13 Therefore their goods H2428 shall become a booty, H4933 and their houses H1004 a desolation: H8077 they shall also build H1129 houses, H1004 but not inhabit H3427 them; and they shall plant H5193 vineyards, H3754 but not drink H8354 the wine H3196 thereof.
Thou shalt sow, H2232 but thou shalt not reap; H7114 thou shalt tread H1869 the olives, H2132 but thou shalt not anoint H5480 thee with oil; H8081 and sweet wine, H8492 but shalt not drink H8354 wine. H3196
Forasmuch H3282 therefore as your treading H1318 is upon the poor, H1800 and ye take H3947 from him burdens H4864 of wheat: H1250 ye have built H1129 houses H1004 of hewn stone, H1496 but ye shall not dwell H3427 in them; ye have planted H5193 pleasant H2531 vineyards, H3754 but ye shall not drink H8354 wine H3196 of them.
Thou shalt betroth H781 a wife, H802 and another H312 man H376 shall lie H7901 H7693 with her: thou shalt build H1129 an house, H1004 and thou shalt not dwell H3427 therein: thou shalt plant H5193 a vineyard, H3754 and shalt not gather the grapes H2490 thereof.
Many H7227 pastors H7462 have destroyed H7843 my vineyard, H3754 they have trodden H947 my portion H2513 under foot, H947 they have made H5414 my pleasant H2532 portion H2513 a desolate H8077 wilderness. H4057 They have made H7760 it desolate, H8076 and being desolate H8077 it mourneth H56 unto me; the whole land H776 is made desolate, H8074 because no man H376 layeth H7760 it to heart. H3820 The spoilers H7703 are come H935 upon all high places H8205 through the wilderness: H4057 for the sword H2719 of the LORD H3068 shall devour H398 from the one end H7097 of the land H776 even to the other end H7097 of the land: H776 no flesh H1320 shall have peace. H7965 They have sown H2232 wheat, H2406 but shall reap H7114 thorns: H6975 they have put themselves to pain, H2470 but shall not profit: H3276 and they shall be ashamed H954 of your revenues H8393 because of the fierce H2740 anger H639 of the LORD. H3068
Therefore shall Zion H6726 for your sake H1558 be plowed H2790 as a field, H7704 and Jerusalem H3389 shall become heaps, H5856 and the mountain H2022 of the house H1004 as the high places H1116 of the forest. H3293
They shall cast H7993 their silver H3701 in the streets, H2351 and their gold H2091 shall be removed: H5079 their silver H3701 and their gold H2091 shall not be able H3201 to deliver H5337 them in the day H3117 of the wrath H5678 of the LORD: H3068 they shall not satisfy H7646 their souls, H5315 neither fill H4390 their bowels: H4578 because it is the stumblingblock H4383 of their iniquity. H5771
Thy substance H2428 and thy treasures H214 will I give H5414 to the spoil H957 without price, H4242 and that for all thy sins, H2403 even in all thy borders. H1366
And he shall eat H398 the fruit H6529 of thy cattle, H929 and the fruit H6529 of thy land, H127 until thou be destroyed: H8045 which also shall not leave H7604 thee either corn, H1715 wine, H8492 or oil, H3323 or the increase H7698 of thy kine, H504 or flocks H6251 of thy sheep, H6629 until he have destroyed H6 thee.
