Zephaniah 3:18-20

Zephaniah 3:18-20 do not contain the song of rejoicing sung by Jehovah, but rather a series of promises made by him to the redeemed community. Zephaniah 3:18 is very obscure. The translation of the present Hebrew text is uncertain. R.V. differs but slightly from A.V.: “I will gather them that sorrow for the solemn assembly, who were of thee; to whom the burden upon her was a reproach.” Both translations make the verse a promise of the restoration of the dispersed, who, far from the holy city, are in deep sorrow because they can no longer gather in the temple, and who have suffered reproach (see on Joel 2:17) because of the national calamity that has fallen upon them. The thought suggested by the translation in the margin, “They have been sorrowful for the solemn assembly which I took away from thee, for the lifting up of reproach against her,” is less appropriate. The meaning of the verb translated “sorrow” is uncertain; it occurs in the same construction in 2 Samuel 20:13, in the sense of “thrust away,” or “remove.” The first clause might be translated, therefore, “I will gather them that are thrust away from the solemn assembly,” which would give acceptable sense. While the translation of the English versions may, perhaps, be had from the present Hebrew text, the latter is very awkward and may have suffered in the course of transmission. The ancient versions differ from it and from one another. LXX. presents a reading which, in part at least, is thought by many to be original. It joins the first two words of Zephaniah 3:18 to Zephaniah 3:17 and reads them “as on a feast day” the whole clause, “he will joy over thee with singing as on a feast day”; then continues, “I will gather thy crushed ones; woe unto him who utters mockery against her.” Zephaniah 3:17 is not improved by the addition; Zephaniah 3:18 gives good sense, but it cannot be affirmed with certainty that it is original. Instead of the pronoun of the third person we should probably read, with margin, “thee.” Marti proposes to read Zephaniah 3:18, “Removed have I ( prophetic perfect) from thee the reproach; taken away have I from thee the shame.” With this he compares Zephaniah 3:11 a (see further on Zephaniah 3:19).

19. At that time When the promise made in Zephaniah 3:18 will be fulfilled.

I will undo all that afflict thee The verb is literally do, sometimes in the sense of “to deal with,” either in a good or in an evil sense; here the latter, so that A.V. is right in rendering “undo.” If the LXX. rendering of Zephaniah 3:18 is correct the first clause of Zephaniah 3:19 is an expansion of 18b; but since “at that time” seems to mark a new beginning, and since the rest of Zephaniah 3:19 and Zephaniah 3:20 speak only of the blessings to be showered upon the remnant, it is not impossible that the first clause of Zephaniah 3:19 also speaks of a blessing intended for the afflicted children of Jehovah. An alteration in the vocalization would change “they that afflict thee” into “thy afflicted ones.” If this change is made, “to deal with” is used in a favorable sense: “At the time when I will deal with all thy afflicted ones.” How he will deal with them is stated in the rest of Zephaniah 3:19 and in Zephaniah 3:20.

Save From oppression, suffering, and disease.

Halteth,… driven out See on Micah 4:6 (compare Ezekiel 34:16).

I will get them praise and fame Better, R.V., “I will make them a praise and a name.” The wonderful things Jehovah will do for his people will so impress the nations by whom they have been oppressed that even they will recognize that “Jehovah hath done great things for them” (Psalms 126:2); then they will reproach them no more (see on Joel 2:17), but will praise and glorify them (compare Deuteronomy 26:19, margin; Isaiah 62:7; Jeremiah 33:9).

In every land where they have been put to shame R.V., “whose shame hath been in all the earth”; literally, in the whole earth their shame. It is difficult to get from this the translation of A.V. or even of R.V. LXX. differs from the Hebrew but does not relieve the difficulty. The omission of “their shame” would simplify matters “I will make them a praise and a fame in the whole earth” (compare Zephaniah 3:20). Some omit the pronoun after “make” (in Hebrew one letter) and take “their shame” as the object of the verb, “I will make (or, turn) into praise and fame in all the earth their shame.”

Zephaniah 3:20 expresses essentially the same thought as Zephaniah 3:19.

Will I bring you again R.V., more literally, “bring you in,” for which LXX. reads “will do good,” which may be original.

Even in the time that I gather you R.V. co-ordinates this clause with the preceding, “and at that time will I gather you.” Both translations are based on an emended text. The present Hebrew text cannot be correct; the only question is whether A.V. or R.V. has made the proper correction probably A.V. Combining the emendation of A.V. with the reading of LXX., 20a may be read, “At that time I will do good to you, even at the time when I shall gather you together.” I will do good is explained by, “For I will make you a name and a praise among all people (R.V., “all the peoples”) of the earth” (see on Zephaniah 3:19), and when I shall gather you together by “when I turn back (R.V., “bring back”) your captivity” (see on Zephaniah 2:7, and references there).

Before your eyes Within your own lifetime.

Saith Jehovah A seal upon the promises. Since they are uttered by Jehovah, they will surely be fulfilled.