Zephaniah 3:6

Yahweh says this: “I have destroyed many nations; I have destroyed their strong/high city walls and towers. Now I have caused the streets in those cities to be completely deserted [DOU]; the cities are ruined. There are no people still alive in the cities; they are all dead [LIT].

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.

In Context

5But Yahweh is also in the city; and he never does what is wrong. He treats people justly/fairly; he does that every day, but wicked people are never ashamed about their doing what is wrong.

7So I thought to myself, ‘ Because of what I have done to those other nations, surely the people of Jerusalem will revere me now, and they will accept ◄my correcting them/my telling them to quit doing what is wrong►. If they do that, I will not destroy their houses; I will not punish them like I said that I would do.’ But in spite of knowing how I punished those other nations, they were still eager to get up early each morning and continue to do evil things.

Read all of Zephaniah 3

Cross References

Joshua 23:4But do not forget that he has given to you all this land, from the Jordan River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, all this land that I have allotted to you.

Isaiah 15:1I received this message from Yahweh about the Moab people-group: In one night two of your important cities, Ar and Kir, will be destroyed.

Isaiah 37:11You have certainly heard what the armies of the kings of Assyria have done to all the other countries; our armies have destroyed them completely. So, ◄do you think that you will escape?/do not think that your god will save you!► [RHQ]

Isaiah 37:36That night, an angel from Yahweh went out to where the army of Assyria had set up their tents and killed 185,000 of their soldiers. When the rest of the soldiers woke up the next morning, they saw that there were corpses everywhere.

Jeremiah 25:18I went to Jerusalem and the other towns in Judah, and the king and the other officials drank some of the wine from that cup. And, starting from that day, they all eventually were removed from having authority, and became people whom others ◄ridiculed/acted contemptuously towards►, who were despised, and cursed.

Zephaniah 2:5And terrible things will happen to you people of Philistia who live near the sea, because Yahweh has decided [MTY] that he will punish [MTY] you, also. He will get rid of all of you; not one person will ◄survive/remain alive►.

Matthew Henry on Zephaniah 3:2-8

The Depravity of Jerusalem. ( b. c. 612.) 1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! 2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord ; she drew not near to her God. 3 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow. 4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. 5 The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will… Read the whole commentary →

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