Reference: Zephaniah
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1. A Kohathite, in the seventh generation from Levi, 1Ch 6:36.
2. A priest, high in the sacred order, during the troublous times of king Zedekiah, who often communicated with Jeremiah by his agency. He was among the captives slain by the king of Babylon at Riblah, 2Ki 25:18-21; Jer 21:1; 29/25/type/acv'>29:25,29; 37:3; 52:24-27.
3. The ninth in order of the minor prophets, of the tribe of Simeon. He prophesied in the early part of king Josiah's reign, before the reforms of that good king were instituted, 2Ch 34:3; Zep 1:4-5. This would fix his date about 630 B. C., and the destruction of Nineveh, foretold in Zep 2:13, occurred in 625 B. C. His prophecy contains two oracles, in three chapters, directed against idolaters in Judah, against surrounding idolatrous nations, and against wicked rulers, priests, and prophets. It closes with cheering promises of gospel blessings. His style and manner are like those of Jeremiah, during whose early years they were contemporary. His subsequent history is unknown.
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And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold. And he took an officer out of the city who was set over the men of war; and five men of those who saw the king's face, who were found in the city; and the scribe, the captain of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and si read more. And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah. And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.
For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father. And in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherim, and the graven im
The word which came to Jeremiah from LORD, when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying,
Thus speaks LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou have sent letters in thine own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
(And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.)
And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now to LORD our God for us.
And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold. And from the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war, and seven men of those who saw the king's face, who were found in the city, and the scribe of the captain of the army who mustered the people of the land, and si read more. And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah. And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.
And I will stretch out my hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, [and] the name of the Chemarim with the priests, and those who worship the host of heaven upon the housetops, and those who worship, who swear to LORD and swear by Malcam,
And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like the wilderness.
Easton
Jehovah has concealed, or Jehovah of darkness. (1.) The son of Cushi, and great-grandson of Hezekiah, and the ninth in the order of the minor prophets. He prophesied in the days of Josiah, king of Judah (B.C. 641-610), and was contemporary with Jeremiah, with whom he had much in common. The book of his prophecies consists of:
(a) An introduction (1:1-6), announcing the judgment of the world, and the judgment upon Israel, because of their transgressions.
(b) The description of the judgment (1:7-18).
(c) An exhortation to seek God while there is still time (2:1-3).
(d) The announcement of judgment on the heathen (2:4-15).
(e) The hopeless misery of Jerusalem (3:1-7).
(f) The promise of salvation (3:8-20).
(2.) The son of Maaseiah, the "second priest" in the reign of Zedekiah, often mentioned in Jeremiah as having been sent from the king to inquire (Jer 21:1) regarding the coming woes which he had denounced, and to entreat the prophet's intercession that the judgment threatened might be averted (29/25/type/acv'>Jer 29:25-26,29; 37:3; 52:24). He, along with some other captive Jews, was put to death by the king of Babylon "at Riblah in the land of Hamath" (2Ki 25:21).
(3.) A Kohathite ancestor of the prophet Samuel (1Ch 6:36).
(4.) The father of Josiah, the priest who dwelt in Jerusalem when Darius issued the decree that the temple should be rebuilt (Zec 6:10).
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And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.
The word which came to Jeremiah from LORD, when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying,
Thus speaks LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou have sent letters in thine own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, LORD has made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in the house of LORD, for every man who is mad, and makes himself a prophet, that thou should put him in the stocks and in shackles.
(And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.)
And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now to LORD our God for us.
And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold.
Take from those of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have come from Babylon.
Fausets
("Jehovah hath hidden") (Ps 27:5; 83:3).
