PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Zephaniah
William J. Deane [1853-1943] · 65,377 words · 74 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Zephaniah — Section 1
THE PULPIT COMMENTARY, F,DJTET) BY TRR VERY REV. H. D. M. SPENCE, D.D., DEAll or GLOUOE8TBB; AND BY THI!: REV. JOSEPH S. EXELL, M.A. ZEPI--IANIAH. @X}lOSftfon BY REV. W. J. DEANE, M.A.., BEC'l'OB 01' .U HBIL ~omflttfe1 BY REV. S. D. HILLMAN, B.A. 1};1omflfrs br1 1:7arious 5autf)ors. REV. T. WHITELAW, D.D.…
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the contents of the prophecy, where the writer'R personal history is wholly unnoticed. He calls himself" the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, th,, Hon of Arnariah, the son of Hizkiah.'' .A.a it is nsual to mention only the name of the father, it has been inferred that the genealogy is carried np t,, the fourth genera…
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rhetorical artifice to make it permanent. Like other prophets, he connectA himself with his predecessors by employing their language, not from povert.y of idea, not from "declension in the originality of prophetR of this date," bnt becauso he designs to give, in a compendious form, "the fundamental thoughts of judgment…
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EXPOSITION. limina.ry monition (Gen. vi. 7). From off CHAPTER I. the land ; from the face of the earth, not Vere. 1-18.-Pe.rt I. THE JuDGMENT the land of Judah a.lone. Se.ith the Lord· UPON Al,L THE WOBLD 1 AND UPON JUDAH IN is _the_ saying of Jehovah. The prophet i~ thlB 1s merely the vehicle of the Divine PARTIO…
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the.t of bee.thane. Renee it is e.dded, upon that, etc. ; rather, the ,corshippere who, elo. all the inhabitants of Jernsalem, bec.auee, These were people who endeavoured to having in their very midst the temple of blend the worship of God with that of God, ~-itl, its eervioeB and priests, they ought BAAi, or halted…
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co.rry out this purpose (comr,. Jer. xxii. 7; allusion to the circumstance of the priests Ii. 27, 28; Micah iii. 5). The pe.rticulor of Dagon abstaining from treading on the ogente intended are not specified by the threshold of their temple in consequence of prophet, whose mission wos not directed what happened to t…
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hero need in tho aense of " va.lle:v ," and in all tbe.t happens, but, seoure l\nd cl\reless pr~ba.bly refeni ~o the Tyropamm, 'or pa.rt in their worldly prosperity, they assign all of 1t, the depression tha.t ran down the city, events to chance or natural law, placing having Acrn a.nd Zion on its west side, and Jeh…
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nttnck (Micnh v. 11 ). The high towers. wortblessneBB than in the abundance 0r 'l'hese arc the turrets built at the nngles of dust. Bloodshed is as little regarded aa the walls for the better clefcnce of the city, duet that is trodden under foot (comp. 2 11.nd to annoy the besiegers ( eh. iii. 6). Kings xiii. 7). The c…
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Vers. 4, 5.-.A corrupt priesthood and its pernicious influence. 'l'he work of refor- mation carried on by Hezekiah was unquestionably great, yet it cannot be correctly described as having been complete. The weerls of idolatry were extensively destroyed by him, yet many roots remained, and, springing up, bore a fresh…
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proclaims this to be 11n impossibility (Josh. xxiv. 19-25; 1 Sam. vii. 3; 1 Kings xviii. 21 ; Ezek. xx. 39). (2) Proverbial sayings of different nations recognize this. "Lay not two saddles on one horse;" "A true subject serves not two sovereigns;" "Ye cannot go east and west at the same time." (3) Men do not attempt t…
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we should earnestly seek their recovery. We should endea.vour by kindness o.nd gentleness to restore these erring ones. Although they ma.y be darkly stained by sin, ~-hey are still our brethren. ,vhilst they have Rtumbled aud fallen in the path, it is m ver_v weakness that we ourselves have trodden it. 'l'he tender, lo…
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be traced to custom. The power of he.bit is very strong. Men became confirmed in their we.ye (Jcr. xiii. 23). II. 'J.'HEY WHO CHERISH THIB SPIRIT RUN THF. RISK 011' INCURRING INFINITE LOSS, Loss may be incurred unintentionally e.nd through indifference e.n<l neglect. you neglect to insure your property, and perchance …
