For divers enormous sins, the kingdom of Juda is threatened with severe judgment.

¹ The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.

² While gathering, I will gather together all things from the face of the earth, says the Lord.¹

1. 1:2Gathering, I will gather, etc: That is, I will assuredly take away, and wholly consume, either by captivity, or death, both men and beasts out of this land.(Challoner)

³ I will gather man and cattle; I will gather the flying things of the air and the fish of the sea. And the impious will be a catastrophe. And I will disperse men before the face of the earth, says the Lord.¹

1. 1:3The word ‘disperdam’ usually means ‘to destroy’ or ‘to bring to ruin’ or ‘to do away with’ something. However, the prefix ‘dis’ means to separate or to scatter, and the root of the word, ‘perdo’ means ‘to lose’ something. In the context of all men on the face of the earth, it cannot be taken to mean ‘destroy,’ but rather ‘scatter’ or ‘disperse’ before the face of the earth. Also, ‘disperse’ is contrasted with ‘gather.’(Conte)

⁴ And I will extend my hand over Judah and over all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will disperse from this place the remnant of Baal, and the names of the administrators along with the priests,¹²

1. 1:4An ‘ædituorum’ is a custodian of a temple (but not a priest). In the modern context, the word administrators is a good fit.(Conte)
2. 1:4The wardens, etc: Viz., of the temples of the idols. AEdituos, in Hebrew, the Chemarims, that is, such as kindle the fires, or burn incense.(Challoner)

⁵ and those who adore the military campaign over the ceiling of the sky, both those who adore and swear by the Lord, and those who swear by Melchom,¹²³

1. 1:5Or, ‘those who adore the military campaign of the sky over the rooftops....’(Conte)
2. 1:5Notice that both those who profess true religion and those who worship a false god are grouped together. They behave the same, so they are treated the same. The next verse informs us that the one has turned aside from following the Lord and the other has never sought Him.(Conte)
3. 1:5Melchom: The idol of the Ammonites.(Challoner)

⁶ both those who turn aside from following after the Lord, and those who have not sought the Lord, nor inquired about him.

⁷ Be silent before the face of the Lord God. For the day of the Lord is near; for the Lord has prepared a victim, he has sanctified those he has called.

⁸ And this shall be: in the day of the victim of the Lord, I will visit upon the leaders, and upon the sons of the king, and upon all who have been clothed with strange garments.¹

1. 1:8Or, ‘foreign apparel.’(Conte)

⁹ And I will visit upon all who enter arrogantly over the threshold in that day, those who fill the house of the Lord their God with iniquity and deceit.

¹⁰ And this shall be in that day, says the Lord: the voice of an outcry from the fish gate, and a howling from the Second, and a great contrition from the hills.¹

1. 1:10The Second: A part of the city so called.(Challoner)

¹¹ Howl, inhabitants of the Pillar. All the people of Canaan have fallen silent. All were ruined who had been wrapped in silver.¹²

1. 1:11The Morter: Maktesh. A valley in or near Jerusalem.(Challoner)
2. 1:11The people of Chanaan: So he calls the Jews, from their following the wicked ways of the Chanaanites.(Challoner)

¹² And this shall be in that time: I will scrutinize Jerusalem with lamps, and I will visit upon the men who have become stuck in the dregs, who say in their hearts, “The Lord will not do good, and he will not do evil.”¹

1. 1:12Settled on their lees: That is, the wealthy, and such as live at their ease, resting upon their riches, like wine upon the lees.(Challoner)

¹³ And their strength will be in plundering, and their houses in the desert. And they will build houses and not dwell in them, and they will plant vineyards and not drink their wine.

¹⁴ The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and exceedingly swift. The voice of the day of the Lord is bitter; the strong will be tested there.¹

1. 1:14The verb ‘tribulabitur’ refers to being pressed or squeezed, in some contexts to obtain tribute or payment, in other contexts to pay for ones offenses. It is related to the word referring to the tribulation. The strong does not necessarily refer only to those who are evil and strong, it can refer to those who think they are strong in the faith; they will be tested in the time of the tribulation, to see if their strength is truly based on the Lord.(Conte)

¹⁵ That day is a day of wrath, a day of tribulation and anguish, a day of calamity and misery, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and whirlwinds,

¹⁶ a day of the trumpet and the trumpet blast over fortified cities and over exalted ramparts.

¹⁷ And I will trouble men, and they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord. And their blood will be poured out like soil, and their bodies like manure.

¹⁸ Neither their silver, nor their gold, will be able to free them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. All the land will be devoured in the fire of his zeal, for with all speed, he will bring to consummation every inhabitant of the land.¹

1. 1:18The word ‘consummation’ brings to mind the words of Christ on the Cross, in Latin, ‘consummatum est,’ or ‘it is completed.’ The word ‘completion’ does not quite do justice to the Latin word.(Conte)