26:10 However, some of the officials 1 of Judah heard about what was happening 2 and they rushed up to the Lord’s temple from the royal palace. They set up court 3 at the entrance of the New Gate of the Lord’s temple. 4
3:3 Her princes 5 are as fierce as roaring lions; 6
her rulers 7 are as hungry as wolves in the desert, 8
who completely devour their prey by morning. 9
3:4 Her prophets are proud; 10
they are deceitful men.
Her priests defile what is holy; 11
they break God’s laws. 12
1 sn These officials of Judah were officials from the royal court. They may have included some of the officials mentioned in Jer 36:12-25. They would have been concerned about any possible “illegal” proceedings going on in the temple.
2 tn Heb “these things.”
3 tn Heb “they sat” or “they took their seats.” However, the context is one of judicial trial.
4 tn The translation follows many Hebrew
5 tn Or “officials.”
6 tn Heb “her princes in her midst are roaring lions.” The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as fierce as”) for clarity.
7 tn Traditionally “judges.”
8 tn Heb “her judges [are] wolves of the evening,” that is, wolves that prowl at night. The translation assumes an emendation to עֲרָבָה (’aravah, “desert”). For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 128. The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as hungry as”) for clarity.
9 tn Heb “they do not gnaw [a bone] at morning.” The precise meaning of the line is unclear. The statement may mean these wolves devour their prey so completely that not even a bone is left to gnaw by the time morning arrives. For a discussion of this and other options, see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah (AB 25A), 129.
9 sn Applied to prophets, the word פֹּחֲזִים (pokhazim, “proud”) probably refers to their audacity in passing off their own words as genuine prophecies from the
10 tn Or “defile the temple.”
11 tn Heb “they treat violently [the] law.”