The purpose of this book was to show that god raised up his prophet zephaniah to proclaim a warning of. Zephaniah and his contemporaries, jeremiah and habakkuk, were some of the prophets god used to pronounce this warning message. 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. Many discussions have centered around the place of israel in the new testament times. Book of zephaniah overview insight for living ministries. Interesting facts about zephaniah barnes bible charts meaning. While we do not know a lot about zephaniah, we do know that he was related to. Who is zephaniah and why is he important in the bible. Chapter 1 judgment upon judah chapter 2 judgment upon the nations chapter 3 judgment upon jerusalem. Historically, the book of zephaniah was used in the providence of god to prepare judah for the reforms and revival under king josiah.
Book of zephaniah simple english wikipedia, the free. Outline of the book of zephaniah woe to her that is rebellious and polluted. The prophet lived during the reign of the later king josiah, who was also a. The book consists of a series of independent sayings, many of which are rightly attributed to zephaniah, written probably about 640630 bc. The whole book makes it clear that zephaniah looks far ahead of the imminent destruction of jerusalem on to that dreadful day of jehovah, the day of his anger and judgment, upon which however will follow the blessing of the millennial reign of peace. The day of the lord is at hand, a terrible day for those who have rebelled. Zephaniah is the thirtysixth book in the christian old testament, falling between habakkuk and haggai. The lord rejoices over the restoration of his people a.
Josiah closed down dozens of shrines, destroyed idols, and centralized all worship in the city of jerusalem. Some have referred the phrase i will purify the lips of the peoples 3. The word of the lord which came unto zephaniah the son of cushi, the son of gedaliah, the son of amariah, the son of hizkiah, in the days of josiah the son of amon, king of judah. Stay connected amidst social distancing receive weekly bible studies to share with family and friends. An exegetical commentary nahum, habakkuk, zephaniah. It wont stop at judahthe whole world will be punished. 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. Although we see god has not forgotten them nor his purpose for them, we also see they are swallowed up in the promises of the abrahamic covenant along together with the gentiles to the point all believers can say together, we are the children of god. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original.
Yet their prophecies are just about as different as any two could be. Zephaniah 1 niv bible the word of the lord that came to. Despite the fact that zephaniah warns judah of impending doom, the prophecy is dual, and the major fulfillment of his prophecy is yet future. Resources on zephaniah commentaries, sermons, illustrations, devotionals. Forwardsources summary of the old testament summary of the new testament keypoints of the old testament keypoints of the new testament old testament notes book by book.
The book begins by telling of gods judgement on the kingdom of judah. Judah and jerusalem judged along with the nationsjudah summoned to repent gather together, gather yourselves together,you shameful nation, before the decree takes effectand that day passes like wind. The prophet zephaniah was evidently a person of considerable social standing in judah and was probably related to the royal line. They definitely knew each other and prophesied to the same people at the same period of time. He begins his prophecy by tracing his heritage back to hezekiah king of judah. Zephaniah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary.
Click chart to enlarge chart from recommended resource jensens survey of the ot used by permission. The man and his timesthe word of the 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. The book of zephaniah shows how gods justice and love work together to give the world hope. 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. Zephaniah wrote for jews living in judah, during the reign of the godly king josiah. Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah 640609 b. Nothing is known about the author, habakkuk who prophesied around 610 b. The book of zephaniah shows extremely many similarities with other prophetic books of the ot. He also took positive steps to clean up the spiritual disorder in judah. The day vs 8 must refer to the tribulation when god will judge all the earth. When god had a message for the people, he spoke through the prophets. This summary of the book of zephaniah provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of zephaniah.
Among the prophets, this is a unique introduction with its long list of fathers back to zephaniahs great. Zephaniah means yahweh has hiddenprotected, or yahweh hides. In the book of zephaniah, gods justice and love offer. An introduction to the book of zephaniah an argument of the book of zephaniah. The book of zephaniah is filled with the wrath and judgment of god see zeph. Among the minor prophets, we are certainly much more familiar with jonah and hosea.
King james version kjv follow the links below to view any of the 53 bible verses in the book of zephaniah with its original scripture and meaning in biblical context. Zephaniah 2, new international version niv the bible app. Bible study guide book of zephaniah saturday, november 3, 2012 background on zephaniah in zephaniah 1. They are literally ages apart even though they were given to the same people at the same time. Zechariah was contemporary with haggai, but his book is in direct contrast to haggais. The answer is not directly found in the scripture passage as the other questions. His word came in visions, oracles, dreams, parables, and the like.
We have mentioned this several times in our study of the prophets, but i will point it out in case someone has not heard the explanation. Zephaniah was the greatgreatgrandson of hezekiah, the good and godly king of judah. The word of the lord that came to zephaniah son of cushi, the son of gedaliah, the son of amariah. Zephaniah begins this section with a command to wait. Zephaniah is the ninth of the minor prophets, the last 12 books of the old testament.
The day of the lord zephaniah adult bible study guide. The book of zephaniah is a book of the bible and is thought to be written by zephaniah son of cushi son of gedaliah son of amariah son of hezekiah, in the days of king josiah son of amon of judah. The date of zephaniahs prophecy is given as in the days of josiah the son of amon, king of judah. A contrast between a wicked city and a righteous god. In this book, zephaniah announces gods purifying judgment on. The words of zephaniah contain one of my favorite bible verses.
Click the words or phrases after the scripture for the study notes and note that they are from the kjv translation. Bible survey zephaniah hebrew name tsephaniyah yahweh hides greek name sophonias greek form of the hebrew author zephaniah according to tradition date 630 bc approximately theme the day of the lord is approaching types and shadows in zephaniah the day of jesus is coming. Zephaniahs ministry, then, was directed to judah just before these major changes came about. This weeks study will show that zephaniahs message still matters to those who proclaim gods message of hope to a fallen world. Zephaniah, too, was a minor prophet, writing only 3 chapters to make his book. We can begin to pinpoint exactly when zephaniah prophesied by accounting for a few details in the text. Zephaniah 1 the word of the lord that came to bible. The book of zechariah teaches that salvation may be obtained by all. Indeed, his main message was regarding the day of the lord. Conservative notes from dr morris who approaches the text seeking its literal meaning in the context. A consuming fire, his justice purifies the people, and his love restores jerusalem for the nations.
Zephaniah bible study outlinecontents by chapter and verse. Intro to zephaniah biblica the international bible society. The last chapter depicts peoples from all over the world coming to worship god, who desires that all people follow him. Tom constables expository notes on zephaniah this is also available in the net. It is also possible that the work of zephaniah contributed to his desire to turn the nation back towards the lord. Judgment on the whole earth in the day of the lord i will sweep away everything from the face of the earth, declares the lord. Book of zephaniah bible verses with popularity levels. Find the verses people are most interested in using the color popularity scale directly below.
This asterisk means that the question seeks for your opinions and thoughts. Biblenotes the entire holy bible is summarized with easy. Zephaniahs message of judgment and encouragement contains three major doctrines. Watch our overview video on the book of zephaniah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. With the discovery of the book of deuteronomy in 621, josiah moved quickly to enforce its provisions, removing many of the high places and restoring peoples worship to god alone. Zephaniahs message was not just for ancient judah but. The book presents an unambiguous denunciation of sin and warning of imminent judgment on judah.
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. See the historical background of the book of zephaniah. Introduction286 the book of zephaniah is probably best known for being the least known book of the entire bible. The word of the lord which came unto zephaniah the son of cushi, the son of gedaliah, the son of amariah, the son of hezekiah it seems likely that more forefathers of the prophet are named than is the wont of holy scripture, because the last so named was some one remarkable. 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. Unlike the rest of the minor prophets who addressed judah, israel, andor the gentile nations around them, habakkuks audience was god. It is a small book, nestled in the midst of the minor prophets, toward the end of the old testament. The book of zephaniah is probably best known for being the least known book of the entire bible. Through the prophecy the nation of the prophets day was faced with its sin, reminded of coming judgment, and instructed concerning the ultimate glory that will come to israel.
He will rest in silent satisfaction and in his love he will be silent and make no mention of past sins, or even recall them. Title as with each of the 12 minor prophets, the prophecy bears the name of its author, which is generally thought to mean the lord hides cf. Book of zephaniah john gills exposition of the bible. The theme of zephaniah is the approaching day of the lord. Study zephaniah using john gills exposition of the bible to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. 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 book tells us that zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah, the king of judah from 640 to 609 bc zephaniah 1. The small book of zephaniah is narrative history and prophetic oracle. During the repairs, a lost book of the law deuteronomy was found. Book of zephaniah outline summary online bible nwt. This is a request to trust god to carry out his promises. Josiah, when he heard the reading of the book, ordered it to be read to the people. Yet before we get to that verse, the book, like many prophetic books, is full of alarming brokenness and impending judgement. This day is one of judgment against those who sin against god, and one of blessing for those who follow him. The ninth of the minor prophets, and the thirtysixth book in the bible is the book of zephaniah. But gods love and mercy will endure, and so zephaniah sees this purifying judgment as the true hope of the world, as god creates a world where all people can flourish in safety and peace. Three times god says i will sweep away in chapter 1 verses 1 and 2. The prophecy opens with a statement of the authors ancestry, which in itself is an unusual feature of the hebrew prophetic tradition. The lord your god is in the midst of you, a mighty one, a savior who saves. Prophet zephaniah, gods day of judgment on nations and people.
604 67 1599 693 1389 1537 847 478 1395 1442 1134 1081 542 534 149 1643 533 255 176 779 118 377 463 1328 1182 110 98 79 1423 496 133 800 307 713 824 1353 1297 1484 773 1037 510 1263 1027 932 130