1. Ninth of the minor prophets; "in the days of Josiah," between 642 and 611 B.C. "Son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah." The specification of his father, grandfather, and great grandfather, implies he was sprung from men of note. The omission of the designation "king," or "king of Judah," is against the notion that the "Hizkiah" means king Hezekiah (compare Pr 25:1; Isa 38:9). He prophesied in the former part of Josiah's reign. In Zep 2:13-15 he foretells Nineveh's fall (625 B.C.), therefore his prophesying was before 625 B.C.; and in Zep 1:4-6 threatens "cutting off" to "the remnant of Baal" and "the name of the (See CHEMARIMS with the priests "; see Ho 10:5 margin, "and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops, and them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham."
Fulfilled by Josiah (2Ki 23:4-5). Josiah's reformation was begun in the 12th year of his reign, and was completed in the 18th. Zephaniah in denouncing the different forms of idolatry paved the way for Josiah's work, and probably cooperated with the king from the 12th to the 18th year. Jewish tradition says that Zephaniah had as his colleagues Jeremiah, labouring in the thoroughfares and market places, and Huldah the prophetess in the college in Jerusalem. His position among the prophets, and his quotations from Joel, Amos, and Isaiah, indicate the correctness of the date assigned to him in Zep 1:1.
In Zep 1:8, "I will punish the king's children" must refer to coming judgments on the foreseen idolatries of the younger members of the royal family (Jer 22:19; 39:6; 2Ki 23:31-37; 2Ch 36:5-6; 2Ki 20:18). Not only the masses, but even princes, should not escape the penalty of idolatry. "The remnant of Baal" (Zep 1:4) implies that Josiah's reformation was already begun but not completed.
2. "The second priest" or sagan, next to the high priest. Son of Maaseiah. Sent by Zedekiah to consult Jeremiah (Jer 21:1). Succeeded to Jehoiada who was in exile. Appealed to by Shemaiah in a letter from Babylon to punish Jeremiah with imprisonment and the stocks for declaring the captivity would be long (Jer 29:25-26,29). Zephaniah read the letter to Jeremiah. This fact and Shemaiah's upbraiding Zephaniah for want of zeal against Jeremiah imply that Zephaniah was less prejudiced against Jeremiah than the others. This was the reason for the king's choosing him as messenger to the prophet (Jer 37:3). Slain by Nebuchadnezzar as an accomplice in Zedekiah's rebellion (Jer 52:24,27). Jer 52:3. Father of Hen or Josiah (Zec 6:14). Zec 6:4. Ancestor of Samuel and Heman; a Kohathite Levite (1Ch 6:36), called Uriel 1Ch 6:24.
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And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the threshold, to bring forth out of the temple of LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the Asherah, and for a And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; those also who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, and
For in the day of trouble he will hide me in his pavilion. In the covert of his tabernacle he will hide me. He will lift me up upon a rock.
They take crafty counsel against thy people, and consult together against thy hidden ones.
These also are proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out.
The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah when he had been sick, and was recovered of his sickness:
The word which came to Jeremiah from LORD, when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying,
He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
Thus speaks LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou have sent letters in thine own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, LORD has made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in the house of LORD, for every man who is mad, and makes himself a prophet, that thou should put him in the stocks and in shackles.
(And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.)
And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now to LORD our God for us.
Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes. Also the king of Babylon killed all the nobles of Judah.
For it came to pass through the anger of LORD, in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold.
And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.
The inhabitants of Samaria shall be in terror for the calves of Beth-aven. For the people of it shall mourn over it, and the priests of it, who rejoiced over it for the glory of it, because it has departed from it.
The word of LORD which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
And I will stretch out my hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, [and] the name of the Chemarim with the priests,
And I will stretch out my hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, [and] the name of the Chemarim with the priests, and those who worship the host of heaven upon the housetops, and those who worship, who swear to LORD and swear by Malcam, read more. and those who are turned back from following LORD, and those who have not sought LORD, nor inquired after him.
And it shall come to pass in the day of LORD's sacrifice, that I will punish the rulers, and the king's sons, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.
