New King James Version
Zephaniah 2:3
3Seek 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.
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 Living Translation (NLT)Seek the Lord, all who are humble, and follow his commands. Seek to do what is right and to live humbly. Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you— protect you from his anger on that day of destruction.
Context of Zephaniah 2:3
1Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O undesirable nation, 2Before the decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the Lord’s fierce anger comes upon you, Before the day of the Lord’s anger comes upon you! 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. 4For Gaza shall be forsaken, And Ashkelon desolate; They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, And Ekron shall be uprooted. 5Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, The nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines: “I will destroy you; So there shall be no inhabitant.”
Read all of Zephaniah 2Zephaniah 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 105:4Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
- Isaiah 55:6Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
- Jeremiah 3:13Only acknowledge your iniquity, That you have transgressed against the Lord your God, And have scattered your charms To alien deities under every green tree, And you have not obeyed My voice,’ says the Lord.
- Jeremiah 4:1“If you will return, O Israel,” says the Lord, “Return to Me; And if you will put away your abominations out of My sight, Then you shall not be moved.
- Jeremiah 29:12Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
- Hosea 7:10And the pride of Israel testifies to his face, But they do not return to the Lord their God, Nor seek Him for all this.
- Hosea 10:12Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
- Amos 5:4For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek Me and live;
- Matthew 7:7“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
- 2 Chronicles 34:27because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord.
- Psalms 22:26The poor shall eat and be satisfied; Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever!
- Psalms 25:8Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
- Psalms 76:9When God arose to judgment, To deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Selah
- Psalms 149:4For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation.
- Isaiah 61:1“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
- Jeremiah 22:15“Shall you reign because you enclose yourself in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with 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
In the dictionaries
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries