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Habakkuk 1-3

Habakkuk Complains to the Lord

1 This is the oracle[a] that the prophet Habakkuk saw:

2 How long, Lord, must I cry for help?
But you do not listen!
I call out to you, “Violence!”
But you do not deliver!
3 Why do you force me to witness injustice?[b]
Why do you put up with wrongdoing?[c]
Destruction and violence confront[d] me;
conflict is present and one must endure strife.[e]
4 For this reason the law lacks power,[f]
and justice is never carried out.[g]
Indeed,[h] the wicked intimidate[i] the innocent.[j]
For this reason justice is perverted.[k]

The Lord’s Surprising Answer

5 “Look at the nations and pay attention![l]
You will be shocked and amazed![m]
For I will do something in your lifetime[n]
that you will not believe even though you are forewarned.[o]
6 Look, I am about to empower[p] the Babylonians,
that ruthless[q] and greedy[r] nation.
They sweep across the surface[s] of the earth,
seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them.
7 They are frightening and terrifying;
they decide for themselves what is right.[t]
8 Their horses are faster than leopards
and more alert[u] than wolves in the desert.[v]
Their horses[w] gallop,[x]
their horses come a great distance;
like vultures[y] they swoop down quickly to devour their prey.[z]
9 All of them intend[aa] to do violence;
every face is determined.[ab]
They take prisoners as easily as one scoops up sand.[ac]
10 They mock kings
and laugh at rulers.
They laugh at every fortified city;
they build siege ramps[ad] and capture them.
11 They sweep by like the wind and pass on.[ae]
But the one who considers himself a god will be held guilty.”[af]

Habakkuk Voices Some Concerns

12 Lord, you have been active from ancient times;[ag]
my sovereign God,[ah] you are immortal.[ai]
Lord, you have made them[aj] your instrument of judgment.[ak]
Protector,[al] you have appointed them as your instrument of punishment.[am]
13 You are too just[an] to tolerate[ao] evil;
you are unable to condone[ap] wrongdoing.
So why do you put up with such treacherous people?[aq]
Why do you say nothing when the wicked devour[ar] those more righteous than they are?[as]
14 You made people like fish in the sea,
like animals in the sea[at] that have no ruler.
15 The Babylonian tyrant[au] pulls them all up with a fishhook;
he hauls them in with his throw net.[av]
When he catches[aw] them in his dragnet,
he is very happy.[ax]
16 Because of his success[ay] he offers sacrifices to his throw net
and burns incense to his dragnet;[az]
for because of them he has plenty of food,[ba]
and more than enough to eat.[bb]
17 Will he then[bc] continue to fill and empty his throw net?[bd]
Will he always[be] destroy[bf] nations and spare none?[bg]
2 I will stand at my watch post;

I will remain stationed on the city wall.[bh]
I will keep watching so I can see what he says to me
and can know[bi] how I should answer
when he counters my argument.[bj]

The Lord Assures Habakkuk

2 The Lord responded:[bk]

“Write down this message.[bl]
Record it legibly on tablets
so the one who announces[bm] it may read it easily.[bn]
3 For the message is a witness to what is decreed;[bo]
it gives reliable testimony about how matters will turn out.[bp]
Even if the message[bq] is not fulfilled right away, wait patiently;[br]
for it will certainly come to pass—it will not arrive late.
4 Look, the one whose desires are not upright will faint from exhaustion,[bs]
but the person of integrity[bt] will live[bu] because of his faithfulness.[bv]
5 Indeed, wine will betray the proud, restless man![bw]
His appetite[bx] is as big as Sheol’s;[by]
like death, he is never satisfied.
He gathers[bz] all the nations;
he seizes[ca] all peoples.

The Proud Babylonians Are as Good as Dead

6 “But all these nations will someday taunt him[cb]
and ridicule him with proverbial sayings:[cc]
‘Woe to the one who accumulates[cd] what does not belong to him
(How long will this go on?)[ce]—
he who gets rich by extortion!’[cf]
7 Your creditors will suddenly attack;[cg]
those who terrify you will spring into action,[ch]
and they will rob you.[ci]
8 Because you robbed many countries,[cj]
all who are left among the nations[ck] will rob you.
You have shed human blood
and committed violent acts against lands, cities,[cl] and those who live in them.
9 The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead.[cm]

He does this so he can build his nest way up high
and escape the clutches of disaster.[cn]
10 Your schemes will bring shame to your house.
Because you destroyed many nations, you will self-destruct.[co]
11 For the stones in the walls will cry out,
and the wooden rafters will answer back.[cp]
12 Woe to the one who builds a city by bloodshed—

he who starts[cq] a town by unjust deeds.
13 Be sure of this! The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has decreed:
The nations’ efforts will go up in smoke;
their exhausting work will be for nothing.[cr]
14 For recognition of the Lord’s sovereign majesty will fill the earth
just as the waters fill up the sea.[cs]

15 “Woe to you who force your neighbor to drink wine[ct]—

you who make others intoxicated
by forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger[cu]
so you can look at their naked bodies.[cv]
16 But you will become drunk[cw] with shame, not majesty.[cx]
Now it is your turn to drink and expose your uncircumcised foreskin![cy]
The cup of wine in the Lord’s right hand[cz] is coming to you,
and disgrace will replace your majestic glory!
17 For you will pay in full for your violent acts against Lebanon;[da]
terrifying judgment will come upon you
because of the way you destroyed the wild animals living there.[db]
You have shed human blood
and committed violent acts against lands, cities, and those who live in them.
18 What good[dc] is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it?[dd]
What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles?[de]
Why would its creator place his trust in it[df]
and make[dg] such mute, worthless things?
19 Woe to the one who says to wood, ‘Wake up!’—
he who says[dh] to speechless stone, ‘Awake!’
Can it give reliable guidance?[di]
It is overlaid with gold and silver;
it has no life’s breath inside it.
20 But the Lord is in his majestic palace.[dj]
The whole earth is speechless in his presence!”[dk]

Habakkuk’s Vision of the Divine Warrior

3 This is a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet:[dl]

2 Lord, I have heard the report of what you did;[dm]
I am awed,[dn] Lord, by what you accomplished.[do]
In our time[dp] repeat those deeds;[dq]
in our time reveal them again.[dr]
But when you cause turmoil, remember to show us mercy![ds]
3 God comes[dt] from Teman,[du]
the Holy One[dv] from Mount Paran.[dw] Selah.[dx]
His splendor has covered the skies,[dy]
the earth is full of his glory.[dz]
4 His brightness will be as lightning;[ea]
a two-pronged lightning bolt flashing from his hand.[eb]
This is the outward display of his power.[ec]
5 Plague will go[ed] before him;
pestilence[ee] will march[ef] right behind him.[eg]
6 He took his battle position[eh] and shook[ei] the earth;
with a mere look he frightened[ej] the nations.
The ancient mountains disintegrated;[ek]
the primeval hills were flattened.
His are ancient roads.[el]
7 I saw the tents of Cushan overwhelmed by trouble;[em]
the tent curtains of the land of Midian were[en] shaking.[eo]
8 Was[ep] the Lord mad at the rivers?
Were you angry with the rivers?
Were you enraged at the sea?[eq]
Such that[er] you would climb into your horse-drawn chariots,[es]
your victorious chariots?[et]
9 Your bow is ready for action;[eu]
you commission your arrows.[ev] Selah.
You cause flash floods on the earth’s surface.[ew]
10 When the mountains see you, they shake.
The torrential downpour sweeps through.[ex]
The great deep[ey] shouts out;
it lifts its hands high.[ez]
11 The sun and moon stand still in their courses;[fa]
the flash of your arrows drives them away,[fb]
the bright light of your lightning-quick spear.[fc]
12 You furiously stomp on the earth;
you angrily trample down the nations.
13 You march out to deliver your people,
to deliver your special servant.[fd]
You strike the leader of the wicked nation,[fe]
laying him open from the lower body to the neck.[ff] Selah.
14 You pierce the heads of his warriors[fg] with a spear.[fh]
They storm forward to scatter us;[fi]
they shout with joy as if they were plundering the poor with no opposition.[fj]
15 But you trample on the sea with your horses,
on the surging, raging waters.[fk]

Habakkuk Declares His Confidence

16 I listened and my stomach churned;[fl]
the sound made my lips quiver.
My frame went limp, as if my bones were decaying,[fm]
and I shook as I tried to walk.[fn]
I long[fo] for the day of distress
to come upon[fp] the people who attack us.
17 When[fq] the fig tree does not bud,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
when the olive trees do not produce[fr]
and the fields yield no crops;[fs]
when the sheep disappear[ft] from the pen
and there are no cattle in the stalls—
18 I will rejoice because of[fu] the Lord;
I will be happy because of the God who delivers me!
19 The Sovereign Lord is my source of strength.[fv]
He gives me the agility of a deer;[fw]
he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain.[fx]

(This prayer is for the song leader. It is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.)[fy]

