Zefanya 2:11

2:11 The Lord will terrify them, ¹ 

for ²  he will weaken ³  all the gods of the earth.

All the distant nations will worship the Lord in their own lands. ⁴ 

Zefanya 2:14

2:14 Flocks and herds ⁵  will lie down in the middle of it,

as well as every kind of wild animal. ⁶ 

Owls ⁷  will sleep in the tops of its support pillars;

they will hoot through the windows. ⁸ 

Rubble will cover the thresholds; ⁹ 

even the cedar work ¹⁰  will be exposed to the elements. ¹¹ 

Zefanya 3:5

3:5 The just Lord resides ¹²  within her;

he commits no unjust acts. ¹³ 

Every morning he reveals ¹⁴  his justice.

At dawn he appears without fail. ¹⁵ 

Yet the unjust know no shame.

[2:11]  ¹ tn Heb “will be awesome over [or, “against”] them.”

[2:11]  ² tn Or “certainly.”

[2:11]  ³ tn The meaning of this rare Hebrew word is unclear. If the meaning is indeed “weaken,” then this line may be referring to the reduction of these gods’ territory through conquest (see Adele Berlin, Zephaniah [AB 25A], 110-11). Cf. NEB “reduce to beggary”; NASB “starve”; NIV “when he destroys”; NRSV “shrivel.”

[2:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “and all the coastlands of the nations will worship [or, “bow down”] to him, each from his own place.”

[2:14]  ⁵ tn Heb “flocks.” The Hebrew word can refer to both flocks of sheep and herds of cattle.

[2:14]  ⁶ tn Heb “[and] all the wild animals of a nation.” How גוֹי (goy, “nation”) relates to what precedes is unclear. It may be a corruption of another word. See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 193.

[2:14]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew text reads here גַּם־קָאַת גַּם־קִפֹּד (gam-qa’at gam-qippod). The term קָאַת refers to some type of bird (see Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (Isa 34:11); one of the most common translations is “owl” (cf. NEB “horned owl”; NIV, NRSV “desert owl”; contra NASB “pelican”). The term קִפֹּד may also refer to a type of bird (cf. NEB “ruffed bustard”; NIV, NRSV “screech owl”). Some suggest a rodent may be in view (cf. NASB “hedgehog”); this is not unreasonable, for a rodent or some other small animal would be able to sleep in the tops of pillars which would be lying in the ruins of the fallen buildings.

[2:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “a sound will sing in the window.” If some type of owl is in view, “hoot” is a more appropriate translation (cf. NEB, NRSV).

[2:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “rubble [will be] on the threshold.” “Rubble” translates the Hebrew word חֹרֶב (khorev, “desolation”). Some emend to עֹרֵב (’orev, “raven”) following the LXX and Vulgate; Adele Berlin translates, “A voice shall shriek from the window – a raven at the sill” (Zephaniah [AB 25A], 104).

[2:14]  ¹⁰ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word translated “cedar work” (so NASB, NRSV) is unclear; NIV has “the beams of cedar.”

[2:14]  ¹¹ tn Heb “one will expose.” The subject is probably indefinite, though one could translate, “for he [i.e., God] will lay bare.”

[3:5]  ¹² tn The word “resides” is supplied for clarification.

[3:5]  ¹³ tn Or “he does no injustice.”

[3:5]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “gives”; or “dispenses.”

[3:5]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “at the light he is not missing.” Note that NASB (which capitalizes pronouns referring to Deity) has divided the lines differently: “Every morning He brings His justice to light; // He does not fail.”