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~oe _is carrying on t~e work of destruction. "A great crashing from the hills" (ver.10) md1cates that the invaders, with their engines of war, a.re striking against the walls 1rnd forts. And as the work of invasion proceeds, he me.rks how it becomes concen- trated upon the mercantile pa.rt of the city," El-Wad," or "'l…
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JI. F AJ.SJ', BECURITY LEADING TO INDIFFERENCE TO Goo AND HIS CLAIMS. Bein" "at ertse," " their eyes Btanrling out with fatness," "having more than heart could wish," they " lightly esteem" the Lord and ignore his claims. They are not atheists in theory, but they are BO in practice; they do not trouble to deny the D…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS Vers.1-6.-.Aprophet of doom. I. THE :MEANING OF HIS NAME. Zephaniah, "One whom Jehovah hides." Hiding in the day of calamity a blessing promised to them that fear God (Ps. xxxt 19, 20), who are therefore styled God's hidden ones (Ps. lxxxiii. 4), and may confidently reckon upnn God's extend…
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of Jehovah wilh that of Baal, offering oaths of allegiance partly to Jehovah and partly to their king, i.e. Baal. (c) And finally, apostates and open despisers of the Jehovah- religion should be punished----;those who had turned back from serving Jehovah, and those who had never served him at all (vcr. 6). Learn: 1. T…
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•· always betokens the inward mind, and in its turn acts upon it." In Isaiah's timo tl,e Jerusalem ladies were distinguished for gay attire and wanton hearts (ls!\, iii. 16- 23). Peter (1 Epist. iii. 3) exhorts Christian women to adorn themselves," not with that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing …
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sanctified ones; i.e. not personally holy, but specially consecrated for the work to which they wore appointed. (1) In the case under consideration these were to be the Ohaldean armies, wh_ich in li~tle more than thirty years were to fall upon Jerusalem, and pour out upon 1t the vials of Jehovah 1s wrath (2 Chron. xxx…
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Vers.14-18.-"The great day of the Lord." I. RAPIDLY APPROACHING. "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly" (ver. 14). This was true of the Chaldean invasion, then little more than one generation distant-so near, in fact, that the prophet could hear the bitter cry of the mighty man who saw him…
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Vers. 1-18.-Thejudgment threatened. We learn from ver. 1 that Zephaniah received from the Lord his message to Judah in the days of Josiah, the last of the godly and reforming kings, who, after the gross corruption of the preceding reigns of Manasseh and Amon, restored to a large extent the purity of the worship of God,…
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mip;ht defy the invader; but against them sh~ll be raised the sound of the war-trumpet, and the battle-shout of a great host, before which they shall not be able to stand. Skill and wisdom shall not be able to save them. These have often enabled armies very much inferior in numbers to conquer great hosts; but now there…
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n.llegilmce to the God of Israel while yet they paid homage also to Baal. They would thus be halting between two opinions, or trying to make a compromise, which on any view of it must degrade the true God. It could only imply either that Jehovah a 11 d Ba.e.l were both real powers over their several nations, and so …
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crushing judgment comes. Finally, we he.ve set before us the careless seH-indulgence of tbo~e who are at ease e.mid e.11 this preve.iling e\·il, who have had no changes, and ha'l'e no fear of change, who say or think that neither good nor evil, blessing nor jurlgment, is to be looked for from God (ver. 12). All thin…
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Vera. l-6.-T.'1e Word. "The word of the Lord which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gede.liah, the son of Ame.rie.h, the son of Hizkiah, in the da.ys of Josiah the son of Amon, King of Judah. I will utterly consume all things from off the land, se.ith the Lord. I will consume me.n e.nd beast," etc. Of Z…
