King James Version
Zephaniah
Zephaniah in the King James Version (1769), public domain in the United States.
Background and History
The chapters above are the King James text. This essay is the setting of Zephaniah: who is said to have written it, when and where, what happens in it, and how the text has been copied.
At a Glance
| Author | Zephaniah, a descendant of Hizkiah, possibly King Hezekiah. |
|---|---|
| Date | About 640–609 BC in one survey, under Josiah. |
| Place written | Jerusalem, modern Jerusalem. |
| Genre | Prophecy of the day of the Lord. |
| Chapters | 3 |
| Verses | 53 in the King James Version |
| Key verse | Zephaniah 3:17Zephaniah 3:17 · King James VersionThe LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.Zephaniah 3:17 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
Who Wrote It
Zephaniah 1:1Zephaniah 1:1 · King James VersionThe word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
Zephaniah 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) gives a four-generation genealogy back to Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah. Many think Hizkiah is King Hezekiah. The Twelve were collected, per the Talmud, by the men of the Great Assembly. (2)
Who It Is Not
Zephaniah the priest in Jeremiah 21:1Jeremiah 21:1 · King James VersionThe word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,
Jeremiah 21:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source is a different man.
When and Where
Bible Gateway gives 640–609 BC. (5)
Audience and Setting
Judah under Josiah. The purpose is to warn of the day of the Lord and promise a purified remnant.
Rulers at the Time
Josiah of Judah. Reign dates were not checked for this essay and are omitted.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Day of the Lord against Judah | Zephaniah 1 |
| Against the nations | Zephaniah 2 |
| Restoration | Zephaniah 3 |
| Composition | 640–609 BC in one survey. (5) |
Places in This Book
| Ancient name | Modern-day location | References |
|---|---|---|
| Jerusalem | The Old City of Jerusalem. | Zephaniah 1:4Zephaniah 1:4 · King James VersionI will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;Zephaniah 1:4 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| Nineveh | Ruins at Mosul, Iraq. | Zephaniah 2:13Zephaniah 2:13 · King James VersionAnd he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness.Zephaniah 2:13 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
What Is Happening
Zephaniah 1 announces the day of the Lord on Judah. Zephaniah 2 judges the nations. Zephaniah 3 promises a remnant and God rejoicing over his people.
Key Themes
The day of the Lord in Zephaniah 1:14Zephaniah 1:14 · King James VersionThe great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
Zephaniah 1:14 · King James VersionOpen the Source. God rejoicing in Zephaniah 3:17Zephaniah 3:17 · King James VersionThe LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17 · King James VersionOpen the Source.
Apologetics Questions
The book’s fierce language of universal judgment in Zephaniah 1:2–3Zephaniah 1:2–3 · King James Version1:2 I will utterly consume all things from off the land, saith the LORD.
1:3 I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked: and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD.
Zephaniah 1:2–3 · King James VersionOpen the Source is set beside its promise of restoration.
How the Book Points to Christ
The King of Israel, the Lord, in the midst of his people, in Zephaniah 3:15Zephaniah 3:15 · King James VersionThe LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
Zephaniah 3:15 · King James VersionOpen the Source, is fulfilled in God with us. Jesus is God.
Text and Manuscripts
The Twelve are among the books found at Qumran. (6)
Canon Reception
Received with the Twelve. (4) (3)
Further Reading
References
- Book of Zephaniah, 1:1Zephaniah 1:1 · King James Version
The word of the LORD which came unto Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
Zephaniah 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source. King James Version - Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 15a, 15a (The William Davidson English on Sefaria is copyrighted. This page paraphrases it and does not reprint it. The page continues the list of writers and the debate about it.)
- Against Apion, 1.8Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William Whiston
For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from, and contradicting one another: [as the Greeks have:] but only twenty two books: which contain the records of all the past times: which are justly believed to be divine. And of them five belong to Moses: which contain his laws, and the traditions of the origin of mankind, till his death.
Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William WhistonOpen the Source (Flavius Josephus, Against Apion 1.8, translated by William Whiston. Josephus counts twenty-two books: five of Moses, thirteen of the prophets from Moses to Artaxerxes, and four of hymns and precepts.) - Festal Letter 39, 39.4–5 (Athanasius of Alexandria, AD 367, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, vol. 4, on New Advent. The letter lists twenty-two Old Testament books and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, and places Esther among books to be read rather than in the canon.)
- When Was Each Book of the Bible Written?, Zephaniah (Jacob Edson, Bible Gateway, 16 September 2024. The survey gives Zephaniah as 640–609 BC. It is one editor’s approximation, not a manuscript date.)
- Dead Sea Scrolls, introduction, Biblical manuscriptsDead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities Authority
Among the Scrolls are partial or complete copies of every book in the Hebrew Bible (except the book of Esther).
Dead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities AuthorityOpen the Source (Israel Antiquities Authority. Biblical manuscripts from the Qumran caves date from the third century BC into the first century AD, and every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther is represented.)
The King James Version (1769) is in the public domain in the United States.