Footnotes

  1. Habakkuk 1:1 tn See note at Isa 13:1.
  2. Habakkuk 1:3 tn Heb “Why do you make me see injustice?”
  3. Habakkuk 1:3 tn Heb “Why do you look at wrongdoing?” sn Habakkuk complains that God tolerates social injustice and fails to intervene on behalf of the oppressed (put up with wrongdoing).
  4. Habakkuk 1:3 tn Heb “are before.”
  5. Habakkuk 1:3 tn Heb “and there is conflict and strife he lifts up.” The present translation takes the verb יִשָּׂא (yisaʾ) in the sense of “carry, bear,” and understands the subject to be indefinite (“one”).
  6. Habakkuk 1:4 tn Heb “the law is numb,” i.e., like a hand that has “fallen asleep” (see Ps 77:2). Cf. NAB “is benumbed”; NIV “is paralyzed.”
  7. Habakkuk 1:4 tn Heb “never goes out.”
  8. Habakkuk 1:4 tn Or “for.”
  9. Habakkuk 1:4 tn Heb “surround” (so NASB, NRSV).
  10. Habakkuk 1:4 tn Or “righteous” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
  11. Habakkuk 1:4 tn Heb “comes out crooked.”
  12. Habakkuk 1:5 tn Or “look among the nations and observe.” The imperatival forms in v. 5 are plural, indicating that the Lord’s message is for the whole nation, not just the prophet.
  13. Habakkuk 1:5 tn The Hebrew text combines the Hitpael and Qal imperatival forms of the verb תָּמַה (tamah, “be amazed”). A literal translation might read, “Shock yourselves and be shocked!” The repetition of sounds draws attention to the statement. The imperatives here have the force of an emphatic assertion. On this use of the imperative in Hebrew, see GKC 324 §110.c and IBHS 572-73 §34.4c.
  14. Habakkuk 1:5 tc Heb “for a work working in your days.” Following the LXX reading, some supply a first person singular pronoun with the participle פֹּעֵל (poʿel). Ellipsis of a first singular pronoun before participles is relatively rare (see GKC 360 §116.s); perhaps an original אֲנֹכִי (ʾanoki; or אֲנִי, ʾani) followed the initial כִּי (ki) and was omitted by homoioteleuton.
  15. Habakkuk 1:5 tn Heb “you will not believe when it is told.” In this context the force of כִּי (ki) may be “when,” “if,” or “even though.”
  16. Habakkuk 1:6 tn Heb “raise up” (so KJV, ASV).
  17. Habakkuk 1:6 tn Heb “bitter.” Other translation options for this word in this context include “fierce” (NASB, NRSV); “savage” (NEB); or “grim.”
  18. Habakkuk 1:6 tn Heb “hasty, quick.” Some translate here “impetuous” (so NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “rash,” but in this context greed may very well be the idea. The Babylonians move quickly and recklessly ahead in their greedy quest to expand their empire.
  19. Habakkuk 1:6 tn Heb “the open spaces.”
  20. Habakkuk 1:7 tn Heb “from him his justice, even his lifting up, goes out.” In this context שְׂאֵת (seʾet) probably has the nuance “authority.” See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 150.
  21. Habakkuk 1:8 tn Heb “sharper,” in the sense of “keener” or “more alert.” Some translate “quicker” on the basis of the parallelism with the first line (see HALOT 291 s.v. חדד).
  22. Habakkuk 1:8 tn Heb “wolves of the evening,” that is, wolves that prowl at night. The present translation assumes an emendation to עֲרָבָה (ʿaravah, “desert”). On this phrase see also Zeph 3:3.
  23. Habakkuk 1:8 tn Or “horsemen,” “cavalry.”
  24. Habakkuk 1:8 tn The precise nuance of the rare verb פּוּשׁ (push) is unclear here. Elsewhere it is used of animals jumping or leaping (see Jer 50:11; Mal 4:2).
  25. Habakkuk 1:8 tn Or “eagle” (so NASB, NRSV). The term can refer to either eagles or vultures, but in this context of gruesome destruction and death “vulture” is preferred.
  26. Habakkuk 1:8 tn Heb “they fly like a vulture/an eagle quickly to devour.” The direct object “their prey” is not included in the Hebrew text but is implied, and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  27. Habakkuk 1:9 tn Heb “come.”
  28. Habakkuk 1:9 tn Heb “The totality of their faces is to the east” (or “is forward”). The precise meaning of the Hebrew term מְגַמַּת (megammat) is unclear. For a discussion of options see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 93. NEB has “a sea of faces rolls on”; NIV “their hordes advance like a desert wind”; NRSV “with faces pressing forward.”
  29. Habakkuk 1:9 tn Heb “and he gathers like sand, prisoners.”
  30. Habakkuk 1:10 tn Heb “they heap up dirt.” This is a reference to the piling up of earthen ramps in the process of laying siege to a fortified city.
  31. Habakkuk 1:11 tn The precise meaning of v. 11a is uncertain. The present translation assumes the first line further describes the Babylonian hordes, comparing them to a destructive wind. Another option is to understand רוּחַ (ruakh) as “spirit,” rather than “wind,” and take the form וְאָשֵׁם (veʾashem) with what precedes (as suggested by the scribal punctuation). Repointing this form as a geminate verb from שָׁמַם (shamam, “be astonished”), one could then translate the line, “The spirit passed on and departed, and I was astonished.” In this case the line would describe the cessation of the divine revelation which began in v. 5. For a detailed defense of this view, see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 97-100.
  32. Habakkuk 1:11 tn Heb “and guilty is the one whose strength is his god.” This assumes that אָשֵׁם (ʾashem) is a predicate adjective meaning “guilty” and that it relates to what follows.
  33. Habakkuk 1:12 tn Heb “Are you not from antiquity, O Lord?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Yes, of course.” The present translation reflects the force of the rhetorical question, rendering it as an affirmation. When used in a temporal sense the phrase מִקֶדֶם (miqedem) means “from antiquity, ancient times,” often referring to earlier periods in Israel’s history. See its use in Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10; Mic 5:2.
  34. Habakkuk 1:12 tn Heb “My God, my holy one.” God’s “holiness” in this context is his sovereign transcendence as the righteous judge of the world (see vv. 12b-13a), thus the translation “My sovereign God.”
  35. Habakkuk 1:12 tc The MT reads, “we will not die,” but an ancient scribal tradition has “you [i.e., God] will not die.” This is preferred as a more difficult reading that can explain the rise of the other variant. Later scribes who copied the manuscripts did not want to associate the idea of death with God in any way, so they softened the statement to refer to humanity.
  36. Habakkuk 1:12 tn Heb “him,” a collective singular referring to the Babylonians. The plural pronoun “them” has been used in the translation in keeping with contemporary English style.
  37. Habakkuk 1:12 tn Heb “for judgment.”
  38. Habakkuk 1:12 tn Heb “Rock” or “Cliff.” This divine epithet views God as a place where one can go to be safe from danger. The translation “Protector” conveys the force of the metaphor (cf. KJV, NEB “O mighty God”).
  39. Habakkuk 1:12 tn Heb “to correct, reprove.”
  40. Habakkuk 1:13 tn Heb “[you] are too pure of eyes.” God’s “eyes” here signify what he looks at with approval. His “eyes” are “pure” in that he refuses to tolerate any wrongdoing in his presence.
  41. Habakkuk 1:13 tn Heb “to see.” Here “see” is figurative for “tolerate,” “put up with.”
  42. Habakkuk 1:13 tn Heb “to look at.” Cf. NEB “who canst not countenance wrongdoing”; NASB “You can not look on wickedness with favor.”
  43. Habakkuk 1:13 tn Heb “Why do you look at treacherous ones?” The verb בָּגַד (bagad, “be treacherous”) is often used of those who are disloyal or who violate agreements. See S. Erlandsson, TDOT 1:470-73.
  44. Habakkuk 1:13 tn Or “swallow up.”
  45. Habakkuk 1:13 tn Heb “more innocent than themselves.”
  46. Habakkuk 1:14 tn The Hebrew word רֶמֶשׂ (remesh) usually refers to animals that creep, but here the referent seems to be marine animals that glide through the water (note the parallelism in the previous line). See also Ps 104:25.
  47. Habakkuk 1:15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Babylonian tyrant) has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. NASB “The Chaldeans”; NIV “The wicked foe”; NRSV “The enemy”). Babylonian imperialism is here compared to a professional fisherman who repeatedly brings in his catch and has plenty to eat.
  48. Habakkuk 1:15 tn Apparently two different types of fishing nets are referred to here. The חֵרֶם (kherem, “throw net”) was used by fishermen standing on the shore (see Ezek 47:10), while the מִכְמֶרֶת (mikhmeret, “dragnet”) was used by men in a boat. See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 165.
  49. Habakkuk 1:15 tn Heb “and he gathers.”
  50. Habakkuk 1:15 tn Heb “Therefore he is happy and rejoices.” Here two synonyms are joined for emphasis.
  51. Habakkuk 1:16 tn Heb “therefore.”
  52. Habakkuk 1:16 sn The fishing implements (throw net and dragnet) represent Babylonian military might. The prophet depicts the Babylonians as arrogantly worshiping their own power (sacrifices…burns incense, see also v. 11b).
  53. Habakkuk 1:16 tn Heb “for by them his portion is full [or, “fat”].”
  54. Habakkuk 1:16 tn Heb “and his food is plentiful [or, “fat”].”
  55. Habakkuk 1:17 tn Or “therefore.”
  56. Habakkuk 1:17 tn Heb “Will he then empty his throw net?” The words “continue to fill and” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  57. Habakkuk 1:17 tn Or “continually.”
  58. Habakkuk 1:17 tn Heb “kill.”
  59. Habakkuk 1:17 tn Or “without showing compassion.”
  60. Habakkuk 2:1 sn Habakkuk compares himself to a watchman stationed on the city wall who keeps his eyes open for approaching messengers or danger.
  61. Habakkuk 2:1 tn The word “know” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  62. Habakkuk 2:1 tn Heb “concerning my correction [or, “reproof”].”
  63. Habakkuk 2:2 tn Heb “the Lord answered and said.” The redundant expression “answered and said” has been simplified in the translation as “responded.”
  64. Habakkuk 2:2 tn Heb “[the] vision.”
  65. Habakkuk 2:2 tn Or “reads from.”
  66. Habakkuk 2:2 tn Heb “might run,” which here probably means “run [through it quickly with one’s eyes],” that is, read it easily.
  67. Habakkuk 2:3 tn Heb “For the vision is still for the appointed time.” The Hebrew word עוֹד (ʿod, “still”) is better emended to עֵד (ʿed, “witness”) in light of the parallelism (see the note on the word “turn out” in the following line). The “appointed time” refers to the time when the divine judgment anticipated in vv. 6-20 will be realized.
  68. Habakkuk 2:3 tn Heb “and a witness to the end and it does not lie.” The Hebrew term יָפֵחַ (yafeakh) has been traditionally understood as a verb form from the root פּוּחַ (puakh, “puff, blow”; cf. NEB “it will come in breathless haste”; NASB “it hastens toward the goal”) but recent scholarship has demonstrated that it is actually a noun meaning “witness” (cf. NIV “it speaks of the end / and will not prove false”; NRSV “it speaks of the end, and does not lie”). See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 106. “The end” corresponds to “the appointed time” of the preceding line and refers to the time when the prophecy to follow will be fulfilled.
  69. Habakkuk 2:3 tn Heb “it”; the referent (the message) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  70. Habakkuk 2:3 tn Heb “If it should delay, wait for it.” The Hebrew word חָזוֹן (khazon, “vision, message”) is the subject of the third person verbs in v. 3 and the antecedent of the pronominal suffix in the phrase “for it.”