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n&me 0f the Chemarims with the priests; and them tha.t worship the host oF hel\ven upon the house-tops." The remains of Baal-worship, whiqh as yet Josiah wl\s unable utterly to eradic&te in remoter places. Baal was the Phrenician tutelary god. His name means lord; and the feminine god corresponding and genel'l\\ly a…
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I. As A DAY OF ENORMOUS BA.ORIFICE. "Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the de.y of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice." A sacrifice I 1. It is an enormous sacrifice of life. Several c1asses are referred to here as the victims of this war. (1) Royalty. "I will punish the pri…
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the Franco-Prussian, £500,000,000; e.nd the comparatively smaller wars, £1,000,000; an e.mount altogether of £2,4-00,000,000--a sufficient sum to supply every inhabite.nt of the globe, not only with the necessaries, but with the comforts and educe.tional advantages of life. "Give me," says Stebbins, "the amount that…
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EXPOSITION. OHAPTER II. comes to execution. Thie is thrieo repeated in substance, to show the certainty and Ver. 1-ch. iii. 8.-Part II. EXHORTA- speed of its arrival. Before the day pass as TION TO REPENTANCE AND TO PEBSEVEB· the cha:fl'. " Before" is not in the Hebrew ANCE, and the clause is parenthetical, "Like c…
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ac~epfa,,ee of true relioion; aml fltst the ~h·ong city. 'Under the Philistines, the ,e11te11c, &hall reach the Philistinu. Hebl'ews, the Greeks, the Honums, the Saracens, the Crusaders, it was a. place of Ver. 4.-There ie ree.son enough why note. The shattered w,1lls that still sur- ,Judah should tremble when the n…
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pnsae.ge has, n&e,011to, Kp11Twv, " eojonmere Philistie. Is of a epiritual nature, and mnst of the Cretnne; ' ancl the Byriac gives o. be looked for in the Mesaiiinic era, when similar ronclcring. Bt. Jerome renders, "gena the kingdoms of the world become the porditorum," "nation ot' destroyers." The kingdom of Chriet;…
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with ruins, and remains of houses, temples, judgment on the nations of the south and and other buildings nre strewn over a con- north, the prophet showA the object of llll siderable section of the adjoining plain. these chastisements : God deetroya idolatry All is desolate, Not e. building, and in order that pu,•e ,·e…
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sword of tlrn Spirit sho.11 reduce the utmost place Jerome has corvm. The pelice.n is south to the dominion of Christ (see Isa. found in the Assyrian monuments under xiv. H: I's. lxviii. 81). The commence- more than one appellation (see 'Transact. ment of this conversion is seen in the of Soc. of Bibi. Archreol.,' viii…
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HOMILETICS. Vers. _1, ~.-The evil summoned to repentance. Having declared fully and faithfully the D1vme Judgruents, the prophet changed bis tone, and turnincr to another aspect of truth and blending compassion with severity, he tend~rly ent;eated _those who had become so estranged from God to return to him with all…
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Ver. 3.-The good stimulated to a truer life. It is a truth admitting of abundant illustration, that even in the most degenerate times God has had a people to show forth his praise. He has not left himself without witnesses. Whilst in this prophet's day there was "the remnant of Baal" (eh. i. 4), there was also" the rem…
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Vers. 4-7.-The doom ef the Philistines. The prophet, having declo.red the judgmente to come upon Judah, turned his thoughts to the surrounding bee.then nations and proclaimed the doom they should experience. Several reasons probo.bly influenced him in taking this sur.-ey and in calling attention to the chastisements…
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Yers. B-10.-The Divine judgment upon the Moabites and Ammonites. The Moo.bites o.nd Ammonites were related to the Israelites by kinship. They were the descendants of Lot--the Moe.bites by Moe.b, the elder son of that patriarch, and the .Ammonites by Ben-Arnmi, or Ammon, his younger son (Gen. xix. 37, 38). With these…
