INTRODUCTION TO ZEPHANIAH 3 In this chapter the character of the city of Jerusalem, and its inhabitants in general, is drawn, as it would be, and as it was, in the times of Christ and his apostles, Zephaniah 3:1 and of the principal persons of it in particular, its princes, judges, prophets, and pr... [ Continue Reading ]
WOE TO HER THAT IS FILTHY, AND POLLUTED,.... Meaning the city of Jerusalem, and its inhabitants; not as before the Babylonish captivity, but after their return from it, under the second temple, as Abarbinel owns; and even as in the times before and at the coming of Christ, and the preaching of his a... [ Continue Reading ]
SHE OBEYED NOT THE VOICE,.... Of his servants the prophets, as the Targum, by way of explanation, adds, who warned her of her sins and of her ruin. The inhabitants of Jerusalem hearkened not to the voice of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, who gave notice of his coming; nor to the voice o... [ Continue Reading ]
HER PRINCES WITHIN HER [ARE] ROARING LIONS,.... Or, "as roaring lions"; there being a defect of the note of similitude; which is supplied by the Targum, Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions. This is to be understood, not of the princes of the blood; but of civil magistrates in comm... [ Continue Reading ]
HER PROPHETS [ARE] LIGHT [AND TREACHEROUS PERSONS,.... The false prophets, as the Targum and Kimchi explain it: these seem to design the lawyers spoken of in the New Testament, whose business it was to interpret the law to the people; these were "light" men, good for nothing, of no worth and value;... [ Continue Reading ]
THE JUST LORD [IS] IN THE MIDST THEREOF,.... In the midst of the city of Jerusalem, where those princes, judges, prophets and priests, were, that behaved so ill, and saw and observed all their evil actions; and yet they were not deterred from them by his presence, even though he is the "just" and Ho... [ Continue Reading ]
I HAVE CUT OFF THE NATIONS,.... Utterly destroyed them, as the Philistines, Moabites, Ethiopians, and Assyrians, as in the preceding Chapter s; all which were done before the coming of Christ in the flesh; and by which instances the Jews should have took warning, lest by their sins they should provo... [ Continue Reading ]
I SAID, SURELY THOU WILT FEAR ME,.... This is spoken after the manner of men; as if God should say within himself, and reason in his own mind, upon a view of things, surely the people of the Jews will take notice of my judgments executed on other nations, and will stand in awe of me on account of th... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE WAIT YE UPON ME, SAITH THE LORD,.... Or "nevertheless" f: this is said to the disciples and followers of Christ among the Jews; for there were some few that did fear the Lord, and received his doctrine, and submitted to his ordinances, and walked in his ways; and these are encouraged to wa... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THEN WILL I TURN TO THE PEOPLE A PURE LANGUAGE,.... That is, at or about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans; when the Jews, both in their own land, and in the Gentile world, would have the Gospel first preached to them, but would reject it; upon which the apostles and first m... [ Continue Reading ]
FROM BEYOND THE RIVERS OF ETHIOPIA,.... Either the African Ethiopia, or Arabia Chusea, which lay between Judea and Egypt: here some particular places and people are mentioned, in whom the preceding prophecy would be fulfilled. If these rivers of Ethiopia are such as ran in the midst of the country,... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THAT DAY SHALL THOU NOT BE ASHAMED FOR ALL THY DOINGS, WHEREIN THOU HAST TRANSGRESSED AGAINST ME,.... Because these shall not be continued in, but repented of, and forsaken; and, besides, shall be forgiven, blotted out, covered, and remembered no more; so that they shall not be charged with them,... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL ALSO LEAVE IN THE MIDST OF THEE AN AFFLICTED AND POOR PEOPLE,.... Of a character just the reverse of the proud and haughty, that should be removed from Jerusalem and Judea by death or captivity; these are they that should be preserved from the general calamity, as the Christians were, and wer... [ Continue Reading ]
THE REMNANT OF ISRAEL SHALL NOT DO INIQUITY,.... This is the remnant, according to the election of grace, the few the Lord reserved for himself, left in the land, and in his church, for his own glory; who, being truly convinced of sin, and brought to believe in Christ, should leave and forsake their... [ Continue Reading ]
SING, O DAUGHTER OF ZION,.... The congregation of Zion, as the Targum; the church of Christ in Gospel times, which has great reason to sing and rejoice, because of the coming of Christ, redemption by him, and all other benefits and blessings of grace; because of the Gospel, and the ordinances of it,... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD HATH TAKEN AWAY THY JUDGMENTS,.... Both outward and inward; not only exile, poverty, contempt and reproach among the nations of the earth; but hardness of heart, blindness of mind, impenitence and unbelief, to which the Jews are now given up, in a judicial way; but at this time these shall... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THAT DAY IT SHALL BE SAID TO JERUSALEM, FEAR THOU NOT,.... Do not be afraid of any enemies; neither outward ones, the armies of Gog and Magog, the Turk, who will threaten, and will attempt to dispossess them of their land, now returned to it; nor inward and spiritual enemies, sin, Satan, death, a... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD THY GOD IN THE MIDST OF THEE [IS] MIGHTY,.... Every word carries in it something very encouraging to the church and people of God; and is an antidote against those fears and faintings they are subject to; Christ "is in the midst of" them; near at hand to support and supply them, to assist a... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL GATHER [THEM THAT ARE] SORROWFUL FOR THE SOLEMN ASSEMBLY,.... Who are grieved and troubled, because they cannot meet at the time and place of religious worship, or attend the word and ordinances of the Lord; either through distance of place, or infirmity of body; or through the menaces and pe... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD, AT THAT TIME I WILL UNDO ALL THAT AFFLICT THEE,.... Or, "I will do" w; their business for them; "slay" them, as the Vulgate Latin version; and make an entire destruction of them, as the Targum; bring them to utter ruin. This must be understood of antichrist, both eastern and western, the Tur... [ Continue Reading ]
AT THAT TIME I WILL BRING YOU [AGAIN], EVEN IN THE TIME THAT I GATHER YOU,.... That is, at the time that the Lord will gather them in the effectual calling to himself and to his church, he will return them to their own land; and, as soon as the Jews are converted, they will not only be gathered into... [ Continue Reading ]