Zephaniah 2:9

Zephaniah 2:9 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.
• New International Version (NIV)Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will become like Sodom, the Ammonites like Gomorrah— a place of weeds and salt pits, a wasteland forever. The remnant of my people will plunder them; the survivors of my nation will inherit their land.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Therefore, as I live," declares the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, "Moab shall become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and salt pits, and a waste forever. The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall possess them."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore, as I live,” Says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Surely Moab shall be like Sodom, And the people of Ammon like Gomorrah— Overrun with weeds and saltpits, And a perpetual desolation. The residue of My people shall plunder them, And the remnant of My people shall possess them.”

Context of Zephaniah 2:9

7Those people in Judah who love God will live there, by the sea. They will have food there. They will lie down to sleep in Ashkelon city's houses. The Lord, their God, will be with them. He will stop their troubles. 8The Lord of all his armies says, ‘I have heard the cruel people in the countries called Moab and Ammon. They laugh about you and they say cruel things about you, my people. They have thought that they were greater than you. They have come against you.’ The Lord Almighty, Israel's God, says, ‘You can be sure that I live. In the same way, you can also be sure that my people will take everything for themselves. God will destroy Moab as he destroyed Sodom. He will destroy Ammon as he destroyed Gomorrah. After this, the ground will have lots of salt on it. Weeds will grow there. Nobody will build anything there again. My people who are still alive will take for themselves the Ammonites' things and the Moabites' things.’ 10That will happen to all proud people. The proud people said cruel words to God's people. The cruel people thought that they were greater than the people of the Lord Almighty. 11The Lord will make them afraid. He will destroy all the false gods. People will worship him instead. Every person, in his own place, will worship God. They will also worship him in the places where the people now believe in false gods.

Zephaniah 2:9 word by word

לָכֵ֣ן חַי־אָ֡נִי נְאֻם֩ יְהוָ֨ה צְבָא֜וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כִּֽי־מוֹאָ֞ב כִּסְדֹ֤ם תִּֽהְיֶה֙ וּבְנֵ֤י עַמּוֹן֙ כַּֽעֲמֹרָ֔ה מִמְשַׁ֥ק חָר֛וּל וּמִכְרֵה־מֶ֥לַח וּשְׁמָמָ֖ה עַד־עוֹלָ֑ם שְׁאֵרִ֤ית עַמִּי֙ יְבָזּ֔וּם וְיֶ֥תֶר גּוֹיִ֖י יִנְחָלֽוּם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• I liveחַיchay · aliveH2416
• saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
• the Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• Surely Moabמוֹאָבmô'âb · MoabH4124
• shall be as Sodomסְדֹםsedôm · SodomH5467
• and the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Ammonעַמּוֹן‛ammôn · AmmonH5983
• as Gomorrahעֲמֹרָה‛ămôrâh · GomorrahH6017
• the breedingמִמְשָׁקmimshâq · possessionH4476
• of nettlesחָרוּלchârûl chârûl · nettleH2738
• and saltpitsמֶ֫לַחmelach · saltH4417
• and saltpitsמִכְרֶהmikreh · pitH4379
• and a perpetualעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769
• and a perpetualעַד‛ad · tillH5704
• desolationשְׁמָמָהshemâmâh shimâmâh · devastationH8077
• the residueשְׁאֵרִיתshe'êrîyth · remnantH7611
• of my peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• shall spoilבָּזַזbâzaz · to plunderH962
• them, and the remnantיֶ֫תֶרyether · remainderH3499
• of my peopleגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• shall possessנָחַלnâchal · to inheritH5157