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clearly that, whilst God wa11 workine; out his special purposes of love to the race throui,;h' the medium of" the chosen people," he was also in various ways by hi~ Spirit striving with <ill the children of men. The beauty in the teachings of the Hebrew prophets consists in t.he fact that they were so ready to acknowle…
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than in euch conflicts; yet by these military conflicts God's purposes have at times been accomplished. Nehuchadnezzar and his forces, invading Egypt and destroying the Egyptians o.nd their allies the Ethiopians, were instruments God employed to work his will. God through his holy prophet declared, "Ye Ethiopians alao,…
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According to the margine.l rendering of both the Authorized e.nd Revised Versions, the ne.tion was "not desirous," i.e. posses8ed no longing after Jehovah, hie Law, or worship, but hRd fors~ken him, and sworn by them that are no gods (Jer. v. 7), offering up sacrifices and pourmg out drink offerings unto other divinit…
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nation for communities as well as for private persons.-T. W. Ver. 3.-An ,r;,;lwrtation to the meek, addressed to the believing remnant of Judah. I. A CHEERING TESTIMONY. 1. To the existence of a believing remnant. Dark as the outlook for Judah was, degenerate as the mass of her people had become, there were yet those …
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wh_ich could not ~tberwise be ~~cured thAn by patient continua~ce in well-doing (Matt. xu,·. 13; Rom. 11. 7; Rev. 11. 10). 3, Its urgency. Proclaimed by the threefold "seek." The like diligenoe demancied of all in the matter of religion. (l) Because of ~he _majesty of him whose service it is <2 Chron. ii. 6 ; 1 'l'im. …
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of the five chief cities, with e. temple of Beelzebub (2 Kings i. 2), was the city from which the ark was sent back to Israel (1 Sam. v.10). 2. Moab and Ammon in the east. In the Assyrian inscriptions Ma'-ab, Ma'aab, Muaba, and Bit Amman. Here conjoined probo.bly because (1) of their blood-relationship, the Moo.bites h…
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Nineveh will brcome dry like a wilderness (ver. 18), and desolation shall be in hor thre~holds ('Ver. 14). (3) Occupation of their deserted lands by Israel. "'l'he Philistine coast shall be for the remnll.Ilt of the house of Judah" (ver. 7). Of Moab 11.Ild Ammon it i~ written," The remnant of my nation shall inherit…
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that vain ia the help of man, 11.nd that there are no devices of human power, or richeR, or wisdom, by which his hand can be escaped. It does not always need universal and a\l,eeping judgmenta to show this; and it is onr wisdom to learn the lessons even from single and Repamte manifestations of the power of God's wr…
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ral&.mity or trouble of any kind, and does conscience tell yon that this affliction is not undeserved, nay, that it is the natural consequence and the just punishment of your sin~ Then do not on any acoount let this drive you to despair; do not think that thel'e i~ no hope for you; do not give way to mere idle grief…
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and meekness nre the virtues here specially mentioned, for these contain the sum of moml duty, and are opposed to the violence and deceit, the avarice and oppression,•that had been depicted in eh. i. as the evils which brought down the judgment of the Lord on Judah nnd Joruealem. If we would truly seek the Lord, we …
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our ways, we turn unto the Lord, and lift up our bee.rt with our hands unto God in the bee.vens, we shall M8uredly find him; we shall experience that mercy which be shows to tbo~e who confess their sins, and we shall be made more and more partakers of his holiness.. T?_i1s we shall be h_id in the day of the Lord's e.ng…
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lying north-weet of Ge.th, nod north of Aehdod. "Woe onto the inhabitants of the scn-coe.st I" The Philietinee dwelling on the eee.-coa.et eouth-weet of Canaan. "The nation of the Cherethitee "-the Cretane, the name applied to the Philistines that sprang from Crete. "0 Ce.ne.e.n, the le.ad of the Philietinee." They …
