The day of the lord is coming, says the book of zephaniah, because gods patience has a limit when it comes to sin. We often overlook seemingly boring genealogies in the bible, but sometimes they can be the most interesting part. Zephaniah 1, english standard version 2016 esv the bible app. This is book number 8 in the summary of the 12 minor prophets of the bible. The bible does not mention him elsewhere, but from his book. Books by jawaharlal nehru author of the discovery of india. Zephaniah, israelite prophet, said to be the author of one of the shorter old testament prophetical books, who proclaimed the approaching divine judgment.
Book of zephaniah complete set bible study questions. Zephaniahs ministry, then, was directed to judah just before these major changes came about. Book of zephaniah, the ninth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of. Outline of the book of zephaniah woe to her that is rebellious and polluted. By this the godly harmony is shown in the prophecies of such different men who have lived at totally different times but who always presented the one goal of god. For they shall feed their flocks and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid. During the reign of josiah the word of the lord came to zephaniah.
There are many people who would like to rule this subject of judgment out of the. Intro to zephaniah biblica the international bible society. Obrien, nahum, habakkuk, zephaniah, haggai, zechariah. Book of zephaniah overview insight for living ministries. His word came in visions, oracles, dreams, parables, and the like. Not as before the babylonish captivity, but after their return from it, under the second temple, as abarbinel owns. The prophet foresaw the devastating consequences of gods judgment on corruption and wickedness but also announced the lords gracious plan to restore judah.
Zephaniah intro to zephaniah biblica the international bible. We can begin to pinpoint exactly when zephaniah prophesied by accounting for a few details in the text. It was zephaniahs lot to speak on the most unpleasant subject in the bible the judgment of god. Jawaharlal nehru s most popular book is the discovery of india. Zephaniah 3 jerusalem woe to the city of bible gateway. The structure of the book of zephaniah includes three major sections 1. The book of zephaniah in the bible consists of three chapters. Zephaniah likens the corrupt court officials to roar ing lions, and the judges as evening wolves. I dare say that few have ever heard a sermon on zephaniah. Among the minor prophets, we are certainly much more familiar with jonah and hosea.
The prophet predicts the general destruction of judah and jerusalem by the chaldeans. The best known biblical figure bearing the name zephaniah is the son of cushi, and greatgreat grandson of king hezekiah, ninth in the literary order of the twelve minor prophets. The northern ten tribes had already been carried into assyria nearly a century before, c. The book of the prophet zephaniah indicates that he ministered during the reign of josiah 640609, the last of the godly kings of judah cf. 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.
Zephaniah ministered before the babylonian captivity began in 586 bc and not long before jeremiah, who lived at the time of the captivity. The swift, short clauses, the triple invocation in the former verse, the triple promise in the latter, the heaped together synonyms, all help the impression. What does it mean to worship the starry host or the host of the heavens zephaniah 1. The book of zephaniah was written during the reign of king josiah, likely in the early part of his reign, between 635 and 625 bc. The date of zephaniahs prophecy is given as in the days of josiah the son of amon, king of judah. When did moab and ammon eventually worship the lord zephaniah 2. But zephaniah grew into a man of god, able to stand before the people and.
This is the first mention of king josiah, who will not come to the throne until almost 300 years later. This is the holy book of zephaniah, known simply as zephaniah. Before you attempt to answer the questions below you should read these chapters in the bible and answer the questions at the end of each chapter found at the website answer the questions below and then click ok to send your answers. This is not the only place where this theme occurs, of course, but it is the most concentrated treatment of the judgment of god as the whole book is devoted to this one theme. Yet before we get to that verse, the book, like many prophetic books, is full of alarming brokenness and impending judgement. Book of zephaniah, also called sophonias, the ninth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, collected in one book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. This speaks of the peace and prosperity israel will know in the millennial earth. He prophesied in the days of josiah, ruler of the kingdom of judah 640609 bce, but before josiahs reform in 621 bce, and was contemporary with jeremiah, with whom he had much in common. The answer is not directly found in the scripture passage as the other questions. Access the niv cultural backgrounds study bible notes when you upgrade to bible gateway plus. The existence of two zephaniahs linked to the book is considered purely hypothetical. When god had a message for the people, he spoke through the prophets.
Meaning the city of jerusalem, and its inhabitants. Zephaniah is the ninth of the minor prophets, the last 12 books of the old testament. Indeed, his main message was regarding the day of the lord. Bible study guide book of zephaniah saturday, november 3, 2012 background on zephaniah in zephaniah 1. This summary of the book of zephaniah provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of zephaniah. The first verse of this book tells us that the word of yahweh 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 1. The words of zephaniah contain one of my favorite bible verses. Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah, king of judah 640609 bc. The book tells us that zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah, the king of judah from 640 to 609 bc zephaniah 1. The recording is dramatized, from the king james bible. Zephaniah contemporary of jeremiah preached around 625 bc king manasseh is dead after a reign of 55 years the most evil king in judah he was the exact opposite of his father king hezekiah. Zephaniah summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of zephaniah for bible study or sunday school lessons. The book of zephaniah center point bible institute. Zephaniah 1 the word of the lord that came to bible.
Zephaniah 1 niv the word of the lord that came to bible gateway. The prophet zephaniah was evidently a person of considerable social standing in judah and was probably related to the royal line. What a wonderful rush of exuberant gladness there is in these words. Both prophets lived at the end of the assyrian period and the beginning of the. Zephaniah warned of an impending judgment while providing hope for the faithful. This is, in my opinion, the best and most beautiful recording of the king. Jan 02, 2020 book of zephaniah bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. Zephaniah wrote it shortly before the fall of judah in the southern kingdom.
