Editing Zephaniah

{{short description|Biblical figure}}
{{other uses}}
[[File:Icon of Zephaniah (17th c., North Russia, priv. coll.).jpg|thumb|250px|A 17th century icon of Zephaniah]]

'''Zephaniah''' ({{IPAc-en|z|ɛ|f|ə|ˈ|n|aɪ|.|ə}}, {{Hebrew Name|צְפַנְיָה|Ṣəfanya|Ṣep̄anyā|"Concealed of/is [[Tetragrammaton|YHWH]]"}}; {{langx|el|Σοφονίας}} – ''Sōfənīəs'') is the name of several people in the [[Hebrew Bible]]; the most prominent being the prophet who prophesied in the days of [[Josiah]], [[Kingdom of Judah|king of Judah]] (640–609 BCE) and is attributed [[Book of Zephaniah|a book bearing his name]] among the [[Twelve Minor Prophets]].<ref name=mason/> His name is commonly transliterated '''Sophonias''' in Bibles translated from the [[Vulgate]] or [[Septuagint]]. The name might mean "[[Yahweh]] has hidden/protected,"{{sfn |Grudem et al. |2008|p=1729}} or "Yah lies in wait".{{sfn |Carson et al. |2015|p= 1839}} The church father [[Jerome]] interpreted the name to mean "the watchman of the Lord".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/prophecy-of-sophonias-12455|title=The Prophecy of Sophonias &#124; EWTN|website=EWTN Global Catholic Television Network}}</ref> 

==The prophet Zephaniah==
[[Image:Zephaniah.jpg|thumb|upright|left|An 18th-century [[Russian icons|Russian icon]] of the prophet Zephaniah in [[Kizhi]], [[Karelia]]]]
The best known Biblical figure bearing the name Zephaniah is the son of Cushi, and great-great grandson of King<ref>The Interpreter's Bible, Volume VI, p. 1014</ref> [[Hezekiah]], ninth in the literary order of the [[Twelve Minor Prophets]]. He prophesied in the days of [[Josiah]], ruler of the [[Kingdom of Judah]] (640–609 BCE), but before Josiah's reform in 621 BCE,<ref name=mason/> and was contemporary with [[Jeremiah]], with whom he had much in common. The unique source containing the minimal knowledge of his personality and rhetorical and literary qualities is the short, three chapter book of the Old Testament which bears his name.<ref name=mason/> The scene of his activity was the city of [[Jerusalem]], which he seems to know well.<ref name=mason>{{cite book|last= Mason | first= Rex| chapter = 35. Zephaniah| title=The Oxford Bible Commentary | editor-first1=John| editor-last1=Barton | editor-first2=John| editor-last2= Muddiman | publisher = Oxford University Press |edition= first (paperback) | date = 2007 | pages = 604–607 | isbn = 978-0199277186 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZJdVkgEACAAJ| access-date=February 6, 2019}}</ref> The existence of two Zephaniahs linked to the book is considered purely hypothetical.<ref name=mason/>

===Date of activity===
Under the two preceding kings of Judah, [[Amon of Judah]] and [[Manasseh of Judah]], the cult of other deities, especially [[Baal]] and [[Astarte]], had developed in Jerusalem,<ref>[http://www.theology.edu/lec21.htm ANE History: The End of Judah] Copyright © Quartz Hill School of Theology</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.enduringword.com/commentaries/1221.htm|title=2 Kings 21 - The Wicked Reigns of Manasseh and Amon}}</ref> bringing with it elements of alien culture and morals. Josiah, a dedicated reformer,<ref name = "a">[http://members.bib-arch.org/publication.asp?PubID=BSBKAM&Volume=0&Issue=0&ArticleID=4 "The Religious Reforms of Hezekiah and Josiah"] at the [http://members.bib-arch.org/ Biblical Archaeology Society Online Archive]</ref> wished to put an end to perceived misuse of the holy places. One of the most zealous champions and advisers of this reform was Zephaniah, and his writing remains one of the most important documents for the understanding of the era of Josiah.

Boldly predicting the destruction of [[Judea and Samaria Area|Judah]] for the evil committed by its occupants,<ref name=mason/> the prophet spoke against the religious and moral corruption, when, in view of the idolatry which had penetrated even into the sanctuary, he warned that God would "destroy out of this place the remnant of Baal, and the names of the idolatrous priests" (Zeph 1:4), and pleaded for a return to the simplicity of their fathers instead of the luxurious foreign clothing which was worn especially in aristocratic circles (1:8).

The age of Zephaniah was also a key historical period, because the lands of [[Western Asia]] were overrun by foreigners due to the migration of the [[Scythians]] in the last decades of the seventh century BC, and because Jerusalem was only a few decades before [[Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)|its downfall in 586 BC]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14146a.htm|title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Sophonias (Zephaniah)|website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref> In light of these events, a message of impending judgment is the primary burden of this figure's preaching (1:7).

