Bible/Zephaniah/1

Zephaniah 1:17

1:16 A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

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I will bring distress on men, that they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Yahweh, and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.

And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

And I will bring distress on men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

What does Zephaniah 1:17 mean?

Zephaniah 1:17 is a verse in the book of Zephaniah, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include צָרַר (tsârar), אָדָם (ʼâdâm), הָלַךְ (hâlak). It connects to 8 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

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And
I
will
bring
distressצָרַרtsârar/tsaw-rar'/H6887to cramp, literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive
upon
men,אָדָםʼâdâm/aw-dawm'/H120ruddy i.e. a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)
that
they
shall
walkהָלַךְhâlak/haw-lak'/H1980to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)
like
blind
men,עִוֵּרʻivvêr/iv-vare'/H5787blind (literally or figuratively)
because
they
have
sinnedחָטָאchâṭâʼ/khaw-taw'/H2398properly, to miss; hence (figuratively and generally) to sin; by inference, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, (causatively) lead astray, condemn
against
the
LORD:יְהֹוָהYᵉhôvâh/yeh-ho-vaw'/H3068Jehovah, Jewish national name of God
and
their
bloodדָּםdâm/dawm/H1818blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshed (i.e. drops of blood)
shall
be
poured
outשָׁפַךְshâphak/shaw-fak'/H8210to spill forth (blood, a libation, liquid metal; or even a solid, i.e. to mound up); also (figuratively) to expend (life, soul, complaint, money, etc.); intensively, to sprawl out
as
dust,עָפָרʻâphâr/aw-fawr'/H6083dust (as powdered or gray); hence, clay, earth, mud
and
their
fleshלָחוּםlâchûwm/law-khoom'/H3894properly, eaten, i.e. food; also flesh, i.e. body
as
the
dung.גֵּלֶלgêlel/gay'-lel/H1561dung (plural balls of dung)

Commentary on Zephaniah 1:17

HENRY_FULL · Zephaniah 1:17
is chapter, preached on a particular occasion, and they are both from Mount Sinai, the mount of terror, both from Mount Ebal, the mount of curses; both speak the approaching fate of Jerusalem. The occasion of them was the king of Babylon's laying siege to Jerusalem, and the design of them is to show that in the issue of that siege he should be not only master of the place, but destroyer of it. I. By the sign of flesh boiling in a pot over the fire are shown the miseries that Jerusalem should suffer during the siege, and justly, for her filthiness, ver. 1-14 . II. By the sign of Ezekiel's not mourning for the death of his wife is shown that the calamities coming upon Jerusalem were too great to be lamented, so great that they should sink down under them into a silent despair, ver. 15-27 . The Parable of the Boiling Pot; The Explanation of the Parable. ( b. c. 590.)

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

2 Kings 25:1

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.

Isaiah 8:1

Moreover the LORD said unto me, Take thee a great roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Mahershalalhashbaz. Mahershalalhashbaz: Heb. In making speed to the spoil he hasteneth the prey, or, Make speed, etc

Isaiah 30:8

Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever: the: Heb. the latter day

Isaiah 30:9

That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:

Jeremiah 39:1

In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it.

Jeremiah 52:4

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and built forts against it round about.

Habakkuk 2:2

And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

Habakkuk 2:3

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Topics

Anger of God, theWicked, The, Are Compared To

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Zephaniah 1:17.

Genesis 3:8

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. cool: Heb. wind

Genesis 9:6

Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Exodus 29:12

And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.

Exodus 4:11

And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

Exodus 4:9

And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. shall become: Heb. shall be and shall be

Genesis 2:15

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. the man: or, Adam

Genesis 2:16

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: thou: Heb. eating thou shalt eat

Genesis 2:18

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. meet: Heb. as before him

Frequently asked questions

What does Zephaniah 1:17 say?

Zephaniah 1:17 (King James Version) reads: "And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung."

Is Zephaniah 1:17 in the Old or New Testament?

Zephaniah 1:17 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Zephaniah.

Reflect

As you read Zephaniah 1:17, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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