Book of Habakkuk and followed by the
Book of Haggai
The Book of Haggai (; ) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and is the third-to-last of the Twelve Minor Prophets. It is a short book, consisting of only two chapters. The historical setting dates around 520 BC, before the Temple in Je ...
. The book has three chapters. Zephaniah is a male given name which is usually interpreted to mean "
Yahweh
Yahweh was an Ancient Semitic religion, ancient Semitic deity of Weather god, weather and List of war deities, war in the History of the ancient Levant, ancient Levant, the national god of the kingdoms of Kingdom of Judah, Judah and Kingdom ...
has hidden/protected", or "Yahweh hides". The church father
Jerome of Stridon interpreted
Zephaniah's name to mean "the watchman of the Lord". The original text of the prophecy was written in
Biblical Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew ( or ), also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language, a language in the Canaanite languages, Canaanitic branch of the Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites in the area known as the Land of Isra ...
.
Scholars propose various dates of composition; some scholars argue that the book was probably composed during the reign of
Josiah
Josiah () or Yoshiyahu was the 16th king of Judah (–609 BCE). According to the Hebrew Bible, he instituted major religious reforms by removing official worship of gods other than Yahweh. Until the 1990s, the biblical description of Josiah’s ...
(late-
seventh century BCE), while others hold that an original core of oracles was expanded and edited in
exilic or later times.
Authorship and date
The book's superscription attributes its authorship to "Zephaniah son of Cushi son of Gedaliah son of Amariah son of Hezekiah, in the days of
King Josiah son of
Amon of Judah
Amon of Judah was the fifteenth King of Judah who, according to the biblical account, succeeded his father Manasseh of Judah. Amon is most remembered for his idolatrous practices during his short two-year reign, which led to a revolt against h ...
". All that is known of
Zephaniah comes from within the text.
The name "
Cushi," Zephaniah's father, means "Cushite" or "
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
n", and the text of Zephaniah mentions the sin and restoration of ''Cushim''. While some have concluded from this that Zephaniah was dark-skinned or African,
Ehud Ben Zvi maintains that, based on the context, "Cushi" must be understood as a personal name rather than an indicator of nationality.
Abraham ibn Ezra
Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra (, often abbreviated as ; ''Ibrāhim al-Mājid ibn Ezra''; also known as Abenezra or simply ibn Ezra, 1089 / 1092 – 27 January 1164 / 23 January 1167)''Jewish Encyclopedia''online; '' Chambers Biographical Dictionar ...
interpreted the name Hezekiah in the superscription as
King Hezekiah of Judah, though that is not a claim advanced in the text of Zephaniah.
As with many of the other prophets, there is no external evidence to directly associate composition of the book with a prophet by the name of Zephaniah. Some scholars, such as Kent Harold Richards and Jason DeRouchie, consider the words in Zephaniah to reflect a time early in the reign of
King Josiah (640–609 BC) before his reforms of 622 BC took full effect, in which case the prophet may have been born during the reign of
Manasseh
Manasseh () is both a given name and a surname. Its variants include Manasses and Manasse.
Notable people with the name include:
Surname
* Ezekiel Saleh Manasseh (died 1944), Singaporean rice and opium merchant and hotelier
* Jacob Manasseh ( ...
(698/687–642 BC). Others argue that some portion of the book is postmonarchic, that is, dating to later than 586 BC when the
Kingdom of Judah
The Kingdom of Judah was an Israelites, Israelite kingdom of the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. Centered in the highlands to the west of the Dead Sea, the kingdom's capital was Jerusalem. It was ruled by the Davidic line for four centuries ...
fell in the
Siege of Jerusalem. Some who consider the book to have largely been written by a historical Zephaniah have suggested that he may have been a disciple of the prophet
Isaiah
Isaiah ( or ; , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "Yahweh is salvation"; also known as Isaias or Esaias from ) was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named.
The text of the Book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah as "the prophet" ...
