The name Zephaniah means "Yahweh has hidden." This is significant in regards to both the prophet's background and his message. The name probably shows that Zephaniah's parents were faithful followers of God. Zephaniah was also the great-great-grandson of the godly king Hezekiah (1:1). Like the prophets Joel and Amos, he prophesied about the coming "day of the Lord" when God would judge his enemies and bless his followers. Zephaniah urged the people of Judah to seek the Lord so that they would be "hidden" from his anger on that day (2:3). Though even God's own people would be judged, at the same time the Lord would preserve a faithful remnant. The book of Zephaniah ends with the promise that, through this remnant, Israel will be restored and the knowledge of God will be brought to all nations. (Zephaniah 3:9-13)
The ESV Global Study Bible
Copyright © 2012 by Crossway.
All rights reserved.
Used by permission.
The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.
Loading
Loading
Interlinear |
Bibles |
Cross-Refs |
Commentaries |
Dictionaries |
Miscellaneous |