Dec, 2009 the judgments against judah and jerusalem are turned aside, and the nation or at least a remnant thereof is set free see zephaniah 3. He traces his genealogy back 4 generations to king hezekiah ca. It was zephaniahs lot to speak on the most unpleasant subject in the bible the judgment of god. God will judge the nations with a burning fire as he purifies them from sin, evil and violence. The name of zephaniah means treasured protected, hidden of jehovah. And because the culture of his day was not so different than ours today, zephaniah still speaks the heart.
Zephaniahs message of judgment and encouragement contains three major. Zephaniah is the ninth of the minor prophets, the last 12 books of the old testament. Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city. The book of zephaniah was written during the reign of king josiah, likely in the early part of his reign, between 635 and 625 bc. Book of zephaniah, the ninth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the. The coming day of the lord will bring judgment on the wicked, both jews and gentiles, and restoration for a righteous remnant which will include both jews and gentiles. Zephaniah calls the nation to repentance and warns foreign nations to repent as well. It is a small book, nestled in the midst of the minor prophets, toward the end of the old testament. Zephaniah has another cycle of denunciation against judah 3. It is a postexilic book, meaning it was written after post the return from captivity exile in babylon. The lord gave this message to zephaniah when josiah was king. The book consists of a series of independent sayings, many of which are rightly attributed to zephaniah, written probably about 640630 bc. David guzik commentary on zephaniah 1 describes gods promise and intensity of.
The book tells us that zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah, the king of judah from 640 to 609 bc zephaniah 1. I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth, declares the lord. In the book of zephaniah, gods justice and love offer. There are many people who would like to rule this subject of judgment out of the. His word came in visions, oracles, dreams, parables, and the like. The voice of judgment is softened by gospel promises. The first paragraph details the reason for the judgment of jerusalem zephaniah 3. Among the minor prophets, we are certainly much more familiar with jonah and hosea. And because the culture of his day was not so different than ours today, zephaniah still speaks the heart of a holy god to the modern reader in an arresting way. By this the godly harmony is shown in the prophecies of such different men who have lived at totally different times but who always presented the one goal of god. Outline of the book of zephaniah woe to her that is rebellious and polluted.
According to the superscription of the book zephaniah 1. Summary of the book of zephaniah the story of the bible. Historical background and summary of the book of zephaniah in easy to study bible survey format. The purpose of this book was to show that god raised up his prophet zephaniah to proclaim a warning of. The book of hosea consists of fourteen chapters, which was the record for a minor prophet until zechariah tied it a couple centuries later. Zephaniah wrote it shortly before the fall of judah in the southern kingdom. Zephaniah, book of definition and meaning bible dictionary. The book of zephaniah is quite shortonly three chapters in length. The book of zechariah is narrative history, prophetic and apocalyptic in genre. This chapter contains the glorious climax of zephaniahs great prophecy in the last paragraph zephaniah 3. Sophonias, which is borne by three other men mentioned in the old testament, means yah hides, or yah has hidden or. Chapter 1 judgment upon judah chapter 2 judgment upon the nations. Obrien, nahum, habakkuk, zephaniah, haggai, zechariah. Bible study guide book of zephaniah saturday, november 3, 2012 background on zephaniah in zephaniah 1.
The book of zephaniah shows extremely many similarities with other prophetic books of the ot. Social injustice and moral corruption were widespread 3. The fearsome day of the lords anger commentary on the book of zephaniah pdf rich cathers. Bible book list access the niv cultural backgrounds study bible notes when you upgrade to bible gateway plus. In hebrew the book is titled hynpx meaning yahweh hides perhaps reflecting the terror of the days of manasseh when zephaniah. As with each of the 12 minor prophets, the prophecy bears the name of its author, which is generally thought to mean the lord hides compare 2. It was zephaniah s lot to speak on the most unpleasant subject in the bible the judgment of god. Three other old testament individuals share his name. The book of zechariah, attributed to the hebrew prophet zechariah, is included in the twelve minor prophets in the hebrew bible. Among the prophets, this is a unique introduction with its long list of fathers back to zephaniahs great. Zephaniah means yahweh has hiddenprotected, or yahweh hides. On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me.
Zephaniah s message of judgment and encouragement contains three major doctrines. Book of zephaniah overview insight for living ministries. Access the niv cultural backgrounds study bible notes when you upgrade to bible gateway plus. The book begins by telling of gods judgement on the kingdom of judah. Zephaniah foresees the joyful return from captivity in due time. Zephaniah contemporary of jeremiah preached around 625 bc king manasseh is dead after a reign of 55 years the most evil king in judah he was the exact opposite of his father king hezekiah. The purpose of this book was to show that god raised up his prophet zephaniah to proclaim a warning of coming judgment and to encourage repentance. Jan 31, 2017 the insights tom has gained from memorizing the entire book of zephaniah and the great contributions they offer to bible students.
A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. Book of zephaniah simple english wikipedia, the free. This is not the only place where this theme occurs, of course, but it is the most concentrated treatment of the judgment of god as the whole book is devoted to this one theme. She has not trusted in the lord, she has not drawn. Josiah was the son of amon, who was the king of judah 2 it is the lord who is speaking now. The book of zephaniah is a book of the bible and is thought to be written by zephaniah son of cushi son of gedaliah son of amariah son of hezekiah, in the days of king josiah son of amon of judah. Edward gibbon in his book the decline and fall of the roman empire.