  71. Habakkuk 2:4 tn The meaning of this line is unclear, primarily because of the uncertainty surrounding the second word, עֻפְּלָה (ʿuppelah). Some read this as an otherwise unattested verb עָפַל (ʿafal, “swell”) from which are derived nouns meaning “mound” and “hemorrhoid.” This “swelling” is then understood in an abstract sense, “swell with pride.” This would yield a translation, “As for the proud, his desires are not right within him” (cf. NASB “as for the proud one”; NIV “he is puffed up”; NRSV “Look at the proud!”). A multitude of other interpretations of this line, many of which involve emendations of the problematic form, may be found in the commentaries and periodical literature. The present translation assumes an emendation to a Pual form of the verb עָלַף (ʿalaf, “be faint, exhausted”). (See its use in the Pual in Isa 51:20, and in the Hitpael in Amos 8:13 and Jonah 4:8.) In the antithetical parallelism of the verse, it corresponds to חָיָה (khayah, “live”). The phrase לֹא יָשְׁרָה נַפְשׁוֹ בּוֹ (loʾ yasherah nafsho bo), literally, “not upright his desire within him,” is taken as a substantival clause that contrasts with צַדִּיק (tsaddiq, “the righteous one”) and serves as the subject of the preceding verb. Here נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is understood in the sense of “desire” (see BDB 660-61 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ for a list of passages where the word carries this sense).
  72. Habakkuk 2:4 tn Or “righteous.” The oppressed individuals mentioned in 1:4 are probably in view here.
  73. Habakkuk 2:4 tn Or “will be preserved.” In the immediate context this probably refers to physical preservation through both the present oppression and the coming judgment (see Hab 3:16-19).
  74. Habakkuk 2:4 tn Or “loyalty”; or “integrity.” The Hebrew word אֱמוּנָה (ʾemunah) has traditionally been translated “faith,” but the term nowhere else refers to “belief” as such. When used of human character and conduct it carries the notion of “honesty, integrity, reliability, faithfulness.” The antecedent of the suffix has been understood in different ways. It could refer to God’s faithfulness, but in this case one would expect a first person suffix (the original form of the LXX has “my faithfulness” here). Others understand the “vision” to be the antecedent. In this case the reliability of the prophecy is in view. For a statement of this view, see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 111-12. The present translation assumes that the preceding word “[the person of] integrity” is the antecedent. In this case the Lord is assuring Habakkuk that those who are truly innocent will be preserved through the coming oppression and judgment by their godly lifestyle, for God ultimately rewards this type of conduct. In contrast to these innocent people, those with impure desires (epitomized by the greedy Babylonians; see v. 5) will not be able to withstand God’s judgment (v. 4a).
  75. Habakkuk 2:5 tn Heb “Indeed wine betrays a proud man and he does not dwell.” The meaning of the last verb, “dwell,” is uncertain. Many take it as a denominative of the noun נָוָה (navah, “dwelling place”). In this case it would carry the idea, “he does not settle down,” and would picture the drunkard as restless (cf. NIV “never at rest”; NASB “does not stay at home”). Some relate the verb to an Arabic cognate and translate the phrase as “he will not succeed, reach his goal.”sn The Babylonian tyrant is the proud, restless man described in this line as the last line of the verse, with its reference to the conquest of the nations, makes clear. Wine is probably a metaphor for imperialistic success. The more success the Babylonians experience, the more greedy they become just as a drunkard wants more and more wine to satisfy his thirst. But eventually this greed will lead to their downfall, for God will not tolerate such imperialism and will judge the Babylonians appropriately (vv. 6-20).
  76. Habakkuk 2:5 tn Heb “who opens wide like Sheol his throat.” Here נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is understood in a physical sense, meaning “throat,” which in turn is figurative for the appetite. See H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 11-12.
  77. Habakkuk 2:5 sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead. In ancient Canaanite thought Death was a powerful god whose appetite was never satisfied. In the OT Sheol/Death, though not deified, is personified as greedy and as having a voracious appetite. See Prov 30:15-16; Isa 5:14; also see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World, 168.
  78. Habakkuk 2:5 tn Heb “he gathers for himself.”
  79. Habakkuk 2:5 tn Heb “he collects for himself.”
  80. Habakkuk 2:6 tn Heb “Will not these, all of them, take up a taunt against him…?” The rhetorical question assumes the response, “Yes, they will.” The present translation brings out the rhetorical force of the question by rendering it as an affirmation.
  81. Habakkuk 2:6 tn Heb “and a mocking song, riddles, against him? And one will say.”
  82. Habakkuk 2:6 tn Or “increases.”
  83. Habakkuk 2:6 tn This question is interjected parenthetically, perhaps to express rhetorically the pain and despair felt by the Babylonians’ victims.
  84. Habakkuk 2:6 tn Heb “and the one who makes himself heavy [i.e., wealthy] [by] debts.” Though only appearing in the first line, the term הוֹי (hoy) is to be understood as elliptical in the second line.
  85. Habakkuk 2:7 tn Heb “Will not your creditors suddenly rise up?” The rhetorical question assumes the response, “Yes, they will.” The present translation brings out the rhetorical force of the question by rendering it as an affirmation. sn Your creditors will suddenly attack. The Babylonians are addressed directly here. They have robbed and terrorized others, but now the situation will be reversed as their creditors suddenly attack them.
  86. Habakkuk 2:7 tn Heb “[Will not] the ones who make you tremble awake?”
  87. Habakkuk 2:7 tn Heb “and you will become their plunder.”
  88. Habakkuk 2:8 tn Or “nations.”
  89. Habakkuk 2:8 tn Or “peoples.”
  90. Habakkuk 2:8 tn Heb “because of the shed blood of humankind and violence against land, city.” The singular forms אֶרֶץ (ʾerets, “land”) and קִרְיָה (qiryah, “city”) are collective, referring to all the lands and cities terrorized by the Babylonians.
  91. Habakkuk 2:9 tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who profits unjustly by evil unjust gain for his house.” On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.
  92. Habakkuk 2:9 tn Heb “to place his nest in the heights in order to escape from the hand of disaster.” sn Here the Babylonians are compared to a bird, perhaps an eagle, that builds its nest in an inaccessible high place where predators cannot reach it.
  93. Habakkuk 2:10 tn Heb “you planned shame for your house, cutting off many nations, and sinning [against] your life.”
  94. Habakkuk 2:11 sn The house mentioned in vv. 9-10 represents the Babylonian empire, which became great through imperialism. Here the materials of this “house” (the stones in the walls, the wooden rafters) are personified as witnesses who testify that the occupants have built the house through wealth stolen from others.
  95. Habakkuk 2:12 tn Or “establishes”; or “founds.”
  96. Habakkuk 2:13 tn Heb “Is it not, look, from the Lord of hosts that the nations work hard for fire, and the peoples are exhausted for nothing?”
  97. Habakkuk 2:14 tn Heb “for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, just as the waters cover over the sea.”
  98. Habakkuk 2:15 tn No direct object is present after “drink” in the Hebrew text. “Wine” is implied, however, and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  99. Habakkuk 2:15 tc Heb “pouring out your anger and also making drunk”; or “pouring out your anger and [by] rage making drunk.” The present translation assumes that the final khet (ח) on מְסַפֵּחַ (mesappeakh, “pouring”) is dittographic and that the form should actually be read מִסַּף (missaf, “from a bowl”). sn Forcing them to drink from the bowl of your furious anger. The Babylonian’s harsh treatment of others is compared to intoxicating wine which the Babylonians force the nations to drink so they can humiliate them. Cf. the imagery in Rev 14:10.
  100. Habakkuk 2:15 sn Metaphor and reality are probably blended here. This may refer to the practice of publicly humiliating prisoners of war by stripping them naked. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 124.
  101. Habakkuk 2:16 tn Heb “are filled.” The translation assumes the verbal form is a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of Babylon’s coming judgment, which will reduce the majestic empire to shame and humiliation.
  102. Habakkuk 2:16 tn Or “glory.”
  103. Habakkuk 2:16 tc Heb “drink, even you, and show the foreskin.” Instead of הֵעָרֵל (heʿarel, “show the foreskin”) one of the Dead Sea scrolls has הֵרָעֵל (heraʿel, “stumble”). This reading also has support from several ancient versions and is followed by the NEB (“you too shall drink until you stagger”) and NRSV (“Drink, you yourself, and stagger”). For a defense of the Hebrew text, see P. D. Miller, Jr., Sin and Judgment in the Prophets, 63-64.
  104. Habakkuk 2:16 sn The Lord’s right hand represents his military power. He will force the Babylonians to experience the same humiliating defeat they inflicted on others.
  105. Habakkuk 2:17 tn Heb “for the violence against Lebanon will cover you.”
  106. Habakkuk 2:17 tc The Hebrew appears to read literally, “and the violence against the animals [which] he terrified.” The verb form יְחִיתַן (yekhitan) appears to be a Hiphil imperfect third masculine singular with third feminine plural suffix (the antecedent being the animals) from חָתַת (khatat, “be terrified”). The translation above follows the LXX and assumes a reading יְחִתֶּךָ (yekhittekha, “[the violence against the animals] will terrify you”; cf. NRSV “the destruction of the animals will terrify you”; NIV “and your destruction of animals will terrify you”). In this case the verb is a Hiphil imperfect third masculine singular with second masculine singular suffix (the antecedent being Babylon). This provides better symmetry with the preceding line, where Babylon’s violence is the subject of the verb “cover.” sn The language may anticipate Nebuchadnezzar’s utilization of trees from the Lebanon forest in building projects. Lebanon and its animals probably represent the western Palestinian states conquered by the Babylonians.
  107. Habakkuk 2:18 tn Or “of what value.”
  108. Habakkuk 2:18 tn Heb “so that the one who forms it fashions it?” Here כִּי (ki) is taken as resultative after the rhetorical question. For other examples of this use, see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §450.
  109. Habakkuk 2:18 tn Heb “or a metal image, a teacher of lies.” The words “What good is” in the translation are supplied from the previous parallel line. “Teacher of lies” refers to the false oracles that the so-called god would deliver through a priest. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 126.
  110. Habakkuk 2:18 tn Heb “so that the one who forms his image trusts in it?” As earlier in the verse, כִּי (ki) is resultative.
  111. Habakkuk 2:18 tn Heb “to make.”
  112. Habakkuk 2:19 tn The words “he who says” in the translation are supplied from the previous parallel line.
  113. Habakkuk 2:19 tn Though the Hebrew text has no formal interrogative marker here, the context indicates that the statement should be taken as a rhetorical question anticipating the answer, “Of course not!” (so also NIV, NRSV).
  114. Habakkuk 2:20 tn Or “holy temple.” The Lord’s heavenly palace, rather than the earthly temple, is probably in view here (see Ps 11:4; Mic 1:2-3). The Hebrew word קֹדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holy”) here refers to the sovereign transcendence associated with his palace.
  115. Habakkuk 2:20 tn Or “Be quiet before him, all the earth!”
  116. Habakkuk 3:1 tn The Hebrew text adds עַל שִׁגְיֹנוֹת (ʿal shigyonot, “upon [or, “according to”] shigyonot”). The meaning of this word is uncertain. It may refer to the literary genre of the prayer or to the musical style to be employed when it is sung. The NEB leaves the term untranslated; several other modern English versions transliterate the term into English, sometimes with explanatory notes (NASB, NRSV “according to Shigionoth”; NIV “On shigyonoth”).
