Chapter 2
vs 2 has this phrase - "the day of the anger of the Lord". Wonder if it uses the same underlying word translated wrath in vs 18?
vs 3 gives some hope to those who still follow the Lord - so this makes this passage more about the near term. Long term, it has already said in 1:18 that there will be no survivors. But vs 3 has an out:
3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD. [Zep 2:3 ESV]
2023 - The Asbury revival, so called, has been going on for about two weeks. I read something this morning urging those who go to church today to do so with a repentant, humbled, seeking heart, asking God to spread that revival. And now look at these verses from Zephaniah. This is how I will approach 2/19/23:
1 Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation, 2 before the decree takes effect --before the day passes away like chaff-- before there comes upon you the burning anger of the LORD, before there comes upon you the day of the anger of the LORD. 3 Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the LORD. [Zep 2:1-3 ESV]
2024 - Found this map to go with this verse:
4 For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod's people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted. [Zep 2:4 ESV]. There were five "cities of the Philistines". Gath is left out of this verse, nor does it show up in context. Lots of well known city names on this map. Here is the website:
https://bible-history.com/geography/map-philistine-cities-expansion
2024 - Another thought about vs 5:
5 Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left. [Zep 2:5 ESV]. Note that Canaan is equated with Philistines. I couldn't remember the "ph" sound from when I had Latin. It was a long time ago, so I looked it up. The pdf document below is a guide from an Episcopal School as to proper pronunciation in Latin. It has this quote:
"th, ph, and ch, sounds which Latin borrowed from Greek, were probably pronounced as strong t, strong p, and guttural c, but it is acceptable to pronounce them as modern English th, ph, and k, respectively."
https://www.esdallas.org/uploaded/faculty/steelec/Pronunciation.pdf
So Philistine, in Latin, would be something like pilistine, which is a fairly close approximation of Palestine. Now I know we already knew where the word Palestine came from and that it was the Romans who first used it. But the point is that IN THIS VERSE, in Zephaniah's time long before there were Romans, at least a portion of present day Israel was considered to be the land of the Philistines. At least in this part of the promised land, the Philistines seem to have pre-dated Israel, and to have been driven out incompletely by Israel. They are there because Israel messed up, and God tells them at a later time that since they didn't finish the job, He will no longer help them get rid of the previous residents, and that they'll be plagued by them. What is happening in Israel today is as God said it would be. We might shake our heads at the problems, but we still ought to see them as "self - caused" by Israel.
BUT, this verse ends with God saying that HE will destroy them until no inhabitant is left. It appears to me from the rest of the passage that this is about the Millennial - the time when God destroys Phillistia.
vss 5-7 expand the coming violence to the seacoasts - the end of Gaza and of the Philistines. It goes on to say that the surviving remnant of Judah will come to inhabit these lands. Surely that did happen "near term", but look at it today. Gaza at least is there again, and a thorn in Israel's side. Someday, Gaza will fall again, but next time, it won't be with Israel, it will just be them.
2025 - This:
5 Woe to you inhabitants of the seacoast, you nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you until no inhabitant is left. [Zep 2:5 ESV]. That term "inhabitants of the seacoast" shows up a lot. Here are the rest: 7 Turn and take your journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors in the Arabah, in the hill country and in the lowland and in the Negeb and by the seacoast, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. [Deu 1:7 ESV].
16 therefore thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the rest of the seacoast. [Eze 25:16 ESV].
7 The seacoast shall become the possession of the remnant of the house of Judah, on which they shall graze, and in the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the LORD their God will be mindful of them and restore their fortunes. [Zep 2:7 ESV].
The seacoast then if very very often about what we today call Gaza. Previously, it was the land of the Cherethites. It was Canaan. Here are some interesting verses: 18 and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David's sons were priests. [2Sa 8:18 ESV]
18 And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king. [2Sa 15:18 ESV]
23 Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites; [2Sa 20:23 ESV]
17 and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were the chief officials in the service of the king. [1Ch 18:17 ESV]. These are instances where the Cherethites served in the armies of Israel, and in other "trusted" positions in David's kingdom. But by Zephaniah's time, they were to be exterminated.
vs 8-12 prophesy the same fate to Moab and Ammon and Cush as to Gaza and Philistia. The remnant of Israel will possess them...though given the fate of those lands, I don't know why Israel would want it.
This in vs 13:
13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy Assyria, and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry waste like the desert. [Zep 2:13 ESV]
This one came to pass pretty quickly after this. vs 15 indicates that the destruction of Ninevah may have already been in the past when this was written.
2026 - So this (the book of Zephaniah) is written before Ninevah falls. We know that Zephaniah is the fourth generation from Hezekiah and he prophesied during the reign of Josiah. That surely helps us date Nahum since he also prophesied about the fall of Ninevah before it fell. It doesn't give us month and day, but it surely brackets Nahum's prophecy.