A new translation with introduction and commentary. This connection would provide a reasonable explanation for the expanded heading, its purpose being to demonstrate zephaniahs royal descent robert b. The book of zephaniah center point bible institute. In that respect, its possible to think of the book of zechariah as a kind of miniature book of isaiah. The structure of the book of zephaniah includes three major sections 1. Zephaniah was a prophet at the same time when jeremiah was a prophet. Gedaliahs father was amariah, and amariahs father was hezekiah. In this book, zephaniah announces gods purifying judgment on israel. The book of zephaniah is narrative history and prophetic source of wisdom. Study the bible online using commentary on zephaniah and more. Zephaniah 3 the lord rejoices over the restoration of his people a.
This is book number 8 in the summary of the 12 minor prophets of the bible. The book of zephaniah is probably best known for being the least known book of the entire bible. The book of zephaniah in the bible consists of three chapters. Zechariahs prophecies took place during the reign of darius the great, and were contemporary with haggai in a post exilic world after the fall of jerusalem in 5876 bc. The purpose of this book was to show the complacent southern kingdoms that they were wicked, god used a prophet zephaniah. Obadiah means servant of the lord or one who serves shortest book in the old testament. Historically, the book of zephaniah was used in the providence of god to prepare judah for the reforms and revival under king josiah. The first verse of this book tells us that the word of yahweh came to zephaniah, the son of cushi, the son of gedaliah, the son of amariah, the son of hezekiah, in the days of josiah, the son of amon, king of judah 1.
The book of zephaniah contains some of the most intense images of gods justice and love found in the prophetic books. Zephaniah warns israel and the surrounding nations that the day of the lord is near. During the time of the minor prophets, the nation of israel had divided into two separate countries, each with its own government. The book of zechariah contains the clearest and the largest number of messianic about the messiah passages among the minor prophets. The prophet zephaniah was evidently a person of considerable social standing in judah and was. The prophet portrays a grand sweep of history that begins with judgment on judah 1. When god had a message for the people, he spoke through the prophets. The book of zephaniah shows extremely many similarities. Zephaniah summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of zephaniah for bible study or sunday school lessons. He prophesied during king josiahs righteous reign followed by the sinful reigns of manasseh and amon, who led the nation into various kinds of idolatry. The judgments against judah and jerusalem are turned aside, and the nation or at least a remnant thereof is set free see zephaniah 3. Zephaniah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary.
The insights tom has gained from memorizing the entire book of zephaniah and the great contributions they offer to bible students. Book of zephaniah, also called sophonias, the ninth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, collected in one book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. The main message of the first chapter in the book of zephaniah is the day of the lord. Zephaniah lived during one of the worst times in the history of judah, under the evil reign of king manasseh. Watch our overview video on the book of zephaniah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Book of zechariah overview insight for living ministries. The date of zephaniahs prophecy is given as in the days of josiah the son of amon, king of judah. Zechariah pictures christ in both his first coming zechariah 9. We have for him no memorable biographical details like being swallowed by a whale jonah or marrying a prostitute hosea. He prophesied during king josiahs righteous reign followed by the sinful reigns of manasseh. She has not obeyed his voice, she has not received correction. Dec 28, 2016 zephaniah has no pithy nickname like jeremiah, the weeping prophet.
Extensive verse by verse explanation, illumination and clarification of this prophetic book seen though the lens of middle east culture and the ancient near east. It is a small book, nestled in the midst of the minor prophets, toward the. Three times god says i will sweep away in chapter 1 verses 1 and 2. Some have identified zephaniahs greatgreatgrandfather hezekiah with the famous king who ruled over judah from 715 to 686 b. This summary of the book of zephaniah provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of zephaniah. The book of zephaniah, the early discourses of jeremiah, and 2ki 2123 furnish a vivid picture of the social, moral, and religious conditions in judah at the time zephaniah prophesied. Zephaniah commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Point of note this is one of the 7 old testament books that are not quoted in the nt. Several of the things zephaniah says will happen, could have been fulfilled by the babylonians when they destroyed judah and took them into captivity. May 14, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of zephaniah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Read zephaniah commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete.
We can begin to pinpoint exactly when zephaniah prophesied by accounting for a few details in the text. Zephaniah commentary matthew henry commentary on the. Zephaniah does not even have a verse to feature on christmas cards, like micah who tells us about the coming king from bethlehem. The book consists of a series of independent sayings, many of which are rightly attributed. Before the temple completed, and then wrote chapters 914 approximately 480 b. Introduction286 the book of zephaniah is probably best known for being. He begins his prophecy by tracing his heritage back to hezekiah king of judah. May 03, 2018 the book of zephaniah is in that smaller percentage of prophetic literature about 25% that contains mainly foretellinglearning what god will do.
Zephaniah is the only prophet to mention four generations of his ancestors. The book of zephaniah is a book of the bible and is thought to be written by zephaniah son of cushi son of gedaliah son of amariah son of hezekiah, in the days of king josiah son of amon of judah the book begins by telling of gods judgement on the kingdom of judah. A contrast between a wicked city and a righteous god. In the book of zephaniah, gods justice and love offer future. The small book of zephaniah is narrative history and prophetic oracle. The prophet zechariah wrote chapters 18 approximately 520518 b. However it is quoted in several places by the prophet joel and jeremiah. The book of zephaniah is in that smaller percentage of prophetic literature about 25% that contains mainly foretellinglearning what god will do. Nevertheless, this is a great book with a significant. In this book, zephaniah announces gods purifying judgment on.
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