  117. Habakkuk 3:2 tn Heb “your report,” that is, “the report concerning you.”
  118. Habakkuk 3:2 tn Heb “I fear.” Some prefer to read, “I saw, Lord, what you accomplished” (cf. NEB).
  119. Habakkuk 3:2 tn Heb “your work.”
  120. Habakkuk 3:2 tn Heb “in the midst of years.” The meaning of the phrase, which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain (cf. NIV “in our day”; NEB, NASB “in the midst of the years”).
  121. Habakkuk 3:2 tn Heb “revive it” (i.e., “your work”).
  122. Habakkuk 3:2 tn Heb “make known.” The implied object is “your deeds”; the pronoun “them,” referring to “deeds” in the previous line, was employed in the translation to avoid redundancy. The suffix on the form חַיֵּיהוּ (khayyehu, “revive it”) does double duty in the parallelism.
  123. Habakkuk 3:2 tn Heb “in turmoil remember [to show] compassion.”
  124. Habakkuk 3:3 tn In vv. 3-15 there is a mixture of eleven prefixed verbal forms (without vav [ו] consecutive or with vav conjunctive), sixteen suffixed forms, and three prefixed forms with vav consecutive. All of the forms are best taken as indicating completed action from the speaker’s standpoint (all of the prefixed forms being regarded as preterites). The forms could be translated with the past tense, but this would be misleading, for this is not a mere recital of God’s deeds in Israel’s past history. Habakkuk here describes, in terms reminiscent of past theophanies, his prophetic vision of a future theophany (see v. 7, “I saw”). From the prophet’s visionary standpoint the theophany is “as good as done.” This translation uses the English present tense throughout these verses to avoid misunderstanding. A similar strategy is followed by the NEB; in contrast note the NIV and NRSV, which consistently use past tenses throughout the section, and the NASB, which employs present tenses in vv. 3-5 and mostly past tenses in vv. 6-15.
  125. Habakkuk 3:3 sn Teman was a city or region in southern Edom.
  126. Habakkuk 3:3 tn Or “Sovereign One.” The term קָדוֹשׁ (qadosh, “holy [one]”) here refers to God’s sovereignty. See v. 3b.
  127. Habakkuk 3:3 sn The precise location of Mount Paran is unknown, but like Teman it was located to the southeast of Israel. Habakkuk saw God marching from the direction of Sinai.
  128. Habakkuk 3:3 tn Selah. The meaning of this musical term (which also appears in vv. 9, 13, and in the Psalms as well) is unknown.
  129. Habakkuk 3:3 tn Or “heavens.”
  130. Habakkuk 3:3 tn Heb “praise.” This could mean that the earth responds in praise as God’s splendor is observed in the skies. However, the Hebrew term תְּהִלָּה (tehillah, “praise”) can stand by metonymy for what prompts it (i.e., fame, glory, deeds).
  131. Habakkuk 3:4 tc The subject, נֹגָהּ (nogah, “brightness”), is masculine but the verb is feminine. The LXX and most English translations add “his” to the subject. The verb form in the MT, an imperfect form of the stative verb הָיָה (hayah, “to be”) should always be future tense, as here in the LXX, and in English translations in the Psalms. But here most English translations use past or present. The BHS editors suggest emending the verb תִּהְיֶה (tihyeh) to the preposition and suffix תַּחְתָּיו (takhtayv) to make “[his] brightness is as lightning beneath him.” While this gets rid of the grammatical problem using similar looking consonants, it is speculative.tn Heb “[His] radiance is like light.” Some see a reference to sunlight, but the Hebrew word אוֹר (ʾor) here refers to lightning, as the context indicates (see vv. 4b, 9, 11). The word also refers to lightning in Job 36:32 and 37:3, 11, 15.
  132. Habakkuk 3:4 tn Heb “two horns from his hand [belong] to him.” Sharp, pointed lightning bolts have a “horn-like” appearance. The weapon of “double lightning” appears often in Mesopotamian representations of gods. See Elizabeth Van Buren, Symbols of the Gods in Mesopotamian Art (AnOr), 70-73. The term קֶרֶן (qeren), here in the dual form, commonly means “horn” but can also be used metaphorically (HALOT 1145 s.v. 4).
  133. Habakkuk 3:4 tn Heb “and there [is] the covering of his strength”; or “and there is his strong covering.” The meaning of this line is unclear. The point may be that the lightning bolts are merely a covering, or outward display, of God’s raw power. In Job 36:32 one reads that God “covers his hands with light [or, “lightning”].”
  134. Habakkuk 3:5 tn Or “goes.” The imperfect form of a dynamic verbal root may be either present or future. Here it is translated in parallel to the future tense in v. 4.
  135. Habakkuk 3:5 tn Because of parallelism with the previous line, the meaning “pestilence” is favored for רֶשֶׁף (reshef) here, but usage elsewhere suggests a destructive bolt of fire may be in view. See BDB 958 s.v. sn There are mythological echoes here, for in Canaanite literature the god Resheph aids Baal in his battles. See J. Day, “New Light on the Mythological Background of the Allusion to Resheph in Habakkuk III 5, ” VT 29 (1979): 353-55.
  136. Habakkuk 3:5 tn Or “marches.” See note 1.
  137. Habakkuk 3:5 tn Heb “will go out at his feet.”
  138. Habakkuk 3:6 tn Heb “he stood” or “took a stand.” The verb forms change to perfects and preterites in this verse, signaling past time and therefore a shift in perspective. The section starting here, the memory of the past, functions to certify the character of the future.
  139. Habakkuk 3:6 tn This verb has been traditionally understood as “measure” (from מָדַד, madad), but the immediately following context (vv. 6b-7) favors the meaning “shake” from מוּד (mud; see HALOT 555 s.v.).
  140. Habakkuk 3:6 tn Heb “he looked and made [the] nations jump back [in fear].”
  141. Habakkuk 3:6 tn Or “crumbled,” “broke into pieces.”
  142. Habakkuk 3:6 tn Heb “ancient ways [or, “doings”] are his.” The meaning of this line is unclear. Traditionally it has been translated, “his ways are eternal.” However, in this context (see vv. 3, 7) it is more likely that the line speaks of the Lord taking the same route as in the days of Moses and Deborah (see Deut 33:2; Judg 5:4). See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 154.
  143. Habakkuk 3:7 tn Heb “under trouble I saw the tents of Cushan.”sn Cushan was located in southern Transjordan.
  144. Habakkuk 3:7 tn The prefixed verb form is understood as past habitual just as the imperfect functions in background clauses in narrative.
  145. Habakkuk 3:7 tn R. D. Patterson takes תַּחַת אֲוֶן (takhat ʾaven) in the first line as a place name, “Tahath-Aven.” (Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah [WEC], 237.) In this case one may translate the verse as a tricolon: “I look at Tahath-Aven. The tents of Cushan are shaking, the tent curtains of the land of Midian.”
  146. Habakkuk 3:8 tn The verb is a perfect form and the root is stative so it could be past or present. Most translations render it as past (e.g. NASB, NIV, ESV, KJV, NRSV), though Holman renders it present tense.
  147. Habakkuk 3:8 sn The following context suggests these questions should be answered, “Yes.” The rivers and the sea, symbolizing here the hostile nations (v. 12), are objects of the Lord’s anger (vv. 10, 15).
  148. Habakkuk 3:8 tn Heb “so that.” Here כִּי (ki) is resultative. See the note on the phrase “make it” in 2:18.
  149. Habakkuk 3:8 tn Heb “you mount your horses.” As the next line makes clear, the Lord is pictured here as a charioteer, not a cavalryman. Note NRSV here, “when you drove your horses, // your chariots to victory.”
  150. Habakkuk 3:8 tn Or “chariots of deliverance.”
  151. Habakkuk 3:9 tn Heb “[into] nakedness your bow is laid bare.”
  152. Habakkuk 3:9 tn Heb “sworn in are the arrow-shafts with a word.” The passive participle of שָׁבַע (shava’), “swear an oath,” also occurs in Ezek 21:23 ET (21:28 HT) referencing those who have sworn allegiance. Here the Lord’s arrows are personified and viewed as having received a commission which they have vowed to uphold. In Jer 47:6-7 the Lord’s sword is given such a charge. In the Ugaritic myths Baal’s weapons are formally assigned the task of killing the sea god Yam.
  153. Habakkuk 3:9 tn Heb “[with] rivers you split open the earth.” A literal rendering like “You split the earth with rivers” (so NIV, NRSV) suggests geological activity to the modern reader, but in the present context of a violent thunderstorm, the idea of streams swollen to torrents by downpours better fits the imagery.sn As the Lord comes in a thunderstorm the downpour causes streams to swell to river-like proportions and spread over the surface of the ground, causing flash floods.
  154. Habakkuk 3:10 tn Heb “a heavy rain of waters passes by.” Perhaps the flash floods produced by the downpour are in view here.
  155. Habakkuk 3:10 sn The great deep, which is to be equated with the sea (vv. 8, 15), is a symbol of chaos and represents the Lord’s enemies.
  156. Habakkuk 3:10 sn Lifting the hands here suggests panic and is accompanied by a cry for mercy (see Ps 28:2; Lam 2:19). The forces of chaos cannot withstand the Lord’s power revealed in the storm.
  157. Habakkuk 3:11 tn Heb “in their lofty dwelling places.”
  158. Habakkuk 3:11 tn Or “at the light of your arrows they vanish.”
  159. Habakkuk 3:11 tn Heb “at the brightness of the lightning of your spear.”
  160. Habakkuk 3:13 tn Heb “anointed one.” In light of the parallelism with “your people” in the preceding line this could refer to Israel, but elsewhere the Lord’s anointed one is always an individual. The Davidic king is the more likely referent here.
  161. Habakkuk 3:13 tn Heb “you strike the head from the house of wickedness.”
  162. Habakkuk 3:13 tn Heb “laying bare [from] foundation to neck.”
  163. Habakkuk 3:14 tn Some take “warriors” with the following line, in which case one should translate, “you pierce [his] head with a spear; his warriors storm forward to scatter us” (cf. NIV). The meaning of the Hebrew term פְּרָזוֹ (perazo), translated here “his warriors,” is uncertain.
  164. Habakkuk 3:14 tc Heb “his shafts.” Some emend to “your shafts.” The translation above assumes an emendation to מַטֶּה (matteh, “shaft, spear”), the vav-yod (ו-י) sequence being derived from an original he (ה).
  165. Habakkuk 3:14 tn Heb “me,” but the author speaks as a representative of God’s people.
  166. Habakkuk 3:14 tn Heb “their rejoicing is like devouring the poor in secret.”
  167. Habakkuk 3:15 tn Heb “the foaming of the mighty [or “many”] waters.”
  168. Habakkuk 3:16 tn Heb “my insides trembled.”
  169. Habakkuk 3:16 tn Heb “decay entered my bones.”
  170. Habakkuk 3:16 tc Heb “beneath me I shook, which….” The Hebrew term אֲשֶׁר (’asher) appears to be a relative pronoun, but a relative pronoun does not fit here. The translation assumes a reading אֲשֻׁרָי (’ashuray, “my steps”) as well as an emendation of the preceding verb to a third plural form.
  171. Habakkuk 3:16 tn The translation assumes that אָנוּחַ (’anuakh) is from the otherwise unattested verb נָוָח (navakh, “sigh”; see HALOT 680 s.v. II נוח; so also NEB). Most take this verb as נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”) and translate, “I wait patiently” (cf. NIV).
  172. Habakkuk 3:16 tn Heb “to come up toward.”
  173. Habakkuk 3:17 tn Or “though.”
  174. Habakkuk 3:17 tn Heb “the produce of the olive disappoints.”
  175. Habakkuk 3:17 tn Heb “food.”
  176. Habakkuk 3:17 tn Or “are cut off.”
  177. Habakkuk 3:18 tn Or “in.”
  178. Habakkuk 3:19 tn Or perhaps, “is my wall,” that is, “my protector.”
  179. Habakkuk 3:19 tn Heb “he makes my feet like those of deer.”
  180. Habakkuk 3:19 tn Heb “he makes me walk on my high places.” sn Difficult times are coming, but Habakkuk is confident the Lord will sustain him. Habakkuk will be able to survive, just as the deer negotiates the difficult rugged terrain of the high places without injury.
  181. Habakkuk 3:19 tn Heb “For the leader, on my stringed instruments.”
Zephaniah 1-3

