Sofonias 3

Sofonias 3

Constable adds - "The phrase “daughter of” is a way of referring to the citizens of Zion (Jerusalem) as the children of the city. Children born in any city are the children of that city in a metaphorical sense as well as the children of their physical parents in a literal sense." With all your heart (Heb = leb; Lxx = kardia) - Our heart is the source of our emotions, the very center of one's personality, the "control center," if you will, of our lives. The prophet exhorts his readers to "hold nothing back!" This is to be a whole hearted time of rejoicing. O, what a day it will be! The next verse explains why Zephaniah commanded Israel to sing with such joyful shouting. Charles Feinberg explains that "The reason for the rejoicing is given in Zeph 3:15. Israel’s day of judgment and chastisement is past; every adversary has been cast out; and the Lord, the King of Israel, is in her midst." (The Minor Prophets) Shout (Sing) (07442)(ranan) means to give a ringing cry. It can refer to a cry of lamentation (Lam 2:19), awe (Lev 9:24), or joy (Ps 96:12). The type of the cry must be determined by the context joy, exaltation (Isa 12:6; 24:14; Jer. 31:7) praising the Lord (Isa 26:19; 35:2; 52:8; Jer. 31:12; 51:48, Ps. 5:11; 67:4; 81:1; 90:14; 92:4; 149:5). An absent cry can be an indication of God’s judgment (Isa. 16:10). God makes a widow’s heart sing for joy (Job 29:13), causes nature to shout for delight (Ps. 65:8) and commands the righteous to shout for joy (Ps. 32:11). In some context it is a cry of distress (Isa. 65:14; Lam 2:19). Finally, ranan can be cry of encouragement, exhortation or instruction (Pr 1:20; 8:3). NAS Usage: cries(1), cries of joy(1), cry aloud(1), joyfully sing(2), rejoice(1), sang(1), shout for joy(16), shout of joy(1), shout joyfully(4), shouted(1), shouts(1), sing for joy(18), sing aloud(3), sing aloud for joy(1), sings(1). Vine - “to sing, shout, cry out.” Found in both ancient and modern Hebrew, this word is used in modern Hebrew in the sense of “to chant, sing.” It occurs approximately 50 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, with about half of these uses being in the Book of Psalms, where there is special emphasis on “singing” and “shouting” praises to God (see below). Ranan is found for the first time in Lev. 9:24 at the conclusion of the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. When the fire fell and consumed the sacrifice, the people “shouted, and fell on their faces.” Ranan is often used to express joy, exultation, which seems to demand loud singing, especially when it is praise to God: “ Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa. 12:6). When Wisdom calls, she cries aloud to all who will hear (Pr. 8:3). To shout for joy (Ps. 32:11) is to let joy ring out! Ranan - 52v - Lev 9:24; Deut 32:43; 1 Chr 16:33; Job 29:13; 38:7; Ps 5:11; 20:5; 32:11; 33:1; 35:27; 51:14; 59:16; 63:7; 65:8; 67:4; 71:23; 81:1; 84:2; 89:12; 90:14; 92:4; 95:1; 96:12; 98:4, 8; 132:9, 16; 145:7; 149:5; Pr 1:20; 8:3; 29:6; Isa 12:6; 16:10; 24:14; 26:19; 35:2, 6; 42:11; 44:23; 49:13; 52:8f; 54:1; 61:7; 65:14; Jer 31:7, 12; 51:48; Lam 2:19; Zeph 3:14; Zech 2:10. (Ps 5:11) But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You. (Ps 20:5) We will sing for joy over your victory, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. (Ps 32:11) Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart. (Ps 33:1) Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. Zephaniah 3:15 The LORD has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more. BGT περιεῖλεν κύριος τὰ ἀδικήματά σου λελύτρωταί σε ἐκ χειρὸς ἐχθρῶν σου βασιλεὺς Ισραηλ κύριος ἐν μέσῳ σου οὐκ ὄψῃ κακὰ οὐκέτι LXE The Lord has taken away thine iniquities, he has ransomed thee from the hand of thine enemies: the Lord, the King of Israel, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. KJV The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. NET The LORD has removed the judgment against you; he has turned back your enemy. Israel's king, the LORD, is in your midst! You no longer need to fear disaster. CSB The LORD has removed your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. The King of Israel, Yahweh, is among you; you need no longer fear harm. ESV The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil. NIV The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. NLT