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/emb'>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 chief of the royal executioners took Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, - and the three keepers of the entrance hall; and, out of the city, took he one courtier who himself was set over the men of war, and five men of them who were wont to see the face of the king, who were found in the city, and the scribe - general of the army, who used to muster the people of the land, - and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the city; read more. and Nebuzaradan, chief of the royal executioners, took them, - and brought them unto the king of Babylon, at Riblah; and the king of Babylon smote them and slew them in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, - and thus Judah disappeared from off their own soil.
And, in the eighth year of his reign, he, being yet a boy, he began to seek unto the God of David his father,-and, in the twelfth year, he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem, from the high places and the Sacred Stems, and the carved images and the molten images.
The word which came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, - when King Zedekiah sent unto him Pashhur, son of Malchiah, and Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying:
Thus, speaketh Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, saying, - Because, thou, hast sent in, thine own name, letters, unto all the people who are in Jerusalem, and unto Zephaniah son, of Maaseiah the priest, and unto all the priests saying:
And Zephaniah the priest hath read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet,
And King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest unto Jeremiah the prophet saying, - Pray thou I beseech thee in our behalf, unto Yahweh, our God.
And the chief of the royal executioners, took away, Seraiah the first priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, - and the three keepers of the entrance-hall; and out of the city, took he one eunuch who was in charge over the men f war and seven men of them who used to watch the face of the king, who were found in the city, and the scribe of the prince of the host, who used to muster the people of the land, - and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city. read more. And when Nebuzaradan chief the royal executioners, bad taken them, and brought them unto the king of Babylon at Riblah, then did the king of Babylon smite them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath, - thus carried he Judah captive away from off their own soil.
And I will stretch out my hand - over Judah, and over all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, - and will cut off out of this place, the name of Baal, the name of the priestlings, with the priests; And them who bow down upon the housetops to the host of the heavens, - and them who bow down - who swear to Yahweh, and swear by Milcom;
And may he stretch out his hand against the North, and destroy Assyria, - and may he make of Nineveh a desolation, dry as the desert!
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/emb'>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 slew them in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, - and thus Judah disappeared from off their own soil.
The word which came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, - when King Zedekiah sent unto him Pashhur, son of Malchiah, and Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying:
Thus, speaketh Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, saying, - Because, thou, hast sent in, thine own name, letters, unto all the people who are in Jerusalem, and unto Zephaniah son, of Maaseiah the priest, and unto all the priests saying: Yahweh, hath made thee priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be deputies in the house of Yahweh, to any man who is raving and prophesying, so shalt thou put him into the stocks and into the pillory:
And Zephaniah the priest hath read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet,
And King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest unto Jeremiah the prophet saying, - Pray thou I beseech thee in our behalf, unto Yahweh, our God.
And the chief of the royal executioners, took away, Seraiah the first priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, - and the three keepers of the entrance-hall;
Take of them of the exile, of Heldai, and of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, - then shalt, thou thyself, enter, on that day, yea thou shalt enter the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah, with them who have come in out of 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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Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the entrance-hall, to bring forth, out of the temple of Yahweh, all the vessels that had been made for Baal and for the Sacred Stem, and for all the army of the heavens, - and he burned them up outside Jerusalem, in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them to Bethel; and he put down the idol-priests, whom the kings of Judah had appointed, so that incense might be burned in the high places, in the cities of Judah, and round about Jerusalem, - them also that burned incense to Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the constellations, and to all the army of the heavens;
For he will hide me in his pavilion, in the day of calamity, - He will conceal me, in the secrecy of his tent, Within a rock, will he set me on high.
Against thy people, they craftily devise a secret plot, And conspire against thy treasured ones.
These also, are proverbs of Solomon, - which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah transcribed.
the writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick and then recovered from his sickness:
The word which came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, - when King Zedekiah sent unto him Pashhur, son of Malchiah, and Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying:
With the burial of an ass, shall he be buried, Dragged along and cast forth, beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
Thus, speaketh Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, saying, - Because, thou, hast sent in, thine own name, letters, unto all the people who are in Jerusalem, and unto Zephaniah son, of Maaseiah the priest, and unto all the priests saying: Yahweh, hath made thee priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be deputies in the house of Yahweh, to any man who is raving and prophesying, so shalt thou put him into the stocks and into the pillory:
And Zephaniah the priest hath read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet,
And King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest unto Jeremiah the prophet saying, - Pray thou I beseech thee in our behalf, unto Yahweh, our God.
And the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah, in Riblah before his eyes, - and all the nobles of Judah, did the king of Babylon slay;
For it was, because the anger of Yahweh, had come against Jerusalem and Judah until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
And the chief of the royal executioners, took away, Seraiah the first priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, - and the three keepers of the entrance-hall;
then did the king of Babylon smite them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath, - thus carried he Judah captive away from off their own soil.
About the calves of Beth-aven, will the inhabitant of Samaria be concerned, - for the people thereof, have mourned over it, and, the ascetics thereof, who, over it, used to exult, shall mourn for the glory thereof, because it hath departed therefrom.
The word of Yahweh which came unto Zephaniah, son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, - in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.
And I will stretch out my hand - over Judah, and over all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, - and will cut off out of this place, the name of Baal, the name of the priestlings, with the priests;
And I will stretch out my hand - over Judah, and over all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, - and will cut off out of this place, the name of Baal, the name of the priestlings, with the priests; And them who bow down upon the housetops to the host of the heavens, - and them who bow down - who swear to Yahweh, and swear by Milcom; read more. And them who turn away from following Yahweh, - and have neither sought Yahweh, nor enquired for him.
And it shall come to pass, in the day of Yahweh's sacrifice, that I will punish the rulers, and the sons of the king, - and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel;
And may he stretch out his hand against the North, and destroy Assyria, - and may he make of Nineveh a desolation, dry as the desert! So shall lie down in her midst - flocks, each living thing of a nation, both pelican and bittern, in her capitals, shall roost, - a voice, shall resound in the window, the bustard, on the sill, for he hath destroyed, hath laid bare. read more. This, is the city exultant, that sat secure, that said in her heart, I, am ! and no one besides! How hath she become a desolation! a lair of beasts, every one passing, by her doth hiss, shaketh his hand.
Then began I, and said, unto the messenger who was speaking with me, - What are these, my lord?
But, the crown, shall belong to Heldai and to Tobiah and to Jedaiah, and to Hen son of Zephaniah, - for a memorial in the temple of Yahweh.
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/emb'>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 chief of the royal executioners took Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, - and the three keepers of the entrance hall;
The word which came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, - when King Zedekiah sent unto him Pashhur, son of Malchiah, and Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying:
Thus, speaketh Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, saying, - Because, thou, hast sent in, thine own name, letters, unto all the people who are in Jerusalem, and unto Zephaniah son, of Maaseiah the priest, and unto all the priests saying:
And Zephaniah the priest hath read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet,
And King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest unto Jeremiah the prophet saying, - Pray thou I beseech thee in our behalf, unto Yahweh, our God.
And the chief of the royal executioners, took away, Seraiah the first priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, - and the three keepers of the entrance-hall;
Take of them of the exile, of Heldai, and of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, - then shalt, thou thyself, enter, on that day, yea thou shalt enter the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah, with them who have come in out of Babylon;
But, the crown, shall belong to Heldai and to Tobiah and to Jedaiah, and to Hen son of Zephaniah, - for a memorial in the temple of Yahweh.
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/emb'>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 chief of the royal executioners took Seraiah the head priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, - and the three keepers of the entrance hall;
son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah, - son of Tahath, son of Assir, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah; -
The word which came unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, - when King Zedekiah sent unto him Pashhur, son of Malchiah, and Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying:
Thus, speaketh Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, saying, - Because, thou, hast sent in, thine own name, letters, unto all the people who are in Jerusalem, and unto Zephaniah son, of Maaseiah the priest, and unto all the priests saying:
And Zephaniah the priest hath read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet,
And King Zedekiah sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest unto Jeremiah the prophet saying, - Pray thou I beseech thee in our behalf, unto Yahweh, our God.
And the chief of the royal executioners, took away, Seraiah the first priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, - and the three keepers of the entrance-hall;
The word of Yahweh which came unto Zephaniah, son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, - in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.
Take of them of the exile, of Heldai, and of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, - then shalt, thou thyself, enter, on that day, yea thou shalt enter the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah, with them who have come in out of Babylon;
But, the crown, shall belong to Heldai and to Tobiah and to Jedaiah, and to Hen son of Zephaniah, - for a memorial in the temple of Yahweh.
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 unto Jeremiah from Yahweh, - when King Zedekiah sent unto him Pashhur, son of Malchiah, and Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, the priest, saying:
Thus, speaketh Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, saying, - Because, thou, hast sent in, thine own name, letters, unto all the people who are in Jerusalem, and unto Zephaniah son, of Maaseiah the priest, and unto all the priests saying: Yahweh, hath made thee priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be deputies in the house of Yahweh, to any man who is raving and prophesying, so shalt thou put him into the stocks and into the pillory:
And Zephaniah the priest hath read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet,
And the chief of the royal executioners, took away, Seraiah the first priest, and Zephaniah, the second priest, - and the three keepers of the entrance-hall;
then did the king of Babylon smite them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath, - thus carried he Judah captive away from off their own soil.
The word of Yahweh which came unto Zephaniah, son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, - in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.
Take of them of the exile, of Heldai, and of Tobijah, and of Jedaiah, - then shalt, thou thyself, enter, on that day, yea thou shalt enter the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah, with them who have come in out of Babylon;
But, the crown, shall belong to Heldai and to Tobiah and to Jedaiah, and to Hen son of Zephaniah, - for a memorial in the temple of Yahweh.
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.