For a voice H6963 of wailing H5092 is heard H8085 out of Zion, H6726 How are we spoiled! H7703 we are greatly H3966 confounded, H954 because we have forsaken H5800 the land, H776 because our dwellings H4908 have cast us out. H7993
And I will make H5414 Jerusalem H3389 heaps, H1530 and a den H4583 of dragons; H8577 and I will make H5414 the cities H5892 of Judah H3063 desolate, H8077 without an inhabitant. H3427
And they shall eat up H398 thine harvest, H7105 and thy bread, H3899 which thy sons H1121 and thy daughters H1323 should eat: H398 they shall eat up H398 thy flocks H6629 and thine herds: H1241 they shall eat up H398 thy vines H1612 and thy fig trees: H8384 they shall impoverish H7567 thy fenced H4013 cities, H5892 wherein thou H2007 trustedst, H982 with the sword. H2719
Destruction H7667 upon destruction H7667 is cried; H7121 for the whole land H776 is spoiled: H7703 suddenly H6597 are my tents H168 spoiled, H7703 and my curtains H3407 in a moment. H7281
The lion H738 is come up H5927 from his thicket, H5441 and the destroyer H7843 of the Gentiles H1471 is on his way; H5265 he is gone forth H3318 from his place H4725 to make H7760 thy land H776 desolate; H8047 and thy cities H5892 shall be laid waste, H5327 without an inhabitant. H3427
And they shall build H1129 houses, H1004 and inhabit H3427 them; and they shall plant H5193 vineyards, H3754 and eat H398 the fruit H6529 of them. They shall not build, H1129 and another H312 inhabit; H3427 they shall not plant, H5193 and another H312 eat: H398 for as the days H3117 of a tree H6086 are the days H3117 of my people, H5971 and mine elect H972 shall long enjoy H1086 the work H4639 of their hands. H3027
Behold, the LORD H3068 maketh the earth H776 empty, H1238 and maketh it waste, H1110 and turneth H5753 it upside down, H6440 and scattereth abroad H6327 the inhabitants H3427 thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, H5971 so with the priest; H3548 as with the servant, H5650 so with his master; H113 as with the maid, H8198 so with her mistress; H1404 as with the buyer, H7069 so with the seller; H4376 as with the lender, H3867 so with the borrower; H3867 as with the taker of usury, H5383 so H834 with the giver of usury H5378 to him. The land H776 shall be utterly H1238 emptied, H1238 and utterly H962 spoiled: H962 for the LORD H3068 hath spoken H1696 this word. H1697
Then said H559 I, Lord, H136 how long? And he answered, H559 Until the cities H5892 be wasted H7582 without inhabitant, H3427 and the houses H1004 without man, H120 and the land H127 be utterly H8077 desolate, H7582
Woe H1945 unto them that join H5060 house H1004 to house, H1004 that lay H7126 field H7704 to field, H7704 till there be no H657 place, H4725 that they may be placed H3427 alone in the midst H7130 of the earth! H776 In mine ears H241 said the LORD H3068 of hosts, H6635 Of a truth H3808 many H7227 houses H1004 shall be desolate, H8047 even great H1419 and fair, H2896 without inhabitant. H3427
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Zephaniah 1
Commentary on Zephaniah 1 Matthew Henry Commentary
An Exposition, With Practical Observations, of
The Prophecy of Zephaniah
Chapter 1
After the title of the book (v. 1) here is,
Such fair and timely warning as this did God give to the Jews of the approaching captivity; but they hardened their neck, which made their destruction remediless.
Zep 1:1-6
Here is,
Zep 1:7-13
Notice is here given to Judah and Jerusalem that God is coming forth against them, and will be with them shortly; his presence, as a just avenger, his day, the day of his judgment and his wrath, are not far off, v. 7. Those that improve not the presence of God with them as a Father, but sin away that presence, may expect his presence with them as a Judge, to call them to an account for the contempt put upon his grace. The day of the Lord will come. Men have their day now, when they take a liberty to do what they please; but God's day is at hand; it is here called his sacrifice, a sacrifice of his preparing, for the punishing of presumptuous sinners is a sacrifice to the justice of God, some reparation to his injured honour. Those that brought their offerings to other gods were themselves justly made victims to the true God. On a day of sacrifice great slaughter was made; so shall there be in Jerusalem; men shall be killed up as fast as lambs for the altar, with as little regret, with as much pleasure: The slain of the Lord shall be many. On a day of sacrifice great feasts were made upon the sacrifices; so the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem shall be feasted upon by their enemies the Chaldeans; these are the guests God has prepared and invited to come and glut themselves-their revenge with slaughter and their covetousness with plunder. Now observe,
Zep 1:14-18
Nothing could be expressed with more spirit and life, nor in words more proper to startle and awaken a secure and careless people, than the warning here given to Judah and Jerusalem of the approaching destruction by the Chaldeans. That is enough to make the sinners in Zion tremble-that it is the day of the Lord, the day in which he will manifest himself by taking vengeance on them. It is the great day of the Lord, a specimen of the day of judgment, a kind of doom's-day, as the last destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans is represented to be in our Saviour's prediction concerning it, Mt. 24:27.