God’s Word Translation
Zephaniah 1:17
17“I will bring such distress on humans that they will walk like they are blind, because they have sinned against the Lord.” Their blood will be poured out like dust and their intestines like manure.
Zephaniah 1:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.
- New International Version (NIV)“I will bring such distress on all people that they will grope about like those who are blind, because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like dung.
- English Standard Version (ESV)I will bring distress on mankind, so that they shall walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“I will bring distress upon men, And they shall walk like blind men, Because they have sinned against the Lord; Their blood shall be poured out like dust, And their flesh like refuse.”
Context of Zephaniah 1:17
15That day will be a day of overflowing fury, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and overcast skies, 16a day of rams’ horns and battle cries against the fortified cities and against the high corner towers. “I will bring such distress on humans that they will walk like they are blind, because they have sinned against the Lord.” Their blood will be poured out like dust and their intestines like manure. 18Their silver and their gold will not be able to rescue them on the day of the Lord’s overflowing fury. The whole earth will be consumed by his fiery anger, because he will put an end, a frightening end, to those who live on earth.
Read all of Zephaniah 1Zephaniah 1:17 word by word
וַהֲצֵרֹ֣תִי לָאָדָ֗ם וְהָֽלְכוּ֙ כַּֽעִוְרִ֔ים כִּ֥י לַֽיהוָ֖ה חָטָ֑אוּ וְשֻׁפַּ֤ךְ דָּמָם֙ כֶּֽעָפָ֔ר וּלְחֻמָ֖ם כַּגְּלָלִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And I will bring distressצָרַרtsârar · to constrainH6887
- upon menאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- that they shall walkהָלַךְhâlak · to go: walkH1980
- like blind menעִוֵּר‛ivvêr · blindH5787
- because they have sinnedחָטָאchâţâ' · to sinH2398
- against the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- and their bloodדָּםdâm · bloodH1818
- shall be poured outשָׁפַךְshâphak · to pour: pourH8210
- as dustעָפָר‛âphâr · dustH6083
- and their fleshלְחוּםlâchûm lâchûm · intestineH3894
- as the dungגֵּלgêlel · dungH1561
Cross-references for Zephaniah 1:17
- Deuteronomy 28:28The Lord will strike you with madness, blindness, and panic.
- Psalms 79:3They have shed the blood of your people around Jerusalem as though it were water. There is no one to bury your people.
- Isaiah 29:10The Lord has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He will shut your eyes. (Your eyes are the prophets.) He will cover your heads. (Your heads are the seers.)
- Isaiah 59:9That is why justice is far from us, and righteousness doesn’t reach us. We hope for light, but we walk in darkness. We hope for brightness, but we walk in gloom.
- Lamentations 4:14My people staggered blindly through the streets. They were so contaminated with bloodstains that no one would touch their clothes.
- Matthew 15:14Leave them alone! They are blind leaders. When one blind person leads another, both will fall into the same pit.”
- John 9:40Some Pharisees who were with Jesus heard this. So they asked him, “Do you think we’re blind?”
- Romans 11:7So what does all this mean? It means that Israel has never achieved what it has been striving for. However, those whom God has chosen have achieved it. The minds of the rest of Israel were closed,
- 2 Corinthians 4:4The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. As a result, they don’t see the light of the Good News about Christ’s glory. It is Christ who is God’s image.
- 2 Peter 1:9If these qualities aren’t present in your life, you’re shortsighted and have forgotten that you were cleansed from your past sins.
- 1 John 2:11Those who hate other believers are in the dark and live in the dark. They don’t know where they’re going, because they can’t see in the dark.
- Revelation 3:17You say, ‘I’m rich. I’m wealthy. I don’t need anything.’ Yet, you do not realize that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
- Isaiah 24:5The earth is polluted by those who live on it because they’ve disobeyed the Lord’s teachings, violated his laws, and rejected the everlasting promise.
- Isaiah 50:1This is what the Lord says: Where are your mother’s divorce papers? Did I give her any to get rid of her? To which of my creditors did I sell you? You were sold because of your sins. I got rid of your mother because of your rebellion.
- Isaiah 59:12You are aware of our many rebellious acts. Our sins testify against us. Our rebellious acts are with us. We know our wrongdoings.
- Jeremiah 2:17You have brought this on yourself by abandoning the Lord your God when he led you on his way.
Commentaries on Zephaniah 1:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17They shall walk like blind men - Be in the most perplexing doubt and uncertainty; and while in this state, have their blood poured out by the sword of their enemies, and their flesh trodden under foot.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17I will bring distress upon men - I will hem them in, in anguish on all sides. God Himself shall meet them with His terrors, wherever they turn. “I will hem them in, that they may find it so”. That they shall walk like blind men - Utterly bereft of counsel, seeing no more than the blind which way to turn, grasping blindly and franticly at anything, and going on headlong to their own destruction. So God forewarned them in the law; “Thou shalt grope at noon…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-18Verses 14-18 This warning of approaching destruction, is enough to make the sinners in Zion tremble; it refers to the great day of the Lord, the day in which he will show himself by taking vengeance on them. This day of the Lord is very near; it is a day of God's wrath, wrath to the utmost. It will be a day of trouble and distress to sinners. Let them not be laid asleep by the patience of God. What is a man profited if he gain the whole world, and lose…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17walk like the blind: This is an example of God's justice (see also Romans 1:21–32). God’s people were blind in their moral choices and in their relationship with him. They could not see what was right or wrong (see Exodus 23:8; Romans 2:19; 1 John 2:11). Because they sinned against the Lord and disobeyed his commands, they received the punishments promised in God’s covenant (Deuteronomy 28:28–29).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1717. like blind men--unable to see whither to turn themselves so as to find an escape from existing evils. flesh--Hebrew, "bread"; so the Arabic term for "bread" is used for "flesh" (Mt 26:26).Read the comment
Topics related to Zephaniah 1:17
In the dictionaries
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
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