She does not trust in the lord, she does not draw near to her god. Historically, the book of zephaniah was used in the providence of god to prepare judah for the reforms and revival under king josiah. And the temple, he states, fares no better because the priests do not teach gods word, nor do the prophets speak the truth. One day the lords faithful ones will experience an everlasting world of righteousness. Benjamin zephaniah has 49 books on goodreads with 17918 ratings. This book of the hebrew scriptures contains the word of jehovah by means of his prophet zephaniah.
The small book of zephaniah is narrative history and prophetic oracle. Since nineveh was destroyed in 612, zephaniah would have been written before that. The purpose of this book was to show the complacent southern kingdoms that they were wicked, god used a prophet zephaniah. Despite the fact that zephaniah warns judah of impending doom, the prophecy is dual, and the major fulfillment of his prophecy is yet future. Transcribed and edited by david sielaff, november 20. George adam smith, in the book of the twelve prophets. Zephaniah and his contemporaries, jeremiah and habakkuk, were some of the prophets god used to pronounce this warning message. Zephaniahs prophecy of judgment on judah and jerusalem emphasizes, perhaps more than. The main message of the first chapter in the book of zephaniah is the day of the lord. The contents of this book have never been familiar, and i doubt that it has been read very much. The book of zephaniah is narrative history and prophetic source of wisdom.
The book of zephaniahold testament seminary student study guide. Zephaniah the prophet may have been the son of a cushite man. His pedigree is traced to his fourth ancestor, hezekiah, zephaniah 1. Among the prophets, this is a unique introduction with its long list of fathers back to zephaniahs great. Neither dew nor grass nor tree nor any blossom lives in it, but it is everywhere fire, smoke and darkness, drifting chaff, ruins, nettles, salt pits, and owls and raven looking from the windows of desolate palaces. Thus the period from 640 to 622 is the likely time for the giving of the prophecy.
This asterisk means that the question seeks for your opinions and thoughts. Zephaniahs message of judgment and encouragement contains three major doctrines. He begins his prophecy by tracing his heritage back to hezekiah king of judah. Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, o daughter of jerusalem. Zephaniah was likely written in the years before the revival, and god used this prophecy to bring and further revival. The book of zephaniah shows extremely many similarities with other prophetic books of the ot. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. A contrast between a wicked city and a righteous god. It was zephaniah s lot to speak on the most unpleasant subject in the bible the judgment of god. Zephaniah means yahweh has hiddenprotected, or yahweh hides. His prophecy is probably to be dated relatively early in josiahs reign, before that kings attempt at reform and while conditions brought about by the reigns of manasseh and amon still prevailed and before the assyrian. Personal and national sins had provoked god to bring.
Who is zephaniah and why is he important in the bible. The first verse of the book of zephaniah makes him a contemporary of josiah, king of judah reigned c. Zephaniah s ministry, then, was directed to judah just before these major changes came about. The book tells us that zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah, the king of. The lord rejoices over the restoration of his people a. Zephaniah is the ninth of the twelve prophets in the book of the twelve in hebrew scripture, our old testament of the bible. The book consists of a series of independent sayings, many of which are rightly attributed to zephaniah, written probably about 640630 bc. Jawaharlal nehru has 90 books on goodreads with 42335 ratings. The book of zephaniah was written before 629 bc when josiah found and eagerly read the holy scriptures discovered in the temple. Zephaniah 3 v 20 is a powerful verse that god is an unchangeable changer,that whatever unpleasant situation is around us,god will turn to testimonies without delay. Josiah was a godly, young king who brought great revival and reform to judah but josiah reigned for 10 years before he led his great revival. David guzik commentary on zephaniah 3 describes how the lord rejoices over the restoration of his people, after judgment had been brought to them.
The coming day of the lord will bring judgment on the wicked, both jews and. Millennial prophecy in detail read the glorious appearing by tim lahaye to see one authors attempt to reveal the second coming of jesus. Zephaniah 1 niv bible the word of the lord that came to. The purpose of this book was to show that god raised up his prophet zephaniah to proclaim a warning of coming judgment and to encourage repentance. There are a number of helpful commentaries on the book of zephaniah, and the following are five of the best. Nevertheless, this is a great book with a significant.
Zephaniah chapter 2 kjv king james version seek ye the lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment. In terms of simple chronology, the book of habakkuk is the last minor prophet before judah goes into exile, at the hands of the babylonians. Interesting facts about zephaniah barnes bible charts meaning. But in terms of its placement in the old testament, it is the book of zephaniah which is the last of the minor prophets before the exile.
It is a small book, nestled in the midst of the minor prophets, toward the end of the old testament. Book of zephaniah bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. One sunday morning several years ago, as i was about to preach on this book, i asked the congregation how many had ever heard a message on zephaniah before. The book of zephaniah is probably best known for being the least known book of the entire bible. Historical introduction zephaniah the prophet prophesied during the reign of king josiah who ascended his throne in 639 bc. His prophecy is probably to be dated relatively early in josiahs reign, before that kings attempt at reform and while conditions brought about by the reigns of. Another key to dating is the institution of josiahs religious reforms c. The prophecy by zephaniah is a companion to that of habakkuk. The next power to rise is the babylonian empire, sometimes ruled by chaldean kings. The book of the twelve prophets was originally on one parchment roll because of the brevity of the text, and together formed one book of the 24 books of hebrew scripture. It was a day that would come against judah for all her sins, but he also acknowledged that some had remained faithful and they would be spared. One interesting find is located in the first verse of the book of zephaniah. Zephaniah was probably hidden for his own protection.
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