Sofonias 3
Warren Wiersbe · Citado em PreceptAustin
Sofonias 3
Wiersbe explains why the Jewish prophets consistently ended their books with a message of hope for the people of Israel... (1) To begin with, hope is a great motivation for obedience, and the prophets wanted to encourage God’s people to submit to God’s will and do what He commanded. God’s covenant blessings come to His people only when they obey His covenant conditions. (2) A second reason is the prophets’ emphasis on the faithfulness of God. The Lord will keep His promises and one day establish the kingdom (Ed: This question was ever in the heart of every pious Jew - Acts 1:6, cf the prayer in Mt 6:10-+, Lk 11:2); and since God is faithful to keep His promises (1Cor 1:9, 10:13-+, 2Cor 1:18, 2Th 3:3, Heb 10:23+), we ought to be faithful obeying His Word. If we disobey, God will be faithful to chasten; if we confess, He will be faithful to forgive (1Jn 1:9+). (3) Finally, the closing message of hope was an encouragement to the faithful remnant in the land, who were true to God and suffered because of their devotion to Him (Ed: God always has His "7000" who have not bowed to Baal [Ro 11:4+], cf Simeon - Lk 2:25 and Anna - Lk 2:36, 37, 38). It’s difficult to belong to that “company of the committed” who stand true to the Lord and His Word no matter what others may do or say. Knowing that God would one day defeat their enemies and reign in righteousness would encourage the believing remnant to persist in their faithful walk with the Lord. (Bible Commentary-OT) Here are some other resources that can be borrowed from Archive.org that have commentary on Zephaniah The minor prophets by Feinberg, Charles L Habakkuk and Zephaniah by Barber, Cyril J Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah : an introduction and commentary by Baker, David (Tyndale OT Commentary) The message of Obadiah, Nahum and Zephaniah : the kindness and severity of God by Bridger, Gordon (Bible Speaks Today series) Jonah/Zephaniah - Shepherd's Notes - short notes on each book - by Wright, Paul, The Minor Prophets : an expositional commentary by Boice, James Montgomery, Understanding the Old Testament by Scripture Union - John Taylor KJV Bible Commentary - Hindson, Edward E; Kroll, Woodrow Michael. Over 3000 pages of the entire OT/NT. (this does not need to be borrowed) The King James Study Bible Second Edition 2240 pages (this does not need to be borrowed) NKJV Study Bible: New King James Version Study Bible (this does not need to be borrowed) Wycliffe Bible Commentary Bible Knowledge Commentary - Old Testament - 1608 pages. Dallas Theological Seminary Faculty The MacArthur Study Bible ESV Study Bible Zondervan NIV Study Bible The David Jeremiah Study Bible HCSB Study Bible : Holman Christian Standard Bible NLT Study Bible Life Application Study Bible: Old Testament and New Testament: Believer's Bible Commentary - OT and NT - MacDonald, William (1995) 2480 pages. Conservative. Literal. Often very insightful. Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the Old Testament - helpful notes Bible Commentary-OT - Wiersbe With the Word - Warren Wiersbe - Excellent chapter summaries J.Sidlow Baxter: Explore The Book - pdf Vol. 4 Ezekiel to Malachi Below is a summary chart of the Zephaniah portion of the discussion of the Day of the Lord part 2 Youtube discussion - What the Bible Teaches About the Day of the Lord - Part 1 Youtube discussion - What the Bible Teaches About the Day of the Lord - Part 2| Zeph 3:1 Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the tyrannical city!: BGT ὦ ἡ ἐπιφανὴς καὶ ἀπολελυτρωμένη ἡ πόλις ἡ περιστερά LXE Alas the glorious and ransomed city. KJV Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city! NET The filthy, stained city is as good as dead; the city filled with oppressors is finished! CSB Woe to the city that is rebellious and defiled, the oppressive city! ESV Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! NIV Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! NLT What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime! NRS Ah, soiled, defiled, oppressing city! NJB Disaster to the rebellious, the befouled, the tyrannical city! NAB Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted, to the tyrannical city! YLT Woe to the rebellious and polluted, The oppressing city! defiled: Leviticus 1:16; city: Isaiah 5:7; 30:12; 59:13; Jeremiah 6:6;Jer 22:17; Ezekiel 22:7,29; Amos 3:9; 4:1; Micah 2:2; Zechariah 7:10; Malachi 3:5 Outline by Walter Kaiser -(See all three excellent chapters - Preacher's Commentary) A. An Exhortation to Seek the Lord - Zephaniah 2:1–3 B. The Lord’s Purpose in Punishing the Nations - Zephaniah 2:4–15 C. The Lord’s Purpose in Punishing Judah - Zephaniah 3:1–8 D. The Lord’s Purpose in Restoration - Zephaniah 3:9–20 1. The Conversion of the Nations - Zephaniah 3:9–10 2. The Preservation of the Remnant - Zephaniah 3:11–13 3. A Psalm of Joy - Zephaniah 3:14–17 4. The Regathering of Israel - Zephaniah 3:18–20 Related Passages: Isaiah 1:21 How the faithful city has become a harlot, She who was full of justice! Righteousness once lodged in her, But now murderers. Jeremiah 2:20 “For long ago I broke your yoke And tore off your bonds; But you said, ‘I will not serve!’ For on every high hill And under every green tree You have lain down as a harlot. Jeremiah 6:6 For thus says the LORD of hosts, “Cut down her trees And cast up a siege against Jerusalem. This is the city to be punished, In whose midst there is only oppression. Ezekiel 22:29 “The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice. Micah 2:2 They covet fields and then seize them, And houses, and take them away. They rob a man and his house, A man and his inheritance. Malachi 3:5 Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wage earner in his wages, the widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the alien and do not fear Me,” says the LORD of hosts. THE DAY OF THE LORD IN ZEPHANIAH Having declared the judgment of the nations, the Spirit now moves to the judgment of the nation of Judah. The reader would have been in agreement with the judgments on the nations, but was ill prepared for the announcement of their own judgment in this chapter! What the readers would fail to grasp is the fact that if God judges the pagans which have no spiritual light, how much more do the Chosen People who have great spiritual light deserve His judgment (cf Lk 12:48b+)! As David Baker says "Now the time is rhetorically ripe to confront God’s own people, Judah, and their capital, Jerusalem, with their sin (Zeph 3:1-4), shamelessness (Zeph 3:5) and lack of repentance (Zeph 3:6-7). (BORROW Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah : an introduction and commentary PAGE 110) But even in warning Judah of the coming judgment, God is demonstrating His grace in the hope that the warning would motivate repentance. Righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people. -- Proverbs 14:34 And so chapter 3 begins a description of the reproach to Judah and the doom and gloom of the Day of the Lord (Zeph 3:1-10), but this Day ends (Zeph 3:11-20) with a promise of a future and a hope, a prophecy that will be realized in the future by the nation of Israel (Israel is not the church!) in the Millennium following the victorious return of the Messiah (Rev 19:11-21+) Who will crush all her enemies (Da 2:34,35+, Da 2:44, 45+) and brings an abrupt end to the Great Tribulation (Mt 24:21,22+). In the timeline above (superimposed on the 70th Week of Daniel, Da 9:27+) note the boxes highlighted in blue which identify those aspects of the Day of the Lord which will be fulfilled to Israel in the Millennium. This emphasizes that the Day of the Lord