New English Translation
Zephaniah 1:3
3“I will destroy people and animals; I will destroy the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea. (The idolatrous images of these creatures will be destroyed along with evil people.) I will remove humanity from the face of the earth,” says the Lord.
Zephaniah 1:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord.
- New International Version (NIV)“I will sweep away both man and beast; I will sweep away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea— and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.” “When I destroy all mankind on the face of the earth,” declares the Lord,
- English Standard Version (ESV)"I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth," declares the Lord.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens, The fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land,” Says the Lord.
Context of Zephaniah 1:3
1This is the prophetic message that the Lord gave to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah. Zephaniah delivered this message during the reign of King Josiah son of Amon of Judah: 2“I will destroy everything from the face of the earth,” says the Lord. “I will destroy people and animals; I will destroy the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea. (The idolatrous images of these creatures will be destroyed along with evil people.) I will remove humanity from the face of the earth,” says the Lord. 4“I will attack Judah and all who live in Jerusalem. I will remove from this place every trace of Baal worship, as well as the very memory of the pagan priests. 5I will remove those who worship the stars in the sky from their rooftops, those who swear allegiance to the Lord while taking oaths in the name of their ‘king,’
Read all of Zephaniah 1Zephaniah 1:3 word by word
אָסֵ֨ף אָדָ֜ם וּבְהֵמָ֗ה אָסֵ֤ף עוֹף־הַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ וּדְגֵ֣י הַיָּ֔ם וְהַמַּכְשֵׁל֖וֹת אֶת־הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים וְהִכְרַתִּ֣י אֶת־הָאָדָ֗ם מֵעַ֛ל פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָ֖ה נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- I will consumeסוּףsûph · to ceaseH5486
- manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- and beastבְּהֵמָהbehêmâh · animalH929
- the fowlsעוֹף‛ôph · birdH5775
- of the heavenשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
- and the fishesדָּגdâg dâ'g · fishH1709
- of the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
- and the stumblingblocksמַכְשֵׁלָהmakshêlâh · ruinsH4384
- with the wickedרָשָׁעrâshâ‛ · wickedH7563
- and I will cut offכָּרַתkârath · to cut: eliminateH3772
- from offפָּנֶהpânîym · face: surfaceH6440
- the landאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: planetH127
- saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
Cross-references for Zephaniah 1:3
- Jeremiah 4:23“I looked at the land and saw that it was an empty wasteland. I looked up at the sky, and its light had vanished.
- Jeremiah 12:4How long must the land be parched and the grass in every field be withered? How long must the animals and the birds die because of the wickedness of the people who live in this land? For these people boast, “God will not see what happens to us.”
- Hosea 4:3Therefore the land will mourn, and all its inhabitants will perish. The wild animals, the birds of the sky, and even the fish in the sea will perish.
- Isaiah 27:9So in this way Jacob’s sin will be forgiven, and this is how they will show they are finished sinning: They will make all the stones of the altars like crushed limestone, and the Asherah poles and the incense altars will no longer stand.
- Ezekiel 7:19They will discard their silver in the streets, and their gold will be treated like filth. Their silver and gold will not be able to deliver them on the day of the Lord’s fury. They will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs because their wealth was the obstacle leading to their iniquity.
- Ezekiel 14:3“Son of man, these men have erected their idols in their hearts and placed the obstacle leading to their iniquity right before their faces. Should I really allow them to seek me?
- Ezekiel 44:12Because they used to minister to them before their idols, and became a sinful obstacle to the house of Israel, consequently I have made a vow concerning them, declares the sovereign Lord, that they will be responsible for their sin.
- Hosea 14:3Assyria cannot save us; we will not ride warhorses. We will never again say, ‘Our gods’ to what our own hands have made. For only you will show compassion to Orphan Israel!”
- Micah 5:11I will destroy the cities of your land, and tear down all your fortresses.
- Zechariah 13:2And also on that day,” says the Lord who rules over all, “I will remove the names of the idols from the land and they will never again be remembered. Moreover, I will remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land.
- Matthew 23:39For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
- Revelation 2:14But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam, who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.
- Ezekiel 14:13“Son of man, suppose a country sins against me by being unfaithful, and I stretch out my hand against it, cut off its bread supply, cause famine to come on it, and kill both people and animals.
- Ezekiel 15:6“Therefore, this is what the sovereign Lord says: Like the wood of the vine is among the trees of the forest which I have provided as fuel for the fire – so I will provide the residents of Jerusalem as fuel.
Commentaries on Zephaniah 1:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3I will consume man and beast - By war, and by pestilence. Even the waters shall he infected, and the fish destroyed; the air become contaminated, and the fowls die.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The stumbling-blocks with the wicked - Not only shall the wicked be utterly brought to an end, or, in the other meaning of the word, “gathered into bundles to be taken away,” but all causes of stumbling too; everything, through which others can fall, which will not be until the end of all things. Then, he repeats, yet more emphatically, “I will cut off the whole race of man from the face of the earth,” and then he closes the verse, like the foregoing…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-3God's judgment will remove things in the reverse order of their creation (Genesis 1:20–26). People and animals are mentioned first, then birds, and finally fish. This order shows that judgment is a reversal of creation, moving backward through what God originally made.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Enumeration in detail of the "all things" (Zep 1:2; compare Jr 9:10; Ho 4:3). the stumbling-blocks--idols which cause Judah to offend or stumble (Eze 14:3, 4, 7). with the wicked--The idols and their worshippers shall be involved in a common destruction.Read the comment
Topics related to Zephaniah 1:3
In the dictionaries
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
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