God’s Word Translation
Zephaniah 1:3
3“I will put an end to humans and animals. I will put an end to the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and the sins that make people fall, together with the sinners. I will remove all people from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord.
Zephaniah 1:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord.
- New International Version (NIV)“I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea— and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.” “When I destroy all mankind on the face of the earth,” declares the Lord,
- English Standard Version (ESV)"I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth," declares the Lord.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens, The fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land,” Says the Lord.
Context of Zephaniah 1:3
1This is the word that the Lord spoke to Zephaniah, who was the son of Cushi, the grandson of Gedaliah, and the great-grandson of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. The Lord spoke his word in the days of Judah’s King Josiah, son of Amon. 2“I will gather everything on the face of the earth and put an end to it,” declares the Lord. “I will put an end to humans and animals. I will put an end to the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and the sins that make people fall, together with the sinners. I will remove all people from the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. 4“I will use my power against Judah and against those who live in Jerusalem. I will remove the faithful few of Baal from this place and the names of the pagan priests along with my priests. 5I will remove those who worship all the stars in the sky on their rooftops and those who worship by swearing loyalty to the Lord while also swearing loyalty to the god Milcom.
Read all of Zephaniah 1Zephaniah 1:3 word by word
אָסֵ֨ף אָדָ֜ם וּבְהֵמָ֗ה אָסֵ֤ף עוֹף־הַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ וּדְגֵ֣י הַיָּ֔ם וְהַמַּכְשֵׁל֖וֹת אֶת־הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים וְהִכְרַתִּ֣י אֶת־הָאָדָ֗ם מֵעַ֛ל פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָ֖ה נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- I will consumeסוּףsûph · to ceaseH5486
- manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- and beastבְּהֵמָהbehêmâh · animalH929
- the fowlsעוֹף‛ôph · birdH5775
- of the heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- and the fishesדָּגdâg dâ'g · fishH1709
- of the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
- and the stumblingblocksמַכְשֵׁלָהmakshêlâh · ruinsH4384
- with the wickedרָשָׁעrâshâ‛ · wickedH7563
- and I will cut offכָּרַתkârath · to cut: eliminateH3772
- from offפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
- the landאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: planetH127
- saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
Cross-references for Zephaniah 1:3
- Jeremiah 4:23I see the earth. It’s formless and empty. I see the sky. Its lights are gone.
- Jeremiah 12:4How long will the land mourn? How long will the plants in every field remain dried up? The animals and the birds are dying, because people are wicked. They think that God doesn’t know what they are doing.
- Hosea 4:3That is why the land is drying up, and everyone who lives in it is passing away. Wild animals, birds, and fish are dying.
- Isaiah 27:9In this way the wrongdoings of the descendants of Jacob are covered up. This is the way they will turn from their sins— when they turn all the altar stones into powdered chalk and no poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah or incense altars are left standing.
- Ezekiel 7:19They will throw their silver and gold into the streets like garbage. Their silver and gold won’t be able to rescue them on the day of the Lord’s anger. It will no longer satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs. Their silver and gold caused them to fall into sin.
- Ezekiel 14:3“Son of man, these people are devoted to their idols, and they are allowing themselves to fall into sin. Should they be allowed to ask me for help?
- Ezekiel 44:12But they served the people by standing in front of their idols and by making Israel fall into sin. So I raised my hand and swore that they would be punished for their sins, declares the Lord.
- Hosea 14:3Assyria cannot save us. We won’t ride on horses anymore. We will never again say that the things our hands have made are our gods. You love orphans.”
- Micah 5:11I will destroy the cities in your land and tear down all your fortresses.
- Zechariah 13:2“On that day,” declares the Lord of Armies, “I will wipe away the names of the idols from the land. They will no longer be remembered. I will also remove the ⌞false⌟ prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.
- Matthew 23:39I can guarantee that you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
- Revelation 2:14But I have a few things against you: You have among you those who follow what Balaam taught Balak. Balak trapped the people of Israel by ⌞encouraging⌟ them to eat food sacrificed to idols and to sin sexually.
- Ezekiel 14:13“Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful to me. I will use my power against it, cut off its food supply, send a famine to it, and destroy its people and animals.
- Ezekiel 15:6“So this is what the Almighty Lord says: As a vine is taken from among the trees in the forest to be used to feed the fire, so I will take the people who live in Jerusalem to punish them.
Commentaries on Zephaniah 1:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3I will consume man and beast - By war, and by pestilence. Even the waters shall he infected, and the fish destroyed; the air become contaminated, and the fowls die.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The stumbling-blocks with the wicked - Not only shall the wicked be utterly brought to an end, or, in the other meaning of the word, “gathered into bundles to be taken away,” but all causes of stumbling too; everything, through which others can fall, which will not be until the end of all things. Then, he repeats, yet more emphatically, “I will cut off the whole race of man from the face of the earth,” and then he closes the verse, like the foregoing…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3God's judgment will remove things in the reverse order of their creation (Genesis 1:20–26). People and animals are mentioned first, then birds, and finally fish. This order shows that judgment is a reversal of creation, moving backward through what God originally made.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Enumeration in detail of the "all things" (Zep 1:2; compare Jr 9:10; Ho 4:3). the stumbling-blocks--idols which cause Judah to offend or stumble (Eze 14:3, 4, 7). with the wicked--The idols and their worshippers shall be involved in a common destruction.Read the comment
Topics related to Zephaniah 1:3
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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