Berean Standard Bible
Zephaniah 2:14
14Herds will lie down in her midst, creatures of every kind.1 Both the desert owl and screech owl2 will roost atop her pillars. Their calls will sound from the window, but desolation will lie on the threshold, for He will expose the beams of cedar.
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 too, O Cushites, will be slain by My sword.” 13And He will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria; He will make Nineveh a desolation, as dry as a desert. Herds will lie down in her midst, creatures of every kind. Both the desert owl and screech owl will roost atop her pillars. Their calls will sound from the window, but desolation will lie on the threshold, for He will expose the beams of cedar. 15This carefree city that dwells securely, that thinks to herself: “I am it, and there is none besides me,” what a ruin she has become, a resting place for beasts. Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist.
Read all of Zephaniah 2Zephaniah 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
- Herdsעֵ֫דֶר‛êder · flockH5739
- will lie downרָבַץrâbats · to stretchH7257
- in her midstתָּ֫וֶךְtâvek · midstH8432
- creaturesחַיָּהchay · living thingH2416
- creaturesגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- of every kindכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
- Bothגַּםgam · alsoH1571
- the desert owlקָאַתqâ'ath · pelicanH6893
- screech owlקִפֹּדqippôd qippôd · porcupineH7090
- will roostלוּןlûn lîyn · to lodgeH3885
- atop herכַּפְתּוֹרkaphtôr kaphtôr · capitalH3730
- Their callsקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
- will soundשִׁירshîyr shûr · to singH7891
- from the windowחַלּוֹןchallôn · windowH2474
- but desolationחֹ֫רֶבchôreb · desolationH2721
- will lie on the thresholdסַףsaph · thresholdH5592
- forכִּיkîy · forH3588
- He will exposeעָרָה‛ârâh · to uncoverH6168
- the beams of cedarאַרְזָה'arzâh · cedarH731
Cross-references for Zephaniah 2:14
- Zephaniah 2:6So the seacoast will become a land of pastures, with wells for shepherds and folds for sheep.
- Isaiah 13:19And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Isaiah 34:11The desert owl and screech owl will possess it, and the great owl and raven will dwell in it. The LORD will stretch out over Edom a measuring line of chaos and a plumb line of destruction.
- Revelation 18:2And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast.
- Amos 9:1I saw the Lord standing beside the altar, and He said: “Strike the tops of the pillars so that the thresholds shake. Topple them on the heads of all the people, and I will kill the rest with the sword. None of those who flee will get away; none of the fugitives will escape.
- Jeremiah 22:14who says, ‘I will build myself a great palace, with spacious upper rooms.’ So he cuts windows in it, panels it with cedar, and paints it with 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
In the dictionaries
Notes
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
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