Introduction

1 This is the Lord’s message that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah during the time of[a] Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah:

The Lord’s Day of Judgment is Approaching

2 “I will destroy[b] everything from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.
3 “I will destroy people and animals;
I will destroy the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea.
(The idolatrous images of these creatures will be destroyed along with evil people.)[c]
I will remove[d] humanity from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.
4 “I will attack[e] Judah
and all who live in Jerusalem.
I will remove[f] from this place every trace of Baal worship,[g]
as well as the very memory[h] of the pagan priests.[i]
5 I will remove[j] those who worship the stars in the sky from their rooftops,[k]
those who swear allegiance to the Lord[l] while taking oaths in the name of[m] their ‘king,’[n]
6 and those who turn their backs on[o] the Lord
and do not want the Lord’s help or guidance.”[p]
7 Be silent before the Sovereign Lord,[q]
for the Lord’s day of judgment[r] is almost here.[s]
The Lord has prepared a sacrificial meal;[t]
he has ritually purified[u] his guests.
8 “On the day of the Lord’s sacrificial meal,
I will punish the princes[v] and the king’s sons,
and all who wear foreign styles of clothing.[w]
9 On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold,[x]
who fill the house of their master[y] with wealth taken by violence and deceit.[z]
10 On that day,” says the Lord,
“a loud cry will go up[aa] from the Fish Gate,[ab]
wailing from the city’s newer district,[ac]
and a loud crash[ad] from the hills.
11 Wail, you who live in the market district,[ae]
for all the merchants[af] will disappear[ag]
and those who count money[ah] will be removed.[ai]
12 At that time I will search through Jerusalem with lamps.
I will punish the people who are entrenched in their sin,[aj]
those who think to themselves,[ak]
‘The Lord neither rewards nor punishes.’[al]
13 Their wealth will be stolen
and their houses ruined!
They will not live in the houses they have built,
nor will they drink the wine from the vineyards they have planted.
14 The Lord’s great day of judgment[am] is almost here;
it is approaching very rapidly!
There will be a bitter sound on the Lord’s day of judgment;
at that time warriors will cry out in battle.[an]
15 That day will be a day of God’s anger,[ao]
a day of distress and hardship,
a day of devastation and ruin,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and dark skies,
16 a day of trumpet blasts[ap] and battle cries.[aq]
Judgment will fall on[ar] the fortified cities and the high corner towers.
17 I will bring distress on the people[as]
and they will stumble[at] like blind men,
for they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out like dirt;
their flesh[au] will be scattered[av] like manure.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them
in the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.
The whole earth[aw] will be consumed by his fiery wrath.[ax]
Indeed,[ay] he will bring terrifying destruction[az] on all who live on the earth.”[ba]

The Prophet Warns the People

2 Bunch yourselves together like straw,[bb] you undesirable[bc] nation,
2 before God’s decree becomes reality[bd] and the day of opportunity disappears like windblown chaff,[be]
before the Lord’s raging anger[bf] overtakes[bg] you—
before the day of the Lord’s angry judgment overtakes you!
3 Seek the Lord’s favor,[bh] all you humble people[bi] of the land who have obeyed his commands![bj]
Strive to do what is right![bk] Strive to be humble![bl]
Maybe you will be protected[bm] on the day of the Lord’s angry judgment.

Judgment on Surrounding Nations

4 Indeed,[bn] Gaza will be deserted[bo]
and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins.[bp]
Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon,[bq]
and Ekron will be overthrown.[br]
5 Beware, you who live by the sea, the people who came from Crete.[bs]
The Lord’s message is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines:
“I will destroy everyone who lives there!”[bt]
6 The seacoast[bu] will be used as pasture lands[bv] by the shepherds
and as pens for their flocks.
7 Those who are left from the kingdom of Judah[bw] will take possession of it.[bx]
By the sea[by] they[bz] will graze,
in the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the evening,
for the Lord their God will intervene for them[ca] and restore their prosperity.[cb]
8 “I have heard Moab’s taunts
and the Ammonites’ insults.
They[cc] taunted my people
and verbally harassed those living in Judah.[cd]
9 Therefore, as surely as I live,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel,
“be certain that Moab will become like Sodom
and the Ammonites like Gomorrah.
They will be overrun by weeds,[ce]
filled with salt pits,[cf]
and permanently desolate.
Those of my people who are left[cg] will plunder their belongings;[ch]
those who are left in Judah[ci] will take possession of their land.”
10 This is how they will be repaid for their arrogance,[cj]
for they taunted and verbally harassed[ck] the people of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
11 The Lord will terrify them,[cl]
for[cm] he will weaken[cn] all the gods of the earth.
All the distant nations will worship the Lord in their own lands.[co]
12 “You[cp] Ethiopians[cq] will also die by my sword!”[cr]
13 The Lord[cs] will attack the north[ct]
and destroy Assyria.
He will make Nineveh a heap of ruins;
it will be as barren[cu] as the desert.
14 Flocks and herds[cv] will lie down in the middle of it,
as well as every kind of wild animal.[cw]
Owls[cx] will sleep in the tops of its support pillars;
they will hoot through the windows.[cy]
Rubble will cover the thresholds;[cz]
even the cedar work[da] will be exposed to the elements.[db]
15 This is how the once-proud city will end up—
the city that was so secure.[dc]
She thought to herself,[dd] “I am unique! No one can compare to me!”[de]
What a heap of ruins she has become, a place where wild animals live!
Everyone who passes by her taunts her[df] and shakes his fist.[dg]

Jerusalem is Corrupt

3 Beware to the filthy,[dh] stained city;
the city filled with oppressors![di]
2 She is disobedient;[dj]
she has refused correction.[dk]
She does not trust the Lord;
she has not sought the advice of[dl] her God.
3 Her princes[dm] are as fierce as roaring lions;[dn]
her rulers[do] are as hungry as wolves in the desert,[dp]
who completely devour their prey by morning.[dq]
4 Her prophets are proud;[dr]
they are deceitful men.
Her priests have defiled what is holy;[ds]
they have broken God’s laws.[dt]
5 The just Lord resides[du] within her;
he commits no unjust acts.[dv]
Every morning he reveals[dw] his justice.
At dawn he appears without fail.[dx]
Yet the unjust know no shame.

