Zefanya 3:1-2

Jerusalem is Corrupt

3:1 The filthy, ¹  stained city is as good as dead;

the city filled with oppressors is finished! ² 

3:2 She is disobedient; ³ 

she refuses correction. ⁴ 

She does not trust the Lord;

she does not seek the advice of ⁵  her God.

Zefanya 3:7

3:7 I thought, ⁶  ‘Certainly you will respect ⁷  me!

Now you will accept correction!’

If she had done so, her home ⁸  would not be destroyed ⁹ 

by all the punishments I have threatened. ¹⁰ 

But they eagerly sinned

in everything they did. ¹¹ 

[3:1]  ¹ tn The present translation assumes מֹרְאָה (mor’ah) is derived from רֹאִי (ro’i,“excrement”; see Jastrow 1436 s.v. רֳאִי). The following participle, “stained,” supports this interpretation (cf. NEB “filthy and foul”; NRSV “soiled, defiled”). Another option is to derive the form from מָרָה (marah, “to rebel”); in this case the term should be translated “rebellious” (cf. NASB, NIV “rebellious and defiled”). This idea is supported by v. 2. For discussion of the two options, see HALOT 630 s.v. I מרא and J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 206.

[3:1]  ² tn Heb “Woe, soiled and stained one, oppressive city.” The verb “is finished” is supplied in the second line. On the Hebrew word הוֹי (hoy, “ah, woe”), see the note on the word “dead” in 2:5.

[3:1]  sn The following verses show that Jerusalem, personified as a woman (“she”), is the referent.

[3:2]  ³ tn Heb “she does not hear a voice” Refusing to listen is equated with disobedience.

[3:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “she does not receive correction.” The Hebrew phrase, when negated, refers elsewhere to rejecting verbal advice (Jer 17:23; 32:33; 35:13) and refusing to learn from experience (Jer 2:30; 5:3).

[3:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “draw near to.” The present translation assumes that the expression “draw near to” refers to seeking God’s will (see 1 Sam 14:36).

[3:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “said.”

[3:7]  ⁷ tn Or “fear.” The second person verb form (“you will respect”) is feminine singular, indicating that personified Jerusalem is addressed.

[3:7]  sn God’s judgment of the nations (v. 6) was an object lesson for Israel’s benefit.

[3:7]  ⁸ tn Or “dwelling place.”

[3:7]  ⁹ tn Heb “cut off.”

[3:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “all which I have punished her.” The precise meaning of this statement and its relationship to what precedes are unclear.

[3:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “But they got up early, they made corrupt all their actions.” The phrase “they got up early” probably refers to their eagerness to engage in sinful activities.