THE ANCHOR YALE BIBLE

ZEPHANIAH

A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary

ADELE BERLIN

VOLUME 25A

the anchor yale bible

Yale University Press New Haven and London

First published in 1974 by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. First Yale University Press impression 2008.

Copyright © 1974 by Yale University as assignee from Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.

All rights reserved.

This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press), without written permission from the publishers.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bible. O.T. Zephaniah. English. Berlin. 1994.

Zephaniah: a new translation with introduction and commentary / Adele Berlin

p. cm.—(The Anchor Bible; 25A)

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

1. Bible. O.T. Zephaniah—Commentaries. I. Berlin, Adele. II. Title. III. Series: Bible. English.

Anchor Bible. 1964; v. 25A

BS192.2.A1 1964.G3 vol. 25A

[BS1643]

220.7′7S—dc20

[224′.96077]

93-37736

CIP

ISBN 978-0-300-14080-4

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

FOR TOBY

(Genesis 24:60)

Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

A Note on the Transliteration

Traditional Jewish Commentaries Cited

Maps

Judah and Its Neighbors

Jerusalem in the Eighth and Seventh Centuries b.c.e.

The Book of Zephaniah: A Translation

Introduction

The Contents of the Book of Zephaniah

The Language and Style of Zephaniah

Zephaniah and the Hebrew Bible

Zephaniah and Genesis 1–11

Zephaniah and Deuteronomy

Zephaniah and Prophetic Literature

Zephaniah and Psalms and Wisdom Literature

On Subdividing the Book of Zephaniah

The Exegetical Approach

The Text of Zephaniah: Some Thoughts on the Masoretic Text, the Ancient Versions, and Textual Criticism

Authorship, Date, and Historical Setting

Who Was Zephaniah?

Who Wrote the Book of Zephaniah?

When Was the Book of Zephaniah Written?

The Historical Setting

Bibliography

Notes and Comments

I. Superscription (1:1)

II. The Announcement of Doom (1:2–9)

III. A Description of Doom (1:10–18)

IV. The Last Chance to Repent (2:1–4)

V. Prophecy Against the Nations (2:5–15)

VI. Prophecy Against the Overbearing City (3:1–13)

VII. Joy to Jerusalem (3:14–20)

Subject Index

Author Index

Index of Scriptural References

Preface

Writing a biblical commentary is always challenging, even when the book is small and relatively obscure. I have set myself the tasks of making the Book of Zephaniah intelligible to the modern reader and of offering a fair representation of modern and pre-modern interpretations. In the first task I have been only partially successful, for a few phrases remain unintelligible to me, as they have been to others since ancient times. The second task has involved selection, and here I have followed my own tastes, omitting what appeared to be the more fanciful or less convincing explanations. My work ...