region shall become a pasturage for nomad shepherds' flocks. The Hebrew for "dug cisterns," Ceroth, seems a play on sounds, alluding to their name Cherethites ( Zep 2:5): Their land shall become what their national name implies, a land of cisterns. MAURER translates, "Feasts for shepherds' (flocks)," that is, one wide pasturage.
7. remnant of . . . Judah--those of the Jews who
shall be left after the coming calamity, and who shall
return from exile.
feed thereupon--namely, in the
pastures of that seacoast region (
Zep 2:6).
visit--in mercy (
Ex 4:31).
8. I have heard--A seasonable consolation to Judah when
wantonly assailed by Moab and Ammon with impunity: God
saith, "I have heard it all, though I might seem to
men not to have observed it because I did not immediately
inflict punishment."
magnified themselves--acted haughtily,
invading the territory of Judah (
Jer 48:29; 49:1; compare
Zep 2:10; Ps 35:26; Ob 12).
9. the breeding of nettles--or, the overspreading of
nettles, that is, a place overrun with them.
salt pits--found at the south of the
Dead Sea. The water overflows in the spring, and salt is
left by the evaporation. Salt land is barren (
Jud 9:45; Ps 107:34, Margin).
possess them--that is, their land; in
retribution for their having occupied Judah's land.
10. (Compare
Zep 2:8).
their pride--in antithesis to the
meek (
Zep 2:3).
11. famish--bring low by taking from the idols their former
fame; as beasts are famished by their food being withheld.
Also by destroying the kingdoms under the tutelage of idols
(
Ps 96:4; Isa 46:1).
gods of the earth--who have their
existence only on earth, not in heaven as the true
God.
every one from his place--each in
his own Gentile home, taught by the Jews in the
true religion: not in Jerusalem alone shall men worship
God, but everywhere (
Ps 68:29, 30; Mal 1:11; Joh 4:21; 1Co 1:2; 1Ti 2:8). It
does not mean, as in
Isa 2:2; Mic 4:1, 2; Zec 8:22; 14:16 that they shall
come from their several places to Jerusalem
to worship [MAURER].
all . . . isles of
. . . heathen--that is, all the maritime regions,
especially the west, now being fulfilled in the gathering
in of the Gentiles to Messiah.
12. Fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar (God's sword,
Isa 10:5) conquered Egypt, with which Ethiopia was
closely connected as its ally (
Jer 46:2-9; Eze 30:5-9).
Ye--literally, "They." The
third person expresses estrangement; while doomed before
God's tribunal in the second person, they are spoken of
in the third as aliens from God.
13. Here he passes suddenly to the north. Nineveh was destroyed by Cyaxares and Nabopolassar, 625 B.C. The Scythian hordes, by an inroad into Media and thence in the southwest of Asia (thought by many to be the forces described by Zephaniah, as the invaders of Judea, rather than the Chaldeans), for a while interrupted Cyaxares' operations; but he finally succeeded. Arbaces and Belesis previously subverted the Assyrian empire under Sardanapalus (that is, Pul?), 877 B.C.
14. flocks--of sheep; answering to "beasts" in
the parallel clause. Wide pastures for sheep and haunts for
wild beasts shall be where once there was a teeming
population (compare
Zep 2:6). MAURER, needlessly for the parallelism, makes
it "flocks of savage animals."
beasts of the nations--that is, beasts
of the earth (
Ge 1:24). Not as ROSENMULLER, "all kinds of beasts
that form a nation," that is, gregarious beasts (
Pr 30:25, 26).
cormorant--rather, the
"pelican" (so
Ps 102:6; Isa 34:11, Margin).
bittern-- (
Isa 14:23). MAURER translates, "the
hedgehog"; HENDERSON, "the porcupine."
upper lintels--rather, "the
capitals of her columns," namely, in her temples
and palaces [MAURER]. Or, "on the pomegranate-like
knops at the tops of the houses" [GROTIUS].
their voice shall sing in the
windows--The desert-frequenting birds' "voice in
the windows" implies desolation reigning in the upper
parts of the palaces, answering to "desolation
. . . in the thresholds," that is, in the
lower.
he shall uncover the cedar
work--laying the cedar wainscoting on the walls, and beams
of the ceiling, bare to wind and rain, the roof being torn
off, and the windows and doors broken through. All this is
designed as a consolation to the Jews that they may bear
their calamities patiently, knowing that God will avenge
them.
15. Nothing then seemed more improbable than that the
capital of so vast an empire, a city sixty miles in
compass, with walls one hundred feet high, and so thick
that three chariots could go abreast on them, and with
fifteen hundred towers, should be so totally destroyed that
its site is with difficulty discovered. Yet so it is, as
the prophet foretold.
there is none beside me--This peculiar
phrase, expressing self-gratulation as if peerless, is
plainly adopted from
Isa 47:8. The later prophets, when the spirit of
prophecy was on the verge of departing, leaned more on the
predictions of their predecessors.
hiss--in astonishment at a desolation
so great and sudden (
1Ki 9:8); also in derision (
Job 27:23; La 2:15; Eze 27:36).
