Zephaniah 3

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. CALVIN, "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 MAURER, "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).

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