The Pulpit Commentary — Zephaniah — Section 52

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. God, defiled with sin in herself, e.nd cruel Ver. 5.-In the miclst of this congregation to others. 'fhe Septuagint anrJ Vulge.te of ~innere God is continually manifesting translate jonah ("oppressing") " clove," his righteousness; he leaves not himself whioh seems eingulo.rly inappropriate here. without witness; and therefore their though Rome try to explain it as applied iniquities are without excuse. The just to Jerueo.lem in the scnso of "silly" or Lord is in the midst thereof; or, the Lord "stupid" (Hoe. vii. 11). in the midat of her is Tighteowi (Dent. Ver. 2.-The voice; i.e. of Goel, as heard xxxii. 4). His presence was aasor.iated in the Lo.IV and at the mouth of his with the temple ; his moral government prophets ( comp. J er. vii. 24, etc.; ix. 13). was always being manifested. He would Received not correotion. They took not to not be ••just" if he left sinners unpunished. heo.rt the chnstisements sent upon them, Every morning; Hebrew, " in the morning, nnd did not profit by them. She trusted not in the morning.'' The phrase is rightly in the Lord, but in man. When danger explained in our version (comp. Bxod. threntened, she relied on human a.id, made xvi. 21 ; Pd. lx:xxvii. 5). Doth he bring e.lliances with the heathen, or else had his judgment to light. His prophets pro- recourse to idols e.nd prayed for help to claim his perfect justice; bis juilgments on fa.Jae gods, e.s the next clause complains. the heathen manifest it (ver. 8; Hos. vi. She drew not nee.r to her God. She broke 5). It is not from ignorance of the Law the covenant which she had mnde, would the.t the people sin. He faileth not; or, not e.vail herself nf the privilege bestowed it faileth not; Vulgate, non abscondetur. upon her, and he.d no intercour;e with the God never ceases thus to net: or, his Lord in prayer and worship. justice is clear as ,Jay. But the unjust Ver. 3.-Roaring lions. The princes, who knoweth no shame. In spite of this hourly ought to protect the people, o.re ready to me.nifestation of God's justice, e.nd the tear them in pieces and devour them (Prov. enactments of the Law so well known, the xx:riii. 15). Probably the violence and perverse nation will not amend its we.ye, arrogance of the chiefs had increased during feels no shame e.t its backslidings (Jer, the minority of the king. Thie must he.ve iii. 3; vi. 15). The Septuagint Version, been written before the great reforma- according to tbe Vatican manuscript, is tion. Evening wolves (see note on Hab. curious here, e.nd in the latter part some- i. 8). The jurlges, whose duty it was to w~!lt like St. ,Ma}thew_'s r,endt;r~g of, Iso.. administer j uetioe and to set an exe.mple xlu. 3, Kal 011,c E"'yvc» a.6ucuu, fl' a.ra,T110-u, of equity e.nd virtue, aro themeel ves most 1<a.[ ov1< ,i, "''""' a.811<la.v ( comp. l\fatt. cruel e.nd rapacious. They gnaw not the xii. 20), which Jerome translates, "Nescit bones till to-morrow ; they gnaw no bones in iniquitl\tem in exactione, nee insempiternum the morning; that is, they are so greedy that injustitiam," e.nd explains, "When God they eat up all their prey o.t once and leave exucts from every man the sum he has nothing till the morning. The versions oommittcd to him, he will not be unjust, drop the metaphor, anrl render," They leave nor o.llow injustice to prevail." not to the morning" ( comp. Ezek. x.xii. 27). Vere. 6-8.-§ 7. ObduTale and blinded Ver. 4.-Her prophets. 'fhese a.re the as nations aTe, these e:z:treme measures are false prophets, who he.ve no true mission from God (comp. Mico.h ii. II; iii. 5). the only way l~ft to seou.re salra"tion JIN' Light; either, frivolous or empty boasters. Israel and the whole world. 'l'he word means properly, "boiling over," Ver. 6.-God speaks, showing why he lilrn water. Vulgate, vesani; Septne.gint, has sent these judgments. I he.ve out o1f ,rveuµ.a.Tocp&po,, which means, probo.bly, not the ne.tions. The reference is to fe.cts well "inspired by nn (evil) spirit," but" carried known to the hearers (though not specified e.we.y by the wind," '' light" (comp. l\Iatt. here); such as the ruin of Penta.polis, the xi. 7). Tree.cheroua persons; litere.lly, men destruction of the Ce.nne.nites, the defeat of treaoheries, who uttered their own fe.noies of the Chaldeans in Hozekiah's time, the 11.!l if they were commissioned by God, o.nd conquest of cities e.nd countries by the 110 ree.lly opposed him whom they professed ABsyrio.ns, e.nd the devastation of Israel to represent (Jer. xxiii. 82). Her priests itself. lheir towers are deaole.te. Their he.ve polluted the sanotuary (what ia holy). towers (see note on oh. i. 16), in which they Not the temple only, but e.11 that hua to do trusted for defence, are overthrown e.nd lie with God's servko, worship, rites, sacrifices; in ruins. Others translate, "street-corners," they maim no distinction between wlmt is where people most ,lo congregnte. Streets; 1ucred and w hnt is profane (Ezok. xi.ii. 26). perh11ps, roads; aignifyiug tho op~u country. 2,l!;PJ-IANi,\11, E  60 THE BOOK OF ZEPHANIAH. [ea. nr. 1...... 20.