Zep 3:1-20. RESUMPTION OF THE DENUNCIATION OF JERUSALEM, AS BEING UNREFORMED BY THE PUNISHMENT OF OTHER NATIONS: AFTER HER CHASTISEMENT JEHOVAH WILL INTERPOSE FOR HER AGAINST HER FOES; HIS WORSHIP SHALL FLOURISH IN ALL LANDS, BEGINNING AT JERUSALEM, WHERE HE SHALL BE IN THE MIDST OF HIS PEOPLE, AND SHALL MAKE THEM A PRAISE IN ALL THE EARTH.
1. filthy--MAURER translates from a different root,
"rebellious," "contumacious." But the
following term, "polluted," refers rather to her
inward moral filth, in spite of her outward
ceremonial purity [CALVIN]. GROTIUS says, the Hebrew
is used of women who have prostituted their virtue. There
is in the Hebrew Moreah; a play on the name
Moriah, the hill on which the temple was built;
implying the glaring contrast between their
filthiness and the holiness of the worship on Moriah in
which they professed to have a share.
oppressing--namely, the poor, weak,
widows, orphans and strangers (
Jer 22:3).
2. received not correction--Jerusalem is incurable,
obstinately rejecting salutary admonition, and refusing to
be reformed by "correction" (
Jer 5:3).
trusted not in . . .
Lord--Distrust in the Lord as if He were insufficient, is
the parent of all superstitions and wickednesses
[CALVIN].
drew not near to her God--Though God
was specially near to her (
De 4:7) as "her God," yet she drew not near
to Him, but gratuitously estranged herself from Him.
3. roaring--for prey (
Pr 28:15; Eze 22:27; Am 3:4; Mic 2:2).
evening wolves--which are most
ravenous at evening after being foodless all day (
Jer 5:6; Hab 1:8).
they gnaw not the bones till the
morrow--rather, "they put not off till to-morrow to
gnaw the bones"; but devour all at once, bones and
flesh, so ragingly ravenous are they [CALVIN].
4. light--in whose life and teaching there is no truth,
gravity, or steadiness.
treacherous--false to Jehovah, whose
prophets they profess to be (
Jer 23:32; Eze 22:28).
polluted . . . sanctuary--by
their profane deeds.
5-7. The Jews regard not God's justice manifested in
the midst of them, nor His judgments on the guilty nations
around.
The just Lord--Why then are ye so
unjust?
is in the midst thereof--He retorts on
them their own boast, "Is not the Lord among us"
(
Mic 3:11)? True He is, but it is for another end from
what ye think [CALVIN]; namely, to lead you by the
example of His righteousness to be righteous.
Le 19:2, "Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your
God am holy" [MAURER]. But CALVIN, "That ye may
feel His hand to be the nearer for taking vengeance for
your crimes: 'He will not do iniquity' by
suffering your sins to go unpunished" (
De 32:4).
every morning--literally,
"morning by morning." The time in the sultry East
for dispensing justice.
bring . . . to
light--publicly and manifestly by the teaching of His
prophets, which aggravates their guilt; also by samples of
His judgments on the guilty.
he faileth not--He is continually
setting before you samples of His justice, sparing no
pains. Compare
Isa 5:4; 50:4, "he wakeneth morning by
morning."
knoweth no shame--The unjust Jews are
not shamed by His justice into repentance.
6. I had hoped that My people by My judgments on other
nations would be led to amendment; but they are not, so
blinded by sin are they.
towers--literally, "angles"
or "corners"; hence the towers built at
the angles of their city walls. Under Josiah's long and
peaceful reign the Jews were undisturbed, while the great
incursion of Scythians into Western Asia took place. The
judgment on the ten tribes in a former reign also is here
alluded to.
7. I said, Surely, &c.--God speaks after the manner of
men in condescension to man's infirmity; not as though
God was ignorant of the future contingency, but in their
sense, Surely one might have expected ye would under
such circumstances repent: but no!
thou--at least, O Jerusalem! Compare
"thou, even thou, at least in this thy
day" (
Lu 19:42).
their dwelling--the sanctuary
[BUXTORF]. Or, the city. Compare Jesus' words
(
Lu 13:35), "Behold, your house is left unto
you desolate" (
Le 26:31, 32; Ps 69:25); and used as to the
temple (
Mic 3:12). "Their" is used instead of
"thy"; this change of person implies that God
puts them to a greater distance.
