Zephaniah 1:16

Zephaniah 1:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
• New International Version (NIV)a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers.
• English Standard Version (ESV)a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.
• New King James Version (NKJV)A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high towers.

Context of Zephaniah 1:16

14The great day of the Lord is near, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the Lord! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. 15That day is a day of anger, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness, A day of trumpet and battle cry Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers. 17I will bring distress on mankind So that they will walk like those who are blind, Because they have sinned against the Lord; And their blood will be poured out like dust, And their flesh like dung. 18Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to save them On the day of the Lord’s anger; And all the earth will be devoured By the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a horrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Zephaniah 1:16 word by word

י֥וֹם שׁוֹפָ֖ר וּתְרוּעָ֑ה עַ֚ל הֶעָרִ֣ים הַבְּצֻר֔וֹת וְעַ֖ל הַפִּנּ֥וֹת הַגְּבֹהֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear

• A dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• trumpetשֹׁפָרshôphâr shôphâr · trumpetH7782
• and battleתְּרוּעָהterû‛âh · shoutH8643
• Againstעַל‛al · uponH5921
• fortifiedבָּצַרbâtsar · to gather/restrain/fortifyH1219
• citiesעִיר‛îyr ‛âr ‛âyar · cityH5892
• And the highגָּבֹהַּgâbôhha gâbôhha · highH1364
• cornerפִּנָּהpinnâh · cornerH6438
• towersפִּנָּהpinnâh · cornerH6438

Cross-references for Zephaniah 1:16

• Isaiah 59:10We grope for the wall like people who are blind, We grope like those who have no eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; Among those who are healthy we are like the dead.
• Jeremiah 4:19My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot keep silent, Because, my soul, you have heard The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war.
• Jeremiah 6:1“Flee to safety, you sons of Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem! Blow a trumpet in Tekoa And raise a warning signal over Beth-haccerem; For evil looks down from the north, Along with a great destruction.
• Jeremiah 8:16From Dan there is heard the snorting of his horses; At the sound of the neighing of his stallions The whole land quakes; For they come and devour the land and its fullness, The city and its inhabitants.
• Hosea 5:8Blow the horn in Gibeah, And the trumpet in Ramah. Sound an alarm at Beth-aven: “Behind you, Benjamin!”
• Hosea 8:1Put the trumpet to your lips! Like an eagle the enemy comes against the house of the Lord, Because they have violated My covenant And rebelled against My Law.
• Amos 3:6If a trumpet is blown in a city, will the people not tremble? If a disaster occurs in a city, has the Lord not brought it about?
• Habakkuk 1:6For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, That grim and impetuous people Who march throughout the earth, To take possession of dwelling places that are not theirs.
• Habakkuk 3:6He stood and caused the earth to shudder; He looked and caused the nations to jump. Yes, the everlasting mountains were shattered, The ancient hills collapsed. His paths are everlasting.
• Psalms 48:12Walk around Zion and encircle her; Count her towers;
• Isaiah 2:12For the Lord of armies will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is arrogant and haughty, And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be brought low.
• Isaiah 32:14For the palace has been neglected, the populated city abandoned. Hill and watch-tower have become caves forever, A delight for wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks,

Commentaries on Zephaniah 1:16

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16A day of the trumpet and alarm - othat is, of the loud blast of the trumpet, which sounds alarm and causes it. The word is especially the shrill loud noise of the trumpet (for sacred purposes in Israel itself, as ruling all the movements of the tabernacle and accompanying their feasts); then also of the “battle cry.” They had not listened to the voice of the trumpet, as it called them to holy service; now they shall hear “the voice of the Archangel and…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-18Verses 14-18 This warning of approaching destruction, is enough to make the sinners in Zion tremble; it refers to the great day of the Lord, the day in which he will show himself by taking vengeance on them. This day of the Lord is very near; it is a day of God's wrath, wrath to the utmost. It will be a day of trouble and distress to sinners. Let them not be laid asleep by the patience of God. What is a man profited if he gain the whole world, and lose…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14-18The meaning of the day of the Lord expands to include God's actions involving the entire earth.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. the trumpet--namely, of the besieging enemy (Am 2:2). alarm--the war shout [Maurer]. towers--literally, "angles"; for city walls used not to be built in a direct line, but with sinuous curves and angles, so that besiegers advancing might be assailed not only in front, but on both sides, caught as it were in a cul-de-sac; towers were built especially at the angles. So Tacitus describes the walls of Jerusalem [Histories, 5.11.7].Read the comment

Topics related to Zephaniah 1:16

• Trumpet
• War
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Fenced cities
• Alarm
• Bulwarks
• Crashing
• Wasteness
• Fortification; Fort; Fortified Cities; Fortress
• Molech; Moloch
• Zephaniah, Book of

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