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viz. the Moabites and the Ammonites, who 'were descended from Lot, and thereforo blood-rele.tions, and who manifested,hostility to Israel on every possible occasion." 'l'ho pa!'se.ge suggests three facts. l. THAT GOOD MEN ARE OFTEN BUllJEOT TO ANNOYANCES FROM THE UNGODLY WORLD. "I have heard the reproach [abuse] of Mo…
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is mine, I will repay, eaith the Lord;" "Blessed are they which are per~ecute<l,'' etc. (Matt. v. 10).-D. T. Ver. 11.-Good tllings in the future. "The Lord will be terrible unto them," etc. • • Jehovah ie to be feared nbove all the gods of the earth, for he will cause them to wasLe awa,y; and a,ll the inhabitants of …
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I am, o.nd beeide me there ie none. How ehe ie become desolate I A resting-place for wild beasts 1 Every one the.t paseeth by her shall hies, He shall shake bis head." T"·o facts are suggested. J. THAT MEN ARE OFTEN PRONE TO PRIDE THEl[SELVES ON THE GREATNESS OF THEIR COtn."TRY. The men of the city of Nineveh-the …
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demptn." The oppreHing oity, thnt nets They he.ve done violenoe to the Law. Chiefly, unjustly e.nd cruelly to the wee.k e.nd poor. doubtless, by distorting its meaning, and Bo tho three sins for which she is hore neither observing it themselves nor teaching denounced nre thnt she is rebellious age.inst other• to keep H…
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So Keil. None inhabitant (comp. Jer. up to the prey. This ie e. phroee denoting iv. 7). effort and the effecting of some great Ver. 7.-Tang-ht by BUoh examples, the object. Jehovah seizes the prey when Jew• might hR'l'o learned to repont and the nations, roused by judgmcnt inllioted, amenrl their ways. I Hid. God r…
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Ver. 10. - From beyond the rivers of who in the pride of their heart walked ne Ethiopia. (Cush); i.e. from the distant south, they pleased, deeming themsel vcs o,ccount- o. type of tho romotest po.rte of the world (eh. able to no one, subject to no le.w. Such ii. 12), Tho rivers of Cush (Isa. xviii. 1), shall no louger…
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tlon or woe a.nd jndgment, be eoothee the u,, "The Mighty Ono shall sa.ve thee." fnithful with the promise of the grace and This is the real ground of confidence: the pe11,ee which the time of Messiah sha.11 bring. Lord wills ~heir ea.lvation. He will rejoioe Sing, 0 da.nghter of Zion (IS&. i. S; Zech. over thee with j…
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tiou of Israel is prececlod by the destruction knowlerlge of Go 1 ancl the admiration or bis or the enemies of God and the Church. doings towards Israel (comp. eh. ii. 11; iii. Beptue.gint, no,w ,., uol ,.,.,t{., uou ,., ,,.,, 9; Ezek. xx. 41; xxviii. 25; Zech. viii. 23). r<a.,prp /r,,/vrp, 1'.l-y., Kvpws, "Dominus dic…
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RETRIBUTION THAT SHOULD BE EXPERIENCED BY THE EVIL-DOERS, (Vers. 6, 1, 8.) God is righteous (ver. 5). He is so absolutely o.nd essentially. His perfections are nil conformed to this, and, when truly contemplated by us, only render his righteousness the more manifest and intense to us. His Law is distinguished by thi…
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he1Lrt, we place true speech. "The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life" (Prov, x. 11), "uaturnl, clean, life-giving, refreshing;"" The tongue of the wise useth knowlerlue nright" (Prov. xv. 2); "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life" (Prov. xv. 4); "The lips of the wise disperse truth" (Prov. xv. 7). Happy the…
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Crying out to G0d, longing for the fulfilment of their cherished hopes, Ju exilo they a.re still his "suppliants," expecting the promised Messiah, and, whilst many of them a.re embittered against Christianity, there are not wanting numbe1s who have embraced it, and openly avowed their faith in Christ, whilst mauy are b…
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indeed, tho clim1tx. "The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, or speak lies, neither shall o. deceitful tongue be found in their mouth" (vcr. 13). II. Him maH PRIVILE0ES. 1. Deliverance from all sorrow. "Thou sbalt not see evil any more" (ver. 15), 2. Enrichment with peace and tranquillity. "For they shall foed a…
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.