is not just doom and gloom but ends with destiny and glory! Descriptive Definition of the Day of the Lord - The DAY of the LORD describes a time when God intervenes in the “day of man.” The DAY of the Lord can have a historical fulfillment (NEAR - 586 BC), and an eschatological (future) fulfillment (FAR). This "FAR" DAY begins with the Great Tribulation when God judges the Gentile nations and Israel, purifying through the fire a redeemed remnant of Israel (Zech 13:8,9+) who will enter into the Promised Land for a period of unprecedented blessing and prosperity in the 1000 year Messianic Kingdom ruled by the King of kings, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Day of the Lord terminates with God’s “uncreation” of the creation at the end of 1000 years (2Pe 3:10,11,12,13-15+). Woe (hoy; LXX - ouai) to her - Who? The city is not named but as indicated by the context (especially Zeph 3:4, 5 = "the LORD is righteous within her") it is Jerusalem ("city of peace")(not named until Zeph 3:14), here personified and representative of the people (princes, judges, prophets, priests) who were committing the rebellious and defiling acts (cp Neh 9:26, Jer 7:23-28). Woe introduces a prophetic lament and warning directed toward Jerusalem, the covenant city that had turned away from the LORD and is a sobering word used in the OT almost predominantly in the prophets (note). Harding has an interesting note - It is suggested that the city is not named so that the recipients of the prophecy, the people of Judah, would at first believe that Nineveh was still in view and would thus acquiesce with the condemnation. However, they would soon realise that it was their own capital city, Jerusalem, which was referred to and that they themselves were being condemned, not their enemies....Instead of being in contrast to Nineveh, and faithful to God and His word, Jerusalem was the equal of that pagan city in its sinfulness (Isa 1:21; Jer 2:20). The moral and spiritual conditions prevailing in the very place where God had set His name were now contrary to His unchanging character and to His claims upon His people. (What the Bible Teaches – Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi) Woe (hoy; LXX - ouai) to her who is rebellious (marah) and defiled (gaal), the tyrannical (yanah) city! - NET = "The filthy, stained city is as good as dead; the city filled with oppressors is finished!" Don't miss the fact that WOE began the judgment on the pagan nations and now concludes with the judgment on Judah, who is no better than the nations! Each description reveals a different dimension of the city’s moral and spiritual corruption. Note the progression (or spiritual decline) of their sin -- first rebellion against God, then inward defilement of themselves and finally overt oppression of others, especially the poor. The upshot is that if you are "off" on your vertical relationship (God), you will inevitably, invariably be "off" on your horizontal relationships! The word “Woe” (Hebrew hoy) is a prophetic lament announcing grief, condemnation, and in this case impending judgment. The prophets often used WOE (hoy) when pronouncing God’s judgment on sin (cf. Isa 5:8–23; Nah 3:1). It expresses both sorrow and warning. Jerusalem’s condition is so serious that divine punishment is inevitable unless repentance occurs. So the three sins for which she is here denounced are that she is rebellious against God, defiled with sin in herself, and cruel to others. - Pulpit Commentary The city is described as rebellious (marah). The Hebrew word marah conveys the idea of stubborn resistance against rightful authority, particularly against God’s rule. Jerusalem had received God’s law, prophets, and covenant privileges, and yet in truth they did not "receive" God's Word! (cf failure to receive the "Living Word" in Jn 1:11-13+). So instead of submitting the "city" (people of the city) resisted God’s commands and rejected His correction (Zeph 3:2). The rebellion was therefore not merely political or social, but was fundamentally spiritual insubordination against the LORD Himself. Harding on rebellious - Keil demonstrates that as used here it has the idea of holding one's self straight against another, indicating opposition. Thus the rebellious spirit of Judah in holding herself against the claims of God is in view (cp. Jer 4:17; 5:23). It stresses the defiance of the nation in the face of His appeals through the prophets (Jer 6:17; 26:4-6; 44:16). (What the Bible Teaches – Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi) The city was defiled (gaal) (How defiled was the city? Read Jer 5:1; 19:5; 23:13,14; 32:35) which describes moral and religious stain and pollution, especially the polluting effects of idolatry, injustice, and corruption. Jerusalem, which should have been the holy city where God’s presence dwelt, had become spiritually "contaminated" by idolatry and moral decay. MacKay - ‘Defiled’ denotes stained with sins and evil doing (Isa. 59:3; 63:3; Lam. 4:14) They are no longer fit for the distinctive role God had in mind for them as his covenant people. (Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah) Isaiah gives a similar derogatory description of Jerusalem... How the faithful city has become a harlot, She who was full of justice! Righteousness once lodged in her, But now murderers. (Isa 1:21+) Jerusalem was the tyrannical city (yanah) (CSB - "the oppressive city!" ESV "the oppressing city") where tyrannical means to do wrong to someone, referring to acts of injustice or wrongdoing directed toward others, especially the poor, the weak, the widowed. In this context, the “wrong” specifically points to the sins listed in Zephaniah 3:2–4, such as rebellion against God, refusal to accept correction, failure to trust in the LORD, corrupt leadership, and the abuse of power by prophets and priests. Although these sins often manifest themselves in harmful actions toward other people, such as oppression, injustice, or betrayal, their deepest offense is against God Himself (cf Ps 51:3,4). Ultimately, all sin is directed against the Lord because it violates His character, disregards His authority, and breaks His covenant. Thus the wrongdoing described here has both a horizontal dimension (injuring others) and a vertical dimension (rebelling against God), with the latter being the root from which the former flows. Jeremiah alludes to the tyranny or oppression Thus says the LORD, “Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat ("do no wrong" = yanah) or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place. (Jer 22:3) Ezekiel writes The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged (yanah) the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice. (Ezek 22:29) Taken together there is little wonder that Zephaniah began this lament with a WOE, for this is a devastating indictment. Jerusalem was rebellious toward God, morally polluted in character, and oppressive toward people. The Holy City (cf Isa 52:1), the "city of peace," that should have been the epicenter of justice and holiness had become corrupt in every direction, vertically toward God and horizontally toward others. Because of this, the prophet announces God’s coming judgment while simultaneously calling the people to recognize the seriousness of their condition. MacKay sums it up - Those who had no place for the LORD in their lives (rebellious) had no scruples about furthering their own selfish ends (defiled) by exploiting the unfortunate and disadvantaged (tyrannical) in their own community. The feeling of brotherhood that should have existed in the covenant had been lost (Lev. 19:18; Dt. 15:2, 11; 25:3)....This indicates not just unwillingness to submit