For the LORD will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the LORD himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster. NRS The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. NJB Yahweh has repealed your sentence; he has turned your enemy away. Yahweh is king among you, Israel, you have nothing more to fear. NAB The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. YLT Jehovah hath turned aside thy judgments, He hath faced thine enemy, The king of Israel, Jehovah, is in thy midst, Thou seest evil no more. has taken: Genesis 30:23; Ps 85:3; Isaiah 25:8; 40:1,2; 51:22; Micah 7:18-20; Zechariah 1:14-16; Zechariah 8:13-15; 10:6,7; has cleared away: Isaiah 13:1-14; Jeremiah 50:1-51; Micah 7:10,16,17; Habakkuk 2:8,17; Zechariah 2:8,9; 12:3; Romans 8:33,34; Revelation 12:10; the king: Isaiah 33:22; Ezekiel 37:24,25; Zechariah 9:9; John 1:49; 12:15; 19:19; Revelation 19:16; in the midst: Zeph 3:5,17; Ezekiel 37:26-28; 48:35; Joel 3:20,21; Revelation 7:15; Rev 21:3,4; You will fear: Isaiah 35:10; 51:22; 60:18; 65:19; Ezekiel 39:29; Joel 3:17; Amos 9:15; Zechariah 14:11 Related Passages: Deuteronomy 7:21+ “You shall not dread them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God. Isaiah 12:6+ Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel. Zephaniah 3:17 “The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. Revelation 19:16+ And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” THE LORD TAKETH THE LORD GIVETH The LORD has taken away (sur; LXX = periaireo) His judgments (mishpat - used in Zeph 3:8) against you- Indeed, no one else could have accomplished this task but their Messiah! All fear and apprehension over being punished are gone. God has removed the judicial sentence that had stood against His people. Earlier in Zephaniah the nation was under divine indictment because of idolatry, corruption, and rebellion (Zeph 1–3). The word judgments translates mishpat, which in this context refers to the legal verdict or sentence of punishment issued by God as Judge. God has lifted the condemnation that once rested upon His people. The courtroom imagery suggests that the divine Judge has revoked the sentence that their sins deserved. The removal of judgment signals forgiveness, restoration, and reconciliation with God. Isaiah 40:1-2 affirms that the judgment will be taken away “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God. “Speak kindly to Jerusalem; And call out to her, that her warfare has ended, That her iniquity has been removed, That she has received of the LORD’S hand Double for all her sins.” Has taken away (sur; LXX = periaireo = take away from around someone) judgments (mishpat; LXX - adikema = completed act of deliberate wrongdoing). The LXX verb periaireo was used of casting off the anchors of a ship, allowing it freedom of movement (cf Acts 27:40+). Periaireo as used in Hebrews 10:11 describes the picture of futility in which "Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away (periaireo) sins." So here in Zephaniah, God's judgments are taken away, ultimately because the penalty of their sins has been paid in full (See TETELESTAI – IT IS FINISHED! PAID IN FULL!) by the Messiah's substitutionary, sacrificial, satisfactory (propitiatory) death on Calvary. Cleared away (panah) your enemies - Not only does God remove internal condemnation, He also removes external oppression. The Lord Himself drives away the enemies who threatened His people. Earlier in Zephaniah the surrounding nations were objects of divine judgment (Zeph 2), and in the final restoration those enemies will no longer dominate or threaten God’s people. The Hebrew verb panah means to turn. Along with the first verb taken away it reiterates God's work to set His people free. The Septuagint translates "cleared away your enemies" as He "has ransomed you from the hand of your enemies," where the verb lutroo depicts the payment of a price to set captives, slaves or prisoners free. Ultimately the "price paid" was the precious blood of the Lamb (1Pe 1:18-19+, Jn 19:30+). And thus the reason for such great jubilation in Zeph 3:14. This echoes many promises in the prophets that when God restores His people, their oppressors will be removed. Isaiah 54:17 writes “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper.” There will no longer be a need