Zephaniah 3:5-7

The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.

The Jews regard not God's justice manifested in the midst of them, nor His judgments on the guilty nations around.

Verse 5. The just Lord. Why then are ye so unjust?

Is in the midst thereof. He retorts on them their own boast, "Is not the Lord among us?" (Micah 3:11.) True, He is, but it is for another end from what ye think (Calvin) - namely, to lead you by the example of His righteousness to be righteous (Leviticus 19:2, "Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy;" Deuteronomy 32:4). (Maurer.) But Calvin, 'The just in the Lord is in the midst of you, that ye may feel His hand to be the nearer for taking vengeance for your crimes: "He will not do iniquity" by suffering your sins to go unpunished.'

Every morning - literally, morning by morning: the time in the sultry East for dispensing justice.

Doth he bring his judgment to light - publicly and manifestly, by the teaching of His prophets, which aggravates their guilt; also by samples of His judgments on the guilty.

He faileth not - He is continually setting before you samples of His justice, sparing no pains. (Compare Isaiah 5:4; Isaiah 50:4, "He wakeneth morning by morning.")

But the unjust knoweth no shame - the unjust Jews are not shamed by His justice into repentance.

Verse 6. I have cut off the nations. I had hoped that my people, by judgments on other nations, would be led to amendment: but they are not; so blinded by sin are they. Their towers - literally, angles or corners; hence, the towers built at the angles of their city walls.

I made their streets waste ... their cities are destroyed. Under Josiah's long and peaceful reign the Jews were undisturbed, while the great incursion of Scythians into Western Asia took place. The judgment on the ten tribes in a former reign also is here alluded to.

Verse 7. I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction. God speaks after the manner of men, in condescension to man's infirmity; not as though God was ignorant of the future contingency, but in their sense, surely one might have expected ye would under such circumstances repent: but no!

Thou - at least, O Jerusalem! Compare "thou, even thou, at least in this thy day" (Luke 19:42).

So their dwelling - the sanctuary (Buxtorf). Or, the city. Compare Jesus' words (Luke 13:35, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate;" Leviticus 26:31-3; so the prophetic curse, "Let their habitation be desolate;" Psalms 69:25); and used as to the temple (Micah 3:12, "The mountain of the house (shall become) as the high places of the forest"). "Their" is used instead of 'thy;' this change of person implies that God puts them to a greater distance.

Should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them - howsoever I might have punished them, I would not have cut off their dwelling. Or, as Calvin, 'howsoever I had marked them out for punishment' because of their provocations, still, if even then they had repented, taught by my corrections, I was ready to have pardoned them. [ Kol (H3605) 'ªsher (H834) paaqadtiy (H6485) `aaleyhaa (H5921)] - literally, 'all that I visited upon her' or them - i:e., whatsoever punishment I intended to visit her with should not descend upon her-`her (their) dwelling should not be cut off' (Maurer) 'altogether, in accordance with what I had long ago decreed (ordained) concerning you' (Deuteronomy 28:1); and, on the other hand, Deuteronomy 28:15-5; Deuteronomy 27:15-5. The English version or Calvin's view is better.

But they rose early, and corrupted all their doings ... - early morning is in the East the best time for transacting serious business, before the relaxing heat of mid-day comes on. Thus it means, with the greatest earnestness they set themselves to "corrupt all their doings" (Genesis 6:12; "They rose up early in the morning to follow strong drink," Isaiah 5:11; whereas God "rose early" to send His prophets, saying, "Obey my voice;" Jeremiah 11:7; Jeremiah 25:3).