to God’s general rule over the world he created, but is more particularly defined as covenant rebellion in Zeph 3:2 (Jer. 4:17; 5:23; Hosea 14:1). (Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah) Walter Kaiser adds that "Each of the three participles in verse 1 that expose the sins of the city are graphic: the “rebellious,” mutinous, and disobedient; the “polluted,” defiled, bloodstained, and unclean; the “oppressing,” repressive, bullying, and crushing! These three charges indicated the three directions in which Jerusalem’s sin manifested itself: to God, to religious practices, and to fellow humans. (See all his excellent comments on Zeph 3 = The Preacher's Commentary) Kenneth Barker - Sometimes life seems almost unbearable and completely hopeless. When we survey the current societal scene, we see crime out of control, families breaking up and pulling down the individual members of the family with them, and confusion and frustration on every side. Out of the darkness of our lives comes the dawn of God’s love and care. Zephaniah promised that God had not finished with his people. When life seemed the toughest, God promised to provide. Zephaniah prophesied in such a way as to be called the fiercest of the prophets. Yet, in his fierceness against the sin of the people, the prophet knew that God was at work creating a faithful remnant who would serve Him with all their hearts. Out of the judgment would come a time when God would restore the fortunes of the humble and faithful of the people of Judah. (See comments on Micah, Nahum, Habakkuh, Zephaniah) In the previous section Zephaniah had declared "woe" to the nations, but as he ends his prophecy, he returns again (Zeph 1:4-13) to rebellious Judah and Jerusalem to pronounce God's judgment followed by God's promise of restoration to be consummated in the end times (cf Jer 23:20, Hos 3:4-5). As an aside, if God judges the sins of the pagan nations who did not know God, how much greater will be the punishment of Judah who had ready access to God? 🙏 THOUGHT: And what about believers in the modern church who even have the indwelling Holy Spirit (1Cor 6:19-20+) and yet who are willingly, even wantonly compromising with the godless world (See Mt 6:24+) (movies we watch now without any hesitation, that we never would have watched when we were first born again [you know what I mean because PG-13 today is yesterday's R-Rated! By the way as I point one finger at you, know that 4 fingers are pointing back at me!], and what about the pictures we look at on the internet [Men I am speaking especially to you, because I am one!] because no one is watching [except God! = Pr 15:3+], and finally what about the off color, even overtly blasphemous language [especially the use of "Jesus Christ" in vain or as a curse word!] we now tolerate that once would have "burned" our ears? Remember what Peter said - Read 1Pe 4:17+) Are you convicted yet (as convicted as I am as I write)? I hope (pray) so, for the sake of the purity of Christ's Bride (see Rev 19:7, 8+, cf Lev 11:43, 44,45+, 1Pe 1:14,15,16+, 2Co 7:1+) Israel had been clearly warned (even as we are warned against the dangers of willful sin against the Holy God) just before the second generation crossed the Jordan River to take possession of the Promised Land... Deut 28:15+ “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the LORD your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you....45 “So all these curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you until you are destroyed, because you would not obey the LORD your God by keeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. 46 “They shall become a sign and a wonder on you and your descendants forever....47 “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and a glad heart, for the abundance of all things; 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in the lack of all things; and He will put an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you. 49 “The LORD will bring a nation (a reference to Babylon) against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand, 50 a nation of fierce countenance who will have no respect for the old, nor show favor to the young....62 “Then you shall be left few in number, whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, because you did not obey the LORD your God. 63 “It shall come about that as the LORD delighted over you to prosper you, and multiply you, so the LORD will delight over you to make you perish and destroy you; and you will be torn from the land where you are entering to possess it. 64 “Moreover, the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone, which you or your fathers have not known. 65 “Among those nations you shall find no rest, and there will be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul. 66 “So your life shall hang in doubt before you; and you will be in dread night and day, and shall have no assurance of your life. (Read Deut 28-30 for the full discussion of the blessings and the curses promised by Yahweh to Israel). Woe (01945)(hoy) is an interjection of distress used primarily by the prophets, 6x in mourning for the dead (1Ki 13:30 Jer 22:18; 34:5), and 40x as negative warnings specifying Divine punishment in the form of disaster, etc, for failing to repent from certain sins. The wicked are under the judgment of God (cp Ro 1:18ff) and therefore face a time of ruin and mourning, so that the only thing left for an unrepentant people is to mourn the destruction of their lives! Woe! Patterson - Woe oracles typically contain the following elements: invective (“woe to”), threat, and criticism (the reason for the denunciation and threatened judgment). (Minor Prophets: Hosea through Malachi ) Eugene Carpenter - (WOE) expresses great emotion and can be an interjection of warning or distress. It represents a thought transformed into a feeling and expressed in a word—hoy, “woe!” ...Hoy can be used to introduce a prophetic declaration of judgment, as when Isaiah announced the coming destruction of Assyria (Isa. 10:5). It conveys a note of certainty about what is said and an atmosphere of finality—such as in, “Woe unto you, the end has come!” The word is also applied to groups of people and individuals who are wicked (Isa. 5:8, 11, 18, 20–22). (Borrow Holman treasury of key Bible words) Hoy is used >50x in prophets and only once elsewhere. 6x = mourning for the dead (1 Ki13:30), 40x = negative warnings or threats of God's physical chastisement. R. J. Clifford found 53 occurrences of hoy in the Old Testament. Of these he listed three possible uses: (1) to describe funeral laments (eight times), usually translated “alas”; (2) a cry to get attention (four times), usually translated “ho” or “ah”; (3) an announcement of doom (forty-one times and used only by the prophets), usually translated “woe to.” The wicked were under the judgment of God and therefore faced a time of ruin and mourning. The only thing left for an unrepentant people was to mourn the destruction of their lives. Hoy is translated in the Septuagint with ouai which is an interjection expressing extreme displeasure and calling for retributive pain on someone or something woe! alas! (Mt 11.21, Mk 14:21; Lk 6:24; 17:1; 21:23; Jude 1:11; Rev 12:12; 18:10, 16 , 19.); doubled or tripled for emphasis (Rev 8.13; 18.10)! It speaks of grief, horror, pain, displeasure, disaster, calamity or denunciation. HOY - 50X/47V - Ah(2), alas(11), ho(2), ho there(1), woe(34). NOTE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IN THE PROPHETS! 