, because of the two books' similar focus on rampant corruption and injustice in Judah. The
Jerusalem Bible
''The Jerusalem Bible'' (JB or TJB) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd. As a Catholic Bible, it includes 73 books: the 39 books shared with the Hebrew Bible, along with the seven deuterocanonical ...
links Zephaniah 2:11 and 3:9-10 with the
Book of Consolation (Isaiah 40-55).
Purpose
If Zephaniah was largely composed during the monarchic period, then its composition was occasioned by Judah's refusal to obey its
covenant obligations toward Yahweh despite having seen
northern Israel's exile
Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...
a generation or two previously, an exile which the Judahite literary tradition attributed to Yahweh's anger aroused by Israel's disobedience to the covenant. In this historical context, Zephaniah urges Judah to obedience to Yahweh, saying that "perhaps" he will forgive them if they do.
Themes
''The HarperCollins Study Bible'' supplies headings for sections within the book as follows:
More consistently than any other prophetic book, Zephaniah focuses on "the day of the Lord", developing this tradition from its first appearance in
Amos
Amos or AMOS may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Amos'' (album), an album by Michael Ray
* Amos (band), an American Christian rock band
* ''Amos'' (film), a 1985 American made-for-television drama film
* Amos (guitar), a 1958 Gibson Fl ...
. The day of the Lord tradition also appears in
Isaiah
Isaiah ( or ; , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "Yahweh is salvation"; also known as Isaias or Esaias from ) was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named.
The text of the Book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah as "the prophet" ...
,
Ezekiel
Ezekiel, also spelled Ezechiel (; ; ), was an Israelite priest. The Book of Ezekiel, relating his visions and acts, is named after him.
The Abrahamic religions acknowledge Ezekiel as a prophet. According to the narrative, Ezekiel prophesied ...
,
Obadiah
Obadiah (; – ''ʿŌḇaḏyā'' or – ''ʿŌḇaḏyāhū''; "servant/slave of Yah"), also known as Abdias, is a biblical prophet. The authorship of the Book of Obadiah is traditionally attributed to the prophet Obadiah.
The ma ...
,
Joel, and
Malachi
Malachi or Malachias (; ) is the name used by the author of the Book of Malachi, the last book of the Nevi'im (Prophets) section of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh. It is possible that ''Malachi'' is not a proper name, because it means "messenger"; ...
.
The book begins by describing Yahweh's judgement. With a triple repetition of "I will sweep away" in Zephaniah 1:2–3, Zephaniah emphasizes the totality of the destruction, as the number three often signifies perfection in the Bible. The order of creatures in Zephaniah 1:2 ("humans and animals ... the birds ... the fish") is the opposite of the creation order in Genesis 1:1–28, signifying an undoing of creation. This is also signified by the way that "from the face of the earth" forms an ''
inclusio
In biblical studies, inclusio is a literary device similar to a refrain. It is also known as bracketing or an envelope structure or figure, and consists of the repetition of material at the beginning and end of a section of text.
The purpose of a ...
'' around Zephaniah 1:2-3, hearkening back to how the phrase is used in the
Genesis flood narrative
The Genesis flood narrative (chapters 6–9 of the Book of Genesis) is a Hebrew flood myth. It tells of God's decision to return the universe to its pre- creation state of watery chaos and remake it through the microcosm of Noah's ark.
The B ...
in Genesis 6:7, Genesis 7:4, and Genesis 8:8, where it also connotes an undoing of creation.
As is common in prophetic literature in the Bible, a "remnant" survives Yahweh's judgement, by humbly seeking refuge in Yahweh. The book concludes with an announcement of hope and joy, as Yahweh "bursts forth in joyful divine celebration" over his people.
Later influence
Because of its hopeful tone of the gathering and restoration of exiles, has been included in
Jewish liturgy.
Zephaniah served as a major inspiration for the
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...
"
Dies Irae," whose title and opening words are from the
Vulgate
The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Bible translations into Latin, Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Diocese of ...
translation of .
