Sofonias 2

Sofonias 2

Meyer - It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger. The name of this prophet means, “Whom God hides or protects.” The hidden man invites others to his hiding-place; and shows how we may be hidden in the day of God’s anger. It is said that in the center of the wildest cyclone there is a point of absolute calm: so amid the wildest storms that have swept the face of the world there have always been some of God’s hidden ones:— “The secret place, the refuge from the blast, The glorious Temple, Lamb of God art Thou; Our feet shall tread the golden courts at last, Our souls have entered now.” “I cannot deny,” writes Tersteegen, “the corruptions of the external Church; but I think my dear friend has more necessary things to attend to. Within! Within! With God alone!” There is truth here, though not all the truth. We must have Elijahs as well as Zephaniahs. Only those may know the hidden life who fulfill the conditions here described. They must be meek; they must work his judgment; they must seek righteousness and meekness. It is the soul that bends before the blast of the terrible ones; that gives place to wrath, not because of pusillanimity, but because of the fear of the Lord; that hands over its cause of alarm and fear to the Most High, which abides in his secret place, and hides under his shadow. Let us seek these things, and then there will be no may-be in our being hidden. We shall certainly be hidden in the day of the Lord’s anger; hidden in the wounds of Jesus, hidden in his heart, hidden in God with Christ, hidden in the fiery glory of his intolerable holiness. “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee!” Zephaniah 2:4 For Gaza will be abandoned And Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon And Ekron will be uprooted. KJV For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. BGT διότι Γάζα διηρπασμένη ἔσται καὶ Ἀσκαλὼν ἔσται εἰς ἀφανισμόν καὶ Ἄζωτος μεσημβρίας ἐκριφήσεται καὶ Ακκαρων ἐκριζωθήσεται LXE For Gaza shall be utterly spoiled, and Ascalon shall be destroyed; and Azotus shall be cast forth at noon-day, and Accaron shall be rooted up. NET Indeed, Gaza will be deserted and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins. Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon, and Ekron will be overthrown. CSB For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will become a ruin. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted. ESV For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted. NIV Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon left in ruins. At midday Ashdod will be emptied and Ekron uprooted. NLT Gaza and Ashkelon will be abandoned, Ashdod and Ekron torn down. NRS For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted. NJB For Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon reduced to ruins; Ashdod will be driven out in broad daylight and Ekron uprooted. NAB For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon shall be a waste, Ashdod they shall drive out at midday, and Ekron shall be uprooted. YLT For Gaza is forsaken, And Ashkelon is for a desolation, Ashdod! at noon they do cast her forth, And Ekron is rooted up. Gaza: Jer 25:20 47:1-7 Eze 25:15-17 Am 1:6-8 Zec 9:5-7 Ashdod will be driven out at noon: Ps 91:6 Jer 6:4 15:8 Related Passages: Jeremiah 25:17,20 Then I took the cup from the LORD’S hand and made all the nations to whom the LORD sent me drink it:.....and all the foreign people, all the kings of the land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the Philistines (even Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron and the remnant of Ashdod) Amos 1:6-8 Thus says the LORD, “For three transgressions of Gaza and for four I will not revoke its punishment, Because they deported an entire population To deliver it up to Edom. 7 “So I will send fire upon the wall of Gaza And it will consume her citadels. 8 “I will also cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, And him who holds the scepter, from Ashkelon; I will even unleash My power upon Ekron, And the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” Says the Lord GOD. JUDGMENT AGAINST PHILISTINES Notice Zephaniah began declaration of God's judgment in the Day of the LORD against Judah which parallels the truth in 1Pe 4:17+ that it is "the time for judgment to begin with the household of God." Now the prophet begins announcing the Day of the LORD judgments on the surrounding Gentile nations, starting with the Philistine cities along Judah’s western border, declaring that the power and security of these cities will be completely overturned by God’s judgment. You might ask why are the Gentiles judged for they did not have the Law