===The Book of Zephaniah===<!-- This section is linked from [[Zephaniah]] -->
[[File:Sophonie s'adressant au peuple.jpg|thumb|upright|Zephaniah addressing people (France, 16th century).]]
The [[Book of Zephaniah]] contains the fundamental ideas of the preaching of Zephaniah. The scheme of the book in its present form is as follows:

# '''Zephaniah 1:2–2:3.''' Warnings about the "day of the Lord", a ''Dies irae, dies illa''<ref>"That day of wrath, that dreadful day," as described in ''Nelson's Compact Illustrated Bible Dictionary'', pp. 283, 283, Thomas Nelson Publishers (1964). Pre-ISBN book, only later (1978) edition found in WorldCat, {{ISBN|978-0-8407-5636-7}}.</ref> of the Old Testament. The judgment of the Lord will descend on Judah and Jerusalem as a punishment for the awful degeneracy in religious life (1:4–7a); it will extend to all classes of the people (1:7b–13), and will be attended with all the horrors of a frightful catastrophe (1:14–18); therefore, repent and seek the Lord (2:1–3).
# '''Zephaniah 2:4–15.''' Not only Jerusalem, but the entire world is subject to judgment, including the Philistines, (4–7) Moabites, Ammonites, (8–11) Ethiopians, (12) Assyrians and Ninevites (13-15).
# '''Zephaniah 3:1–8.''' The Prophet focuses once again on Jerusalem: "Woe to the provoking, and redeemed city ... She hath not hearkened to the voice, neither hath she received discipline." The severest reckoning will be required of the leading classes of the civil community, and of the Prophets and priests as the directors of public worship.
# '''Zephaniah 3:9–20.''' With a prophetic glance at the Kingdom of God of the future, in which all the world unites and turns to God, the prosperity of the Messianic Kingdom will be enjoyed.
# '''Zephaniah 3:9–20.''' The last message of Zephaniah also has a Messianic coloring, although not to an extent comparable with that which may be found in the [[Book of Isaiah]].

===In Christianity===

He is commemorated with the other minor prophets in the [[Calendar of saints (Armenian Apostolic Church)|calendar of saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church]] on July 31. On the [[Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar]] and in the [[Roman Martyrology]], he is commemorated on December 3.

His book is an inspiration for the hymn, ''[[Dies irae]]''.

==Other Zephaniahs in the Bible==

Other individuals named Zephaniah include:
# The son of [[Maaseiah]], the "second priest" in the reign of [[Zedekiah]], often mentioned in Jeremiah as having been sent from the king to inquire (Jer. 21:1) regarding the coming woes which he had denounced, and to entreat the prophet's intercession that the judgment threatened might be averted (Jer 29:25, 26, 29; 37:3; 52:24). He, along with some other captive Jews, was put to death by [[Nebuchadnezzar II]] "at Riblah in the land of Hamath" (2 Kings 25:21).
# A Kohathite ancestor of the prophet [[Samuel]] (1 Chr 6:36).
# The father of Josiah, the [[kohen]] (priest) who dwelt in Jerusalem when [[Darius I]] issued the decree that the temple should be rebuilt ... (Zech 6:10).

==See also==
* [[Apocalypse of Zephaniah]] (pseudepigraphic book)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |ref = {{harvid|Carson et al. |2015}} |title = NIV Zondervan Study Bible |year = 2015 |publisher = Zondervan |place = Grand Rapids |editor-last1 = Carson |editor-first1 = D. A. |editor1-link = D. A. Carson |editor-last2 = Hess |editor-first2 = Richard S. |editor2-link = Richard Hess |editor-last3 = Alexander
|editor-first3 = T. D. |editor-last4  = Moo |editor-first4 = Douglas J. |editor4-link = Douglas J. Moo |editor-last5 = Naselli |editor-first5 = Andrew David |isbn = 978-0-31043833-5}}
* {{cite book |ref = {{harvid |Grudem et al. |2008}} |title = ESV Study Bible |title-link = ESV Study Bible |year = 2008 |publisher = Crossway |place = Wheaton |editor-last1 = Grudem |editor-first1 = Wayne |editor1-link  = Wayne Grudem |editor-last2 = Dennis |editor-first2 = Lane T.|editor-last3 = Packer |editor-first3 = J. I. |editor3-link = J. I. Packer |editor-last4  = Collins |editor-first4 = C. John |editor4-link = C. John Collins |editor-last5 = Schreiner |editor-first5 = Thomas R. |editor5-link = Thomas R. Schreiner |editor-last6 = Taylor |editor-first6 = Justin |isbn = 978-1-43350241-5}}

==Attribution==
* {{EBD|wstitle=Zephaniah}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Zephaniah}}
* [[Judaism|Jewish]] translations:
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20051202004413/http://www.chabad.org/library/archive/LibraryArchive2.asp?AID=15766 Tzefaniah - Zephaniah (Judaica Press)] translation with [[Rashi]]'s commentary at Chabad.org
* [[Christianity|Christian]] translations:
** [https://web.archive.org/web/20050305095310/http://www.anova.org/sev/htm/hb/36_zephaniah.htm ''Zephaniah'' at The Great Books] (New Revised Standard Version)
** [[s:Bible, King James, Zephaniah|''Zephaniah'' at Wikisource]] (Authorised King James Version)
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14146a.htm Article] in the Catholic Encyclopedia

{{Prophets of the Tanakh}}
{{Book of Zephaniah}}
{{Extra-Quranic Prophets of Islam}}
{{Catholic saints}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:7th-century BCE Jews]]
[[Category:7th-century BC writers]]
[[Category:Hebrew-language names]]
[[Category:Christian saints from the Old Testament]]
[[Category:Book of Zephaniah]]