to use any of the nations as instruments of His judgment. Walter Kaiser on has taken away and cleared away - Zephaniah uses the “prophetic perfect tense” since he views the events he describes as being so certain that they may be spoken of as having already been accomplished (cf. Is. 40:2). Since God has forgiven Jerusalem’s iniquity and totally removed any resulting guilt, there will no longer be a need to use any of the nations as instruments of His judgment. The nations too will be cast out. (See The Preacher's Commentary) To reiterate the phrases “has taken away” and “has cleared away” in Zephaniah 3:15 use the prophetic perfect, a Hebrew grammatical feature in which future acts of God are spoken of as completed. The prophet does this to emphasize the absolute certainty of God’s promised salvation. Though the restoration of Jerusalem was still future when Zephaniah wrote, in God’s sovereign plan it was so certain that it could be proclaimed as already accomplished. His judgments against you - This speaks of the condemnation of the city of Jerusalem because of the evil behavior of the Jewish leaders (see a description of the evil, especially Judah's idolatry = Zeph 1:4-9, Zeph 3:1-7). Here Zephaniah is saying there will come a day when Jehovah will cease punishing His rebellious people (the nation of Israel). The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst - This is the centerpiece of the verse. The ultimate blessing is not merely the removal of judgment or enemies, but the presence of God Himself among His people. Judgments taken away and enemies removed, in a sense, leaves a "vacuum," one which is filled by Messiah Himself, Who will reign in Jerusalem as the true King He should have always been. Finally, the day of His "coronation" has arrived! In Zeph 3:5 Yahweh was present in Spirit, but here the assurance is that He will be present in the flesh! Recall when Israel had desired a king like all of the other nations (1Sa 8:5) and yet had rejected God as their King (1Sa 8:7, 10:19, cp Jdg 21:25+, Pr 29:18+). He gave them what they desired but their human kings generally fell far short of an ideal monarchy (Read 1Sa 8:10-18). One role of a king is to protect his people and fight their enemies, something that will only be fulfilled for Israel when Messiah reigns as her rightful Monarch and this is why they "will fear disaster no more." Read parallel passages that also describe this great future day when Messiah returns to reign in Jerusalem: Isa 35:10+, Isa 51:22 Isa 60:18 Isa 65:19 Ezek 39:29+ Joel 3:17+ Am 9:15+ Zec 14:11+. King of Israel (see the King's rejection in 1Sa 8:7+; Isa 9:7+, Isa 44:6, Zech 14:9+, "Jehovah will reign over them in Mount Zion = Micah 4:7+) - Some Jews such as Nathaniel recognized Jesus even in His first coming, not only as "the Son of God" but also as "the King of Israel." (Jn 1:49). However, when Jesus returns triumphantly in Revelation 19:11-16+, He returns as "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Rev 19:16+) and all (both receivers and rejecters) will recognize His majesty and His right to rule and reign (cf Rev 1:7+, Php 2:9-11+). Play Third Day's song King of Glory. In your midst (qereb) - In Zeph 3:5 we read "the LORD was righteous within (KJV = "in the midst of" [qereb] her (the wicked city of Jerusalem)." Previously sin, sinners and unrighteousness had been in their midst,(qereb in Zeph 3:3) but here the Sin Bearer, the Righteous One is in now in their midst! This radical change is motivated by God's radical love for sinners! Jesus in their midst "as the sun in the centre of the universe, to diffuse His light and influence upon every part." Amen! (Matthew Henry) In your midst - This specific phrase occurs 30x in 29v -Ex 33:3, 5; 34:12; Lev 20:14; Deut 7:21; 16:11; 17:2; 23:16; Josh 7:13; 24:23; Isa 12:6; Jer 29:8; Ezek 7:9; 22:7, 9; 26:15; 27:27; 28:22; 47:22; Hos 11:9; Mic 6:14; Nah 3:13; Zeph 3:15, 17; Hag 2:5; Zech 2:10f; Luke 17:21; Acts 2:22 Walter Kaiser - No longer will He be present only in His Shekinah glory, or as the Angel of the LORD; indeed, He will personally reside in Jerusalem “in [their and our] midst.” Therefore, “you shall see disaster no more” (Zeph 3:15d).The personal presence of the Lord shall render ineffective all the powers of evil and harm. (See all three excellent chapters - Preacher's Commentary) Adam