Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
Owl's Severe Judgment against Judah ZEPHANIAH 1. for the Divers Sins of (he Land,
Zephaniah had for his colleagues Jeremiah, whose sphere of labour was the thoroughfares and market-places, and HulJah the prophetess, "who exercised her vocation in the college in Jerusalem.
The propnecy 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 I'ulfllment, become more explicit than those of an earlier date. The second chapter dooms the persecuting states in the neighbourhood as well as Judea Itself. The third chapter denounces Jerusalem, but concludes with the promise of her joyful re-establlshment in the theocracy.
The style, though not generally sublime, Is graphic and vivid in details (cf. ch. 1. 4-12). The language Is pure, and tree ftom Aramaisras. There are occasional coincidences witli former propliets (cf. ch. 2. 14, with Isaiah 34. 11; cli. 2. 15, with Isaiah 47. 8; ch. 3. 10, with Isaiah 18. 1; ch. 2. 8, wltjh Isaiah 16. B; also ch. 1. 5, with Jeremiah 8. 2; ch. I. 12, with Jeremiah 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 Romans 15. 6, seems to refer to Zephaniah 3. 9.
(Jeremiah 2. 13, 17). 7. Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord—(Habakkuk 2. 20.) Let the earth be silent at His approach. [Maurer.] Or, "Thou whosoever hast been wont to speak against God, as if He liad no care about earthly affairs, cease thy murmurs and self-justifications; submit thyself to God, and repent in time." [Calvin, tfec] Lord . . . prepared a sacri Ace — viz., a slaughter of the guilty Jews, the victims due to His justice (Isaiah 34. 6; Jeremiah 46. 10; Ezekiel 39. 17). bid his guests lit., sanctified His called ones (cf. Isaiali 13. 3). It enhances the bitterness of tiie judgment that the heathen Chaldeans sliould be sanctified, or consecrated as it were, by God as His priests, and be called to eat the Hesli of tlie elect people ; as on feast-days the priests used to feast among themselves on the remains of tlie sacrifices. [Calvin.] English Version takes it not of the priests, but ttie guests bidden, who a\so had to "sanctify" or purify themselves before coming to the sacrificial feast (1 Samuel 9. 13, 22 ; IS
CHAPTER I,
Ver. 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 KsScape.
1. days of JosiaU—Had their Idolatries been under former kings, they might have said, Our kings have forced us to this and that. But under Joslah, who did all In his power to reform them, they have no such excuse, son of Amoii —the idolater, whose bad practices the Jews clung to, rather than the good example of Joslah, his son, so incorrigible were they In sin. Judah—Israel's ten tribes had ere this gone Into captivity. 3. utterly consume—from a root to sweep away, or scrape off utterly. See the Margin, Jeremiah 8. 13, and here, from off tUe land—of Judah.
3. Enumeration in detail of the "all things" (r. 2 ; cf. Jeremiali 9. 10; Hosea 4. 3). the stumbling-blocks— idols which cause Judah to offend or stumble (Ezekiel U. 3, 4, 7). with the wIcUed—the idols and their worshippers shall be involved In a common destruction. •*. stretch out mine hand—Indicating some remarkable and unusual work of vengeance (Isaiah 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 fountain-head of the evil. God begins witli His sanctuary (Ezekiel 9. 6) ; and those who are nigh Him (Leviticus 10. 3). the remnant of Baal—the remains of Baal-worship, which as yet Josiah was unable utterly to eradicate in remoter places. Baal was the Phoenician tutelary god. From the time of the Judges (Judges 2. 13) Israel had fallen Into this idolatry; and Manasseh lately had set up this idol within Jehovah's temple itself (2 Kings 21. 3, 5, 7). Josiah began his reformation in the twelfth year of his reign (2 Chronicles 34. 4, 8), and in the eighteenth had as far as possible completed it. Chemarlms—idol priests, who had not reached the age of puberty; meaning "ministers of the gods" (Servius on
5). Nebuchadnezzar was bidden to come to take vengeance on guilty Jerusalem (Jeremiah ^j. 9). 8. the princes—who ouglit to have been an example of good to others, but were ringleaders in all evil, tlie king's children — fulfilled (Jeremiah 39.6) on Zedekiah's children ; and pi'eviously, on Jehoaliaz and Eliakiui, the sons of Josiali (2 Kings 23
31, 36; 2 Chronicles 36. 6; cf. also 2 Kings '20. 18; 21. 13). Huldah the prophetess (2 Kings 22. 20) intimated that whicli Zephaniali now more expressly foretells, all sncii as are clothed with 8trai>ge apparel—the jirinces or covrtiers 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 they Imitated, as well as tlieir Idolatries [Calvin]; whereas in costume, as in otlier respects, God would have them to be separate from the nations. GroTius refers the "strange apparel" to garments forbidden by the law, e.g., men's garments worn by women, and vice versa, a heathen usage in the worship of Mars and Venus (Deuteronomy 2'2. 5). 9. tliose that leap on the threshold—the servants of the princes, who, after having gotten prey, like hounds, for their mastei's, 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 tlie steps into Die sanctuary with hauglitiness. Hosenmuller translates, "Leap ouer the threshold;" viz., in imitation of tlie Philistine custom of not treading on the tliresliold, which arose from the head and hands of Dagon being cutoff on the threshold before the ark (1 Samuel 5. 5). Cf. Isaiah 2. 6, " tliy people . . . are sootlisayers like the Philistines." Calvin's view agrees best wltii the latter clause of the verse, mi . . , masters' houses with violence, <tc. i. e., with goods obtained wi</n'ioie)tce, &c. 19. Ilsh-gatc—(2 Chronicles 33. 14; Nehemiah 3.3; 12.39.) Situated on the east of the lower city, north of the slieep-gate [Maurek]: near the stronghold of David In Millo, between Zion and tlie lower city, towards the west. [Jerome.] Tiiis verse describes tlie state of the city whilst besieged by Nebuchadnezzar. It was througli the fish-gate that he entered the city. It received Its name from the fish-market which was near it. Through It passed tliose who used to bring fish from the lake of Tiberias and Jordan. It answers to what is now called tlie Damascus gate. [Hender.son,J the second—vu., the gate which was second In dignity,
JffneuZ, 11), the same name as the Tyrian Camilli, r and I being interchangeable (cf. Margin, Hosea 10. 5). Josiah Is expressly said {Margin, 2 Kings 23. 5) to have "put down the Chemarlm." 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 (cf. ch. 3.
4; Ezekiel 8.; 22. 26; 44. 10). From the priests Zephaniah passes to the people. 5. worship the host of heaven Haba: whence, in contrast to Sabeanism, Jehovah is called Lordof Sabaoth. upon the housetops—which were flat (2 Kings 2:j. 5, 6, 12; Jeremiah 19. 13; 32. 29). swear by the Lord—rather, "swear to Jehovah" (2 Chronicles 15.
14); solemnly dedicating themselves to Him (cf. Isaiah 48.
1; Hosea 4. 15). and—" and jei (with strange inconsistency,
1 Kings 18. 21; Ezekiel 20. 39; Matthew 6. 24) swear by MaiCham," i.e., "their king" [Maurer]; the same as Molech {Note, Amos 5. 26), and "Mllcom the god of . . . Amnion"
(1 Kings 11. a3). 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