Several years ago I conducted a short course on creativity for a group of area pastors. As the final exercise to illustrate the importance of thinking outside of the box and not getting into a rut with their sermons, I explained that they needed to build different boxes within which to construct future messages to their congregations. The first step was to collect from the group a collection of random themes, illustrations, holidays, animals and, most importantly, Scripture passages on which they had never preached before. I then chose a selection of these various parameters together to give to each group from which they had about an hour to compose at least an outline of a sermon. I don't know if they or I was more pleased with the results.
I only tell the above story to point to a book in the Bible, perhaps the most minor of the twelve Minor Prophets, as a Scripture passage on which you have probably never heard a sermon preached. The reasons for the neglect this book has suffered are probably many, but I thought that at least I should provide a quick overview in case you should be curious enough to read it for yourself.
Distinctives
Unlike other books of prophecy which cover a wide range of subjects, Zephaniah more than any other concentrates solely on the coming Day of Judgment and its consequences for all nations. In terms of format, except for the first verse, it is written entirely in poetry. Thus, in reading this book one should look for (1) figurative rather than literal language and (2) correspondences in thought connecting the various lines within a given verse.
Organization
One way in which to present the overall contents as well as to show how they are organized is to review the symmetrical literary structure of the book, shown below and also discussed in more detail in my post “Zephaniah: Introduction to the Literary Structure.”
Figure 1: The Structure of the Book of Zephaniah
Superscription (1:1)
I. The Day of the Lord: Judgment (1:2-18)
A. Universal Events (1:2-3)
B. Against Judah (1:4-13)
A'. Universal Events (1:14-18)
II. Call to Repentance (2:1-4)
III. Oracle to the Nations (2:5-15)
A. Against Philistia (2:5-7)
B. Against Moab and Ammon (2:8-10)
C. Universal Worship of Yahweh (2:11)
B'. Against Cush (2:12)
A'. Against Assyria (2:13-15)
II'. Call to Repentance (3:1-7)
I'. The Day of the Lord: Salvation (3:8-20)
A. Universal Events (3:8-10)
B. Regarding Judah (3:11-18)
A'. Universal Events (3:19-20)
Note that the above is a slight variation on the standard prophetic arrangement in which Israel is called out for her sins that are enumerated by the author (Section I), judgment on the other nations is proclaimed (Section III), and finally salvation for the Jews, or at least a remnant of them, is promised (Section I'). The unique feature of this organization, however, is the presence of the two parallel calls to repentance, II and II'. The first is addressed to the nations and the second to Judah and her capital Jerusalem. By placing these two sections where they are located, Zephaniah manages to lump Judah together with the neighboring nations as equally needing repentance while also holding out the possibility of salvation for those pagan countries as well.
Author
One of the most intriguing issues in this book is the identity of the author since although his name is obviously Hebrew (meaning “Yahweh has protected”) with three other personages in the Bible by the same name (see II Kings 25:18; I Chronicles 6:36; and Zechariah 6:10-14), his father is called Cushi, indicating that he comes from Cush, almost always in the Bible referring to Ethiopia. And this possible African descent is even stressed in the book at three significant locations: the start (1:1), the middle (2:12), and the end (3:10). So although there are other characters in the Bible who come from Africa (such as Moses' wife, the Queen of Sheba, and the Ethiopian eunuch converted by Philip), Zephaniah may thus possibly be the only author of Scripture with that distinction.
Working against that possibility is the fact that Zephaniah's heritage goes back three more generations (a highly unusual occurrence in the Bible) and all of those names are squarely Hebrew, and one of them, Hezekiah, may even refer to the famous king of Judah. For that reason, it has even been proposed without proof by some that those three names were purposely added later by an editor to remove any suggestion of the prophet's African lineage.
Date
The time of writing was probably just before, or at the beginning of, the religious reforms of King Josiah, which would place Zephaniah alongside the prophets Habakkuk and Nahum at about 650-600 B.C. More specific dates around 630 B.C. have been suggested.
Specific Passages
Below are comments on some verses that warrant special attention:
Zephaniah 1:4-6 Judah had been combining Yahweh worship with that of pagan gods: Baal (Canaanite), “host of the heavens” (Assyrian), and Milcom (Ammonite).
Zephaniah 1:7 The last line “Yahweh has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated his guests” means that they have been destined for slaughter.
Zephaniah 1:9 The mention of those who leap over the threshold is a reference to an obscure Philistine rite found in I Samuel 5:5.
Zephaniah 2:14 Hicks notes that the Hebrew text of this verse is uncertain in meaning. Just compare the following two renderings as an example:
“In the middle of her the flocks will rest; all the beasts of the valley, even the pelican and the heron will roost round her cornices at night; the owl will hoot at the window and the raven croak on the doorstep, for he has torn up the cedar (or alternatively, “for I shall destroy the city”). (Jerusalem Bible)
“Flocks shall couch there, and all the wild beasts of the wild. Horned owl and ruffed bustard shall roost on her capitals; the tawny owl shall hoot in the window and the bustard stand in the porch... (last phrase unintelligible).” (NEB)
Zephaniah 3:8 Dan Curtis writes that “perhaps the most amazing use of the alefbet occurs in Zephaniah 3:8 in which all 22 of the Hebrew letters plus the five special final forms occur in a single verse. Such constructions require author intent and show the literary importance of the Hebrew letters in Hebrew literature.”
Zephaniah 3:9 The promise of restoration of pure speech to the peoples may indicate a reversal of the curse of Babel and anticipate the events on the Day of Pentecost. (Hicks)
Zephaniah 3:17 The Hebrew reads yaharish = “he will be silent” (meaningless in this context) or “he will plow” (plausible if a euphemism for sexual relations as a figure of God married to his people). Another possibility is that it is a textual error for yadarish = “renew his love” (as in the early Greek and Aramaic versions).
Use in the New Testament
Most of the NT allusions to Zephaniah take the form of short snippets and involve cases whether more than one OT text may be the referrent.
Subject Zephaniah New Testament
The eschatological banquet 1:7 Luke 13:27-29
Nearness of the Day 1:7 Hebrews 6:8
Temple imagery and people about to be slain 1:7,11 Revelation 8:1
“Great day” of God 1:14 Revelation 16:14
The Day as a day of distress 1:14-15 John 15:25
Trumpet on the Day of Judgment 1:14-16 I Corinthians 15:52;
I Thessalonians 4:16
Judgment stressed over deliverance 1:14-18 I Thessalonians 15:2
Figurative expressions for judgment on
on Israel foreshadows Last Judgment 1:14,18; 2:2-3 Revelation 6:17
A fiery judgment 1:18 Hebrews 6:7-8, 10:27
Nations gathered together for war 3:8 Revelation 16:14; 19:19
“No guile in his/their mouth” 3:13 Revelation 14:5
Renewal of God's kingdom 3:15 Luke 4:43
Messiah as King of Israel 3:15 John 1:49; 12:13
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