THE BOOK OF

ZEPHANIAH.

CHAP. I.

1 THE WORD of Jehovah, which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah.

2

3

1.

I will* utterly take away all things
From off the face of the land, saith Jehovah.
I will take away man and † beast;

I will take away the birds of the heavens, and the

fishes of the sea;

And the stumbling-blocks of the wicked.

*Hebr, in taking away I will take away.

+cattle.

Josiah] That is, from before Christ 640 to 609.

2. utterly]" "Surely." Dr. Wheeler.

3. -beast] Of the tame and domestic kind.

lation

-birds-fishes] I will bring judicial and extraordinary desoupon the land, which shall extend itself even to the birds and fishes. See Hos. iv. 3. Jer. iv. 25.

Ipsis est aer avibus non æquus, et illæ
Præcipites alta vitam sub nube relinquunt.

Virg. Georg. iii. 546.

It is known that birds are affected by pestilential disorders arising from putrified carcases. They fall dead, when they alight on bales of cloth infected by the plague.

Jam maris immensi prolem, et genus omne natantum,
Littore in extremo, seu naufraga corpora, fluctus,

Proluit. Virg. ib. 541.

Commentators observe that such collections of water as the Hebrews sometimes call seas might be made destructive to fishes by blood and carcases.

-the stumbling-blocks] The idols. n is sometimes the sign of the genitive case. But Houbigant reads 'nbum and I will overthrow, and observes that 6. read " et infirmabuntur, or, et cadent.

"And the stumbling-blocks, even the wicked." Dr. Wheeler.

K k

4

5

6

7

And I will cut off man from the face of the land,
saith Jehovab.

And I will stretch out mine hand upon Judah,
And upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
And I will cut off from this place the residue of Baal,
The name of the sacrificers with the priests:
And those who bow themselves on the house tops
to the host of heaven;

And those who bow themselves, and who swear
by Jehovah, and who swear by Malchom.
And those who have turned back from following
Jehovah;

And those who have not sought Jehovah, neither
have inquired of him.

Be silent before the Lord Jehovah ;

For the day of Jehovah is near:

For Jehovah hath made ready a sacrifice, he hatħ appointed his guests.

Hebr. sanctified.

of the wicked] "See Lowth: i. e. idols, which make them stumble." Secker.

4. The name] The versions, Chald. eleven MSS, and three editions read wn, and the name,

-sacrificers] See on Hos. x. 5.

5. And those who bow themselves-] The original word in the second hemistich of this v. is ommitted in ó. MS. A. and Arab. and 6. MS, A, read yaw And who swear, "MS. Copt. reads only jurantes per Molochum regem." Mr. Woide.

-on the house tops] Where altars were raised for the worship of the heavenly host in their brightness. See 2 Kings xxiii. 5,

12. Jer. xix. 13. xxxii. 29.

-Malchom] See on Hos. iv. 15: and on Amos v. 26, " Hos. iv. 5." Lowth. "2 Kings xvii, 33." Secker.

6. enquired of him] Many MSS. read 7. Have not consulted God by the high priest, or by prophets, to learn bis will. Or, we may render,

"Neither have inquired for, or after, him,"

Dr. Wheeler translates,

"Nor searched after him."

7. guests] The Babylonians. Here is a beautiful allusion

8

9

10

11

And it shall come to pass, in the day of the sacrifice of Jehovah,

That I will § visit the chief men, and the sons of the king,

And all that are clothed with strange apparel. And I will visit every one that leapeth on the threshold in that day;

Who fill the house of their master by violence
and deceit.

And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah,
That there shall be the noise of a cry from the

Fish-gate,

And of an howling from the Second city ;
And of a great breach from the hills.

Howl, Ye inhabitants of the Lower city;
For all the trafficking people are cut off,

§ Hebr. visit upon.

princes.

to the custom of a feast on a sacrifice. See Bishop Lowth on Isai. xxxiv. 6.

8. sacrifice of Jehovah] One MS. reads "in this day, saith Jehovah." inserting for na, the words DN : and two other MSS. have inn.

strange apparel] Used for idolatrous purposes. See Deut. xxii. 11. 66 strange: foreign, i. e. idolatrous." See Lowth.

Secker.

9. leapeth] Invadeth the house of his neighbour, joyfully bounding on the threshold. Capellus. This sense is favoured by what follows.

