{"id":6187,"date":"2012-10-10T01:00:42","date_gmt":"2012-10-10T08:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/?p=6187"},"modified":"2012-10-10T10:12:25","modified_gmt":"2012-10-10T17:12:25","slug":"bob-zephaniah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/2012\/10\/10\/bob-zephaniah\/","title":{"rendered":"BOB &#8211; Zephaniah"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/files\/2012\/02\/BOB_header.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4550\" title=\"BOB_header\" src=\"http:\/\/www.lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/files\/2012\/02\/BOB_header-300x193.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"193\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/files\/2012\/02\/BOB_header-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/files\/2012\/02\/BOB_header.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>by Stephen Rodgers<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>ZEPHANIAH IN\u00a010\u00a0WORDS\u00a0OR\u00a0LESS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;A coming &#8220;day of the LORD&#8221; promises heavy judgment.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>TITLE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>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).<\/p>\n<p><strong>AUTHOR\u00a0&amp;\u00a0AUDIENCE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Beyond what we know from Zephaniah 1:1, there is very little we know about the prophet. \u00a0However, that one verse gives us quite a bit of material.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Zephaniah lists his\u00a0genealogy\u00a0going back four generations, which seems a bit unusual and overkill. \u00a0However, 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 &#8220;Hezekiahs&#8221; in the OT both being post-exilic).<\/li>\n<li>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\u00a0descendant\u00a0and the current monarch&#8230;which makes sense considering both were spiritual reformers.<\/li>\n<li>Interestingly, this would also make Zephaniah the only prophet (other than David and Solomon) who was also royalty.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>The original audience of Zephaniah were the people of Judah, who he warned of God&#8217;s impending judgment.<\/div>\n<p><strong>DATE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Given that Josiah reigned from 640 BC to 609 BC, we can confidently place Zephaniah&#8217;s prophecy into that window. \u00a0However, we might be able to narrow it down even further:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<li>This is where things get tricky. The single most momentous event of Josiah&#8217;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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Per Constable:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>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, \u201cZephaniah,\u201d in <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Wycliffe Bible Commentary<\/span>, p. 883; David W. Baker, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah<\/span>, p. 91; Leon J. Wood, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Prophets of Israel<\/span>, p. 320; Bruce K. Waltke, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">An Old Testament Theology<\/span>, p. 839; et al.] or after[E.g., John D. Hannah, \u201cZephaniah,\u201d in <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament<\/span>, p. 1523; et al.] Josiah\u2019s 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\u2019s reforms, and the evidence is really insufficient to settle the debate.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>BACKGROUND\u00a0&amp;\u00a0SETTING<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>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&#8230;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.<\/p>\n<p><strong>HISTORICAL\u00a0&amp;\u00a0THEOLOGICAL\u00a0THEMES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are two main themes that pervade the book of Zephaniah:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Judgment.<\/strong>\u00a0The main theme of the book is the coming &#8220;Day of the LORD&#8221; (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).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Restoration.<\/strong>\u00a0Zephaniah 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&#8217;s glory (Zeph. 3:18-20).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><\/strong><strong>INTERPRETIVE\u00a0CHALLENGES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are no major interpretive challenges listed in the vast majority of sources I consulted, although the MSB does highlight a rather unique issue:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Some have referred the phrase \u201cI will restore to the peoples a pure language\u201d (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\u20139). They point out that the word \u201clanguage\u201d 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 \u201clanguage\u201d is most commonly translated \u201clip.\u201d When combined with \u201cpure,\u201d 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.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>So there&#8217;s <em>that<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LITERARY\u00a0FEATURES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Per the ESVSB:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>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 \u201cminor prophets,\u201d looks like a \u201cmajor prophet\u201d in miniature: it has oracles of judgment (Zeph. 1:1\u201318), oracles against foreign nations (Zeph. 2:4\u201315), and oracles of hope (Zeph. 3:8\u201320), with Zeph. 2:1\u20133 and Zeph. 3:1\u20137 (modulating from foreign to domestic interest, much as Amos does in Amos 2:4ff.) functioning as \u201ctransitional\u201d oracles which make pointed application to Jerusalem.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>OBJECTIONS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are no significant objections to Zephaniah that I am aware of, aside from the stock objection that prophecy is impossible, and therefore &#8220;true&#8221; prophecies of future events (such as the fall of Nineveh), must either inform the dating of the book or the redaction of the text.<\/p>\n<p><strong><\/strong><strong>NOTABLE\u00a0QUOTABLES<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Zephaniah 1:14<\/li>\n<li>Zephaniah 3:17<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>DID\u00a0YOU\u00a0KNOW?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Zephaniah refers to himself as the son of &#8220;Cushi&#8221; (&#8220;the Cushite&#8221;), 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).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><\/strong><strong>Other Works Referenced<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Apologetics Study\u00a0Bible, <a href=\"http:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=p3dT6ZPr_mkC&amp;lpg=PA1293&amp;ots=Bf5HzCw433&amp;dq=apologetics%20study%20bible%20hosea&amp;pg=PA1369#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false\" class=\"broken_link\">&#8220;<\/a><\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=p3dT6ZPr_mkC&amp;lpg=PA1293&amp;ots=Bf5HzCw433&amp;dq=apologetics%20study%20bible%20hosea&amp;pg=PA1369#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false\" class=\"broken_link\">Zephaniah&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><em>Archaeological Study\u00a0Bible<\/em>, &#8220;Introduction to Zephaniah&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><em>ESV\u00a0Study Bible<\/em>, &#8220;Introduction to Zephaniah&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><em>MacArthur Study\u00a0Bible<\/em><em>,\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gty.org\/resources\/bible-introductions\/MSB36\/zephaniah\" class=\"broken_link\">&#8220;Zephaniah&#8221;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><em>NET Bible<\/em>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/net.bible.org\/#!bible\/Zephaniah+1\" class=\"broken_link\">Zephaniah<\/a><\/li>\n<li><em>NIV\u00a0Study\u00a0Bible,<\/em>\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.biblica.com\/niv\/study-bible\/zephaniah\/\" class=\"broken_link\">Zephaniah<\/a><\/li>\n<li><em>Reformation Study\u00a0Bible,\u00a0<\/em>&#8220;Zephaniah&#8221;<\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook,\u00a0<\/em>&#8220;Zephaniah&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Dever, <em>The Message of the Old Testament<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Driscoll,\u00a0<em>A\u00a0Book You\u2019ll Actually Read On the Old Testament<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Knight,\u00a0<em>The Layman\u2019s Bible Handbook<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Stephen Rodgers ZEPHANIAH IN\u00a010\u00a0WORDS\u00a0OR\u00a0LESS &#8220;A coming &#8220;day of the LORD&#8221; promises heavy judgment.&#8221; 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\u00a0&amp;\u00a0AUDIENCE Beyond what we know from Zephaniah 1:1, there is very little we know [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books-of-the-bible"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/469"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6187"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6198,"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6187\/revisions\/6198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}