Zephaniah 1:10. A cry from the fish-gate— Which was at the entering of the city. Some render the next clause, And a howling from the middle part of the city: but Houbigant renders it, A howling from Misna; or from the second city which Manasseh built. read more
9. those that leap on the threshold—the servants of the princes, who, after having gotten prey (like hounds) for their masters, leap exultingly on their masters' thresholds; or, on the thresholds of the houses which they break into [CALVIN]. JEROME explains it of those who walk up the steps into the sanctuary with haughtiness. ROSENMULLER translates, "Leap over the threshold"; namely, in imitation of the Philistine custom of not treading on the threshold, which arose from the head and hands of... read more
10. fish gate— (2 Chronicles 33:14; Nehemiah 3:3; Nehemiah 12:39). Situated on the east of the lower city, north of the sheep gate [MAURER]: near the stronghold of David in Milo, between Zion and the lower city, towards the west [JEROME]. This verse describes the state of the city when it was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar. It was through the fish gate that he entered the city. It received its name from the fish market which was near it. Through it passed those who used to bring fish from the lake... read more
2. The course of Judah’s judgment 1:7-13Zephaniah’s second picture of the day of the LORD is that of a great sacrifice. read more
The Lord would also punish those who leaped over the thresholds of their neighbors in their zeal to plunder them and who filled the temple with gifts taken through violence and deceit. Another view of leaping over the threshold is that this expression describes a superstition that anyone who walked on a building’s threshold would have bad luck (cf. 1 Samuel 5:5). In this case the temple in view might be the temple of Baal. "Their lord" is literally "Their Baal" (cf. Zephaniah 1:4). read more
When the Lord brought judgment on Judah, there would be crying out from various parts of Jerusalem representing the total destruction of the city. The Fish Gate was the gate through which the fishermen normally entered the city with their catches. It was a gate that pierced Jerusalem’s north wall close to the fish market (cf. 2 Chronicles 33:14; Nehemiah 3:3; Nehemiah 12:39). It was probably through this gate that Nebuchadnezzar entered Jerusalem since he invaded it from the north. The Second... read more
The Day of Jehovah a Day of Judgment for guilty JudahThe prophecy opens with the declaration of universal destruction for all living things. In his way the prophet impresses upon his hearers the completeness and appalling nature of the impending judgment. In the succeeding vv. he defines in detail the character of the punishment and the guilty classes in Judah upon which it will especially fall. It is in keeping with the genius of the Semitic mind thus to pass from the general to the specific.... read more
(7-13) The judgment, in reference to its objects. read more
(9) Their masters’ houses.—Better, their lord’s house, meaning the temple of their idol-deity. Probably the true interpretation of this obscure verse is that the idolaters had adopted a usage prevalent in the Philistine temples of Dagon—that of leaping over the threshold on entering the idol’s temple. (See 1 Samuel 5:5.) When they entered it they filled it with “violence and deceit” by bringing thither offerings acquired by fraud and oppression. Another interpretation makes the verse relate... read more
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Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Zephaniah 1:9
Zephaniah 1:9. Those that leap on the threshold— Over the threshold. Houbigant. Calmet observes, that this alludes to the custom of the Philistines, when they enter the temple of Dagon; but the author of the Observations is of a different opinion. That notion can have nothing to recommend it, says he, I think, but its being supposed by so old a writer as the Chaldee paraphrast: he is of opinion, that it alludes to the custom of riding into the houses, spoken of in the note on Pro 17:19 and he... read more