Introduction286 the book of zephaniah is probably best known for being the least known book of the entire bible. To call the people of jerusalem and judah to repentance in the face of the babylonian invasion and hope in a grand restoration after the time of destruction and exile. We can begin to pinpoint exactly when zephaniah prophesied by accounting for a few details in the text. Zephaniahs ministry, then, was directed to judah just before these major changes came about. 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. Some parts of the book of zephaniah predict the coming of a better day, but it seems quite. Bible study guide book of zephaniah saturday, november 3, 2012 background on zephaniah in zephaniah 1. Zephaniahs reference to the future destruction of nineveh 2.
The purpose of this book was to show the complacent southern kingdoms that they were wicked, god used a prophet zephaniah. Zephaniah summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of zephaniah for bible study or sunday school lessons. The main message of the first chapter in the book of zephaniah is the day of the lord. Indeed, his main message was regarding the day of the lord. It could have been that god used his ministry to turn the nation around. And before it attained to repenting it was visited, and taken out of its body.
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. It was zephaniahs lot to speak on the most unpleasant subject in the bible the judgment of god. Summary and analysis zephaniah, nahum, and habakkuk. Zephaniah is the ninth of the minor prophets, the last 12 books of the old testament. Consideration of the contents and historical background of the book in this article will serve to highlight the prophets enduring message. The book tells us that zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah, the king of judah from 640 to 609 bc zephaniah 1. We often overlook seemingly boring genealogies in the bible, but sometimes they can be the most interesting part. The second part, similar to the book of nahum, promised restoration to those who repented. Zephaniah, nahum, and habakkuk book summaries, test. Zephaniahs message of judgment and encouragement contains three major doctrines. Overview of the book of zephaniah reformed answers to. And he will stretch out his hand against the north and destroy assyria. 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. In chapters 12, zephaniah, 20 years prior to their captivity, foretells about the looming judgment that was awaiting judah if they did not turn back to yhwh.
Transcribed and edited by david sielaff, november 20. Zephaniah is the ninth of the twelve prophets in the book of the twelve in hebrew scripture. The book would then have been written in jerusalem, where nahum would have witnessed the invasion of sennacherib and the destruction of his host 2 kings 19. Zephaniah the prophet may have been the son of a cushite man. Zephaniah wrote it shortly before the fall of judah in the southern kingdom. Zephaniah mentions the coming destruction of ninevah, so we know it was before 612 b. Despite the fact that zephaniah warns judah of impending doom, the prophecy is dual, and the major fulfillment of his prophecy is yet future. Zephaniah an old testament book telling the prophecies of zephaniah which are concerned mainly with the approaching judgment by god upon the sinners of judah. Personal and national sins had provoked god to bring. But zephaniah grew into a man of god, able to stand before the people and. Interesting facts about zephaniah barnes bible charts meaning. Among the prophets, this is a unique introduction with its long list of fathers back to zephaniahs great. It is important to be comfortable with all the names and places in the. The book of nehemiah has been, since the 16th century, a separate book of the hebrew bible.
Bible commentary on nahum, habakkuk and zephaniah in easy. 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 book tells us that zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah, the king of. 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. 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. Zephaniah 1, english standard version 2016 esv the. I saw a great broad place, thousands of thousands surrounded it. 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. Among the minor prophets, we are certainly much more familiar with jonah and hosea. Zephaniah was a prophet of doom in the true sense of the word. 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 ministered before the babylonian captivity began in 586 bc and not long before jeremiah, who lived at the time of the captivity. One interesting find is located in the first verse of the book of zephaniah.
Zephaniah was probably hidden for his own protection. Nahum, habakkuk, zephaniah, haggai, zechariah, and malachi. Since nineveh was destroyed in 612, zephaniah would have been written before that. Reading the chapter before looking at the notes, while working with the notes, and after finishing with the notes will give each researcher a powerful sense of the series of meanings within each chapter. The minor prophets or twelve prophets occasionally book of the twelve, is the last book of the. Before that date, it had been included in the book of ezra. 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 book of zephaniah has been called a compendium of the oracles of. The coming day of the lord will bring judgment on the wicked, both jews and. The scholarly consensus is that the book of vision was written at the time of the fall of nineveh at the hands of the medes and babylonians in 612 bc. He also predicted the desolation of nineveh the capital city of assyria in 612 b. Another key to dating is the institution of josiahs religious reforms c. 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 king ashurbanipals death in 627 while assyria was still powerful, though threatened.
Zephaniahs ministry occurred during the reign of josiah, king of judah. The title of the prophecy informs us that the ministry of zephaniah took place during the reign of josiah 640609. The book of zephaniah center point bible institute. The major sins motivating this judgment, in zephaniahs view, are judahs worship of other deities 1. Some parts of the book of zephaniah predict the coming of a better day, but it seems quite probable that these sections were added by editors who looked at the book as a whole from the perspective of later years. The apocalypse of zephaniah the lost books of the bible. 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. Zephaniah was likely written in the years before the revival, and god used this prophecy to bring and further revival. Zephaniah intro to zephaniah biblica the international bible. Zephaniah, book of this old testament book summarizes in its three chapters much of the prophetic teaching on the nature of true religion. The book of zephaniah is narrative history and prophetic source of wisdom. Zephaniah is the ninth of the twelve prophets in the book of the twelve. Introduction286 the book of zephaniah is probably best known for being.
The prophet predicts the general destruction of judah and jerusalem by the chaldeans. Zephaniah and his contemporaries, jeremiah and habakkuk, were some of the prophets god used to pronounce this warning message. Thus the period from 640 to 622 is the likely time for the giving of the prophecy. Zephaniah said that god would destroy assyria in zephaniah 2. Zephaniah was the grandson of hezekiah, but we cannot be sure that this hezekiah was the same hezekiah who ruled jerusalem during the time of isaiah. The bible does not mention him elsewhere, but from his book. Zephaniah definition of zephaniah by the free dictionary.
If that is the case we can narrow the date down to 622 b. The book consists of a series of independent sayings, many of which are rightly attributed. It is a small book, nestled in the midst of the minor prophets, toward the end of the old testament. Zephaniah understood this judgment was inevitable and pointed to the coming day of the lord. In the first part of his threechapter book, zephaniah issued charges and threats. His contemporaries were nahum, 1for further discussion of the books unity, see richard d.
Prompted to answer the bible book before, and also after. The book of nahum tells us about the time when the babylonians would destroy assyria. When god had a message for the people, he spoke through the prophets. The book of zephaniah from the book minor prophets. The book of zephaniah in the bible consists of three chapters. The prophetic book of the bible attributed to zephaniah occurs ninth among the. There are a number of helpful commentaries on the book of zephaniah, and the following are five of the best. Zephaniah means yahweh has hiddenprotected, or yahweh hides. This threatened destruction can be compared to the destruction of the wicked that will occur before the second coming of jesus christ.
There is more about assyria in the notes at the beginning of nahum in this set of books. His word came in visions, oracles, dreams, parables, and the like. Book of zephaniah overview insight for living ministries. Set up to assist with memorizing the order of the books of the bible. Zephaniah synonyms, zephaniah pronunciation, zephaniah translation, english dictionary definition of zephaniah. Zephaniah article about zephaniah by the free dictionary.
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