Zephaniah 2:12 NIV

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Zephaniah 2:12

Ye Ethiopians also ,.... Or, "as for ye Ethiopians also" F8 גם א־תאם כושים "etiam ad vos Aethiopes quod attinet", Piscator. ; not the Ethiopians in Africa beyond Egypt, at a distance from the land of Israel, and the countries before mentioned; but the inhabitants of Arabia Chusea, or Ethiopia, which lay near to Moab and Ammon; these should not escape, but suffer with their neighbours, who sometimes distressed the people of the Jews, and made war with them, being nigh them; see 2... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Zephaniah 2:12

Ye Ethiopians also - Nebuchadnezzar subdued these. See Jeremiah 46:2 , Jeremiah 46:9 ; Ezekiel 30:4 , Ezekiel 30:10 . See also on Amos 9:7 ; (note). read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Zephaniah 2:12

Verse 12 The Prophet extends farther the threatened vengeance, and says, that God would also render to the Ethiopians the reward which they deserved; for they had also harassed the chosen people. But if God punished that nation, how could Ammon and Moab hope to escape? For how could God spare so great a cruelty, since he would visit with punishment the remotest nations? For the hatred of the Moabites and of the Ammonites, as we have said, was less excusable, because they were related to the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zephaniah 2:12

Ethiopians ; Cushites. These are named as the most remote inhabitants of the south with which the Israelites were acquainted ( Ezekiel 38:5 ). Ye shall be slain by my sword; the slain of my sword are they, the second person being dropped, as one cannot address the dead (Orelli). The Lord's sword is the instrument which he uses to effect his purpose of punishment (comp. Isaiah 27:1 ; Isaiah 34:5 ; Isaiah 66:16 ). The Ethiopians are reckoned among the forces of Egypt ( 2... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Zephaniah 2:12-15

5. The judgment shall fall upon the Ethiopians and Assyrians, representing the south and north. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Zephaniah 2:12

Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by My sword - Literally, “Ye Ethiopians also, the slain of My sword are they.” Having summoned them to His throne, God speaks of them, not to them anymore; perhaps in compassion, as elsewhere in indignation . The Ethiopians were not in any direct antagonism to God and His people, but allied only to their old oppressor, Egypt. They may have been in Pharaoh Necho’s army, in resisting which, as a subject of Assyria, Josiah was slain: they are mentioned... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Zephaniah 2:12

Zephaniah 2:12. Ye Ethiopians also shall be slain Here a denunciation of divine wrath is uttered against the Ethiopians, as, Zephaniah 2:8, against the Moabites and Ammonites. It is said that they should be slain by God’s sword; because Nebuchadnezzar, who was to subdue them, was raised up by the divine providence, in order to execute its purposes; and to cut off those whose wickedness called for the infliction of divine vengeance. This denunciation against the Ethiopians was fulfilled by... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Zephaniah 2:1-15

The certainty of judgment (2:1-15)In spite of the certainty of judgment, there is still hope for those who will turn to God in humility and faith. The only ones to escape the divine wrath will be those who renounce their former wrongdoing and determine to live in obedience to God (2:1-3).To impress upon the Jerusalemites that no sinners will escape God’s wrath, Zechariah gives them examples of coming judgment on neighbouring nations. The first judgment concerns regions to the west of Judah. The... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Zephaniah 2:12

ye. See note on "For", Zephaniah 2:4 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Zephaniah 2:12

"Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword."Commentators usually point out that for a century prior to the times of Zephaniah, Egypt had been ruled by an Ethiopian dynasty; and, accordingly, they accept the view that this is a reference to the Egyptians. However, God certainly knew the word for the Egyptians, and our view is that if he had meant that, he would have said it. The reference is to the most southern kingdom that was known by the world of that period; and it is Zephaniah's... read more