-on the threshold] "Or, over. See Lowth. Master's. Lord's. ó. Vulg. understand it of God." Secker.

10. Fish-gate] Mentioned Neh. iii. 3. It was opposite to Joppa, according to Jerom.

Second city] A part of Jerusalem mentioned 2 Kings xxii. 14: 2 Chron. xxxiv. 22.

-breach] vtquos 6. A great breaking in of the Chaldean army from the hilly part of Jerusalem.

11. Lower city] A valley in Jerusalem, which divided the Upper from the Lower city. Čast. lex. This is agreeable to the etymology of the word, which signifies a hollow place, a mortar. E T Ba9. Theod. In torrente Cedron. Chald.

12

All the bearers of silver are destroyed.
And it shall come to pass, at that time,

That I will search Jerusalem with lights,

And I will visit the men that are settled on their lees;

That say in their hearts, Jehovah doeth no good, neither doth he evil.

13 And their substance shall become † a spoil, and their houses a desolation:

14

And they shall build houses, but shall not dwell in them;

And they shall plant vineyards, but shall not drink

the wine thereof.

The great day of Jehovah is near;

It is near, and hasteth much,

The report of the day of Jehovah is bitter:

Then shall the mighty man cry out.

Hebr. visit upon.

+ for a spoil.

+ for a desolation.

-the bearers of silver] Two MSS. read and Syr. has

;טיל may be the participle in Niphal from נטילי .portantes שקלי

"All the

and may be rendered laden. The rich merchants in general, or the moneychangers in particular, may be meant. weighers of silver. Syr. pondus quoddam. Dr. Forsayeth.

נטל

grave fuit."

12. that time] "After & MS. Copt. adds, Dicit DomiMr. Woide. See Syr. and v. 10.

nus."

-with lights] Thoroughly and diligently. See Luke xv. 8. -settled on their lees] The thoughtless tranquillity of the rich is compared to the fixed unbroken surface of fermented liquors. See Jer. xlviii. 11. Amos vi. 1.

13.

build houses] Amos is more expressive.
Though ye have built houses of hewn stone,
Yet ye shall not dwell in them:

Though ye have planted pleasant vineyards,
Yet ye shall not drink the wine of them.

14. The report] See Gen. xlv. 16.

C. v. 11.

-is bitter]" Ór-Lord is bitter: the mighty man shall cry there, or then." See Lowth.

Then] See Nold. §. 6.

Secker.

-cry out] The word in Arab. significs valde exclamavit, ita auxilium imploravit. Cast. lex. Schultens renders it, auxilium inclamabit. Animadv. Phil. p. 528.

15

16

17

18

15.

That day is a day of wrath;

A day of distress and of anguish ;
A day of desolation and of destruction';
A day of darkness and of gloominess;
A day of clouds and of thick darkness:
A day of the trumpet, and of shouting,
Against the fenced cities,

And against the high towers,

And I will distress men, and they shall walk like
the blind,

Because they have sinned against Jehovah:
And their blood shall be poured out as dust, and
their flesh shall be as dung.

Moreover their silver § and their gold,

Shall not be able to deliver them,

In the day of the wrath of Jehovah :

But by the fire of his jealousy shall the whole land
be devoured.

For a full end, and also a speedy one, will he make
With all the inhabitants of the land.

§ Hebr. moreover.

of desolation] The form of the Hebrew words would be preserved by rendering:

"A day of wasteness and of devastation."

16. -towers] Properly such as were erected at the angles of walled cities.

The topic of approaching calamity from Jehovah is often insisted on in the prophets; but no where, I think, with such a beautiful amplification as in the 14th 15th and 16th verses.

17. men] That is used for n See on Nah. i. 2. -like the blind] See Deut. xxviii. 29: Isai. lix. 10: in each of which places the image is heightened by the circumstance of groping, or stumbling, like the blind, even at noon-day. The general sense is: They shall be in a state of anxiety and danger. -dust] This is said to be poured out: Lev. xiv. 41.

flesh] So the original word signifies in Arabic, as Houbigant observes. See ó. and Mal. i. 7. After flesh a verb, as n shall be cast forth, must be supplied. See on Hos. ii. 18.

18. and also a speedy one] So V. ó. Ar. Aquila, Symmachus. Or, and also a terrible one. See Syr. For a like turn of expression see Isai. x. 23: xxviii. 22.