The Lord’s Judgment will Purify

6 “I destroyed[dy] nations;
their walled cities[dz] are in ruins.
I turned their streets into ruins;
no one passes through them.
Their cities are desolate;[ea]
no one lives there.[eb]
7 I thought,[ec] ‘Certainly you will respect[ed] me!
Now you will accept correction!’
If she had done so, her home[ee] would not be destroyed[ef]
by all the punishments I have threatened.[eg]
But they eagerly sinned
in everything they did.[eh]
8 Therefore you must wait patiently[ei] for me,” says the Lord,
“for the day when I attack and take plunder.[ej]
I have decided[ek] to gather nations together
and assemble kingdoms,
so I can pour out my fury on them—
all my raging anger.
For[el] the whole earth will be consumed
by my fiery anger.
9 Know for sure that I will then enable
the nations to give me acceptable praise.[em]
All of them will invoke the Lord’s name when they pray,[en]
and will worship him in unison.[eo]
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,[ep]
those who pray to me, my dispersed people,[eq]
will bring me tribute.
11 In that day you[er] will not be ashamed of all your rebelliousness against me,[es]
for then I will remove from your midst those who proudly boast,[et]
and you will never again be arrogant on my holy hill.
12 I will leave in your midst a humble and meek group of people,[eu]
and they will find safety in the Lord’s presence.[ev]
13 The Israelites who remain[ew] will not act deceitfully.
They will not lie,
and a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths.
Indeed, they will graze peacefully like sheep[ex] and lie down;
no one will terrify them.”
14 Shout for joy, Daughter Zion![ey]
Shout out, Israel!
Be happy and boast with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem!
15 The Lord has removed the judgment against you;[ez]
he has turned back your enemy.
Israel’s king, the Lord, is in your midst!
You no longer need to fear disaster.
16 On that day they will say[fa] to Jerusalem,
“Don’t be afraid, Zion!
Your hands must not be paralyzed from panic![fb]
17 The Lord your God is in your midst;
he is a warrior who can deliver.
He takes great delight in you;[fc]
he renews you by his love;[fd]
he shouts for joy over you.”[fe]
18 “As for those who grieve because they cannot attend the festivals—
I took them away from you;
they became tribute and were a source of shame to you.[ff]
19 Look, at that time I will deal with those who mistreated you.
I will rescue the lame sheep[fg]
and gather together the scattered sheep.
I will take away their humiliation
and make the whole earth admire and respect them.[fh]
20 At that time I will lead you—
at the time I gather you together.[fi]
Be sure of this![fj] I will make all the nations of the earth respect and admire you[fk]
when you see me restore you,”[fl] says the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Zephaniah 1:1 tn Heb “in the days of.”
  2. Zephaniah 1:2 tc The consonantal text repeats אסף אסף with the vowels for the Qal infinitive absolute of אָסַף (ʾasaf, “gather up, retract”) followed by a Hiphil first person jussive form of סוּף (suf, “come to an end”). A similar combination appears in Jer 8:13, but it is textually disputed based on the LXX. Here a literal translation might be, “Withdrawing, I will bring to an end.” While this English rendering may sound reasonable, this is very unusual Hebrew grammar and the small number of similar cases are textually disputed. Some prefer to emend the text so that the infinitive and finite form of the verb are from the same root and same stem. Some render as “I will certainly sweep away” (NIV, ESV, Holman), probably assuming a Hiphil of אָסַף, though this root does not otherwise occur in the Hiphil, and if it did, it should mean “I will remove” (NASB). HALOT includes a Qal stem gloss “to destroy” (HALOT 74 qal 4), but this meaning is applied only to this example and one other textually disputed reference, that is, the dictionary’s gloss is merely accommodating this problem and is not evidence. Read as Hiphil forms of סוּף, the text would mean “I will certainly bring to an end,” which is conceptually similar to destroying. For a discussion of proposals see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 167, 169.
  3. Zephaniah 1:3 tn Heb “And the stumbling blocks [or, “ruins”] with the evil”; or “the things that make the evil stumble.” The line does not appear in the original form of the LXX; it may be a later scribal addition. The present translation assumes the “stumbling blocks” are idolatrous images of the aforementioned animals, birds, and fish. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 167, and Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB), 73-74.
  4. Zephaniah 1:3 tn Heb “cut off.”
  5. Zephaniah 1:4 tn Heb “I will stretch out my hand against,” is an idiom for hostile action.
  6. Zephaniah 1:4 tn Heb “cut off.”
  7. Zephaniah 1:4 tn Heb “the remnant of Baal.”
  8. Zephaniah 1:4 tn Heb “name.” Here the “name” is figurative for the memory of those who bear it.
  9. Zephaniah 1:4 tc Heb “of the pagan priests with the priests.” The first word (כְּמָרִים, kemarim) refers to idolatrous priests in its two other appearances in the OT (2 Kgs 23:5, Hos 10:5), while the second word (כֹּהֲנִים, kohanim) is the normal term for “priest” and is used of both legitimate and illegitimate priests in the OT. It is likely that the second term, which is omitted in the LXX, is a later scribal addition to the Hebrew text, defining the extremely rare word that precedes (see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah [OTL], 167-68; cf. also NEB, NRSV). Some argue that both words are original; among the modern English versions that include both are NASB and NIV. Possibly the first word refers to outright pagan priests, while the second has in view once-legitimate priests of the Lord who had drifted into idolatrous practices. Another option is found in Adele Berlin, who translates, “the idolatrous priests among the priests,” understanding the second word as giving the general category of which the idolatrous priests are a part (Zephaniah [AB 25A], 75).
  10. Zephaniah 1:5 tn The words “I will remove” are repeated from v. 4b for stylistic reasons. In the Hebrew text vv. 4b-6 contain a long list of objects for the verb “I will remove” in v. 4b. In the present translation a new sentence was begun at the beginning of v. 5 in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences.
  11. Zephaniah 1:5 tn Heb “those who worship on their roofs the host of heaven.” The “host of heaven” included the sun, moon, planets, and stars, all of which were deified in the ancient Near East.
  12. Zephaniah 1:5 tc The MT reads, “those who worship, those who swear allegiance to the Lord.” The original form of the LXX omits the phrase “those who worship”; it may have been accidentally repeated from the preceding line. J. J. M. Roberts prefers to delete as secondary the phrase “those who swear allegiance” (J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah [OTL], 168).
  13. Zephaniah 1:5 tn Heb “those who swear by.”
  14. Zephaniah 1:5 tn The referent of “their king” is unclear. It may refer sarcastically to a pagan god (perhaps Baal) worshiped by the people. Some English versions (cf. NEB, NASB, NRSV) prefer to emend the text to “Milcom,” the name of an Ammonite god (following some LXX mss, Syriac, and Vulgate) or “Molech,” a god to whom the Israelites offered their children (cf. NIV, NLT). For a discussion of the options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 75-77.
  15. Zephaniah 1:6 tn Heb “turn back from [following] after.”
  16. Zephaniah 1:6 tn Heb “who do not seek the Lord and do not inquire of him.” The present translation assumes the first verb refers to praying for divine help and the second to seeking his revealed will through an oracle. Note the usage of the two verbs in 2 Chr 20:3-4.
  17. Zephaniah 1:7 tn Heb “Lord Yahweh.”
  18. Zephaniah 1:7 tn Heb “the day of the Lord.”sn The origin of the concept of “the day of the Lord” is uncertain. It may have originated in the ancient Near Eastern idea of the sovereign’s day of conquest, where a king would boast that he had concluded an entire military campaign in a single day (see D. Stuart, “The Sovereign’s Day of Conquest,” BASOR 221 [1976]: 159-64). In the OT the expression is applied to several acts of divine judgment, some historical and others still future (see A. J. Everson, “The Days of Yahweh,” JBL 93 [1974]: 329-37). In the OT the phrase first appears in Amos (assuming that Amos predates Joel and Obadiah), where it seems to refer to a belief on the part of the northern kingdom that God would intervene on Israel’s behalf and judge the nation’s enemies. Amos affirms that the Lord’s day of judgment is indeed approaching, but he declares that it will be a day of disaster, not deliverance, for Israel. Here in Zephaniah, the “day of the Lord” includes God’s coming judgment of Judah, as well as a more universal outpouring of divine anger.
  19. Zephaniah 1:7 tn Or “near.”
  20. Zephaniah 1:7 tn Heb “a sacrifice.” This same word also occurs in the following verse.sn Because a sacrificial meal presupposes the slaughter of animals, it is used here as a metaphor of the bloody judgment to come.
  21. Zephaniah 1:7 tn Or “consecrated” (ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  22. Zephaniah 1:8 tn Or “officials” (NRSV, TEV); NLT “leaders.”
  23. Zephaniah 1:8 sn The very dress of the royal court, foreign styles of clothing, revealed the degree to which Judah had assimilated foreign customs.
  24. Zephaniah 1:9 sn The point of the statement all who hop over the threshold is unclear. A ritual or superstition associated with the Philistine god Dagon may be in view (see 1 Sam 5:5).
  25. Zephaniah 1:9 tn The referent of “their master” is unclear. The king or a pagan god may be in view.
  26. Zephaniah 1:9 tn Heb “who fill…with violence and deceit.” The expression “violence and deceit” refers metonymically to the wealth taken by oppressive measures.
  27. Zephaniah 1:10 tn The words “will go up” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  28. Zephaniah 1:10 sn The Fish Gate was located on Jerusalem’s north side (cf. 2 Chr 33:14; Neh 3:3; 12:39).
  29. Zephaniah 1:10 tn Heb “from the second area.” This may refer to an area northwest of the temple where the rich lived (see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah [AB 25A], 86; cf. NASB, NRSV “the Second Quarter”; NIV “the New Quarter”).
  30. Zephaniah 1:10 tn Heb “great breaking.”
  31. Zephaniah 1:11 tn Heb “in the Mortar.” The Hebrew term מַכְתֵּשׁ (makhtesh, “mortar”) is apparently here the name of a low-lying area where economic activity took place.
  32. Zephaniah 1:11 tn Or perhaps “Canaanites.” Cf. BDB 489 s.v. I and II כְּנַעֲנִי. Translators have rendered the term either as “the merchant people” (KJV, NKJV), “the traders” (NRSV), “merchants” (NEB, NIV), or, alternatively, “the people of Canaan” (NASB).
  33. Zephaniah 1:11 tn Or “be destroyed.”
  34. Zephaniah 1:11 tn Heb “weigh out silver.”
  35. Zephaniah 1:11 tn Heb “be cut off.” In the Hebrew text of v. 11b the perfect verbal forms emphasize the certainty of the judgment, speaking of it as if it were already accomplished.
  36. Zephaniah 1:12 tn Heb “who thicken on their sediment.” The imagery comes from wine making, where the wine, if allowed to remain on the sediment too long, will thicken into syrup. The image suggests that the people described here were complacent in their sinful behavior and interpreted the delay in judgment as divine apathy.
  37. Zephaniah 1:12 tn Heb “who say in their hearts.”
  38. Zephaniah 1:12 tn Heb “The Lord does not do good nor does he do evil.”