1 Ki. 13:30; Isa. 1:4; Isa. 1:24; Isa. 5:8; Isa. 5:11; Isa. 5:18; Isa. 5:20; Isa. 5:21; Isa. 5:22; Isa. 10:1; Isa. 10:5; Isa. 17:12; Isa. 18:1; Isa. 28:1; Isa. 29:1; Isa. 29:15; Isa. 30:1; Isa. 31:1; Isa. 33:1; Isa. 45:9; Isa. 45:10; Isa. 55:1; Jer. 22:13; Jer. 22:18; Jer. 23:1; Jer. 30:7; Jer. 34:5; Jer. 47:6; Jer. 48:1; Jer. 50:27; Ezek. 13:3; Ezek. 13:18; Ezek. 34:2; Amos 5:18; Amos 6:1; Mic. 2:1; Nah. 3:1; Hab. 2:6; Hab. 2:9; Hab. 2:12; Hab. 2:15; Hab. 2:19; Zeph. 2:5; Zeph. 3:1; Zech. 2:6; Zech. 2:7; Zech. 11:17 Rebellious (04784)(marah) means to be contentious, rebellious, and openly defiant to an authority by not obeying commands. Most of the uses of marah refer to rebellion by Israel or Judah against Jehovah (exceptions = Dt 21:18, 20, Job 17:2, Job 23:2, Pr 17:11). There is repeated focus on Israel's rebellion in the wilderness after being set free from slavery in Egypt (Nu 20:10, 24; 27:14; Deut 1:26, 43; 9:7, 23), summed up by the statement "You have been rebellious against the LORD from the day I knew you." (Deut 9:24) Marah is used with similar descriptive words - stubborn (Dt 21:18, 20, Jer 5:23, Ps 78:8), to grieve (Isa 63:10, Ps 78:40), to refuse (Isa 1:20, Neh 9:17), to transgress (Lam 3:42), to sin (Ps 78:17), to test (Ps 78:56), to rebel (marad in Neh 9:26), to reject or profane (Ezek 20:13). 1828 Webster defines a rebel as "One who revolts from the government to which he owes allegiance, either by openly renouncing the authority of that government, or by taking arms and openly opposing it. A rebel differs from an enemy, as the latter is one who does not owe allegiance to the government which he attacks." Jerusalem (her leaders and people) have rebelled against Jehovah by rejecting His Word (His Law, His authority) and as a result departed from His ways of righteousness. God expected more from Judah than the surrounding nations because of her privileged position (Ex 19:5). Vine - Some personal names are partly composed of the verb: Meraiah (“stubborn headed”; Neh. 12:12) and Miriam (“stubborn headed,” if actually derived from the verb). Marah signifies an opposition to someone motivated by pride: (Dt. 21:18). The sense comes out more clearly in Isa. 3:8. More particularly, the word generally connotes a rebellious attitude against God. Several prepositions are used to indicate the object of rebellion (im, et, generally translated as “against”) (Dt. 9:7, Jer. 4:17). The primary meaning of marah is “to disobey.” Several passages attest to this: (1Ki 13:21; cf. 1Ki 13:26). The OT sometimes specifically states that someone “rebelled” against the Lord; at other times it may refer to a rebelling against the Word of the Lord (Ps 105:28; 107:11), or against the mouth of God (KJV, “word”; NIV, “command”; cf. Nu 20:24; Dt. 1:26, 43; 9:23; 1Sa 12:14-15). The intent of the Hebrew is to signify the act of defying the command of God (La 1:18). The verb marah is at times strengthened by a form of the verb carar (“to be stubborn”) = (Ps. 78:8; cf. Dt. 21:18, 20; Jer 5:23). An individual (Dt. 21:18, 20), a nation (Nu 20:24), and a city (Zeph 3:1) may be described as “being rebellious.” Zephaniah gave a vivid image of the nature of the rebellious spirit: (Zeph. 3:1-2, RSV). TWOT - This sin of rebellion may be in word: Num 17:10; 27:14, complaining; Ps 78:17ff., challenging and defying God to do the abnormal, to cater to their tastes and delicacies. Or, it may be a rebellion in deed: 1Sa 12:15, obedience to man over God; 1Kgs 13:21, 26, actions contrary to God’s clearly expressed will by a “clergyman”; Jer 4:17, “your own behavior and actions”; Isa 3:8, “their words and their deeds.” What is most often rebelled against is “the commandment/the word of the Lord,” (et) pî (literally, “the mouth”). This is the most frequent direct object of the verb mārâ: 1Kgs 13:21, 26; Lam 1:18; Ps 105:28; Nu 20:24; 27:14. (See TWOT online) NAS Usage: became disobedient(1), bitter(1), disobedient(1), disobeyed(2), provocation(1), rebel(6), rebelled(18), rebellious(12), rebels(2), very rebellious(1). Marah - 45 v - Ex 23:21; Nu 20:10, 24; 27:14; Deut 1:26, 43; 9:7, 23, 24; 21:18, 20; 31:27; Josh 1:18; 1Sam 12:14f; 1Kgs 13:21, 26; 2Kgs 14:26; Neh 9:26; Job 17:2; Ps 5:10; 78:8, 17, 40, 56; 105:28; 106:7, 33, 43; 107:11; Isa 1:20; 3:8; 50:5; 63:10; Jer 4:17; 5:23; Lam 1:18, 20; 3:42; Ezek 5:6; 20:8, 13, 21; Hos 13:16; Zeph 3:1 Defiled (01351)(gaal) means to defile or to stain. To defile means to make something unclean or impure. When one's hands are polluted with blood they are defiled (Isa 59:3). Ceremonial pollution of imperfect sacrifices (Mal 1:7, 12) pagan king’s diet (Da 1:8), uncertain lineage of the priests after the exile (Ezr 2:62; Neh 7:64) Something is defiled when it breaches moral or ceremonial law Gaal - 9 v - Ezra 2:62; Neh 7:64; Isa 59:3; 63:3; Lam 4:14; Dan 1:8; Zeph 3:1; Mal 1:7, 12 NASB Usage: defile(2), defiled(6), stained(1), unclean(2). Tyrannical (03238)(yanah) means to do wrong to someone, to oppress (crush or burden by abuse of power or authority), mistreat, treat violently. Yanah refers especially to improper treatment of strangers (Ex 22:21,Lev 25:14, 17, Dt 23:16) An "oppressor, i.e., one who pursues, represses and subjugates another (Jer 25:38; 46:16; 50:16; Zep 3:1)" (Swanson) "Yanah seems to be used in the sense of “doing wrong” to someone as in the Mosaic legislation which protects the rights of the gēr “resident alien.” (See TWOT online) Patterson- The Hebrew term is utilized in a variety of ways but most frequently of intolerance toward or the suppression of the rights and privileges of others. It especially characterizes the rich and influential members of society who take advantage of the less fortunate (cf. Ex 22:21; Lev 19:33; Deut 23:16). NAS Usage: do him wrong(1), mistreat(2), oppress(3), oppresses(1), oppressing(1), oppressor(2), oppressors(1), subdue(1), thrusting(1), tyrannical(1), wrong(3), wronged(2). Yanah - 19v - Ex 22:21; Lev 19:33; 25:14, 17; Deut 23:16; Ps 74:8; Isa 49:26; Jer 22:3; 25:38; 46:16; 50:16; Ezek 18:7, 12, 16; 22:7, 29; 45:8; 46:18; Zeph 3:1. The first use gives a sense of the crime of which Jerusalem was guilty... You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Ex 22:21) Zephaniah 3:2 She heeded no voice, she accepted no instruction. She did not trust in the LORD, She did not draw near to her God.: BGT οὐκ εἰσήκουσεν φωνῆς οὐκ ἐδέξατο παιδείαν ἐπὶ τῷ κυρίῳ οὐκ ἐπεποίθει καὶ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν αὐτῆς οὐκ ἤγγισεν LXE The dove hearkened not to the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the Lord, and she drew not near to her God. KJV She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God. NET She is disobedient; she refuses correction. She does not trust the LORD; she does not seek the advice of her God. CSB She has not obeyed; she has not accepted discipline. She has not trusted in Yahweh; she has not drawn near to her God. ESV She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God. NIV She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD, she does not draw near to her God. NLT No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction. It does not trust in the LORD or draw near to its God. NRS It has listened to no voice; it has accepted no correction. It has not trusted in the LORD; it has not drawn near to its God. NJB She has not listened to the call, she has not bowed to correction, she has not trusted in Yahweh, she has not drawn near to her God. NAB She hears no voice, accepts no correction; In the LORD she has not trusted, to her God she has not drawn near. YLT She hath not hearkened to the voice, She hath not accepted instruction, In Jehovah she hath not trusted, Unto her God she hath not drawn near. heeded: Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Nehemiah 9:26; Jeremiah 7:23-28; 22:21; Zechariah 7:11-14; accepted: Isaiah 1:5; Jeremiah 2:30; 5:3; Ezekiel 24:13; instruction: Ps 50:17; Proverbs 1:7; 5:12; Jeremiah 32:33; 35:13,17; John 3:18,19; trust: Ps 78:22; Isaiah 30:1-3; 31:1; Jeremiah 17:5,6 draw: Ps 10:4; Isaiah 29:13; 43:22; Hebrews 10:22 Related Passages: Jeremiah 3:13 ‘Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the LORD your God And have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the LORD. Jeremiah 22:21 “I spoke to you in your prosperity; But you said, ‘I will not listen!’ This has been your practice from your youth, That you have not obeyed My voice. DISOBEDIENT, DEFIANT, DISTRUSTING AND DISTANT FROM GOD No voice...no instruction...not trust...not draw near - Four specific "negative" indictments that warrant one woe and begin to explain the source of the depraved description of the city as described in Zeph 3:1. This passage gives us the explanation for the ungodly conduct described in Zeph 3:3-4. Without the Word of God as the nourishment for their soul, they walked according to their flesh nature with nothing to restraint them. A sinful state is, and will be, a woeful state! -- Matthew Henry She heeded (shama) no voice (Jer 22:21, Zech 7:11-14) - ESV - "She listens to no voice." Jerusalem certainly HEARD the voices of the prophets, but she refused to HEED them, revealing deliberate disobedience. The issue was not the absence of God’s message because His Word was faithfully proclaimed again and again through the prophets, even in the face of continual rejection and threats to their lives! Rather, the problem was that the people refused to obey what they heard. The Hebrew verb שָׁמַע (shama) carries the idea of not merely of hearing sound but of listening with the intention of responding in obedience. In this sense, Jerusalem did not “listen,” because she rejected the call to obey. God’s Word entered their ears but never reached their hearts—like the proverbial saying, it went “in one ear and out the other.” Thus they became the classic example of hearers but not doers, a condition that leads to dangerous spiritual delusion . As James 1:22+ warns, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” Delude (paralogizomai) refers to reasoning falsely or deceiving oneself through faulty thinking. By hearing God’s Word without obeying it, the people of Jerusalem lulled themselves into the illusion that they were still aligned with God while their lives showed the opposite. The Septuagint (LXX) captures this nuance well by translating shāmaʿ with the verb εἰσακούω (eisakouō), which emphasizes listening attentively with the expectation of obedience. This same verb appears in passages such as Deuteronomy 1:43+ and Deuteronomy 9:23+, where Israel “would not listen” to the LORD, meaning they refused to obey His command. In the same way, Zephaniah indicts Jerusalem for rejecting the voice of God that spoke to them through His prophets. In this respect, the city stood in stark contrast to the attitude God desires. In Isaiah 66:2, the LORD declares “But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.” Instead of trembling at God’s Word, Jerusalem dismissed it. Instead of responding with obedience, she hardened her heart. Her failure, therefore, was not ignorance but willful refusal to heed the voice of God. Contrast the heart of the post-exilic Jewish remnant in Haggai's day, about 100 years after Zephaniah's message including the 70 years of discipline in Babylon - Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the LORD their God had sent him. And the people showed reverence for the LORD (Ed: Clearly divine discipline brought forth from at least the remnant of Judah the peaceful fruit of righteousness!). (Hag 1:12) She accepted no instruction (correction, discipline)(musar; LXX - paideia = child training, act of providing guidance for responsible living) - The primary idea of instruction is discipline, expressed by the Hebrew word מוּסָר (musar; LXX - paideia), which refers to correction, instruction, or chastening intended to train someone in righteousness. Proverbs 3:11 exhorts, “My son, do not reject the discipline (musar; LXX - paideia)of the LORD or loathe His reproof.” God did indeed discipline Jerusalem, but for the most part the city refused to accept Yahweh’s loving correction. By rejecting His discipline, they forfeited the blessing that such correction was meant to bring. As Job 5:17 declares, “Behold, how happy (‘esher = blessed, in a state of well-being) is the man whom God reproves; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.” Divine discipline is intended to restore and bless, yet Jerusalem stubbornly resisted it, just as Jeremiah later lamented when he described the nation’s refusal to receive correction (see note). They deliberately rejected the instruction that would have directed them onto the right path and refused the correction that exposed and sought to turn them from the wrong path. Though God graciously provided guidance through His law and His prophets, the people stubbornly resisted both teaching and discipline. Their refusal to listen inevitably led to spiritual decline, which in turn produced social injustice and moral corruption throughout the community. Because they stiffened their necks and hardened their hearts against God’s warnings and rebukes, their condition only deteriorated further. Instead of repenting, they continued, and even progressed downward, in their sin, persisting in rebellion without repentance or remorse. 🙏 THOUGHT - Dear believer, how do you respond when you sin willfully and/or repeatedly and your heavenly Father takes you out to His "wood shed" and gives you a good whipping? (cf Heb 12:6+ where "scourges" = mastigoo = literally, as beating with a lash or whip) This is not a minor question! How you answer is vital to your spiritual growth in Christlikeness. If you gladly receive His hand of discipline (even if you have to wince), you will grow in holiness and bring forth the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb 12:10, 11+, cf Ps 119:67, 71+, Pr 6:23,24+). If you refuse, you will not grow in godliness and you will likely experience more divine discipline! Israel rejected Yahweh's hand of discipline and look where it got them! Accepted is translated in the Lxx with the verb dechomai (see word study) which means to receive something willingly (eg, see especially these uses: Negative = 1Cor 2:14, Positive = 1Thes 1:6+, 1Thes 2:13+), like "putting the welcome mat out" for the Word of God (cf James 1:21+ - notice the attitude that accompanies acceptance - humility!). Hebrews warns us... MacKay "Throughout their history God continued to send circumstances (natural disasters like drought and famine, or foreign aggression) to alert his people to the fact that they had broken the covenant and bring them to their senses. But they ignored what they were being taught." (Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah) Divine discipline did not correct their wayward steps which begs the question... 🙏 THOUGHT: (THIS IS SIMILAR TO PREVIOUS THOUGHT BUT IT IS SO IMPORTANT, IT BEARS REPEATING) "When God disciplines you (Heb 12:5-11), do you recognize it (confessing and repenting) as His Fatherly love to bring you back into fellowship with Him or do you ignore or even worse spurn His loving discipline which is designed to bring forth "the peaceful fruit of righteousness in your life" to those "who have been trained [gumnazo/gymnazo = word study] by it" (Heb 12:11+)?" One of the purposes of the God-breathed Scripture is correction (2Ti 3:16+), something the people of Zephaniah's day refused to receive. Jeremiah had a similar word for rebellious Judah... Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward. (Jer 7:24) 🙏 THOUGHT: Beloved, is there some word which God is speaking to you, some secret sin He is telling you to confess and repent of, and yet you repeatedly refuse to listen to His Word? Beware, for you, like Judah, might find out the truth of God's promise that sowers will be reapers of what they sow (Gal 6:7-8+) Judah's rejection of the "light" of God's Word is the problem of all unregenerate men an women... This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (Jn 3:19-20+) Judah and Jerusalem would soon experience the truth of the proverb that taught... He will die for lack of instruction (musar), and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray. (Pr 5:23+) NET Note says "The Hebrew phrase, when negated, refers elsewhere to rejecting verbal advice (Jer 17:23; 32:33; 35:13) and refusing to learn from experience (Jer 2:30; 5:3)." Clearly God had tried over and over to discipline the people of Judah but they would not learn from His hand of chastisement. How often we as children of God are like Judah and chaff at His discipline, even when we know we deserve it because of our disobedience. We see similar statements by Jeremiah to Judah regarding her rejection of divine discipline (all use musar)... Jeremiah 2:30 In vain I have struck your sons; They accepted no chastening (musar; LXX - paideia). Your sword has devoured your prophets Like a destroying lion. (Jer 2:30) Jeremiah 5:3 O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You have smitten them, But they did not weaken; You have consumed them, But they refused to take correction (musar; LXX - paideia). They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to repent. Jeremiah 7:28 “You shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the LORD their God or accept correction (musar; LXX - paideia); truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth. Jeremiah 17:23 “Yet they did not listen or incline their ears, but stiffened their necks in order not to listen or take correction (musar; LXX - paideia). Jeremiah 32:33+ “They have turned their back to Me and not their face; though I taught them, teaching again and again, they would not listen and receive instruction. (musar; LXX - paideia) Jeremiah 35:13 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Go and say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, “Will you not receive instruction (musar; LXX - paideia) by listening to My words?” declares the LORD. (Jer 35:13) Solomon describes those who reject instruction as fools... Proverbs 1:7+ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction (musar; LXX - paideia). REFUSAL TO TRUST YAHWEH She did not trust (batach; LXX - peitho - put confidence in, depend on, be persuaded) in the LORD - How so? Judah trusted not in God but in man. When danger threatened, she relied on human treaties alliances with the foreign, pagan nations. Or she resorted to her idols and prayed for help to false gods! The verb בָּטַח (batach) means to rely upon, place confidence in, feel secure because one depends on someone or something. In the Septuagint it is translated by peitho, meaning to be persuaded, to place confidence in, to depend upon. The idea is not merely intellectual belief but a settled reliance that produces security and obedience. Judah’s sin, therefore, was not simply disbelief but misplaced trust. Instead of resting in the Lord’s protection and promises, the nation repeatedly placed its confidence in human strength. When threats arose, Judah more often turned to political alliances and military treaties with pagan nations rather than to prayer (See Jer 17:5-7, Ps 146:3; Exceptions - Jehoshaphat - 2Ch 20:12+; Hezekiah - 2Ki 19:14-19). Kings and leaders often looked to foreign powers (Egypt, Assyria, or Babylon) for security, believing human diplomacy and military support would provide safety. At other times Judah sought help through idolatry (Isa 42:17), praying to false gods and trusting in lifeless idols that could neither hear nor save (e.g., Ahaz - 2Ch 28:22, 23+). Instead of trusting the living God Who had delivered them repeatedly throughout their history, they relied on human strategies and pagan idols. Their refusal to depend on Yahweh revealed a deeper spiritual problem which was that their confidence had shifted from the Yahweh to human power and man-made gods.The tragedy is that Scripture repeatedly warns against such misplaced reliance. Jeremiah 17:5 declares: “Thus says the LORD, ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from the LORD.’” By refusing to trust the Lord and instead depending on human alliances and idols, Judah demonstrated a heart that had turned away from God, exchanging the security of divine protection for the fragile and ultimately futile support of human and false sources of help. Harding - Their confidence should have been upon Jehovah because He, and He alone, is the eternal God, Almighty, gracious, great in goodness, pardoning iniquity, plenteous in mercy and slow to anger (Ps 86:5, 15; 103:8; 145:7-8). God is unfailingly faithful (Deut 7:9; Isa 49:7; 2 Tim 2:13) and will keep his promises (Heb 10:23), and will do as He has stated (1 Thess 5:24). One can have complete confidence in Him. (What the Bible Teaches – Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi) Calvin said that distrust in the Lord as if He were insufficient is the parent of all superstitions and wickednesses. MacKay on trust - Instead she turned to all the substitutes people put in God’s place when they rebel against him—wealth (Ps. 52:7), extortion (Ps. 62:10), princes, mortal men (Ps 146:3; 118:8–9), the idols of the nations (Ps 135:18; 115:8). She had no interest in, or attachment to, the covenant promises of the LORD, because she had no interest in, or attachment to, the one who had made them. (Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah) God desires for His people to trust Him, to believe Him when He speaks in His Word, whether it be a Word of warning or of promise. And to truly trust His Word means we will obey His Word. Anyone can say they trust God, but their actions either belie or authenticate their declaration of faith. Judah's rebellious, sinful actions (detailed in Zeph 3:3-4) proved that their faith was faulty and not genuine (cf James 2:14-26+). The writer of Hebrews reminds us that... Without faith (trust) it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Heb 11:6+) DISTANCED THEMSELVES FROM THE LIVING GOD She did not draw near (qarab; LXX - eggizo) to her God - The verb (qarab) means to come near or approach, often used of approaching God in worship. Judah still maintained outward religious activity, but their approach was only external. They honored God with their lips while their hearts remained distant, just as Isaiah rebuked: “This people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me” (Isaiah 29:13, cf , Heb 10:22+). Their failure to draw near with sincere hearts was especially inexcusable for as Moses reminded Israel “What great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God whenever we call on Him?” (Dt 4:7+) The tragedy was not that God was distant, but that His people refused to seek Him with genuine hearts. 