by Stephen Rodgers

ZEPHANIAH IN 10 WORDS OR LESS

“A coming “day of the LORD” promises heavy judgment.”

TITLE

Like nearly all the other prophetic books, the name of the book bears the name of the prophet who was responsible for its contents (Zeph. 1:1).

AUTHOR & AUDIENCE

Beyond what we know from Zephaniah 1:1, there is very little we know about the prophet.  However, that one verse gives us quite a bit of material.

• Zephaniah lists his genealogy going back four generations, which seems a bit unusual and overkill.  However, that fourth generation seems to be a doozy, in that it is quite likely that it refers to King Hezekiah of Judah (the only other two “Hezekiahs” in the OT both being post-exilic).
• Considering that the same verse tells us that the prophecy was delivered during the reign of King Josiah, it seems like Zephaniah is setting up a parallel between that of his descendant and the current monarch…which makes sense considering both were spiritual reformers.
• Interestingly, this would also make Zephaniah the only prophet (other than David and Solomon) who was also royalty.

DATE

Given that Josiah reigned from 640 BC to 609 BC, we can confidently place Zephaniah’s prophecy into that window.  However, we might be able to narrow it down even further:

• As previously mentioned Nineveh was destroyed in 612 BC. Since Zephaniah prophesied regarding its destruction and the fall of the Assyrians, that narrows the window to 640 BC to 612 BC.
• This is where things get tricky. The single most momentous event of Josiah’s reign was the discovery of the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:8). Commentators are divided as to whether the evidence that Zephaniah prophesied before or after this event.

Per Constable:

Zephaniah ministered during the reign of King Josiah of Judah (640-609 B.C.; 1:1). Scholars debate just when during his reign Zephaniah wrote, before[E.g., ibid., p. 276; H. A. Hanke, “Zephaniah,” in The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 883; David W. Baker, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah, p. 91; Leon J. Wood, The Prophets of Israel, p. 320; Bruce K. Waltke, An Old Testament Theology, p. 839; et al.] or after[E.g., John D. Hannah, “Zephaniah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, p. 1523; et al.] Josiah’s reforms, which began in 622 B.C. There is support for both views.[See Patterson, pp. 275-6, for other scholars who held each of these views.] Zephaniah made no explicit reference to Josiah’s reforms, and the evidence is really insufficient to settle the debate.

BACKGROUND & SETTING

Zephaniah is a bright light in a sea of darkness. The reforms of Josiah parallel those of Hezekiah, but they are too little and too late. Even though Josiah worked to undo the pagan influences in Judah, the progress he made would be undone by his own son within years of his death. Zephaniah saw this all in grand perspective…how a reformation that would prove futile in the short term would nonetheless ultimately culminate in the Day of the LORD and the restoration of his people.

HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL THEMES

There are two main themes that pervade the book of Zephaniah:

• Judgment. The main theme of the book is the coming “Day of the LORD” (Zeph. 1:7, 14), a day of universal judgment (Zeph. 1:2-3) as well as specific judgment against Judah (Zeph. 1:4-6) as well as other nations (Zeph. 2:4-15). Religious syncretism-a mixing of true worship and idolatry (Zeph. 1:4-6)-brings destruction (Zeph. 1:9-13), but seeking God in humility results in salvation (Zeph. 2:1-3).
• Restoration. Zephaniah assured his audience that judgment would be followed by restoration. God would purify His own (Zeph. 3:9), bring rejoicing (Zeph. 3:14-17), and restore his people’s glory (Zeph. 3:18-20).

INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES

There are no major interpretive challenges listed in the vast majority of sources I consulted, although the MSB does highlight a rather unique issue:

Some have referred the phrase “I will restore to the peoples a pure language” (Zeph. 3:9) to the restoration of a universal language, similar to the days prior to confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1–9). They point out that the word “language” is also used in Gen. 11:7. It is better, however, to understand the passage as pointing to a purification of heart and life. This is confirmed by the context (cf. Zeph. 3:13) and corroborated by the fact that the word “language” is most commonly translated “lip.” When combined with “pure,” the reference to speech speaks of inward cleansing from sin (Is. 6:5) manifested in speech (cf. Matt. 12:34), including the removal of the names of false gods from their lips (Hos. 2:17). It does not imply a one world language.

So there’s that.

LITERARY FEATURES

Per the ESVSB:

The book of Zephaniah is a typical work of prophecy, but with distinctive features woven into the tapestry. The primary genre within this prophetic book is the oracle of judgment, with an oracle of salvation coming at the expected place, namely, at the end. Zephaniah, almost uniquely among the so-called “minor prophets,” looks like a “major prophet” in miniature: it has oracles of judgment (Zeph. 1:1–18), oracles against foreign nations (Zeph. 2:4–15), and oracles of hope (Zeph. 3:8–20), with Zeph. 2:1–3 and Zeph. 3:1–7 (modulating from foreign to domestic interest, much as Amos does in Amos 2:4ff.) functioning as “transitional” oracles which make pointed application to Jerusalem.

OBJECTIONS

There are no significant objections to Zephaniah that I am aware of, aside from the stock objection that prophecy is impossible, and therefore “true” prophecies of future events (such as the fall of Nineveh), must either inform the dating of the book or the redaction of the text.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

• Zephaniah 1:14
• Zephaniah 3:17

DID YOU KNOW?

• Zephaniah refers to himself as the son of “Cushi” (“the Cushite”), which is interesting, considering that the Cushites and the Israelites were rather ethnically and geographically removed from one another. While his father very well may have been a Cushite, other explanations are that he looked like a Cushite, or that his name was intended to honor Cush (which was occasionally a military ally of Israel).

Other Works Referenced

• Apologetics Study Bible, “Zephaniah”
• Archaeological Study Bible, “Introduction to Zephaniah”
• ESV Study Bible, “Introduction to Zephaniah”
• MacArthur Study Bible, “Zephaniah”
• NET Bible, Zephaniah
• NIV Study Bible, Zephaniah
• Reformation Study Bible, “Zephaniah”
• The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, “Zephaniah”
• Dever, The Message of the Old Testament
• Driscoll, A Book You’ll Actually Read On the Old Testament
• Knight, The Layman’s Bible Handbook