Zephaniah 2

Zephaniah 2 is the second of the three chapters of the Book of Zephaniah. Zephaniah 1 proclaims the Day of the LORD that will come upon Judah and the whole earth. Chapter 2 calls the people to turn back before that day arrives, then announces judgment on the nations surrounding Judah in turn: west, east, south, and north.

Outline

• Verses 1–3: A people who know no shame are summoned to gather themselves together before the day of the LORD's fierce anger comes. The meek of the earth are urged to seek the LORD and to seek righteousness and meekness.
• Verses 4–7: The Philistine cities on the western coast (Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron), together with the Cherethites, are destroyed. Their land becomes pasture and passes to the remnant of Judah.
• Verses 8–11: To the east, Moab and Ammon will be made desolate like Sodom and Gomorrah because they reproached God's people and were proud. The LORD will famish all the gods of the earth, and the peoples of the coastlands of the nations will worship the LORD, each from his own place.
• Verse 12: To the south, the people of Cush will also be slain by the sword.
• Verses 13–15: To the north, Assyria is destroyed and Nineveh is made as dry as the wilderness. The city that dwelt carelessly, saying "I am, and there is none beside me," becomes a lair for wild beasts and an object of scorn.

Key Verses

• Zephaniah 2:3: "Seek ye the LORD ... seek righteousness, seek meekness" — the central exhortation of the chapter, offering a way of escape in the midst of the proclamation of judgment.
• Zephaniah 2:11: "Men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen" — looking beyond judgment to the worship of the LORD by the Gentile nations.
• Zephaniah 2:15: "I am, and there is none beside me" — a summary of Nineveh's pride that shows why the city is judged.

People and Places

• Philistia: A people on the coast west of Judah. Of the five principal Philistine cities, four appear in this chapter; only Gath is omitted.
• Cherethites: A coastal people associated with the Philistines. The name is commonly connected with the island of Crete.
• Moab and Ammon: Peoples east of the Jordan River, whom Genesis describes as descendants of Lot (Genesis 19).
• Sodom and Gomorrah: Invoked in a simile as the classic example of destroyed cities.
• Cush: The region of the upper Nile, south of Egypt. Some interpret the reference as pointing to Egypt, which was then ruled by a Cushite dynasty.
• Assyria and Nineveh: The dominant power of the day and its capital.

Points for Reflection

• Verse 3 says, "it may be ye shall be hid." This wording is commonly understood to mean that deliverance is not something people can presume upon. The name "Zephaniah" is usually interpreted as "the LORD has hidden," and it is sometimes explained in connection with this verse.
• The promises of a remnant and of restoration in verses 7 and 9 are often read in connection with the return from the Babylonian exile.
• In the time of Jonah, Nineveh is presented as a city that repented. In this chapter its destruction is foretold, and Nineveh is known to have fallen in 612 BC.
• The proud words of verse 15 resemble the language used of Babylon in Isaiah 47:8 and of the great city Babylon in Revelation 18:7.
• In Christian tradition, the worship of the Gentiles in verse 11 is sometimes connected with the spread of the gospel to the nations.