as Judah did (Ps 147:19–20)? The Gentile nations were still responsible before Him because God had revealed Himself through the evidence of creation (Ro 1:18-25+) and the testimony of their conscience (Ro 2:14,15+). In addition, these nations had frequently treated Israel with hostility and injustice, and the time had now come for Yahweh to execute His righteous judgment upon them. Walter Kaiser - In these verses the prophet selects two nearby nations (Philistia [vv. 5–7] and Moab-Ammon [vv. 8–11]) and two distant nations (Ethiopia [v. 12] and Assyria [vv. 13–15]) to represent all the nations of the world. These nations were at the four points of the compass. (See all three excellent chapters - Preacher's Commentary) For - In context this term of explanation would seem to introduce the reason or explanation for the urgent call to seek the LORD in the preceding verses. The for explains why repentance is urgently needed by introducing evidence that God’s judgment is already moving toward fulfillment. In other words for signals that what follows is the justification for the warning in Zeph 2:1-3. Stated another way, the destruction of the Philistine cities in the following passages demonstrates that God’s judgment is real and imminent. If God is about to judge the surrounding nations, Judah cannot assume immunity. In fact, the description of the coming devastation on these cities serves as a preview of the Day of the LORD that is coming soon on Judah. Gaza will be abandoned ('azab; LXX - diarpazo = thoroughly plundered, despoiled as in Mt 12:29) And Ashkelon a desolation (Lxx - aphanismos - vanishing away, no longer visible); Ashdod will be driven out at noon And Ekron will be uprooted - See map above for Philistia on the southwestern side of Israel. Note the intensity of the description (abandoned, desolation, driven out, uprooted) as the description moves from south to north. Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron were four of the five major Philistine city-states (the fifth was Gath) and for centuries were persistent enemies of Israel, known from the time of Samson and David. By naming these prominent cities, the prophecy shows that God's day of wrath will not be restricted to Judah, but even the strong centers of Philistine power will fall. Gaza will be abandoned - Gaza, the southernmost Philistine city (see map above) and an important trade center, is predicted to be abandoned or forsaken. A once thriving city would become empty, showing that God’s judgment can reduce even prosperous cities to ruin. Ashkelon a desolation (shemaman; LXX - aphanismos - vanishing away, disapperance) - Ashkelon, another major coastal city, is said to become a desolation, meaning devastation so complete that the city would lie in ruins and largely uninhabited. Prophets often used such language to describe the aftermath of divine judgment. Ashdod will be driven out (garash) at noon - The phrase driven out at noon is striking because normally attacks occurred at dawn or night for strategic advantage. Being expelled in broad daylight, and the hottest part of the day, suggests an unexpected, sudden and overwhelming defeat, when the inhabitants are forced to flee openly with no chance of resistance. NET NOTE - The reference to noon may suggest a sudden, quick defeat (see Jer 6:4; 15:8). Heb “uprooted.” There is a sound play here in the Hebrew text: the name “Ekron” (עֶקְרוֹן, ’eqron) sounds like the word translated “uprooted” (תֵּעָקֵר, te’aqer). Believers Study Bible - "At noonday," at a time when Orientals generally refrain from civil and military activities to spend the time in sleep, sudden destruction is to come upon Ashdod (cf. 2 Sam. 4:5; Jer. 6:4). Ekron will be uprooted - The imagery of “uprooting” portrays total removal, like a plant pulled out of the ground. The city would not merely be defeated but would be torn out from its place, losing its stability, power, and population. Zephaniah’s prophecy shows that God’s judgment extends beyond Judah to the nations. The Philistine cities that once seemed strong and secure would be overturned because no nation stands secure when it opposes the purposes of God. Walter Kaiser - Zephaniah did allow just a pinch of playfulness in his text, using the assonance and alliteration in “Gaza” (˒āzzâh) being “forsaken” (˒āzûbâh) (v. 4a) and “Ekron” (˒eqrôn) being “uprooted” (˒āqēr). (See all three excellent chapters - Preacher's Commentary) Historical Fulfillment - These words were fulfilled through a series of conquests, especially by Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar in the late 7th–early 6th century BC, when the Philistine cities were devastated and their political power effectively ended. Warren