God’s Word Translation
Zephaniah 2:11
11The Lord will terrify them, because he will make all the gods of the earth waste away. So every person from every coast and nation will bow to him.
Zephaniah 2:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The Lord will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.
- New International Version (NIV)The Lord will be awesome to them when he destroys all the gods of the earth. Distant nations will bow down to him, all of them in their own lands.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The Lord will be awesome against them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth, and to him shall bow down, each in its place, all the lands of the nations.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The Lord will be awesome to them, For He will reduce to nothing all the gods of the earth; People shall worship Him, Each one from his place, Indeed all the shores of the nations.
Context of Zephaniah 2:11
9Therefore, I solemnly swear, as I live,” declares the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, “Moab will become like Sodom, and Ammon will become like Gomorrah: a place of weeds, salt pits, and ruins forever. The faithful few of my people will loot them, and those who are left in my nation will take possession of them.” 10This is what they will get for their sinful pride, because they insulted the people who belong to the Lord of Armies and made themselves greater than them. The Lord will terrify them, because he will make all the gods of the earth waste away. So every person from every coast and nation will bow to him. 12“Even you, the people from Sudan, you will also die by my sword.” 13The Lord will use his power against the north and destroy Assyria. He will turn Nineveh into a deserted ruin, a dried up wasteland like the desert.
Read all of Zephaniah 2Zephaniah 2:11 word by word
נוֹרָ֤א יְהוָה֙ עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם כִּ֣י רָזָ֔ה אֵ֖ת כָּל־אֱלֹהֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ וְיִשְׁתַּֽחֲווּ־לוֹ֙ אִ֣ישׁ מִמְּקוֹמ֔וֹ כֹּ֖ל אִיֵּ֥י הַגּוֹיִֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- terribleיָרֵאyârê' · to fear: revereH3372
- unto them: for he will famishרָזָהrâzâh · be leanH7329
- all the godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- shall worshipשָׁחָהshâchâh · to bowH7812
- him, every oneאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
- from his placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
- all the islesאִי'îy · coastlandH339
- of the heathenגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
Cross-references for Zephaniah 2:11
- Deuteronomy 32:38Where are the gods who ate the fat from their sacrifices and drank the wine from their wine offerings? Let them come to help you! Let them be your refuge!”
- Hosea 2:17I won’t allow her to say the names of other gods called Baal. She will never again call out their names.
- 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.
- Psalms 2:8Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your own possession.
- Psalms 22:27All the ends of the earth will remember and return to the Lord. All the families from all the nations will worship you
- Psalms 72:8May he rule from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
- Psalms 86:9All the nations that you have made will bow in your presence, O Lord. They will honor you.
- Psalms 97:6The heavens tell about his righteousness, and all the people of the world see his glory.
- Psalms 117:1Praise the Lord, all you nations! Praise him, all you people of the world!
- Psalms 138:4All the kings of the earth will give thanks to you, O Lord, because they have heard the promises you spoke.
- Isaiah 2:2In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established as the highest of the mountains and raised above the hills. All the nations will stream to it.
- Isaiah 11:9They will not hurt or destroy anyone anywhere on my holy mountain. The world will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord like water covering the sea.
- Micah 4:1In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established as the highest of the mountains and raised above the hills. People will stream to it.
- Zechariah 2:11On that day many nations will join the Lord and become my people. I will live among you. Then you will know that the Lord of Armies has sent me to you.
- Zechariah 8:20This is what the Lord of Armies says: People and citizens from many cities are going to come.
- Zechariah 14:9The Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be the only Lord and his name the only name.
Commentaries on Zephaniah 2:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11He will famish all the gods of the earth - They shall have no more sacrifices; their worship shall be entirely destroyed. Idolaters supposed that their gods actually fed on the fumes and spirituous exhalations that arose from the burnt-offerings which they made unto their idols. It is in reference to this opinion that the Lord says, "He will famish all the gods of the land."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. 11nations … will bow in worship to Him: At the end of history, everyone everywhere will worship God alone (Zephaniah 3:9; Psalm 66:4; Micah 4:1–2; Zechariah 14:16).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. famish--bring low by taking from the idols their former fame; as beasts are famished by their food being withheld. Also by destroying the kingdoms under the tutelage of idols (Psa 96:4; Is 46:1). gods of the earth--who have their existence only on earth, not in heaven as the true God. every one from his place--each in his own Gentile home, taught by the Jews in the true religion: not in Jerusalem alone shall men worship God, but everywhere (Psa 68:29…Read the comment
Topics related to Zephaniah 2:11
In the dictionaries
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
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