Surviving early manuscripts
The original manuscript of this book has been lost. Some early manuscripts containing the text of this book in
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
are of the
Masoretic Text
The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; ) is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (''Tanakh'') in Rabbinic Judaism. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocaliz ...
tradition, which includes the
Codex Cairensis
The Codex Cairensis (also: ''Codex Prophetarum Cairensis'', ''Cairo Codex of the Prophets'') is a Hebrew manuscript containing the complete text of the Hebrew Bible's Nevi'im (Prophets). It has traditionally been described as "the oldest dated He ...
(895),
the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916),
Aleppo Codex
The Aleppo Codex () is a medieval bound manuscript of the Hebrew Bible. The codex was written in the city of Tiberias in the tenth century CE (circa 920) under the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate, and was endorsed for its accuracy by Maimonides. ...
(10th century),
Codex Leningradensis (1008). Fragments containing parts of this book in Hebrew were found among the
Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls, also called the Qumran Caves Scrolls, are a set of List of Hebrew Bible manuscripts, ancient Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). They were discovered over a period of ten years, between ...
, including 4Q77 (4QXII
b; 150–125 BCE),
4Q78 (4QXII
c; 75–50 BCE),
[ and Wadi Murabba'at Minor Prophets (Mur88; MurXIIProph; 75-100 CE).][
There is also a translation into ]Koine Greek
Koine Greek (, ), also variously known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek, Septuagint Greek or New Testament Greek, was the koiné language, common supra-regional form of Greek language, Greek spoken and ...
known as the Septuagint
The Septuagint ( ), sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (), and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek ...
, made in the last few centuries BC. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint
The Septuagint ( ), sometimes referred to as the Greek Old Testament or The Translation of the Seventy (), and abbreviated as LXX, is the earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible from the original Biblical Hebrew. The full Greek ...
version include Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), is a manuscript of the Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Old Testament and the majority of the New Testament. It is designated by siglum B or 03 in the Gregory-Aland numb ...
(4th century), Codex Sinaiticus
The Codex Sinaiticus (; Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), also called the Sinai Bible, is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old Testament, including the deuterocanonica ...
(4th century), Codex Alexandrinus
The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII) is a manuscript of the Greek Bible,The Greek Bible in this context refers to the Bible used by Greek-speaking Christians who lived in Egypt and elsewhere during the early ...
(5th century) and Codex Marchalianus
Codex Marchalianus, designated by siglum Q, is a 6th-century Greek language, Greek manuscript copy of the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh or Old Testament) known as the Septuagint. It is now in the Vatican Library. The text was writte ...
(6th century). Some fragments containing parts of the Septuagint version of this book were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls, also called the Qumran Caves Scrolls, are a set of List of Hebrew Bible manuscripts, ancient Jewish manuscripts from the Second Temple period (516 BCE – 70 CE). They were discovered over a period of ten years, between ...
, i.e., Naḥal Ḥever (1st century CE).[
]
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
* Berlin, Adele. ''Zephaniah: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary''. The Anchor Bible Volume 25A. Toronto: Doubleday, 1994.
* Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897.
* Transcribed by Thomas M. Barrett. 2003.
* Hirsch, Emil G. & Ira Maurice Price.
Zephaniah
, ''JewishEncyclopedia.com''. 2002.
* LaSor, William Sanford et al. ''Old Testament Survey: the Message, Form, and Background of the Old Testament''. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1996.
* O. Palmer Robertson. ''The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah'' (New International Commentary on the Old Testament, 1990)
* Sweeney, Marvin A. ''Zephaniah: A Commentary''. Ed. Paul D. Hanson. Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 2003.
External links
Zephaniah at JewishEncyclopedia.com
Translations
*Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
translations:
*
Tzefaniah – Zephaniah (Judaica Press)
translation ith Rashi's commentary">Rashi.html" ;"title="ith Rashi">ith Rashi's commentaryat Chabad.org
*Christianity">Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
translations: