Zephaniah 2:3

Zephaniah 2:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.
• New International Version (NIV)Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, who do his just commands; seek righteousness; seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the anger of the Lord.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the Lord’s anger.

Context of Zephaniah 2:3

1Gather yourselves together! Yes, gather together, you shameless nation, 2before the decree is carried out ⌞and⌟ the day passes like windblown husks, before the Lord’s burning anger comes to you, before the day of the Lord’s anger comes to you. Search for the Lord, all you humble people in the land who carry out his justice. Search for what is right. Search for humility. Maybe you will find shelter on the day of the Lord’s anger. 4Gaza will be deserted, and Ashkelon will be destroyed. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be torn out by the roots. 5How horrible it will be for those who live on the seacoast, for the nation from Crete. The Lord’s word is against you, Canaan, the land of the Philistines: “I will destroy you so that no one will be living there.”

Zephaniah 2:3 word by word

בַּקְּשׁ֤וּ אֶת־יְהוָה֙ כָּל־עַנְוֵ֣י הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִשְׁפָּט֖וֹ פָּעָ֑לוּ בַּקְּשׁוּ־צֶ֙דֶק֙ בַּקְּשׁ֣וּ עֲנָוָ֔ה אוּלַי֙ תִּסָּ֣תְר֔וּ בְּי֖וֹם אַף־יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Seekבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• ye the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• all ye meekעָנָו‛ânâv ‛ânâyv · poorH6035
• of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• which have wroughtפָּעַלpâ‛al · to workH6466
• his judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
• righteousnessצֶ֫דֶקtsedeq · righteousnessH6664
• meeknessעֲנָוָה‛ănâvâh · humilityH6038
• it may beאוּלַי'ûlay 'ûlay · perhapsH194
• ye shall be hidסָתַרsâthar · to hideH5641
• in the dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• angerאַף'aph · face: angerH639

Cross-references for Zephaniah 2:3

• Psalms 105:4Search for the Lord and his strength. Always seek his presence.
• Isaiah 55:6Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.
• Jeremiah 3:13Admit that you’ve done wrong! You have rebelled against the Lord your God. You have given yourself to strangers under every large tree. You have not obeyed me,’ declares the Lord.
• Jeremiah 4:1The Lord declares, “If you come back, Israel, if you come back to me, if you take your disgusting idols out of my sight and you don’t wander away from me,
• Jeremiah 29:12Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will hear you.
• Hosea 7:10Israel, your arrogance testifies against you, but even after all this, you don’t turn to the Lord your God or look to him for help.
• Hosea 10:12“Break new ground. Plant righteousness, and harvest the fruit that your loyalty will produce for me.” It’s time to seek the Lord! When he comes, he will rain righteousness on you.
• Amos 5:4This is what the Lord says to the nation of Israel: Search for me and live!
• Matthew 7:7“Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you.
• 2 Chronicles 34:27You had a change of heart and humbled yourself in front of God when you heard my words against this place and those who live here. You humbled yourself, tore your clothes ⌞in distress⌟, and cried in front of me. So I will listen ⌞to you⌟, declares the Lord.
• Psalms 22:26Oppressed people will eat until they are full. Those who look to the Lord will praise him. May you live forever.
• Psalms 25:8The Lord is good and decent. That is why he teaches sinners the way they should live.
• Psalms 76:9when you rose to judge, O God, when you rose to save every oppressed person on earth. Selah
• Psalms 149:4because the Lord takes pleasure in his people. He crowns those who are oppressed with victory.
• Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Almighty Lord is with me because the Lord has anointed me to deliver good news to humble people. He has sent me to heal those who are brokenhearted, to announce that captives will be set free and prisoners will be released.
• Jeremiah 22:15Do you think you’re a better king than others because you use more cedar? Your father ate and drank and did what is fair and right. Everything went well for him.

Commentaries on Zephaniah 2:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Ye meek of the earth - ענוי anavey, ye oppressed and humbled of the land. It may be ye shall be hid - The sword has not a commission against you. Ask God, and he will be a refuge to you from the storm and from the tempest.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Seek ye the Lord - He had exhorted sinners to penitence; he now calls the righteous to persevere and increase more and more. He bids them “seek diligently”, and that with a three-fold call, to seek Him from whom they received daily the three-fold blessing Numbers 6:23-26, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as he had just before threatened God‘s impending judgment with the same use of the mysterious number, three. They, whom he calls, were already, by the grace…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3all you humble: True humility means submitting to and depending on God (Psalms 18:25–27; 119:142–144; Proverbs 15:33; 18:12; 22:4).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. As in Zep 2:1 (compare Note, see on Zep 1:12) he had warned the hardened among the people to humble themselves, so now he admonishes "the meek" to proceed in their right course, that so they may escape the general calamity (Psa 76:9). The meek bow themselves under God's chastisements to God's will, whereas the ungodly become only the more hardened by them. Seek ye the Lord--in contrast to those that "sought not the Lord" (Zep 1:6). The meek are not to…Read the comment

Topics related to Zephaniah 2:3

• Day
• Holiness
• Meekness
• Prayer
• Seekers

In the dictionaries

• Cottage
• Meekness
• Thereupon
• Josiah
• Poor
• Zephaniah, Book of

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