Zephaniah 3:5

Zephaniah 3:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The Lord within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, But the unjust knows no shame.

Context of Zephaniah 3:5

3The princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are wolves of the night, which leave nothing for the morning. 4Her prophets are reckless — treacherous men. Her priests profane the sanctuary; they do violence to instruction. The righteous Lord is in her; he does no wrong. He applies his justice morning by morning; he does not fail at dawn, yet the one who does wrong knows no shame. 6I have cut off nations; their corner towers are destroyed. I have laid waste their streets, with no one to pass through. Their cities lie devastated, without a person, without an inhabitant. 7I said: You will certainly fear me and accept correction. Then her dwelling place would not be cut off based on all that I had allocated to her. However, they became more corrupt in all their actions.

Zephaniah 3:5 word by word

יְהוָ֤ה צַדִּיק֙ בְּקִרְבָּ֔הּ לֹ֥א יַעֲשֶׂ֖ה עַוְלָ֑ה בַּבֹּ֨קֶר בַּבֹּ֜קֶר מִשְׁפָּט֨וֹ יִתֵּ֤ן לָאוֹר֙ לֹ֣א נֶעְדָּ֔ר וְלֹֽא־יוֹדֵ֥עַ עַוָּ֖ל בֹּֽשֶׁת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The justצַדִּיקtsaddîyq · righteousH6662
• Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• in the midstקֶ֫רֶבqereb · entrails: amongH7130
• thereof; he will not doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• iniquityעַוְלָה‛evel ‛âvel ‛avlâh ‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · injusticeH5766
• everyבֹּ֫קֶרbôqer · morningH1242
• doth he bringנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• his judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
• to lightאוֹר'ôr · lightH216
• he failethעָדַר‛âdar · to lackH5737
• not; but the unjustעַוָּל‛avvâl · unjustH5767
• knowethיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• no shameבֹּ֫שֶׁתbôsheth · shameH1322

Cross-references for Zephaniah 3:5

• Deuteronomy 32:4The Rock — his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God, without bias, he is righteous and true.
• Psalms 99:3Let them praise your great and awe-inspiring name. He is holy.
• Psalms 145:17The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all his acts.
• Ecclesiastes 3:16I also observed under the sun: there is wickedness at the place of judgment and there is wickedness at the place of righteousness.
• Isaiah 45:21Speak up and present your case — yes, let them consult each other. Who predicted this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the Lord? There is no other God but me, a righteous God and Savior; there is no one except me.
• Habakkuk 1:3Why do you force me to look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
• Zechariah 9:9Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout in triumph, Daughter Jerusalem! Look, your King is coming to you; he is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
• Romans 3:26God presented him to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so that he would be just and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.
• 1 Peter 1:17If you appeal to the Father who judges impartially according to each one’s work, you are to conduct yourselves in reverence during your time living as strangers.
• Zephaniah 3:15The Lord has removed your punishment; he has turned back your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is among you; you need no longer fear harm.
• Deuteronomy 23:14For the Lord your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you; so your encampments must be holy. He must not see anything indecent among you or he will turn away from you.
• Isaiah 12:6Cry out and sing, citizen of Zion, for the Holy One of Israel is among you in his greatness.”
• Ezekiel 48:35The perimeter of the city will be six miles, and the name of the city from that day on will be The Lord Is There.”
• Micah 3:11Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe, her priests teach for payment, and her prophets practice divination for silver. Yet they lean on the Lord, saying, “Isn’t the Lord among us? No disaster will overtake us.”
• Zechariah 2:5The declaration of the Lord: “I myself will be a wall of fire around it, and I will be the glory within it.”
• Genesis 18:25You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is just?”

Commentaries on Zephaniah 3:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5The just Lord is in the midst thereof - He sees, marks down, and will punish all these wickednesses. Every morning doth he bring his judgment to light - The sense is, says Bp. Newcome, "Not a day passes but we see instances of his goodness to righteous men, and of his vengeance on the wicked."Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5But, beside these “evening wolves in the midst of her,” there standeth Another “in the midst of her,” whom they knew not, and so, very near to them although they would not draw near to Him. But He was near, to behold all the iniquities which they did in the very city and place called by His Name and in His very presence; He was in her to protect, foster her with a father‘s love, but she, presuming on His mercy, had cast it off. And so He was near to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5He does nothing wrong, unlike those mentioned in Zephaniah 3:3–4.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-75-7. The Jews regard not God's justice manifested in the midst of them, nor His judgments on the guilty nations around. The just Lord--Why then are ye so unjust? is in the midst thereof--He retorts on them their own boast, "Is not the Lord among us" (Mi 3:11)? True He is, but it is for another end from what ye think [Calvin]; namely, to lead you by the example of His righteousness to be righteous. Le 19:2, "Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am…Read the comment

Topics related to Zephaniah 3:5

• God Continued...
• Injustice
• Shame
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Pride
• Zephaniah, Book of

Commentaries on Zephaniah 3

• 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