🙏 THOUGHT: America would do well to heed these words, for God has blessed this nation exceedingly and yet instead of drawing near to Him, our courts and laws and godless citizens are doing all they can to spurn God's favor and blessing, in effect negating the founder's declaration of "One Nation Under God." (cp Pr 14:34). Revive us O LORD according to Thy Word (Ps 119:25+) sending a holy fire into the pulpits of our wayward land for the sake of Your great Name! Amen Walter Kaiser - When the people of Judah worshipped at all they had preferred to draw near to Baals, Asherah, Chemosh, Milcom, the astrological bodies, and pagan priests. David Guzik on not draw near - The worst offense is saved for last. God longs for relationship with His people, but they rejected His desire and went their own way, so she has not drawn near to her God. What a contrast with the invitation in the New Covenant - "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:16+) Instruction (04148)(musar from yasar = to discipline, chasten, admonish) refers to discipline, chastening, correction. God's chastening is always for purposes of instruction, and should not be ignored or resented. (Job 5:17 cp Job 42:2). Solomon instructs us "My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof." (Pr 3:11) One of major purposes of wisdom literature is to teach wisdom and instruction (musar) (Pr 1:2) Isaiah describes the divine chastisement poured out on the Suffering Messiah (Isa 53:5). See also similar discussion of musar (with additional material) at Proverbs 1:7 Commentary Musar is translated in the Septuagint with the noun paideia which is used of rearing and guiding a child to maturity (Heb 12:11) and refers to God's fatherly discipline (Heb 12:5). Paideia means to provide instruction, with the intent of forming proper habits of behavior, of providing guidance for responsible living, of rearing and guiding a child toward maturity. NAS Usage: chastening(3), chastise(1), correction(3), discipline(18), disciplines(1), instruction(20), punishment(2), reproof(1), warning(1). Musar - 50 verses - Dt 11:2; Job 5:17; 20:3; 33:16; 36:10; Ps 50:17; Pr 1:2f, 7f; 3:11; 4:1, 13; 5:12, 23; 6:23; 7:22; 8:10, 33; 10:17; 12:1; 13:1, 18, 24; 15:5, 10, 32f; 16:22; 19:20, 27; 22:15; 23:12f, 23; 24:32; Isa 26:16; 53:5; Jer 2:30; 5:3; 7:28; 10:8; 17:23; 30:14; 32:33; 35:13; Ezek 5:15; Hos 5:2; Zeph 3:2, 7. (Deut 11:2) “Know this day that I am not speaking with your sons who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of the LORD your God–His greatness, His mighty hand and His outstretched arm, Brown-Driver-Briggs Expanded Definition - מוּסָר noun masculine Pr 15:10 discipline (of the moral nature), chastening, correction; — ׳מJeremiah 2:30 31t. ( Ezekiel 5:15 strike out Co); construct מוּסַר Deuteronomy 11:2 14t. (for Job 12:28 see אסר); suffix מוּסָרִי Proverbs 8:10; מוּסָֽרְךָ Isaiah 26:16; מֹסָרָם Job 33:16 (for מֻסָרָם Di SS); — 1. discipline, correction a. of God, Deuteronomy 11:2 ׳מוּסַר י the discipline of ׳י (of Y.'s wonders, as exercising a disciplinary, educating influence upon Israel, compare Dr); ׳לקח מ Jeremiah 17:23; Jeremiah 32:33; Jeremiah 35:13; Zephaniah 3:2,7; Psalm 50:17; Job 33:16; Job 36:10; בְּלִמָּתִי׳מ the correction of (i.e. which lead-eth to) my shame Job 20:3. b. הבלים עֵץ הוּא׳מ the discipline of unreal gods is wood (is like themselves, destitute of true moral force) Jeremiah 10:8; Ezekiel 5:15 = warning example (?) Ew Sm ("" שְׁמָמָה; strike out ᵐ5 CO). c. in Proverbs, discipline in the school of wisdom: ׳חכמה ומ Ezekiel 1:2,7; Ezekiel 23:23; חכמה׳מdiscipline of wisdom Ezekiel 15:33; הַשְׂכֵּל׳מ Ezekiel 1:3; ׳תוכחות מ Ezekiel 6:23; לִבֶּ֑ךָ׳הָבִיאָה לַמּEzekiel 23:12 apply thy mind to discipline; ׳קבּל מ Ezekiel 19:20; ׳לקח מ Ezekiel 1:3; Ezekiel 8:10; Ezekiel 24:32 (compare Jeremiah above); קנה׳מ Ezekiel 23:23; ׳שׁמע מ Ezekiel 8:23; Ezekiel 19:27; ׳שׁמר מ Ezekiel 10:17; ׳אהב מ Ezekiel 12:1; ׳החזק במ Ezekiel 4:13; the reverse ׳שׂנא מ Ezekiel 5:12; פרע׳מ Ezekiel 13:18; Ezekiel 15:32; ׳בזה מ Ezekiel 1:7; ׳באין מ for lack of discipline Ezekiel 5:23 ("" בְּרֹב אִיַלְתּוֺ); אֱוִלִים אִוֶּלֶת׳מ Ezekiel 16:22 the discipline of fools is folly; of paternal discipline, correction, Proverbs 1:8; Proverbs 4:1; Proverbs 13:1. 2 more severely, chastening, chastisement: a. of God, יהוה׳מ Proverbs 3:11 chastening of Yahweh; שׁדַּי׳מ Job 5:17; מוּסָֽרְךָ Isaiah 26:16; שְׁלוֺמֵנוּ עָלָיו׳מ Isaiah 53:5 chastisement of (i.e. leading to) our peace was upon him; ׳לקח מ Jeremiah 2:30; Jeremiah 5:3; Jeremiah 7:28; אַכְזָרִי׳מ Jeremiah 30:14 chastisement of a cruel one, ᵑ0, but read ׳מוּסָר א cruel chastisement, Gf and especially Gie; לְכֻלָּם׳אני מ Hosea 5:2 I am a chastisement for them all. b. of man, Proverbs 15:5; Proverbs 23:13; ׳שִׁחֲרוֺ מ Proverbs 13:24; ׳שֵׁבֶט מ Proverbs 22:15; אויל׳מProverbs 7:22 chastisement of a fool; מוּסָר רָע Proverbs 15:10 grievous chastisement. Gesenius Definition - מוּסָר m. (from the root יָסַר) (1) correction of children by their parents, of nations by kings, of men by God. Proverbs 22:15, שֵׁבֶט מוּסָר; 23:13, אַל־תִּמְנַע מִנַּעַר מוּסָר “withhold not correction from a child.” Job 12:18, מוּסַר מְלָכִים פִּתֵּחַ “he looses or dissolves the correction (or discipline) of kings,” i.e. their authority. Job 5:17, מוּסַר שַׁדַּי “the correction of the Almighty.” Hosea 5:2, “I (will be) a correction to all.” (2) admonition, discipline, especially that which children receive from parents, men from God, Psalms 50:17; Jeremiah 2:30; Proverbs 1:8, 4:1 5:12 8:33 and hence example, by which others are admonished, Ezekiel 5:15 compare the verb, Ezekiel 23:48. (3) instruction, doctrine, in which sense it is joined with דַּעַת, חָכְמָה, Proverbs 1:2, 4:13 6:23 23:23. Related Resources: Baker Evangelical Dictionary Discipline Charles Buck Dictionary Discipline (1) Discipline (2) Holman Bible Dictionary Discipline Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Discipline (2) Discipline King James Dictionary Discipline International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Discipline McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Discipline Trust (Rely, confident, secure)(0982) batach speaks of being confident or trusting and pertains to placing reliance or belief in a person or object (Ps 112:7; Isa 26:3) Batach expresses sense of well-being and security from having something or someone in whom to place confidence. Notice all the uses in the book of Psalms (see below) where many if not most refer to trust in Jehovah (this would make a great devotional study to see what is associated with trust in the LORD). In the first use (Dt 28:52) Israel had failed to trust in Name of Jehovah, but instead put their trust in their "towns" with their "high and fortified walls" which would be broken down. In Jdg 9:26 men of Shechem put their trust in Gaal. In Jdg 9:26, 18:7, 10, 27 all mean "secure" referring to people living in security. Hezekiah trusted in LORD. The uses of batach are so wonderful that all the 116 verses are listed below to facilitate easy study. Note especially all the uses of trust in Psalm 22 a clearly Messianic psalm. Wiersbe on trust - The word translated “trust” (e.g., used in Pr 3:5+) means “to lie helpless, facedown.” It pictures a servant waiting for the master’s command in readiness to obey, or a defeated soldier yielding himself to the conquering general. (Bible Exposition Commentary-OT) Higgins agrees that the Hebrew word batach "means to stretch out or to lie face down. It is a picture of a man totally stretched out on his face before God. The message of his posture is his total helplessness and dependence upon God. It bespeaks that he is totally yielded to that will. Matthew reminds us of the Lord Jesus that He "fell on his face, and prayed ... not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Mt 26:39). (What the Bible Teaches - Proverbs) Draw near (07126)(qarab) means to come near or approach. It is a verb which basically indicates coming physically closer. To come near (1Sa 17:41, Jonah 1:6, et al). To come near or approach ("When they saw him [Joseph] from a distance and before he came close to them." Ge 37:18) Speaks of arrival at a country ("came near to Egypt" Ge 12:11) Of the nearness of a time such as the end of mourning (“The