God’s Word Translation
Zephaniah 3:7
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 3:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.
- New International Version (NIV)Of Jerusalem I thought, ‘Surely you will fear me and accept correction!’ Then her place of refuge would not be destroyed, nor all my punishments come upon her. But they were still eager to act corruptly in all they did.
- English Standard Version (ESV)I said, 'Surely you will fear me; you will accept correction. Then your dwelling would not be cut off according to all that I have appointed against you.' But all the more they were eager to make all their deeds corrupt.
- New King James Version (NKJV)I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me, You will receive instruction’— So that her dwelling would not be cut off, Despite everything for which I punished her. But they rose early and corrupted all their deeds.
Context of Zephaniah 3:7
5The 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. I 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.” 8The Lord declares, “Just wait! One day I will stand up as a witness. I have decided to gather nations, to bring kingdoms together, and to pour my rage, my burning anger, on them. The whole land will be consumed by my fiery fury. 9“Then I will give all people pure lips to worship the Lord and to serve him with one purpose.
Read all of Zephaniah 3Zephaniah 3:7 word by word
אָמַ֜רְתִּי אַךְ־תִּירְאִ֤י אוֹתִי֙ תִּקְחִ֣י מוּסָ֔ר וְלֹֽא־יִכָּרֵ֣ת מְעוֹנָ֔הּ כֹּ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־פָּקַ֖דְתִּי עָלֶ֑יהָ אָכֵן֙ הִשְׁכִּ֣ימוּ הִשְׁחִ֔יתוּ כֹּ֖ל עֲלִילוֹתָֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- I saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Surely thou wilt fearיָרֵאyârê' · to fear: revereH3372
- me, thou wilt receiveלָקַחlâqach · to take: recieveH3947
- instructionמוּסָרmûsâr · disciplineH4148
- so their dwellingמָעוֹןmâ‛ôn mâ‛îyn · habitationH4583
- should not be cut offכָּרַתkârath · to cut: eliminateH3772
- howsoeverכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
- howsoeverאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
- I punishedפָּקַדpâqad · to reckon: overseerH6485
- them: butאָכֵן'âkên · surelyH403
- they rose earlyשָׁכַםshâkam · to riseH7925
- corruptedשָׁחַתshâchath · to ruinH7843
- all their doingsעֲלִילָה‛ălîylâh ‛ălilâh · wantonnessH5949
Cross-references for Zephaniah 3:7
- Zephaniah 3:2It obeys no one. It does not accept correction. It does not trust the Lord. It does not draw close to its God.
- Isaiah 5:4What more could have been done for my vineyard than what I have already done for it? When I waited for it to produce good grapes, why did it produce only sour, wild grapes?
- Isaiah 63:8He said, “They are my people, children who will not lie to me.” So he became their Savior.
- Jeremiah 8:6I have paid attention and listened, but they weren’t honest. They don’t turn away from their wickedness and ask, “What have we done?” They go their own ways like horses charging into battle.
- Jeremiah 36:3Maybe the nation of Judah will hear about all the disasters that I plan to bring on them, and they will turn from their wicked ways. Then I will forgive their wickedness and their sins.”
- Luke 19:42He said, “If you had only known today what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden, so you cannot see it.
- 2 Peter 3:9The Lord isn’t slow to do what he promised, as some people think. Rather, he is patient for your sake. He doesn’t want to destroy anyone but wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to him and change the way they think and act.
- Jeremiah 7:7Then I will let you live in this place, in the land that I gave permanently to your ancestors long ago.
- Jeremiah 17:25If you do this, then the kings and princes who sit on David’s throne will come through the gates of this city. They and their princes will ride in chariots and on horses along with the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. This city will always have people living in it.
- Jeremiah 25:5The prophets said, ‘Turn from your evil ways and the evil you have done, and live in the land that the Lord permanently gave to you and your ancestors.
- Jeremiah 38:17Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God of Armies, the God of Israel, says: If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, you will live, and this city will not be burned. You and your household will live.
- 2 Chronicles 28:6In one day Pekah, son of Remaliah, killed 120,000 soldiers in Judah because they had abandoned the Lord God of their ancestors.
- 2 Chronicles 32:1After everything Hezekiah had done so faithfully, King Sennacherib of Assyria came to invade Judah. He set up camp ⌞to attack⌟ the fortified cities. He intended to conquer them himself.
- 2 Chronicles 33:11So the Lord made the army commanders of the king of Assyria invade Judah. They took Manasseh captive, put a hook in his nose, put him in bronze shackles, and brought him to Babylon.
- 2 Chronicles 36:3The king of Egypt removed him from office in Jerusalem and fined the country 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold.
- Micah 2:1How horrible it will be for those who invent trouble and work out plans for disaster while in bed. When the morning dawns, they carry out their plans because they are able to.
Commentaries on Zephaniah 3:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Surely thou wilt fear me - After so many displays of my sovereign power and judgments. But they rose early - And instead of returning to God, they practiced every abomination. They were diligent to find out times and places for their iniquity. This is the worst state of man.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7I said, surely thou wilt fear Me - God speaks of things here, as they are in their own nature. “It could not but be,” that in the very presence of the Hand of God, destroying others but as yet sparing them, they must learn to fear Him; they must stand in awe of Him for His judgments on others; they must be in filial fear of Him for His loving longsuffering toward themselves. “Thou wilt‘ receive instruction,” corrected and taught through God‘s correction…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7rose early: The people of Jerusalem eagerly got out of bed to commit more evil deeds (compare Proverbs 1:16). They had strayed far from the path of their ancestor Abraham, who rose early to follow God's command (Genesis 22:3).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 3:7
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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