Introduction to Zephaniah

This book contains the prophecies that came to Zephaniah during a time of renewed devotion to Yahweh. The king was purging Judah of idols and improper worship practices, but the people’s hearts also needed correcting. Zephaniah’s message is that that anyone who combines worship of Yahweh with other gods—and who exercises deceit, violence, and complacency—will be destroyed on the coming Day of Yahweh. However, people who are righteous and humble will be gathered together in peace. When evil is all around us, how do we guard our hearts so that we can live a holy life? Zephaniah’s message assures us that in His time, Yahweh will make all things right.

Background

The first line of Zephaniah indicates that the book contains the word of Yahweh that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi. The unusually long genealogy in Zephaniah 1:1 shows that Zephaniah was the great-great grandson of Hezekiah. This could refer to King Hezekiah of Judah, who ruled 715–697 bc, but this cannot be proven. In addition, the Babylonians executed a priest named Zephaniah when they captured Jerusalem in 586 bc (2 Kgs 25:18–21; Jer 52:24–27), but it remains uncertain whether this priest was the prophet of the same name.

Zephaniah son of Cushi prophesied during the reign of King Josiah (640–609 bc), who was the last godly king of Judah and who engaged in widespread religious reforms. Jeremiah, Nahum, and Habakkuk also prophesied during this period.

Josiah’s reforms began around 622 bc with the discovery of the Book of the Law in the temple (2 Chr 34:1–7; 2 Kgs 22–23). He sought to end idolatry and do away with corrupt leadership, and to bring the people back to Yahweh. These themes are also present in Zephaniah and indicate that Zephaniah likely began his ministry shortly before Josiah’s reforms or perhaps when they were just beginning (Zeph 1:4–9; 3:1–4). After Josiah’s death, Judah went back to its sinful ways. The next four kings did not follow Yahweh, and Babylon conquered God’s disobedient people and deported them in 586 bc.

Structure

Zephaniah incorporates a variety of literary elements, including judgment speeches, calls for response, a hymn, and salvation speeches. The book starts and ends with prophecies of worldwide judgment (Zeph 1:2–3; 3:8). In between, the structure resembles that of Isaiah and Ezekiel—beginning with oracles against Judah, then shifting to oracles against other nations, and concluding with oracles about the future restoration of God’s people. In the first section, Zephaniah warns of Yahweh’s impending judgment on Jerusalem and Judah (Zeph 1:2–2:3). Then he affirms Yahweh’s sovereignty over all peoples, proclaiming that Yahweh will judge the nations (in addition to Judah) for their wickedness (Zeph 2:4–3:8). Finally, Zephaniah promises that Yahweh’s judgment will ultimately produce a small group of holy believers from Israel and the nations who will stand together under the kingship of Yahweh (Zeph 3:9–20).

Outline

• Judgment against Judah (Zeph 1:1–2:3)

• Judgment against the nations (Zeph 2:4–15)

• The future of Jerusalem (Zeph 3:1–20)

Themes

The major theme of Zephaniah is the coming Day of Yahweh—similar to the message of Joel but with a stronger emphasis on the sins of the people. Zephaniah dramatically exposes the iniquities of Judah, accusing the nation of idolatry and moral corruption. In this respect, Zephaniah resembles Jeremiah, who prophesied around the same time. In fact, the ministries of Zephaniah and Jeremiah parallel those of Isaiah and Micah a century earlier.

Zephaniah’s message is not entirely negative. Along with the warnings about the Day of Yahweh comes the hope of a holy remnant. In the midst of judgment, God will remain faithful. He will destroy evil, but He will advance His work among His people, setting apart a group of people for His purposes. This is the same message of redemption at the heart of the gospel of Christ—in the midst of a world still suffering from the effects of sin, we hold onto hope in God’s faithfulness and His continual work among His people. God prompts us to change our ways—away from false religion and toward true faithfulness. God calls us to humbly love others and to live transparently as one people of God (Zeph 2:3; 3:12–13).

Further Reading

The Minor Prophets

Zephaniah, Book of CLBD

Zephaniah the Prophet CLBD