Zephaniah 3:3 New English Translation
3 Her princes[a] are as fierce as roaring lions;[b]
her rulers[c] are as hungry as wolves in the desert,[d]
who completely devour their prey by morning.[e]
Footnotes
- Zephaniah 3:3 tn Or “officials.”
- Zephaniah 3:3 tn Heb “her princes in her midst are roaring lions.” The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as fierce as”) for clarity.
- Zephaniah 3:3 tn Traditionally “judges.”
- Zephaniah 3:3 tn Heb “her judges [are] wolves of the evening,” that is, wolves that prowl at night. The translation assumes an emendation to עֲרָבָה (ʿaravah, “desert”). For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 128. The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as hungry as”) for clarity.
- Zephaniah 3:3 tn Heb “they do not gnaw [a bone] at morning.” The precise meaning of the line is unclear. The statement may mean these wolves devour their prey so completely that not even a bone is left to gnaw by the time morning arrives. For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 129.
New English Translation (NET)
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