Zephaniah 2:14

Zephaniah 2:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work.
• New International Version (NIV)Flocks and herds will lie down there, creatures of every kind. The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their hooting will echo through the windows, rubble will fill the doorways, the beams of cedar will be exposed.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Herds shall lie down in her midst, all kinds of beasts; even the owl and the hedgehog shall lodge in her capitals; a voice shall hoot in the window; devastation will be on the threshold; for her cedar work will be laid bare.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The herds shall lie down in her midst, Every beast of the nation. Both the pelican and the bittern Shall lodge on the capitals of her pillars; Their voice shall sing in the windows; Desolation shall be at the threshold; For He will lay bare the cedar work.

Context of Zephaniah 2:14

12“You also, O Ethiopians, will be slain by My sword.” 13And the Lord will stretch out His hand against the north And destroy Assyria, And He will make Nineveh a desolation [a wasteland], Parched as the desert. Flocks will lie down in her midst, All the animals which range in herds; Both the pelican and the short-eared owl Will roost on the top of Nineveh’s pillars. Birds will sing in the window, Desolation will be on the threshold; For He has uncovered the cedar paneling. 15This is the joyous city Which dwells carelessly [feeling so secure], Who says in her heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me.” What a desolation she has become, A lair for [wild] animals! Everyone who passes by her will hiss [in scorn] And wave his hand in contempt.

Zephaniah 2:14 word by word

וְרָבְצ֨וּ בְתוֹכָ֤הּ עֲדָרִים֙ כָּל־חַיְתוֹ־ג֔וֹי גַּם־קָאַת֙ גַּם־קִפֹּ֔ד בְּכַפְתֹּרֶ֖יהָ יָלִ֑ינוּ ק֠וֹל יְשׁוֹרֵ֤ר בַּֽחַלּוֹן֙ חֹ֣רֶב בַּסַּ֔ף כִּ֥י אַרְזָ֖ה עֵרָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And flocksעֵ֫דֶר‛êder · flockH5739
• shall lie downרָבַץrâbats · to stretchH7257
• in the midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
• of her, all the beastsחַיָּהchay · living thingH2416
• of the nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• both the cormorantקָאַתqâ'ath · pelicanH6893
• and the bitternקִפֹּדqippôd qippôd · porcupineH7090
• shall lodgeלוּןlûn lîyn · to lodgeH3885
• in the upper lintelsכַּפְתּוֹרkaphtôr kaphtôr · capitalH3730
• voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
• shall singשִׁירshîyr shûr · to singH7891
• in the windowsחַלּוֹןchallôn · windowH2474
• desolationחֹ֫רֶבchôreb · desolationH2721
• in the thresholdsסַףsaph · thresholdH5592
• for he shall uncoverעָרָה‛ârâh · to uncoverH6168
• the cedar workאַרְזָה'arzâh · cedarH731

Cross-references for Zephaniah 2:14

• Zephaniah 2:6So the [depopulated] seacoast shall be pastures, With [deserted] meadows for shepherds and folds for flocks.
• Isaiah 13:19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.
• Isaiah 34:11But the pelican and the porcupine will take possession of it; The owl and the raven will dwell in it. And He will stretch over it (Edom) the measuring line of desolation And the plumb line of emptiness.
• Revelation 18:2And he shouted with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen [certainly to be destroyed] is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a dungeon haunted by every unclean spirit, and a prison for every unclean and loathsome bird.
• Amos 9:1I saw [in a vision] the Lord standing at the altar, and He said, “Destroy the capitals (tops) of the pillars so that the thresholds will shake, And break them on the heads of all of the people! Then I will kill the rest of them with the sword; They will not have a fugitive who will get away, Or a survivor who will escape.
• Jeremiah 22:14Who says, ‘I will build myself a spacious house With large upper rooms, And cut out its [wide] windows, And panel it with cedar and paint it vermilion.’

Commentaries on Zephaniah 2:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her - Nineveh was so completely destroyed, that its situation is not at present even known. The present city of Mossoul is supposed to be in the vicinity of the place where this ancient city stood. The cormorant קאת kaath ; and the bittern, קפד kippod . These Newcome translates, "The pelican and the porcupine." Their voice shall sing in the windows - The windows shall be all demolished; wild fowl shall build their…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-15Verses 4-15 Those are really in a woful condition who have the word of the Lord against them, for no word of his shall fall to the ground. God will restore his people to their rights, though long kept from them. It has been the common lot of God's people, in all ages, to be reproached and reviled. God shall be worshipped, not only by all Israel, and the strangers who join them, but by the heathen. Remote nations must be reckoned with for the wrongs done…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14To emphasize Nineveh's fate, Zephaniah uses strong imagery. Rubble would block the doorways once used by Nineveh's wealthy and powerful. The haunting sounds of owls hooting in empty windows would highlight the city's desolation.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. flocks--of sheep; answering to "beasts" in the parallel clause. Wide pastures for sheep and haunts for wild beasts shall be where once there was a teeming population (compare Zep 2:6). Maurer, needlessly for the parallelism, makes it "flocks of savage animals." beasts of the nations--that is, beasts of the earth (Ge 1:24). Not as Rosenmuller, "all kinds of beasts that form a nation," that is, gregarious beasts (Pr 30:25, 26). cormorant--rather, the…Read the comment

Topics related to Zephaniah 2:14

• Assyria
• Bittern
• Cormorant
• Nineveh

In the dictionaries

• Bittern
• Cormorant
• Cottage
• Lintel
• Nahum, Book of
• Pelicans
• Thereupon
• Hedgehog
• Judah, Kingdom of
• Pelican

Commentaries on Zephaniah 2

• 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
• Darby Translation 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