Zephaniah 2

The prophet exhorts the Jewes to repentance, before the judgements fall upon them, especially the godly ones, that were remaining yet in the countrey, verse 1, &c. some foreign nations are threatened, 6, &c. and withal there is foretold the calling of the Gentiles, to the true knowledge and worship of God.

1. Search yourselves narrowly, yea search your selves narrowly, [i.e. strive and endeavour with utmost care and diligence, to wit, to be around and reconciled with God, the sense is; enter into yourselves, search, try and examine all your wayes and doings, that ye may rightly understand, how heavily and grievously God must needs be offended with your great and manifold sins. Heb gather, or assembe your selves, the word is properly taken, for gathering of stubble, small sticks, c as Exodus 5:7,12 and 1 Kings 17:10. which since it cannot be done, without seeking and searching near and narrowly, therefore it is likewise used for seeking and searching narrowly in general, and making a thorow search] ye people, that are taken with no desire. [viz. to be reconciled with God; or, of doing ought that’s good. Oth. O people not worthy to be desired1]

2. Before the decree bring forth, [i.e. before that come to pass, which is decreed by God against you: God’s decree is then said to bring forth, when it comes to be executed, as the bringing forth of a woman doth not follow presently after the conception, but in the appointed due time; so also is the decree of God not brought to light by the execution of it, until the time determined & appointed by himself. Comp. Ezek. 20 on verse 25.] (like chaff the day is passing ny) [i.e. very swiftly, suddenly, thereof whiles ye have time, before the day, that runs and wears away so fast, do bring forth the decree. i.e. produce and mae appear that which God hath decreed against you. Oth (and) the day passé by as chaffe] whiles the heat of the LORD’s wrath dothnot yet came upon you: whiles the day of the LORDs wrath doth not yet come upon you.

3. Seek the LORD all ye meek ones of the land, [i.e. all ye that fear the LORD in these perverse and confused times] this work his right: [or, practice his judgement, that namely which God gave and prescribed unto you. Meaning all such, as had endeavoured to live uprightly and honestly, according to the rule and prescript of his lawes] seek righteousness, seek meekness, peradventure [see Joel 2 the annotate. On verse 14.] may ye be hid [or, be able to hide yourselves and consequently escape being hurt or endangered by the enemy. Compare Psalms 27:5 and Psalms 32:6, 7.] in the day of the wrath of the LORD.

4. For Gaza shall be forsaken, [the inhabitants being driven thence, or the place destroyed by the Chaldean] and Askelon shall a desolation: Asdod shall be driven out at noon day, [i.e. openly, in full sight of the sunne and before all the world. See Jer. 6 on verse 4.] and Ekron shall be rooted out. [in the Hebrew it sounds, as if one should say, the rooted one, (so Ekron signifieth) shall be rooted out. i.e. pluckt up by the very root. The meaning of this verse and that which folloes, is, God shall severely punish Gaza, Askelon, Asdod and others round about you, because of their sins: and therefore ye may conclude, that he will not spare you neither, unless ye repent speedily. The three first places here named, lay in the Philistines countrey and were their capital cities. See Joshua 13:3. Compare Amos 1:7.]

5. Wo to the inhabitants of the sea-coast, [Heb. The coard (rope, line) of the sea. See Deut. 32 on verse 4. so also here verse 6.7 here is a desolation of the land the Philistines, bordering on or coasting along the midland sea] the people of the Cheretim: [or the Cheretites. See Ezek. 25 on verse 16. see also 1 Samuel 30. on verse 14. they were stout soldiers and therefore David, as some do hold, made use of them for his life-guard. See 2 Sam. 8.18. & 15.18. & 1 Chro. 18.17.] and the word of the LORD shall be against you, [that is the punishment with God hath threatened and pronounced against you in his word, shall sure come upon you; ye that hitherto plagued others, shall your selves also come to be plagued by others, after that the LORD shall have done chastening his own people] thou Canaan of the Philistines countrey; and I [the Lord] will undo [or, destroy] thee, that there shall be no inhabitants.

6. And the sea coasts [i.e. the land of the Philistines lying along the sea-coast] shall be for hurts, pits digged up of the heard men, [such namely as the shepherds or herdmen use to dig in dry heaths, for to get and keep water therein] and hedging of the stocks. [the prophet implies in this verse, that those goodly castles, seates and houses, which were to be seen in those parts, should come to be broken down and ruined, and that instead thereof one shall see nothing but poor shepherds hurts and cottages, and in the stead of the great parsonages that lived there before, there should be none but herdmen and such like mean poor people, as must content themselves with pretty houses and cottages, to have some abode there for a while.]