  39. Zephaniah 1:14 tn Heb “The great day of the Lord.” The words “of judgment” are supplied in the translation here and later in this verse for clarity. See the note on the expression “day of judgment” in v. 7.
  40. Zephaniah 1:14 tn Heb “the sound of the day of the Lord, bitter [is] one crying out there, a warrior.” The present translation does four things: (1) It takes מַר (mar, “bitter”) with what precedes (contrary to the accentuation of the MT). (2) It understands the participle צָרַח (tsarakh, “cry out in battle”) as verbal with “warrior” as its subject. (3) It takes שָׁם (sham, “there”) in a temporal sense, meaning “then, at that time.” (4) It understands “warrior” as collective.
  41. Zephaniah 1:15 tn Heb “a day of wrath.” The word “God’s” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  42. Zephaniah 1:16 tn Heb “a ram’s horn.” By metonymy the Hebrew text mentions the trumpet (“ram’s horn”) in place of the sound it produces (“trumpet blasts”).
  43. Zephaniah 1:16 sn This description of the day of the Lord consists of an initial reference to anger, followed by four pairs of synonyms. The joining of synonyms in this way emphasizes the degree of the characteristic being described. The first two pairs focus on the distress and ruin that judgment will bring; the second two pairs picture this day of judgment as being very dark (darkness) and exceedingly overcast (gloom). The description concludes with the pairing of two familiar battle sounds, the blast on the ram’s horn (trumpet blasts) and the war cries of the warriors (battle cries).
  44. Zephaniah 1:16 tn Heb “against.” The words “judgment will fall” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  45. Zephaniah 1:17 tn “The people” refers to mankind in general (see vv. 2-3) or more specifically to the residents of Judah (see vv. 4-13).
  46. Zephaniah 1:17 tn Heb “walk.”
  47. Zephaniah 1:17 tn Some take the referent of “flesh” to be more specific here; cf. NEB (“bowels”), NAB (“brains”), NIV (“entrails”).
  48. Zephaniah 1:17 tn The words “will be scattered” are supplied in the translation for clarity based on the parallelism with “will be poured out” in the previous line.
  49. Zephaniah 1:18 tn Or “land” (cf. NEB). This same word also occurs at the end of the present verse.
  50. Zephaniah 1:18 tn Or “passion”; traditionally, “jealousy.”
  51. Zephaniah 1:18 tn Or “for.”
  52. Zephaniah 1:18 tn Heb “complete destruction, even terror, he will make.”
  53. Zephaniah 1:18 tn It is not certain where the Lord’s words end and the prophet’s words begin. It is possible that Zephaniah begins speaking in the middle of v. 17 or at the beginning of v. 18 (note the third person pronouns referring to the Lord).
  54. Zephaniah 2:1 tn The Hebrew text combines a Hitpolel imperative of קָשַׁשׁ (qashash) with a Qal imperative of the same root. Elsewhere this root appears in the polel stem with the meaning “gather stubble.” Zephaniah’s command is ironic, implying the people are like stubble or straw. As such, they are vulnerable to the Lord’s fiery judgment that will quickly consume them (see 1:18). See Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 96.
  55. Zephaniah 2:1 tn Some relate this word to an Aramaic cognate meaning “to be ashamed.” With the negative particle it would then mean “unashamed” (cf. NIV “shameful”; NRSV “shameless”). However, elsewhere in biblical Hebrew the verb means “to desire,” or with the negative particle “undesirable.” Cf. also NEB “unruly.”
  56. Zephaniah 2:2 tn Heb “before the giving birth of a decree.” For various alternative readings, see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 187-88.
  57. Zephaniah 2:2 tn The second half of the line reads literally, “like chaff it passes by a day.” The translation above assumes the “day” is the brief time God is giving the nation to repent. The comparison of this quickly passing opportunity to chaff is consistent with the straw imagery of v. 1.
  58. Zephaniah 2:2 tn Heb “the fury of the anger of the Lord.” The synonyms are combined to emphasize the extreme degree of the Lord’s anger.
  59. Zephaniah 2:2 tn Heb “comes upon.” This phrase occurs twice in this verse.
  60. Zephaniah 2:3 tn Heb “seek the Lord,” but “favor” seems to be implied from the final line of the verse.
  61. Zephaniah 2:3 tn Or “poor.” The precise referent of this Hebrew term is unclear. The word may refer to the economically poor or to the spiritually humble.
  62. Zephaniah 2:3 tn The present translation assumes the Hebrew term מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) here refers to God’s covenantal requirements and is a synonym for the Law. The word can mean “justice” and could refer more specifically to the principles of justice contained in the Law. In this case the phrase could be translated, “who have promoted the justice God demands.”
  63. Zephaniah 2:3 tn Heb “Seek what is right.”
  64. Zephaniah 2:3 tn Heb “Seek humility.”
  65. Zephaniah 2:3 tn Heb “hidden.” Cf. NEB “it may be that you will find shelter”; NRSV “perhaps you may be hidden.”
  66. Zephaniah 2:4 tn Or “for” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV).
  67. Zephaniah 2:4 tn There is a sound play here in the Hebrew text: the name Gaza (עַזָּה, ’azzah) sounds like the word translated “deserted” (עֲזוּבָה, ’azuvah).
  68. Zephaniah 2:4 tn Or “a desolate place.”
  69. Zephaniah 2:4 tn Heb “[As for] Ashdod, at noon they will drive her away.”sn The reference to noon may suggest a sudden, quick defeat (see Jer 6:4; 15:8).
  70. Zephaniah 2:4 tn Heb “uprooted.” There is a sound play here in the Hebrew text: the name “Ekron” (עֶקְרוֹן, ’eqron) sounds like the word translated “uprooted” (תֵּעָקֵר, te’aqer).
  71. Zephaniah 2:5 tn Heb “Kerethites,” a people settled alongside the Philistines in the coastal areas of southern Palestine (cf. 1 Sam 30:14; Ezek 25:16). They originally came from the island of Crete.
  72. Zephaniah 2:5 tn Heb “I will destroy you so there is no inhabitant [remaining].”
  73. Zephaniah 2:6 tn The NIV here supplies the phrase “where the Kerethites dwell” (“Kerethites” is translated in v. 5 as “the people who came from Crete”) as an interpretive gloss, but this phrase is not in the MT. The NAB likewise reads “the coastland of the Cretans,” supplying “Cretans” here.
  74. Zephaniah 2:6 tn The Hebrew phrase here is נְוֹת כְּרֹת (nevot kerot). The first word is probably a plural form of נָוָה (navah, “pasture”). The meaning of the second word is unclear. It may be a synonym of the preceding word (cf. NRSV “pastures, meadows for shepherds”); there is a word כַּר (kar, “pasture”) in biblical Hebrew, but elsewhere it forms its plural with a masculine ending. Some have suggested the meaning “wells” or “caves” used as shelters (cf. NEB “shepherds’ huts”); in this case, one might translate, “The seacoast will be used for pasturelands; for shepherds’ wells/caves.”
  75. Zephaniah 2:7 tn Heb “the remnant of the house of Judah.”
  76. Zephaniah 2:7 tn Or “the coast will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah.”
  77. Zephaniah 2:7 tc Heb “on them.” But there is no clear antecedent to match the masculine plural pronoun. It is preferable to emend the text from עֲלֵיהֶם (ʿalehem) to עַל־הַיָּם (ʿal hayyam, “by the sea”). This emendation assumes a transposition of letters and then an improper word division in the MT (cf. NEB “They shall pasture their flocks by the sea”). See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 192.
  78. Zephaniah 2:7 tn The referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) is unclear. It may refer (1) to the shepherds (in which case the first verb should be translated, “pasture their sheep,” cf. NEB), or (2) to the Judahites occupying the area, who are being compared to sheep (cf. NIV, “there they will find pasture”).
  79. Zephaniah 2:7 tn Or “will care for them.”
  80. Zephaniah 2:7 tn Traditionally, “restore their captivity,” i.e., bring back their captives. This followed the understanding of the LXX and other versions (cf. KJV “turn away their captivity”). The Hebrew tradition is mixed, the consonantal text implies the reading שְׁבוּת (shevut) but it is vocalized as if שְׁבִית (shevit). It is more likely the noun means “fortunes” (HALOT 1386 s.v. שְׁבִית, שְׁבוּת) as in the expression “restore their fortunes” (cf. NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
  81. Zephaniah 2:8 tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  82. Zephaniah 2:8 tn Heb “and they made great [their mouth?] against their territory.” Other possible translation options include (1) “they enlarged their own territory” (cf. NEB) and (2) “they bragged about [the size] of their own territory.”
  83. Zephaniah 2:9 tn The Hebrew text reads מִמְשַׁק חָרוּל (mimshaq kharul, “[?] of weeds”). The meaning of the first word is unknown. The present translation (“They will be overrun by weeds”) is speculative, based on the general sense of the context. For a defense of “overrun” on linguistic grounds, see R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 347. Cf. NEB “a pile of weeds”; NIV “a place of weeds”; NRSV “a land possessed by nettles.”
  84. Zephaniah 2:9 tn The Hebrew text reads וּמִכְרֵה־מֶלַח (umikhreh melakh, “and a [?] of salt”). The meaning of the first word is unclear, though “pit” (NASB, NIV, NRSV; NKJV “saltpit”), “mine,” and “heap” (cf. NEB “a rotting heap of saltwort”) are all options. The words “filled with” are supplied for clarification.
  85. Zephaniah 2:9 tn Or “The remnant of my people.”
  86. Zephaniah 2:9 tn Heb “them.” The actual object of the plundering, “their belongings,” has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  87. Zephaniah 2:9 tn Heb “[the] nation.” For clarity the “nation” has been specified as “Judah” in the translation.
  88. Zephaniah 2:10 tn Heb “this is for them in place of their arrogance.”
  89. Zephaniah 2:10 tn Heb “made great [their mouth?] against” (cf. the last phrase of v. 8).
  90. Zephaniah 2:11 tn Heb “will be awesome over [or, “against”] them.”
  91. Zephaniah 2:11 tn Or “certainly.”
  92. Zephaniah 2:11 tn The meaning of this rare Hebrew word is unclear. If the meaning is indeed “weaken,” then this line may be referring to the reduction of these gods’ territory through conquest (see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah [AB 25A], 110-11). Cf. NEB “reduce to beggary”; NASB “starve”; NIV “when he destroys”; NRSV “shrivel.”
  93. Zephaniah 2:11 tn Heb “and all the coastlands of the nations will worship [or, “bow down”] to him, each from his own place.”
  94. Zephaniah 2:12 sn Though there is no formal introduction, these words are apparently spoken by the Lord (note my sword).
  95. Zephaniah 2:12 tn Heb “Cushites.” This is traditionally assumed to refer to people from the region south of Egypt, i.e., Nubia or northern Sudan, referred to as “Ethiopia” by classical authors (not the more recent Abyssinia).
  96. Zephaniah 2:12 tn Heb “Also you Cushites, who lie dead by my sword.”
  97. Zephaniah 2:13 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  98. Zephaniah 2:13 tn Heb “he will stretch out his hand against the north.”
  99. Zephaniah 2:13 tn Or “dry.”
  100. Zephaniah 2:14 tn Heb “flocks.” The Hebrew word can refer to both flocks of sheep and herds of cattle.
  101. Zephaniah 2:14 tn Heb “[and] all the wild animals of a nation.” How גוֹי (goy, “nation”) relates to what precedes is unclear. It may be an unusual expression or need emendation to another word. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 193.
