---
title: "Clarke"
description: "Verse Zephaniah 3:1. Wo to her that is filthy — This is a denunciation of Divine judgment against Jerusalem. Verse Zephaniah 3:2. She obeyed not the voice"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/clarkes-commentary/zephaniah/3"
---

Verse [Zephaniah 3:1](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/1). ***Wo to her that is filthy*** — This is a denunciation of Divine judgment against Jerusalem.

Verse [Zephaniah 3:2](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/2). ***She obeyed not the voice*** — Of conscience, of God, and of his prophets.
***She received not correction*** — Did not profit by his chastisements; was uneasy and ill-tempered under her afflictions, and derived no manner of good from these chastisements.
***She trusted not in the Lord*** — Did not consider him as the *Fountain* whence all help and salvation should come; and rather sought for support from *man* and *herself*, than from God.
***She drew not near to her God.*** — Did not worship him; did not walk in his ways; did not make *prayer* and supplication to him.

Verse [Zephaniah 3:3](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/3). ***Her princes*****- are*****roaring lions*** — Tearing all to pieces without shadow of law, except their own despotic power.
***Her judges*****are*****evening wolves*** — Being a little afraid of the lion-like princes, they practise their unjust dealings from evening to morning, and take the *day* to find their rest.
***They gnaw not the bones till the morrow.*** — They devour the flesh in the night, and gnaw the bones and extract the marrow afterwards. They use all violence and predatory oppression, like wild beasts; they shun the light, and turn day into night by their revellings.

Verse 4. ***Her prophets*****are*****light*****and*****treacherous persons*** — They have no *seriousness*, no *deep conviction* of the awful nature of their *office*, no *concern* for the *immortal souls* of the people. *Treacherous persons* - they betray the souls of the people for the sake of worldly *honour, pleasure*, and *profit*. Even in our own enlightened country we find prophets who prefer hunting the *hare* or the *fox*, and pursuing the *partridge* and *pheasant*, to *visiting the sick*, and *going* after the *strayed, lost sheep* of the *house of Israel*. Poor souls! They know neither God nor themselves; and if they did visit the sick, they could not speak to them to exhortation, edification, or comfort. God never called them to his work; therefore they know nothing of it. But O, what an account have these *pleasure-taking false prophets* to render to the Shepherd of souls!
***They have done violence to the law.*** — They have forced wrong constructions on it in order to excuse themselves, and lull the people into spiritual slumber. So we find that it was an ancient practice for men to wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction.

Verse 5. ***The just Lord*****is*****in the midst thereof*** — He sees, marks down, and will punish all these wickednesses.
***Every morning doth he bring his judgment to light*** — The sense is, says Bp. *Newcome*, "Not a day passes but we see instances of his goodness to righteous men, and of his vengeance on the wicked."

Verse 6. ***I have cut off the nations*** — Syria, Israel, and those referred to, [Isaiah 36:18](../../../kjv/isaiah/36/18); [Isaiah 36:20](../../../kjv/isaiah/36/20). - *Newcome*.

Verse 7. ***Surely thou wilt fear me*** — After so many displays of my sovereign power and judgments.
***But they rose early*** — And instead of returning to God, they practised every abomination. They were diligent to find out times and places for their iniquity. This is the worst state of man.

Verse 8. ***Wait ye upon me*** — Expect the fulfilment of all my promises and threatenings: I am God, and change not.
***For all the earth*** — All the land of Judah.

Verse 9. ***Will I turn to the people*** — This promise must refer to the conversion of the Jews under the Gospel.
***That they may all call*** — That the whole nation may invoke God by Christ, and serve him with *one consent*; not one unbeliever being found among them.
The *pure language*, שפה ברורה saphah berurah, may here mean the *form of religious worship*. They had been before *idolaters*: now God promises to restore his *pure worship* among them. The word has certainly this meaning in [Psalms 81:5](../../../kjv/psalms/81/5); where, as God is the speaker, the words should not be rendered, "I heard a language which I understood not," but, "I heard a religious confession, which I approved not." See [Isaiah 19:18](../../../kjv/isaiah/19/18); [Hosea 14:3](../../../kjv/hosea/14/3); and see [Joel 2:28](../../../kjv/joel/2/28), where a similar promise is found.

Verse [Zephaniah 3:10](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/10). ***From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia*** — This may denote both *Africa* and the southern *Arabia*. *Bochart* thinks that *Arabia* *Chusaer* is meant; and that the rivers are *Besor*, which flows into the *Mediterranean; Rhinocorura*, which flows into the Lake *Sirbonis; Trajanus Amnis*, which flows into the *Red Sea*; and the river *Corys*. *Calmet* thinks that these *rivers* mean the *Nile*, which by *seven mouths* falls into the Mediterranean. The Nile comes from *Ethiopia*, properly so called; and runs through all Egypt, and falls into the sea at that part of Arabia which the Scripture calls *Cush* or *Ethiopia*.
***My dispersed*** — The Jews, scattered through different parts of the world. *Shall bring mine offering*. Shall acknowledge my mercy in sending them the *Messiah* to bless them, by turning every one of them away from their iniquities.

