Zephaniah 3:5

Zephaniah 3:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The just Lord is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail, yet the unrighteous know no shame.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The Lord within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The Lord is righteous in her midst, He will do no unrighteousness. Every morning He brings His justice to light; He never fails, But the unjust knows no shame.

Context of Zephaniah 3:5

3Its officials are ⌞like⌟ roaring lions. Its judges are ⌞like⌟ wolves in the evening. They leave nothing to gnaw on for the morning. 4Its prophets are reckless and unfaithful. Its priests contaminate what is holy. They violate the teachings. The righteous Lord is in that city. He does no wrong. He brings his judgment to light every morning. He does not fail. But those who are perverted are shameless. 6“I will cut off the nations. Their towers will be destroyed. I will demolish their streets. No one will walk through them. Their cities will be completely destroyed. Not a single person will be left. No one will be living there. 7I said ⌞to my people⌟, ‘You will fear me. You will accept correction!’ Then their homeland would not be wiped out even though I have punished them. Still, they continued to be corrupt in everything they did.”

Zephaniah 3:5 word by word

יְהוָ֤ה צַדִּיק֙ בְּקִרְבָּ֔הּ לֹ֥א יַעֲשֶׂ֖ה עַוְלָ֑ה בַּבֹּ֨קֶר בַּבֹּ֜קֶר מִשְׁפָּט֨וֹ יִתֵּ֤ן לָאוֹר֙ לֹ֣א נֶעְדָּ֔ר וְלֹֽא־יוֹדֵ֥עַ עַוָּ֖ל בֹּֽשֶׁת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The justצַדִּיקtsaddîyq · righteousH6662
• Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• in the midstקֶ֫רֶבqereb · entrails: amongH7130
• thereof; he will not doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• iniquityעַוְלָה‛evel ‛âvel ‛avlâh ‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · injusticeH5766
• everyבֹּ֫קֶרbôqer · morningH1242
• doth he bringנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• his judgmentמִשְׁפָּטmishpâţ · justiceH4941
• to lightאוֹר'ôr · lightH216
• he failethעָדַר‛âdar · to lackH5737
• not; but the unjustעַוָּל‛avvâl · unjustH5767
• knowethיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• no shameבֹּ֫שֶׁתbôsheth · shameH1322

Cross-references for Zephaniah 3:5

• Deuteronomy 32:4He is a rock. What he does is perfect. All his ways are fair. He is a faithful God, who does no wrong. He is honorable and reliable.
• Psalms 99:3Let them give thanks to your great and fearful name. He is holy!
• Psalms 145:17The Lord is fair in all his ways and faithful in everything he does.
• Ecclesiastes 3:16I saw something else under the sun: There is wickedness where justice should be found. There is wickedness where righteousness should be found.
• Isaiah 45:21Speak and present your case. Yes, let them consult one another. Who revealed this in the distant past and predicted it long ago? Wasn’t it I, the Lord? There is no other God except me. There is no other righteous God and Savior besides me.
• Habakkuk 1:3Why do you make me see wrongdoing? And why do you watch wickedness? Destruction and violence are in front of me. Quarrels and disputes arise.
• Zechariah 9:9Rejoice with all your heart, people of Zion! Shout in triumph, people of Jerusalem! Look! Your King is coming to you: He is righteous and victorious. He is humble and rides on a donkey, on a colt, a young pack animal.
• Romans 3:26He waited so that he could display his approval at the present time. This shows that he is a God of justice, a God who approves of people who believe in Jesus.
• 1 Peter 1:17So if you call God your Father, live your time as temporary residents on earth in fear. He is the God who judges all people by what they have done, and he doesn’t play favorites.
• Zephaniah 3:15The Lord has reversed the judgments against you. He has forced out your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is with you. You will never fear disaster again.
• Deuteronomy 23:14The Lord your God moves around in your camp to protect you and hand your enemies over to you. So your camp must always be holy. This way, the Lord will never see anything offensive among you and turn away from you.
• Isaiah 12:6Shout loudly, and sing with joy, people of Zion! The Holy One of Israel is great. He is among you.”
• Ezekiel 48:35The city will measure about 31,500 feet all the way around. From then on the city’s name will be: The Lord Is There.
• Micah 3:11Your leaders exchange justice for bribes. Your priests teach for a price. Your prophets tell the future for money. But they rely on the Lord when they say, “After all, the Lord is with us. Nothing bad will happen to us.”
• Zechariah 2:5I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the Lord. I will be the glory within it.’
• Genesis 18:25It would be unthinkable for you to do such a thing, to treat the innocent and the guilty alike and to kill the innocent with the guilty. That would be unthinkable! Won’t the judge of the whole earth do what is fair?”

Commentaries on Zephaniah 3:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5The just Lord is in the midst thereof - He sees, marks down, and will punish all these wickednesses. Every morning doth he bring his judgment to light - The sense is, says Bp. Newcome, "Not a day passes but we see instances of his goodness to righteous men, and of his vengeance on the wicked."Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5But, beside these “evening wolves in the midst of her,” there standeth Another “in the midst of her,” whom they knew not, and so, very near to them although they would not draw near to Him. But He was near, to behold all the iniquities which they did in the very city and place called by His Name and in His very presence; He was in her to protect, foster her with a father‘s love, but she, presuming on His mercy, had cast it off. And so He was near to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5He does nothing wrong, unlike those mentioned in Zephaniah 3:3–4.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-75-7. The Jews regard not God's justice manifested in the midst of them, nor His judgments on the guilty nations around. The just Lord--Why then are ye so unjust? is in the midst thereof--He retorts on them their own boast, "Is not the Lord among us" (Mi 3:11)? True He is, but it is for another end from what ye think [Calvin]; namely, to lead you by the example of His righteousness to be righteous. Le 19:2, "Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am…Read the comment

Topics related to Zephaniah 3:5

• God Continued...
• Injustice
• Shame
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Pride
• Zephaniah, Book of

Commentaries on Zephaniah 3

• 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