days of mourning for my father are near" Ge 27:41) or time of death ("When the time for Israel to die drew near." Ge 47:29) Of sexual intimacy ("Abimelech had not come near her" Ge 20:4) Judah refused to draw near though invited, even while Moses was told (first use in OT) "Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." (Ex 3:5). Thus it was is used of approaching God (Ex. 3:5; Dt. 4:11; 5:23, 27; Isa. 48:16; 1Sa. 14:36). Another prohibition to draw near involved the adulteress ("do not go near the door of her house" Pr 5:8) Foreigners invited to celebrate Passover ("let him come near to celebrate it" Ex 12:48) Israel invited to draw near even in their sin! ("Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your grumblings.”) A prayer for God to draw near ("Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it" Ps 69:18, cp Ps 119:169). Of bringing or presenting an offering ("bringing near one's sacrifice") to the LORD and thus often translated "offer" (Lev 2:1, 4, 8, Nu 26:61, 31:50, et al). Since Israel would not draw near for worship, God says "I will draw near to you for judgment." (Mal 3:5) Figuratively of plague not coming near (Ps 91:10). The Lxx translates qarab in Zeph 3:2 with the verb eggizo meaning to draw near, be near, to approach (including the idea of approaching in time = being at hand = Ro 13:12). Here is a beautiful use of qarab... Ps 65:4 How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You to dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple. Qarab - 264 verses - accept(1), appear(1), approach(11), approach to offer(1), approached(9), approaches(3), approaching(2), assisted(1), bring(20), bring her near(1), bring him near(2), bring you near(1), bring near(4), brings(1), brought(11), brought his near(1), brought you near(1), brought your near(1), brought...near(1), came(3), came close(1), came forward(1), came near(12), came together(1), came*(1), come(7), come forward(1), come near(25), comes near(1), draw(2), draw near(9), drawn near(1), draws near(1), drew near(6), go near(3), join(2), joined(1), keep(1), made an offering(1), near(9), offer(43), offered(10), offering(2), offers(7), present(40), presented(16), presenting(3), presents(4), presents his shall present(1), soon(1). Ge 12:11; 20:4; Ge 27:41; 37:18; 47:29; Ex 3:5; 12:48; Ex 14:10, 20; Ex 16:9; Ex 22:8; 28:1; 29:3f, 8, 10; 32:19; 36:2; 40:12, 14, 32; Lev 1:2f, 5, 10, 13ff; Lev 2:1, 4, 8, 11ff; 3:1, 3, 6f, 9, 12, 14; 4:3, 14; 5:8; 6:14, 20f; 7:3, 8f, 11ff, 16, 18, 25, 29, 33, 35, 38; 8:6, 13, 18, 22, 24; 9:2, 5, 7ff, 15ff; 10:1, 3ff, 19; 12:7; 14:12; 16:1, 6, 9, 11, 20; 17:4; 18:6, 14, 19; 20:16; 21:6, 8, 17f, 21; 22:3, 18, 20ff, 24f; 23:8, 16, 18, 25, 27, 36f; 27:9, 11; Nu 3:4, 6; 5:9, 16, 25; 6:14, 16; 7:2f, 10ff, 18f; 8:9f; 9:6f, 13; 15:4, 7, 9f, 13, 27, 33; 16:5, 9f, 17, 35, 38ff; 18:2ff, 15, 22; 25:6; 26:61; 27:1, 5; 28:2f, 11, 19, 26f; 29:8, 13, 36; 31:48, 50; 36:1; Dt 1:17, 22; 2:19, 37; 4:11; 5:23, 27; 15:9; 20:2f, 10; 22:14; 25:11; 31:14; Josh 3:4; 7:14, 16ff; 8:5, 23; 10:24; 17:4; Jdg 3:17f; 5:25; 19:13; 20:24; 1Sa 10:20f; 14:36; 17:41, 48; 2Sa 15:5; 20:16f; 1Kgs 2:1, 7; 20:29; 2Kgs 16:12, 14; 1Chr 16:1; 2Chr 35:12; Ezra 8:35; Esther 5:2; Job 31:37; 33:22; Ps 27:2; 32:9; 65:4; 69:18; 72:10; Ps 91:10; Ps 119:150, 169; Pr 5:8; Eccl 5:1; Isa 5:8, 19; 8:3; 26:17; 34:1; 41:1, 5, 21; 46:13; 48:16; 54:14; 57:3; 65:5; Jer 30:21; Lam 3:57; 4:18; Ezek 9:1; 12:23; 18:6; 22:4; 36:8; 37:7, 17; 42:14; 43:19, 22ff; 44:7, 15f, 27; 46:4; Hos 7:6; Jonah 1:6; Zeph 3:2; Hag 2:14; Mal 1:8; 3:5 Vine - In general qarab signifies “approach or coming near someone or something” apart from any sense of intimacy. In Ge 12:11 (first biblical occurrence) the word is used of spatial proximity, of being spatially close to something. Usually the word represents being so close to something (or someone) that the subject can see (Ex 32:19), speak to (Nu 9:6), or even touch (Ex. 36:2) the object or person in question. This verb also is used of temporal nearness, in the sense that something is about to occur. Qarab can be used of the imminence of joyous occasions, such as religious feasts (Dt. 15:9). The word is also used of the imminence of foreboding events (Ge 27:41). Qarab is used in a number of technical senses. In all these instances personal involvement is suggested; the idea is not simply being close to something (someone) but being actively and personally involved with it (him). In military contexts the word signifies armed conflict. In Dt. 2:37 the Lord commended Israel because “unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not.” Yet in Dt. 2:19 He allowed them to “come nigh” that land: “And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them." The later passage (Dt. 2:37) uses the word technically, to close in battle. Therefore, Israel did not come close to the land of Ammon; they did not close in battle with them (cf. Josh. 8:5). In some passages this martial coloring is not immediately obvious to the casual reader but is nonetheless present (Ps. 27:2). Ps. 27:3 substantiates that this use of the verb is “to close in battle” (cf. Ps 91:10; 119:150). Qarab is used technically of having sexual relations. In Ge 20:4 before Abimelech states his innocence with regard to Sarah we read he “had not come near her” (cf. Dt. 22:14; Isa 8:3). In another technical use the word represents every step one performs in presenting his offering and worship to God. This idea first appears in Ex. 3:5 where God tells Moses not to “draw near” before removing his sandals. Later Israel’s meeting with God’s representative was a drawing near to God (Ex. 16:9). At Sinai they drew near to receive God’s law (Dt. 5:23, 27). In the causative stem the verb often represents the sacrificial presentation of offerings (Lev 1:14) through the priests (Lev. 1:5) to the Lord (Lev. 1:13). Israel also came near the Lord’s representative in serious legal cases so that God the great King and Judge could render a decision (Josh. 7:14). In the eschaton (future time) all peoples are to gather before God; they are “to come near” Him to hear and receive His judgment (Isa 41:1; 48:16). (Vine's Complete OT/NT) MacKay says to not draw near "indicates that whatever outward acts of worship were engaged in, there was no true reverence for God or fellowship with him. He was ‘near in their mouth but far from their heart’ (Jer. 12:2, literally)." (Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah)
Sofonias 3
Wiersbe - Our God is a “singing” God. God the Father sings to the Jewish remnant entering the kingdom (Zeph 3:17). God the Son sang at the close of the Passover Feast, and then went to the garden to pray (Matt. 26:30). He also sang after His triumphant resurrection from the dead (Ps. 22:22; Heb. 2:12). God the Spirit sings today through the hearts and lips of Christians who praise God in the Spirit (Eph 5:18–21). (Bible Commentary-OT) Matthew
Sofonias 3
Wiersbe - Where once the Jewish nation brought shame and disgrace to God’s name and were poor witnesses to the Gentiles, now Israel will bring honor and praise to the Lord their God and reveal to the Gentile nations the glory of His name. Israel will receive honor from the Gentiles and give the glory to the Lord. The state of Israel was “born” on May 14, 1948, but that event, significant as it is, was not the fulfillment of God’s promise to regather His people and restore their fortunes. That promise will be fulfilled in the end times, after the Jews have experienced the Day of the Lord and been prepared to see their Messiah. But God’s promises will be fulfilled, and God’s people Israel will be restored and bring worldwide glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Bible Commentary-OT)