Zefanya 1:4

1:4 “I will attack ¹  Judah

and all who live in Jerusalem. ² 

I will remove ³  from this place every trace of Baal worship, ⁴ 

as well as the very memory ⁵  of the pagan priests. ⁶ 

Zefanya 1:17

1:17 I will bring distress on the people ⁷ 

and they will stumble ⁸  like blind men,

for they have sinned against the Lord.

Their blood will be poured out like dirt;

their flesh ⁹  will be scattered ¹⁰  like manure.

[1:4]  ¹ tn Heb “I will stretch out my hand against,” is an idiom for hostile action.

[1:4]  ² map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:4]  ³ tn Heb “cut off.”

[1:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “the remnant of Baal.”

[1:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “name.” Here the “name” is figurative for the memory of those who bear it.

[1:4]  ⁶ tc Heb “of the pagan priests and priests.” The first word (כְּמָרִים, kÿmarim) refers to idolatrous priests in its two other appearances in the OT (2 Kgs 23:5, Hos 10:5), while the second word (כֹּהֲנִים, kohanim) is the normal term for “priest” and is used of both legitimate and illegitimate priests in the OT. It is likely that the second term, which is omitted in the LXX, is a later scribal addition to the Hebrew text, defining the extremely rare word that precedes (see J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah [OTL], 167-68; cf. also NEB, NRSV). Some argue that both words are original; among the modern English versions that include both are NASB and NIV. Possibly the first word refers to outright pagan priests, while the second has in view once-legitimate priests of the Lord who had drifted into idolatrous practices. Another option is found in Adele Berlin, who translates, “the idolatrous priests among the priests,” understanding the second word as giving the general category of which the idolatrous priests are a part (Zephaniah [AB 25A], 75).

[1:17]  ⁷ tn “The people” refers to mankind in general (see vv. 2-3) or more specifically to the residents of Judah (see vv. 4-13).

[1:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “walk.”

[1:17]  ⁹ tn Some take the referent of “flesh” to be more specific here; cf. NEB (“bowels”), NAB (“brains”), NIV (“entrails”).

[1:17]  ¹⁰ tn The words “will be scattered” are supplied in the translation for clarity based on the parallelism with “will be poured out” in the previous line.