And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like the wilderness. And herds shall lay down in the midst of her. All the beasts of the nations, both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the capitals of it. [Their] voice shall sing in the windows. Desolation shall be in the thresholds. For read more. This is the joyous city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none besides me. How she has become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! Everyone who passes by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.
Then I answered and said to the [heavenly] agent who talked with me, What are these, my lord?
And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of LORD.
Hastings
1. The prophet (see next art.). 2. A Kohathite (1Ch 6:36). 3. Son of Maaseiah the priest in Jerusalem in the time of Zekediah the king and Jeremiah the prophet (Jer 21:1; 29/25/type/acv'>29:25,29; 37:3). As next in rank to Seraiah, grandson of Hilkiah (1Ch 6:14), Zeph. is called second priest (2Ki 25:18). On the occasion of the final overthrow of Jerusalem he was put to death at Riblah (Jer 52:24 ff.). 4. The father of one Josiah in Babylon (Zec 6:10,14).
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And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold.
The word which came to Jeremiah from LORD, when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying,
Thus speaks LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou have sent letters in thine own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
(And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.)
And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now to LORD our God for us.
And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold.
Take from those of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have come from Babylon.
And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of LORD.
Morish
Zephani'ah
1. Son of Maaseiah and 'second' priest in the reign of Zedekiah; he was carried captive to Nebuchadnezzar and slain at Riblah. 2Ki 25:18; Jer 21:1; 29/25/type/acv'>29:25,29; 37:3; 52:24.
2. Son of Tahath, a Kohathite. 1Ch 6:36-37.
3. Son of Cushi, and one of the 'minor prophets.' Zep 1:1.
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And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold.
the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,
The word which came to Jeremiah from LORD, when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying,
Thus speaks LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou have sent letters in thine own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying,
(And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.)
And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now to LORD our God for us.
And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold.
The word of LORD which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
Take from those of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have come from Babylon.
And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of LORD.
Smith
Zephani'ah
(hidden by Jehovah).
1. The ninth in order of the twelve minor prophets. His pedigree is traced to his fourth ancestor, Hezekiah,
supposed to be the celebrated king of that name. The chief characteristics of this book are the unity and harmony of the composition, the grace, energy and dignity of its style, and the rapid and effective alternations of threats and promises. The general tone of the last portion is Messianic, but without any specific reference to the person of our Lord. The date of the book is given in the inscription--viz, the reign of Josiah, from 642 to 611 B.C. It is most probable moreover, that the prophecy was delivered before the eighteenth year of Josiah.
2. The son of Maaseiah,
and sagan or second priest in the reign of Zedekiah. (B.C. 588.) He succeeded Jehoida,
and was probably a ruler of the temple, whose office it was, among others, to punish pretenders to the gift of prophecy.
On the capture of Jerusalem he was taken and slain at Riblah.
3. Father of Josiah, 2,
and of Hen, according to the reading of the received text of
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The word which came to Jeremiah from LORD, when king Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying,
Thus speaks LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou have sent letters in thine own name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying, LORD has made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in the house of LORD, for every man who is mad, and makes himself a prophet, that thou should put him in the stocks and in shackles.
(And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.)
And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold.
And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away captive out of his land.
The word of LORD which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
Take from those of the captivity, even of Heldai, of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, and come thou the same day, and go into the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have come from Babylon.
And the crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah, and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of LORD.
Watsons
ZEPHANIAH was the son of Cushi, and was probably of a noble family of the tribe of Simeon. He prophesied in the reign of Josiah, about B.C. 630. He denounces the judgments of God against the idolatry and sins of his countrymen, and exhorts them to repentance; he predicts the punishment of the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, and Ethiopians, and foretels the destruction of Nineveh; he again inveighs against the corruptions of Jerusalem, and with his threats mixes promises of future favour and prosperity to his people; whose recall from their dispersion shall glorify the name of God throughout the world. The style of Zephaniah is poetical; but it is not distinguished by any peculiar elegance or beauty, though generally animated and impressive.