Christian Standard Bible
Zephaniah 2:3
3Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who carry out what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be concealed on the day of the Lord’s anger.
Zephaniah 2:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.
- New International Version (NIV)Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the Lord’s anger.
Context of Zephaniah 2:3
1Gather yourselves together; gather together, undesirable nation, 2before the decree takes effect and the day passes like chaff, before the burning of the Lord’s anger overtakes you, before the day of the Lord’s anger overtakes you. Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who carry out what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be concealed on the day of the Lord’s anger. 4For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will become a ruin. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted. 5Woe, inhabitants of the seacoast, nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines: I will destroy you until there is no one left.
Read all of Zephaniah 2Zephaniah 2:3 word by word
בַּקְּשׁ֤וּ אֶת־יְהוָה֙ כָּל־עַנְוֵ֣י הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִשְׁפָּט֖וֹ פָּעָ֑לוּ בַּקְּשׁוּ־צֶ֙דֶק֙ בַּקְּשׁ֣וּ עֲנָוָ֔ה אוּלַי֙ תִּסָּ֣תְר֔וּ בְּי֖וֹם אַף־יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Seekבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
- ye the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- all ye meekעָנָו‛ânâv ‛ânâyv · poorH6035
- of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- which have wroughtפָּעַלpâ‛al · to workH6466
- his judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
- righteousnessצֶ֫דֶקtsedeq · righteousnessH6664
- meeknessעֲנָוָה‛ănâvâh · humilityH6038
- it may beאוּלַי'ûlay 'ûlay · perhapsH194
- ye shall be hidסָתַרsâthar · to hideH5641
- in the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- angerאַף'aph · face: angerH639
Cross-references for Zephaniah 2:3
- Psalms 105:4Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
- Isaiah 55:6Seek the Lord while he may be found; call to him while he is near.
- Jeremiah 3:13Only acknowledge your guilt — you have rebelled against the Lord your God. You have scattered your favors to strangers under every green tree and have not obeyed me. This is the Lord’s declaration.
- Jeremiah 4:1If you return, Israel — this is the Lord’s declaration — you will return to me, if you remove your abhorrent idols from my presence and do not waver,
- Jeremiah 29:12You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
- Hosea 7:10Israel’s arrogance testifies against them, yet they do not return to the Lord their God, and for all this, they do not seek him.
- Hosea 10:12Sow righteousness for yourselves and reap faithful love; break up your unplowed ground. It is time to seek the Lord until he comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain.
- Amos 5:4For the Lord says to the house of Israel: Seek me and live!
- Matthew 7:7“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.
- 2 Chronicles 34:27because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before me, and you tore your clothes and wept before me, I myself have heard’ — this is the Lord’s declaration.
- Psalms 22:26The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise him. May your hearts live forever!
- Psalms 25:8The Lord is good and upright; therefore he shows sinners the way.
- Psalms 76:9when God rose up to judge and to save all the lowly of the earth.Selah
- Psalms 149:4For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.
- Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners;
- Jeremiah 22:15Are you a king because you excel in cedar? Didn’t your father eat and drink and administer justice and righteousness? Then it went well with him.
Commentaries on Zephaniah 2:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Ye meek of the earth - ענוי anavey, ye oppressed and humbled of the land. It may be ye shall be hid - The sword has not a commission against you. Ask God, and he will be a refuge to you from the storm and from the tempest.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Seek ye the Lord - He had exhorted sinners to penitence; he now calls the righteous to persevere and increase more and more. He bids them “seek diligently”, and that with a three-fold call, to seek Him from whom they received daily the three-fold blessing Numbers 6:23-26, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as he had just before threatened God‘s impending judgment with the same use of the mysterious number, three. They, whom he calls, were already, by the grace…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3all you humble: True humility means submitting to and depending on God (Psalms 18:25–27; 119:142–144; Proverbs 15:33; 18:12; 22:4).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. As in Zep 2:1 (compare Note, see on Zep 1:12) he had warned the hardened among the people to humble themselves, so now he admonishes "the meek" to proceed in their right course, that so they may escape the general calamity (Psa 76:9). The meek bow themselves under God's chastisements to God's will, whereas the ungodly become only the more hardened by them. Seek ye the Lord--in contrast to those that "sought not the Lord" (Zep 1:6). The meek are not to…Read the comment
Topics related to Zephaniah 2:3
In the dictionaries
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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