  102. Zephaniah 2:14 tn The Hebrew text reads here גַּם־קָאַת גַּם־קִפֹּד (gam qaʾat gam qippod). The term קָאַת refers to some type of bird (see Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (Isa 34:11); one of the most common translations is “owl” (cf. NEB “horned owl”; NIV, NRSV “desert owl”; contra NASB “pelican”). The term קִפֹּד may also refer to a type of bird (cf. NEB “ruffed bustard”; NIV, NRSV “screech owl”). Some suggest a rodent may be in view (cf. NASB “hedgehog”); this is not unreasonable, for a rodent or some other small animal would be able to sleep in the tops of pillars which would be lying in the ruins of the fallen buildings.
  103. Zephaniah 2:14 tn Heb “a sound will sing in the window.” If some type of owl is in view, “hoot” is a more appropriate translation (cf. NEB, NRSV).
  104. Zephaniah 2:14 tn Heb “rubble [will be] on the threshold.” “Rubble” translates the Hebrew word חֹרֶב (khorev, “desolation”). Some emend to עֹרֵב (ʿorev, “raven”) following the LXX and Vulgate; Adele Berlin translates, “A voice shall shriek from the window—a raven at the sill” (Zephaniah [AB 25A], 104).
  105. Zephaniah 2:14 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “cedar work” (so NASB, NRSV) is unclear; NIV has “the beams of cedar.”
  106. Zephaniah 2:14 tn Heb “one will expose.” The subject is probably indefinite, though one could translate, “for he [i.e., God] will lay bare.”
  107. Zephaniah 2:15 tn Heb “This is the proud city, the one that lives securely.” “This” refers to the previous description of how the city will turn out.
  108. Zephaniah 2:15 tn Heb “the one who says in her heart [or mind].”
  109. Zephaniah 2:15 tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.”
  110. Zephaniah 2:15 tn Heb “hisses”; or “whistles.”
  111. Zephaniah 2:15 sn Hissing (or whistling) and shaking the fist were apparently ways of taunting a defeated foe or an object of derision in the culture of the time.
  112. Zephaniah 3:1 tn The present translation assumes מֹרְאָה (morʾah) is derived from רֹאִי (roʾi, “excrement”; see Jastrow 1436 s.v. רֳאִי). The following participle, “stained,” supports this interpretation (cf. NEB “filthy and foul”; NRSV “soiled, defiled”). Another option is to derive the form from מָרָה (marah, “to rebel”); in this case the term should be translated “rebellious” (cf. NASB, NIV “rebellious and defiled”). This idea is supported by v. 2. For discussion of the two options, see HALOT 630 s.v. I מרא and J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 206.
  113. Zephaniah 3:1 sn The following verses show that Jerusalem, personified as a woman (“she”), is the referent.
  114. Zephaniah 3:2 tn Heb “she has not listened to a voice.” Refusing to listen is equated with disobedience.
  115. Zephaniah 3:2 tn Heb “she has not received correction.” The Hebrew phrase, when negated, refers elsewhere to rejecting verbal advice (Jer 17:23; 32:33; 35:13) and refusing to learn from experience (Jer 2:30; 5:3).
  116. Zephaniah 3:2 tn Heb “draw near to.” The translation assumes that the expression “draw near to” refers to seeking God’s will (see 1 Sam 14:36).
  117. Zephaniah 3:3 tn Or “officials.”
  118. 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.
  119. Zephaniah 3:3 tn Traditionally “judges.”
  120. 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.
  121. 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.
  122. Zephaniah 3:4 sn Applied to prophets, the word פֹּחֲזִים (pokhazim, “proud”) probably refers to their audacity in passing off their own words as genuine prophecies from the Lord (see Jer 23:32).
  123. Zephaniah 3:4 tn Or “defiled the temple.”sn These priests defiled what is holy by not observing the proper distinctions between what is ritually clean and unclean (see Ezek 22:26).
  124. Zephaniah 3:4 tn Heb “they treated [the] law violently.”
  125. Zephaniah 3:5 tn The word “resides” is supplied for clarification.
  126. Zephaniah 3:5 tn Or “he does no injustice.”
  127. Zephaniah 3:5 tn Heb “gives”; or “dispenses.”
  128. Zephaniah 3:5 tn Heb “at the light he is not missing.” Note that NASB (which capitalizes pronouns referring to Deity) has divided the lines differently: “Every morning He brings His justice to light; // He does not fail.”
  129. Zephaniah 3:6 tn Heb “cut off.”
  130. Zephaniah 3:6 tn Heb “corner towers”; NEB, NRSV “battlements.”
  131. Zephaniah 3:6 tn This Hebrew verb (צָדָה, tsadah) occurs only here in the OT, but its meaning is established from the context and from an Aramaic cognate.
  132. Zephaniah 3:6 tn Heb “so that there is no man, without inhabitant.”
  133. Zephaniah 3:7 tn Heb “said.”
  134. Zephaniah 3:7 tn Or “fear.” The second person verb form (“you will respect”) is feminine singular, indicating that personified Jerusalem is addressed. sn God’s judgment of the nations (v. 6) was an object lesson for Israel’s benefit.
  135. Zephaniah 3:7 tn Or “dwelling place.”
  136. Zephaniah 3:7 tn Heb “cut off.”
  137. Zephaniah 3:7 tn Heb “all which I have punished her.” The precise meaning of this statement and its relationship to what precedes are unclear.
  138. Zephaniah 3:7 tn Heb “But they got up early, they made corrupt all their actions.” The phrase “they got up early” probably refers to their eagerness to engage in sinful activities.
  139. Zephaniah 3:8 tn The second person verb form (“you must wait patiently”) is masculine plural, indicating that a group is being addressed. Perhaps the humble individuals addressed earlier (see 2:3) are in view. Because of Jerusalem’s sin, they must patiently wait for judgment to pass before their vindication arrives.
  140. Zephaniah 3:8 tn Heb “when I arise for plunder.” The present translation takes עַד (ʿad) as “plunder.” Some, following the LXX, repoint the term עֵד (ʿed) and translate, “as a witness” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV). In this case the Lord uses a legal metaphor to picture himself as testifying against his enemies. Adele Berlin takes לְעַד (leʿad) in a temporal sense (“forever”) and translates “once and for all” (Zephaniah [AB 25A], 133).
  141. Zephaniah 3:8 tn Heb “for my decision is.”
  142. Zephaniah 3:8 tn Or “certainly.”
  143. Zephaniah 3:9 tn Heb “Certainly [or perhaps, “For”] then I will restore to the nations a pure lip.” sn I will then enable the nations to give me acceptable praise. This apparently refers to a time when the nations will reject their false idol-gods and offer genuine praise to the one true God.
  144. Zephaniah 3:9 tn Heb “so that all of them will call on the name of the Lord.”
  145. Zephaniah 3:9 tn Heb “so that [they] will serve him [with] one shoulder.”
  146. Zephaniah 3:10 tn Or “Nubia”; Heb “Cush.” “Cush” is traditionally assumed to refer to the region south of Egypt, i.e., Nubia or northern Sudan, referred to as “Ethiopia” by classical authors (not the more recent Abyssinia).
  147. Zephaniah 3:10 tn Heb “those who pray to me, the daughter of my dispersed ones.” The meaning of the phrase is unclear. For a discussion of various options see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 134-35.sn It is not certain if those who pray to me refers to the converted nations or to God’s exiled covenant people.
  148. Zephaniah 3:11 sn The second person verbs and pronouns are feminine singular, indicating that personified Jerusalem is addressed here.
  149. Zephaniah 3:11 tn Heb “In that day you will not be ashamed because of all your actions, [in] which you rebelled against me.”
  150. Zephaniah 3:11 tn Heb “the arrogant ones of your pride.”
  151. Zephaniah 3:12 tn Heb “needy and poor people.” The terms often refer to a socioeconomic group, but here they may refer to those who are humble in a spiritual sense.
  152. Zephaniah 3:12 tn Heb “and they will take refuge in the name of the Lord.” sn Safety in the Lord’s presence. From the time the Lord introduced his special covenant name (Yahweh) to Moses, it served as a reminder of his protective presence as Israel’s faithful deliverer.
  153. Zephaniah 3:13 tn Or “the remnant of Israel.”
  154. Zephaniah 3:13 tn The words “peacefully like sheep” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
  155. Zephaniah 3:14 sn This phrase is used as an epithet for the city and the nation. “Daughter” may seem extraneous in English but consciously joins the various epithets and metaphors of Israel and Jerusalem as a woman, a device used to evoke sympathy from the reader.
  156. Zephaniah 3:15 tn Heb “your judgments,” that is, “the judgments directed against you.” The translation reflects the implications of the parallelism.
  157. Zephaniah 3:16 tn Heb “it will be said.” The passive construction has been translated as active for stylistic reasons.
  158. Zephaniah 3:16 tn Heb “your hands must not go limp.”
  159. Zephaniah 3:17 tn Heb “he rejoices over you with jubilation.” The term שִׂמְכָּה (simkah) can mean joy or the expression of joy. In light of the last line of the verse, this line may imply shouts of joy.
  160. Zephaniah 3:17 tc The MT reads, “he remains silent in his love,” a Hiphil form of the stative verb חָרַשׁ (kharash, “to be silent, deaf”). But this does not make sense in light of the expressions of joy in the preceding and following lines. All other cases of the Hiphil of this verb mean to act silently, maintain silence, or the like. This is normal for stative verbs in the Hiphil, where they often mean to behave with the attribute expressed by the root. Some commentators appeal to Job 11:3 as a possible causative use, “Should your boasting silence men?” But in fact the verse should be understood as “should men remain silent at your boasts?” The LXX reads “he will renew you with his love,” implying יְחַדֵּשׁ (yekhaddesh), a Piel from the root חָדַשׁ (khadash, “to make new, restore”). This assumes the confusion of ד (dalet) and ר (resh) in the MT. The direct object “you” should be understood either through ellipsis or by possible haplography, with the כ (kaf) having been dropped before the similar looking ב (bet) beginning the next word. Renewal is a fitting concept after judgment (cf. Lam 5:21).
  161. Zephaniah 3:17 tn Heb “he rejoices over you with a shout of joy.”
  162. Zephaniah 3:18 tn Heb “The ones grieving from an assembly I gathered from you they were, tribute upon her, a reproach.” Any translation of this difficult verse must be provisional at best. The present translation assumes three things: (1) The preposition מִן (min) prefixed to “assembly” is causal (the individuals are sorrowing because of the assemblies or festivals they are no longer able to hold). (2) מַשְׂאֵת (masʾet) means “tribute” and refers to the exiled people being treated as the spoils of warfare (see R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah [WEC], 385-86). (3) The third feminine singular suffix refers to personified Jerusalem, which is addressed earlier in the verse (the pronominal suffix in “from you” is second feminine singular). For other interpretive options see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 146.
  163. Zephaniah 3:19 tn The word “sheep” is supplied for clarification. As in Mic 4:6-7, the exiles are here pictured as injured and scattered sheep whom the divine shepherd rescues from danger.
  164. Zephaniah 3:19 tn Heb “I will make them into praise and a name, in all the earth, their shame.” The present translation assumes that “their shame” specifies “them” and that “name” stands here for a good reputation.
  165. Zephaniah 3:20 tn In this line the second person pronoun is masculine plural, indicating that the exiles are addressed.
  166. Zephaniah 3:20 tn Or “for.”
  167. Zephaniah 3:20 tn Heb “I will make you into a name and praise among all the peoples of the earth.” Here the word “name” carries the nuance of “good reputation.”
  168. Zephaniah 3:20 tn Heb “when I restore your fortunes to your eyes.” See the note on the phrase “restore them” in 2:7.
New English Translation (NET)

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