Zephaniah 1:4

Zephaniah 1:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;
• New International Version (NIV)“I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will destroy every remnant of Baal worship in this place, the very names of the idolatrous priests—
• English Standard Version (ESV)"I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,
• New King James Version (NKJV)“I will stretch out My hand against Judah, And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place, The names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests—

Context of Zephaniah 1:4

2‘It is the Lord who is speaking now. I will remove everything from the ground. 3I will remove men and animals. I will remove the birds that fly in the air. I will also remove the fish that live in the sea. I will remove all the bad people. Bad people cause trouble for other people. Yes, I will remove all the people from the ground. It is the Lord who is speaking. I will destroy Judah. I will remove all the people who live in Jerusalem. I will remove all those who believe in the false god Baal. I will remove Baal's priests. 5Some people stand on the roof tops to worship the sun, the moon and the stars. I will remove those people. Some people say that they love me. But they say also that they love Malcam (a false god). So I will remove them, too.’ 6‘I will remove those who have turned away from the Lord. I will also remove those who decide things without the Lord.

Zephaniah 1:4 word by word

וְנָטִ֤יתִי יָדִי֙ עַל־יְהוּדָ֔ה וְעַ֖ל כָּל־יוֹשְׁבֵ֣י יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וְהִכְרַתִּ֞י מִן־הַמָּק֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ אֶת־שְׁאָ֣ר הַבַּ֔עַל אֶת־שֵׁ֥ם הַכְּמָרִ֖ים עִם־הַכֹּהֲנִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• I will also stretch outנָטָהnâţâh · to stretchH5186
• mine handיָדyâd · handH3027
• upon Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
• and upon all the inhabitantsיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• of Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
• and I will cut offכָּרַתkârath · to cut: cutH3772
• the remnantשְׁאָרshe'âr · remnantH7605
• of Baalבַּעַלba‛al · BaalH1168
• from this placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
• the nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
• of the Chemarimsכֹּ֫מֶרkâmâr · pagan priestH3649
• with the priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548

Cross-references for Zephaniah 1:4

• Exodus 15:12You lifted up your right hand. A big hole opened in the ground and our enemies fell into it.
• 2 Kings 21:13I will judge Jerusalem and I will punish the people, as I punished Samaria and the family of King Ahab. I will remove the people from Jerusalem, like someone who washes the dirt from both sides of a plate.
• Isaiah 14:26That is what I have decided for the whole earth. I am ready to show my power against all the nations.’
• 2 Kings 23:4Then the king gave a command to Hilkiah, the leader of the priests, and to the other priests and the temple guards. He told them to bring out from the Lord's temple everything that people used there to worship false gods. People used those things to worship Baal, Asherah and all the stars in the sky. King Josiah burned those things outside Jerusalem, in the fields of the Kidron Valley. Then he took all the ashes to Bethel.
• 2 Chronicles 34:4He told his men to knock down the altars where people worshipped the idols of Baal. He broke into pieces the altars for incense that were near the other altars. He destroyed the Asherah poles, the idols and the images. He broke them all into very small pieces. He threw the bits over the graves of the people who had offered sacrifices to those false gods.
• Hosea 10:5The people who live in Samaria will be afraid. They will worry about their image of a calf at Beth Aven. They will weep because it will go away from them. The priests who serve the idol will cry too. They know that an enemy will take away their great and beautiful idol.

Commentaries on Zephaniah 1:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4I will cut off the remnant of Baal - I think he refers here, partly at least, to the reformation which Josiah was to bring about. See the account, 2 Kings 23:5; (note). The Chemarims - The black-robed priests of different idols. See the note on 2 Kings 23:6. These were put down by Josiah.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4I will also stretch out Mine Hand - As before on Egypt. Judah had gone in the ways of Egypt and learned her sins, and sinned worse than Egypt. “The mighty Hand and stretched-out Arm” Jeremiah 2:10-11, with which she had been delivered, shall be again “stretched out,” yet, not for her but “upon” her, “upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” In this threatened destruction of all, Judah and Jerusalem are singled out, because “judgment” shall “begin at the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4When Zephaniah made this prophecy, before Josiah's reforms in 622 BC, idolatrous priests actively promoted Baal worship and other forms of paganism (2 Kings 23:5).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. stretch out mine hand--indicating some remarkable and unusual work of vengeance (Is 5:25; 9:12, 17, 21). Judah--including Benjamin. These two tribes are to suffer, which thought themselves perpetually secure, because they escaped the captivity in which the ten tribes were involved. Jerusalem--the fountainhead of the evil. God begins with His sanctuary (Eze 9:6), and those who are nigh Him (Le 10:3). the remnant of Baal--the remains of Baal worship…Read the comment

Topics related to Zephaniah 1:4

• Apostasy
• Chemarim
• Idolatry

In the dictionaries

• Baal
• Jerusalem
• Judah
• Judah, kingdom of Judah
• Judea, Judah
• Chemarim
• Crashing
• Wasteness
• Apostasy; Apostate
• Josiah

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