Amplified Bible
Zephaniah 1:5
5And those who bow down and worship the host of heaven [the sun, the moon, and the stars] on their housetops And those who bow down and swear [oaths] to [and pretend to worship] the Lord and [yet also] swear by [the pagan god called] Milcom [god of the Ammonites],
Zephaniah 1:5 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham;
- New International Version (NIV)those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Molek,
- English Standard Version (ESV)those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; Those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord, But who also swear by Milcom;
Context of Zephaniah 1:5
3“I will consume and sweep away man and beast; I will consume and sweep away the birds of the air And the fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks (idols) along with the wicked; And I will cut off and destroy man from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. 4“I will also stretch out My hand [in judgment] against Judah And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off and destroy the remnant of Baal from this place, And the names and remembrance of the idolatrous priests along with the [false] priests, And those who bow down and worship the host of heaven [the sun, the moon, and the stars] on their housetops And those who bow down and swear [oaths] to [and pretend to worship] the Lord and [yet also] swear by [the pagan god called] Milcom [god of the Ammonites], 6And those who have turned back from following the Lord, And those who have not sought the Lord [as their most important need] or inquired of Him.” 7[Hush!] Be silent before the Lord God [there is no acceptable excuse to offer]! For the day [of the vengeance] of the Lord is near, For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice (Judah), He has set apart [for His use] those who have accepted His invitation [the Chaldeans who rule Babylon].
Read all of Zephaniah 1Zephaniah 1:5 word by word
וְאֶת־הַמִּשְׁתַּחֲוִ֥ים עַל־הַגַּגּ֖וֹת לִצְבָ֣א הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְאֶת־הַמִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוִים֙ הַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֣ים לַֽיהוָ֔ה וְהַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֖ים בְּמַלְכָּֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Zephaniah 1:5
- 2 Kings 23:12The altars [dedicated to the starry host of heaven] which were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of the house of the Lord, the king tore down; and he smashed them there and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron.
- Jeremiah 19:13The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like this place, Topheth, all the houses on whose rooftops incense has been burned to all the host of heaven (sun, moon, stars), and where drink offerings have been poured out to other gods.” ’ ”
- Jeremiah 32:29The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will come in and set this city on fire and burn it, along with the houses on whose roofs incense has been offered to Baal and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods to provoke Me to anger.
- 1 Kings 18:21Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people [of Israel] did not answer him [so much as] a word.
- 2 Kings 17:33They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods, following the custom of the nations from among whom they had been sent into exile.
- Matthew 6:24“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].
- Deuteronomy 10:20You shall fear [and worship] the Lord your God [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect]; you shall serve Him and cling to Him [hold tightly to Him, be united with Him], and you shall swear [oaths] by His name.
- Isaiah 48:1“Hear this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel And who come from the seed of Judah, You who swear [allegiance] by the name of the Lord And invoke the God of Israel, But not in truth (sincerity) nor in righteousness [with moral and spiritual integrity].
- Jeremiah 4:2And if you swear [your oaths], ‘As the Lord lives,’ In truth, in justice, and in righteousness, Then the nations will bless themselves in Him, And in Him they will glory.”
- Hosea 4:15Though you, Israel, play the prostitute [by worshiping idols], Do not let Judah become guilty [of the same thing]; And do not go to Gilgal [where idols are worshiped], Or go up to Beth-aven (House of Wickedness), Nor swear [oaths in idolatrous worship, saying], “As the Lord lives!”
- Isaiah 44:5One will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’; And another will name himself after Jacob; And another will write on his hand, ‘I am the Lord’s,’ And be called by the [honorable] name of Israel.
- Isaiah 45:23I have sworn [an oath] by Myself, The word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear [allegiance].
- Romans 14:11For it is written [in Scripture], “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.”
- Joshua 23:7so that you do not associate with these nations which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear [an oath by them], or serve them, or bow down to them.
- 1 Kings 11:33because they have abandoned Me and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways and followed My commandments, doing what is right in My sight and keeping My statutes and My ordinances as did his father David.
- Amos 5:26You carried along your king Sikkuth and Kayyun [your man-made gods of Saturn], your images of your star-god which you made for yourselves [but you brought Me none of the appointed sacrifices].
Commentaries on Zephaniah 1:5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5The host of heaven - Sun, moon, planets, and stars. This worship was one of the most ancient and the most common of all species of idolatry; and it had a greater semblance of reason to recommend it. See 2 Kings 23:6, 2 Kings 23:12; Jeremiah 19:13; Jeremiah 32:29. That swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham - Associating the name of an idol with that of the Most High. For Malcham, see on Hosea 4:15; (note), and Amos 5:26; (note).Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5And them that worship the best of heaven upon the - (flat) housetops This was fulfilled by Josiah who destroyed “the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz” 2 Kings 23:12. Jeremiah speaks as if this worship was almost universal, as though well-near every roof had been profaned by this idolatry. “The houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5Scripture condemned the worship of heavenly bodies like the sun, moon, and stars (see Deuteronomy 4:15–19; 2 Kings 21:3; 23:12). Milcom was the national god of the Ammonites. In some Old Testament passages, Milcom is closely connected with Molech, a pagan deity linked with child sacrifice. Because of this connection, some texts use these names in overlapping ways. The law clearly forbade the worship of Molech and related practices (Leviticus 20:1–5). Even…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 55. worship the host of heaven--Saba: whence, in contrast to Sabeanism, Jehovah is called Lord of Sabaoth. upon the housetops--which were flat (2Ki 23:5, 6, 12; Jr 19:13; 32:29). swear by the Lord--rather, "swear to Jehovah" (2Ch 15:14); solemnly dedicating themselves to Him (compare Is 48:1; Ho 4:15). and--"and yet (with strange inconsistency, 1Ki 18:21; Eze 20:39; Mt 6:24) swear by Malcham," that is, "their king" [Maurer]: the same as Molech (see on Am…Read the comment
Topics related to Zephaniah 1:5
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Zephaniah 1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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