Verse [Zephaniah 3:11](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/11). ***Shalt thou not be ashamed*** — Thy punishment shall cease, for God shall pardon thy sin.
***For then I will take away out of the midst of thee*** — The wicked Jewish priests and scribes who blasphemed Christ, and would not come under his yoke.
***Because of my holy mountain.*** — Thou wilt no more *boast in my* *temple*, but become *meek* and *lowly* in following him who is meek and lowly in heart, that ye may obtain rest to your souls.

Verse [Zephaniah 3:12](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/12). ***An afflicted and poor people*** — In such a state will the Jews be found when they shall hear the universal call, and believe in Christ Jesus. Indeed, this is the *general state* of the Jews in the *present day*; except a *few* that are *called Jews*, who are *very rich*; and who believe just as much in the *God of Jacob*, as they do in *Jesus Christ*.

Verse [Zephaniah 3:13](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/13). ***The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity*** — O what a change! And then, how different shall they be from their *present* *selves*! Iniquity, lying, and deceit shall not be found among them! A Jew once said to me, "Tere are shome of you Christians who are making wonderful efforts to convert the Tshews (Jews.) *Ah, dere* *ish none but Gott Almighty dat can convert a Tshew*." Truly I believe him. Only God can convert any man; and if there be a *peculiar difficulty* to convert any soul, that difficulty must lie in the *conversion* of the *Jew*.

Verse [Zephaniah 3:14](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/14). ***Sing, O daughter of Zion*** — Here is not only a gracious prophetic promise of their restoration from captivity, but of their conversion to God through Christ.

Verse [Zephaniah 3:15](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/15). ***The King of Israel,*****even*****the Lord,*****is*****in the midst of**********thee*** — They have never had a *king* since the death of Zedekiah, and never shall have one till they have the *King Messiah* to reign among them; and this promise refers to that event.

Verse [Zephaniah 3:16](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/16). ***Fear thou not*** — Thou shalt have no more captivities nor national afflictions.
***Let not thine hands be slack.*** — This may refer, *first*, to the rebuilding of the temple of God, after the return from Babylon; and, secondly, to their diligence and zeal in the Christian Church.

Verse [Zephaniah 3:17](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/17). ***The Lord thy God*** — יהוה אלהיך *Yehovah Eloheycha*, "The self-existent and eternal Being, who is in covenant with you;" the character of God in reference to the Jews when standing in the nearest relation to them.
**Is*****mighty*** — גבור *gibbor*, is the *prevailing One*, the *all-conquering Hero*. The character which is given to Christ, [Isaiah 9:6](../../../kjv/isaiah/9/6): "His name shall be called אל גבור *El gibbor*, the prevailing Almighty God."
***He will save*** — *Deliver* thee from all the *power*, from all the *guilt*, and from all the *pollution* of thy sins; and when thus *saved*, "he will rejoice over thee with joy," with peculiar gladness. "He will rest in his love," - he will renew his love. He will show the same love to you that he did of old to *Abraham,* *Isaac*, and *Jacob*.
***He will joy over thee with singing.*** — The conversion of the Jews will be a subject of peculiar delight and exultation to God himself! There will be a *more* than *ordinary joy* in heaven, when the Jews return to God through Christ. This event cannot be at a great distance; they are as *wretched* and as *ungodly* as they can well be. The *arms of Christians* are open to receive them; and *all* *things are now ready*!

Verse [Zephaniah 3:18](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/18). ***I will gather - sorrowful*** — This may refer to those who, during the captivity, mourned for their former religious assemblies; and who were *reproached* by their enemies, because they could not enjoy their religious solemnities. See [Psalms 137:1-9](../../../kjv/psalms/137/1-9): "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song," &c. This very circumstance may be the reference here.

Verse [Zephaniah 3:19](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/19). ***I will undo all that afflict thee*** — They who have persecuted you shall be punished for it. It shows much malignity and baseness of mind, to afflict or reproach those who are lying under the chastising hand of God. This was the conduct of the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites, when the Jews were in adversity; and how severely did the Lord punish them for it! And he gave this as the *reason* for the severity of the punishment.
The first clause here is translated thus by Abp. *Newcome*: "Behold I will work with thee for thy sake at that time." The original is obscure; and it may bear the above sense.
***I will save her that halteth*** — See [Micah 4:6](../../../kjv/micah/4/6), where there is a parallel place.
***And gather her that was driven out*** — By captivity. The reference may be to renewing the covenant with the Jews, who were considered as an unfaithful spouse divorced by her husband. I will bring her back to my house.
***I will get them praise and fame in every land*** — They shall become a great, a good, and a useful people. And as they are now a proverb of reproach, full of base wiles and degrading selfishness, they shall lose this character, and be totally changed; and they shall be as eminent for excellence, as they were before for baseness, in those countries where they had sojourned.

Verse [Zephaniah 3:20](../../../kjv/zephaniah/3/20). ***At that time*** — *First*, when the *seventy* years of the Babylonish captivity shall terminate. "I will bring you again" to your own land; and this restoration shall be a type of their redemption from sin and iniquity; and *at this time*, and at this only, will they have a *name* and *praise* among *all* the *people* of the *earth*, not only among the Jews, but the Gentiles.
***Before your eyes*** — Some read *before THEIR eyes*; that is, the eyes of all people. On their conversion to Christianity, they shall become as eminent as they ever were in the most illustrious days of their history, Lord, hasten the conversion of Israel! Amen.

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