Cross-references for Zephaniah 2:9

• Numbers 14:21As surely as I live, and all the earth will be full of my glory, I tell you this.
• Isaiah 49:18Look all round you! See all your people as they return together.’ The Lord says, ‘I tell you clearly, as the God who lives, you will be happy with your people. They will make you beautiful again, like a bride with her beautiful jewels.
• Jeremiah 46:18The Lord Almighty is the great King. He says, ‘I promise you, as surely as I live, that a powerful army will come to fight against you! They will look as great as Tabor looks among the other mountains. They will seem like Carmel mountain that stands beside the sea.
• Romans 14:11This is written in the Bible: ‘The Lord God says, “As surely as I live, this will certainly happen: Everyone will go down on their knees in front of me. Everyone will praise me that I am God.” ’
• Isaiah 11:14But they will join together to attack the Philistines in the west. They will also attack the nations to the east of Israel. They will take their valuable things for themselves. They will win against the people of Edom and Moab. They will rule over the Ammonites.
• Isaiah 15:1This is a message about Moab: In one night an enemy has destroyed Ar. In one night they have destroyed Kir. Those towns in Moab are now a heap of stones!
• Isaiah 25:10The Lord's power will bless this mountain. He will knock down Moab's people and he will walk all over them. He will walk on them, as if they are straw in a heap of dung.
• Jeremiah 48:1The Lord Almighty, Israel's God, spoke this message about Moab: ‘Nebo city is in terrible trouble! It will soon become a heap of stones. The people of Kiriathaim city will be ashamed. Its enemies will take it for themselves. They will knock down its strong buildings, and its people will be ashamed.
• Ezekiel 25:1The Lord gave this message to me:
• Amos 1:13The Lord says, ‘The people in Ammon have done more and more wrong things. So I will certainly punish them. People from Ammon fought against the people in Gilead. Ammon's people wanted to get more land for themselves. While they were killing people there, they also cut pregnant women open.
• Amos 2:1The Lord says, ‘The people in Moab have done more and more wrong things. So I will certainly punish them. They dug up the bones of Edom's king. They burned his bones until they became ashes.
• Zephaniah 2:14Sheep will lie down there. All the wild animals of that place will live together there. Vultures and owls will rest on top of the high, thin parts of the buildings. They will sing in the windows. Bits of doors will lie on the ground. The Lord will tear down all the things in the houses that they have made from valuable wood.
• Genesis 19:24Then the Lord poured sulphur that was on fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah. It fell from the sky like rain.
• Deuteronomy 29:23The whole land will become spoiled with salt and sulphur. No one will plant seed in it, because nothing will grow there. Even grass will not grow on it. The land will be useless, like the cities that the Lord destroyed when he was very angry with them. Those cities were Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim.
• Isaiah 13:19Yes, God will destroy Babylon, as he did to Sodom and Gomorrah. Babylon has been a great and beautiful city. The people of the whole nation have been very proud of it. But God will still destroy it.
• Isaiah 34:9The water in Edom's streams will become tar. Its soil will become sulphur. Its whole land will become tar that is burning.

Commentaries on Zephaniah 2:9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9The breeding of nettles - That is, their land shall become desolate, and be a place for nettles, thorns, etc., to flourish in, for want of cultivation.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts - Life especially belongs to God, since He Alone is Underived Life. “He hath life in Himself” John 5:26. He is entitled “the living God,” as here, in tacit contrast with the dead idols of the Philistines 1 Samuel 17:26, 1 Samuel 17:36, with idols generally Jeremiah 10:10; or against the blasphemies of Sennacherib 2 Kings 19:4, 2 Kings 19:16, the mockeries of scoffers Jeremiah 23:36, of the awe of His presence…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. 9The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah shows God's severe judgment of sin. This is evident in both the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 29:23; Isaiah 1:9; Jeremiah 23:14; Amos 4:11) and the New Testament (Luke 10:12; Romans 9:29; 2 Peter 2:6). salt pits: These are areas of ruin (Deuteronomy 29:23; Psalm 107:34; Jeremiah 17:6). Sowing the earth with salt was a sign of permanent judgment (see Judges 9:45) because it made the ground infertile.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. the breeding of nettles--or, the overspreading of nettles, that is, a place overrun with them. salt pits--found at the south of the Dead Sea. The water overflows in the spring, and salt is left by the evaporation. Salt land is barren (Jud 9:45; Psa 107:34, Margin). possess them--that is, their land; in retribution for their having occupied Judah's land.Read the comment

Topics related to Zephaniah 2:9

• Ammonites
• Gomorrah
• Nettles
• Salt
• Sodom

In the dictionaries

• Ammon
• God
• Gomorrah
• Israel
• Moab
• Sodom
• Ammon; Ammonites
• Moab; Moabites
• Ammon, Ammonite
• Israel, Israelites

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