howsoever I punished them--Howsoever I
might have punished them, I would not have cut off their
dwelling. C ALVIN, "Howsoever I had marked them
out for punishment" because of their provocations,
still, if even then they had repented, taught by My
corrections, I was ready to have pardoned them. MAURER,
"Altogether in accordance with what I had long ago
decreed (ordained) concerning you" (
De 28:1-14, and, on the other hand,
De 28:15-68; 27:15-26). English Version, or
CALVIN'S view, is better.
rose early, and corrupted,
&c.--Early morning is in the East the best time for
transacting serious business, before the relaxing heat of
midday comes on. Thus it means, With the greatest
earnestness they set themselves to "corrupt all
their doings" (
Ge 6:12; Isa 5:11; Jer 11:7; 25:3).
8. wait ye upon me--Here Jehovah turns to the pious Jews.
Amidst all these judgments on the Jewish nation, look
forward to the glorious time of restoration to be ushered
in by God's precious outpouring of wrath on all
nations,
Isa 30:18-33; where the same phrase, "blessed are
all they that wait for Him," is used as to the
same great event. CALVIN erroneously makes this verse an
address to the ungodly; and so M AURER, "Ye shall not
have to wait for Me in vain"; I will presently come
armed with indignation: I will no longer contend with you
by My prophets.
until the day--that is, waiting for
the day (
Hab 2:3).
rise up to the prey--like a savage
beast rising from his lair, greedy for the prey (compare
Mt 24:28). Or rather, as a warrior leading Israel to
certain victory, which is expressed by "the
prey," or booty, which is the reward of
victory. The Septuagint and Syriac versions
read the Hebrew, "I rise up as a
witness" (compare
Job 16:8; Mal 3:5). Jehovah being in this view
witness, accuser, and judge. English Version is
better (compare
Isa 33:23).
gather the nations--against Jerusalem
(
Zec 14:2), to pour out His indignation upon them there
(
Joe 3:2; Zec 12:2, 3).
9. For--The blessed things promised in this and
Zep 3:10 are the immediate results of the punishment
inflicted on the nations, mentioned in
Zep 3:8 (compare
Zep 3:19).
turn to the people a pure
language--that is, changing their impure language I
will give to them again a pure language
(literally, "lip"). Compare for this
Hebrew idiom,
1Sa 10:9, Margin. The confusion of languages was
of the penalty sin, probably idolatry at Babel (
Ge 11:1-6, Margin, where also "lip"
expresses language, and perhaps also
religion;
Zep 3:4, "a tower whose top may reach unto
heaven," or rather, points to heaven, namely,
dedicated to the heavens idolized, or Bel);
certainly, of rebellion against God's will. An earnest
of the removal of this penalty was the gift of tongues on
Pentecost (
Ac 2:6-13). The full restoration of the earth's
unity of language and of worship is yet future, and is
connected with the restoration of the Jews, to be followed
by the conversion of the world. Compare
Isa 19:18; Zec 14:9; Ro 15:6, "with one mind and
one mouth glorify God." The Gentiles'
lips have been rendered impure through being the
instruments of calling on idols and dishonoring God
(compare
Ps 16:4; Ho 2:17). Whether Hebrew shall be the
one universal language or not, the God of the Hebrews shall
be the one only object of worship. Until the Holy Ghost
purify the lips, we cannot rightly call upon God (
Isa 6:5-7).
serve him with one consent--literally,
"shoulder" or "back"; metaphor from a
yoke, or burden, borne between two (
Nu 13:23); helping one another with conjoint effort. If
one of the two bearers of a burden, laid on both
conjointly, give way, the burden must fall to the earth
[CALVIN]. Christ's rule is called a burden (
Mt 11:30; Ac 15:28; Re 2:24; compare
2Co 6:14 for the same image).
10. From beyond . . . Ethiopia my
suppliants--literally, "burners of incense"
(compare
Ps 141:2; Re 5:8; 8:3, 4). The Israelites are meant,
called "the daughter of My dispersed," a
Hebrew idiom for My dispersed people. "The
rivers of Ethiopia" are those which enclose it on the
north. In the west of Abyssinia there has long existed a
people called Falashas, or "emigrants"
(akin to the synonym "Philistine"). These trace
their origin to Palestine and profess the Jewish religion.