7. And the coast shall for the remnant of the house of Juda, [this may indeed, after a sort, be understood thus, that the Jews returning out of the Babylonian captivity should finde the land of the Philistines empty and desolate, and take and posses it for themselves: but it is principally to be understood in a spiritual sence, so namely, that the Philistines and other heathen nation, should in Christ’s time, subject themselves to the people of God., and be incorporated into the church or communion of Christ. Seee Isaiah 11:14.] for to feed therein [i.e. they shall have pasture and aboad there, as the sheep enjoy their rest by night in their stalls. Others understand it thus; that the Jews, having received Christ, should preach the Gospel to the Philistines and others, for that also is called feeding. As ye see Job 19. and chapter 21.15, 16, 17. and this came effectually so to passé, that gaza, Azotus, and other adjacent places were converted unto Christ by the preaching of the Apostles, Acts 8:26.40 and chapter 9.32, 35, 36. compare Obad. 18.19, 20.] in the evening they shall lie down in the houses of Askelon, [the sence is, they shall enjoy so much peace and quiet there, that even in the evening and night time, when commonly people are afraid one of another, they shall mostly secure and safely dwell one of another and converse there] when the Lord their God shall have visited them [or, for the LORD their God shall visit them: to wit, with his grace, as Psalms 8:5. delivering them, first out of the Babylonian Captivity, and afterwards out of the power and bondage of satan, namely when Christ, having suffered and being risen from the death, shall be ascended to heaven, and shall have taken captivity it self captive. Ephesians 4:8.] and shall have turned their captivity.

8. I have heard the scoffing of Moab [Or, the reproach, reviling &c.] and the slandering words of the Children of Ammon, wherewith they scoffed at my people, and made themselves great against their border. [making war upon them, and taking a part of their countrey away from them, insultingly threatening they would take away more yet; see the Annotat. Psalms 35:26. and compare Jer. 48 and 49.]

9. Therefore, (as true as) I live [Heb. I live,] saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, moab [i.e. here, the Moabites and their countrey. See Jeremiah 48:1. c] shall surely be surely be as Sodom, [viz. in some sort, and for a time, in regard of their countreys lying waste and desolate exceedingly, not that it was to remain so always, without hope of recovery, according to the destruction of Sodom] and the children of Ammon and Gomorra a nettle-heath, and a salt pit, [i.e. waste and desolate, where nothing can grow. See Judges 9:45. Psalsm 107.34. Plin.lib. 31 nat hist cap. 7.] forever: [i.e. for a long time; for these countries yes did not always remain in this desolate condition] the remnant of my people shall bereave them, and remainder of the people shall hereditarily possess them. [or, shall inherit them. The meaning is, some of the Ammonites and some of the Moabites shall be converted to the Christian religion, and received into the bosom and communion of the church. Compare above verse 7 and see Isa. 11. on verse 14.]

10. That they shall have, instead of their haughtinesse, [Or, for their haughtiness, their proud and insolent carriage and demeanour towards the people of God, being in distress and misery] for they have scoffed at, and have magnified themselves of the LORD of hosts.

11. The Lord shall be terrible against them, for he shall cause all the Gods of the Earth to consume: [i.e. destroy them by degrees. They shall have no burnt offerings more brought unto them. This was fulfilled upon the coming of Christ and afterwards] and every one shall worship him [see Gen. 24 on verse 26.] out of his place; [as if he said; the true God shall be honoured and worshipped at the same time, not in Juda onely, but by every nation in all their countreyes and cities, without having need to travel to Jerusalem for that purpose. See Job 4:21.] all the islands of the heathen. [i.e. all the heathenish nations who-ever and where-ever they be.]

12. Even ye Ethopians shall be smitten of the sword. [he calleth king Nebuchadnezzar his sword, in the same manner as Assur is called the rod or staff of God’s anger. Isaiah 10:5. Oth. Thus as for you. Ye Moors, (or, Ethiopians) yee shall be smitten by my sword. The meaning is, ye Ethiopians shall indeed be made desolate at first, see 2 Chr. 14.9, but afterward ye shall likewise be brought to Christ; see below chapter 3.9. Heb. Also ye Moors, they shall c. compare Mich. 1.2. with the annotate.]

13. he [viz God] shall also stretch forth his hand against the North, and shall undoe Assur; [i.e. the Assyruans] and he shall set [i.e. make] Nineve to (be) a desolate, dry, like a wilderness. [having been abundantly watered formerly; see Nahum, 2.8.]

14. And in the midst of her the stocks shall lie down, all the beasts of the nations [i.e. of the neighbouring nations all about; who shall cause their cattel to go there; or, according to others, all kinde of fierce and terrible beasts, which are found among the remote nations in deserts. Understand; such creatures shall be there then, in lieu of men, and all the pleasant things that were to be seen there formerly] also the Bittern, [or, cormorant] also the screech-owl shall lodge upon their pomegranates; [meaning those which were painted or carved and set upon posts and pillars or other parts of the house for ornament’s sake. Compare Amos 9:1.] a voice shall sing in the window, [or, their voice, to wit, the voice of those terrible creatures mentioned here and Isaiah 13:21, 22. and 34.11, c.] desolation shall be in the threshold, [or, on the posts] when he [viz. the LORD, or, the enemy] shall have uncovered [or, pluck off] their cedar work. [Heb. Their cedars, or his cedars. i.e their ceiling or houses made of cedar-wood]

15. This is that city, that leaps up for joy; [i.e. thus shall it go with the city of Nineve, which in former time was so full of mirth and jollity] thatdwells securely [i.e. is at rest and peace and stands in fear of none] that saith in her heart, I am (shee), and besides me there is none more: [I alone am the invisible city; there is none that may compare with me in dignity, in might and Excellency of all kindes. Compare Isaiah 47:8.] how she become a desolation! [see above verse 14.] are sting beasts! Everyone that passeth through there, shall whistle at her, [see 1 kings 9.8. Lamentations 2:15.17. Ezekiel 27:36. Mich. 6.16. Nahum 3:19. he shall move his hand. [in token of mocking or jeering, or of admitting at her conditions]