In physical traits they resemble the Arabs. When Bruce was
there, they had a Jewish king, Gideon, and his queen,
Judith. Probably the Abyssinian Christians were originally
in part converted Jews. They are here made the
representatives of all Israel which is to be
restored.
shall bring mine offering--that is,
the offering that is My right. I prefer, with
DE WETTE and Chaldee Version, making
"suppliants" the objective case, not the
nominative. The peoples: (
Zep 3:8, 9), brought to fear Me by My judgments,
"shall bring as Mine offering My suppliants (an
appropriate term for the Jews, on whom then there shall
have been poured the spirit of supplications,
Zec 12:10), the daughter of My dispersed." So
Isa 66:20, "they shall bring all your brethren for
an offering unto the Lord." Compare
HORSLEY'S view of
Isa 18:1, 2, 7. England in this view may be the naval
power to restore Israel to Palestine (
Isa 60:9). The Hebrew for "Ethiopia"
is Cush, which may include not only Ethiopia, but
also the region of the Tigris and Babylon, where Nimrod,
Cush's son (
Ge 10:8-12), founded Nineveh and acquired Babylon, and
where the ten tribes are mentioned as being scattered (
1Pe 1:1; 5:13; compare
Isa 11:11). The restoration under Cyrus of the Jews
transported under Pharaoh-necho to Egypt and Ethiopia, was
an earnest of the future restoration under Christ.
11. shalt thou not be ashamed--Thou shalt then have no
cause to be ashamed; for I will then take away out of
the midst of thee those who by their sins gave thee
cause for shame (
Zep 3:7).
them that rejoice in thy pride--those
priding themselves on that which thou boastest of,
thy temple ("My holy mountain"), thy election as
God's people, &c., in the Pharisaic spirit (
Jer 7:4; Mic 3:11; Mt 3:9). Compare
Jer 13:17, "mine eyes shall weep for your
pride." The converted remnant shall be of a humble
spirit (
Zep 3:12; Isa 66:2, 10).
12. afflicted . . . they shall trust in . . . Lord--the blessed effect of sanctified affliction on the Jewish remnant. Entire trust in the Lord cannot be, except where all cause for boasting is taken away ( Isa 14:32; Zec 11:11).
13. nor speak lies--worshipping God in truth, and towards
man having love without dissimulation. The characteristic
of the 144,000 sealed of Israel.
none shall make them afraid--either
foreign foe, or unjust prince (
Zep 3:3), prophet, or priest (
Zep 3:4).
14. The prophet in mental vision sees the joyful day of Zion present, and bids her rejoice at it.
15. The cause for joy: "The Lord hath taken away thy
judgments," namely, those sent by Him upon thee. After
the taking away of sin (
Zep 3:13) follows the taking away of trouble. When the
cause is removed, the effect will cease. Happiness follows
in the wake of holiness.
the Lord is in the midst of
thee--Though He seemed to desert thee for a time, He is now
present as thy safeguard (
Zep 3:17).
not see evil any more--Thou shalt not
experience it (
Jer 5:12; 44:17).
16. Let not thine hands be slack-- ( Heb 12:12). Do not faint in the work of the Lord.
17. he will rest in his love--content with it as His supreme delight (compare Lu 15:7, 10) [CALVIN], ( Isa 62:5; 65:19). Or, He shall be silent, namely as to thy faults, not imputing them to thee [MAURER] ( Ps 32:2; Eze 33:16). I prefer explaining it of that calm silent joy in the possession of the object of one's love, too great for words to express: just as God after the six days of creation rested with silent satisfaction in His work, for "behold it was very good" ( Ge 1:31; 2:2). So the parallel clause by contrast expresses the joy, not kept silent as this, but uttered in "singing."
18. sorrowful for the solemn assembly--pining after the
solemn assembly which they cannot celebrate in exile (
La 1:4; 2:6).
who are of thee--that is, of thy true
citizens; and whom therefore I will restore.
to whom the reproach of it was a
burden--that is, to whom thy reproach ("the
reproach of My people,"
Mic 6:16; their ignominious captivity) was a burden.
"Of it" is put of thee, as the person is
often changed. Those who shared in the burden of reproach
which fell on My people. Compare
Isa 25:8, "the rebuke of His people shall He take
away from off all the earth."
19. undo--MAURER translates, "I will deal with,"
that is, as they deserve. Compare
Eze 23:25, where the Hebrew is similarly
translated. The destruction of Israel's foes precedes
Israel's restoration (
Isa 66:15, 16).
her that halteth--all that are
helpless. Their weakness will be no barrier in the way of
My restoring them. So in
Ps 35:15, Margin, "halting" is used
for adversity. Also
Eze 34:16; Mic 4:6, 7.
I will get them praise,
&c.--literally, "I will make them (to become) a
praise and a name," &c.
shame-- (
Eze 34:29).
20. make you a name . . . praise--make you to
become celebrated and praised.
turn back your captivity--bring back
your captives [MAURER]. The Hebrew is plural,
"captivities"; to express the captivities of
different ages of their history, as well as the diversity
of places in which they were and are dispersed.
before your eyes--Incredible as the
event may seem, your own eyes with delight shall see
it. You will scarcely believe it for joy, but the testimony
of your own eyes shall convince you of the delightful
reality (compare
Lu 24:41).