Zefanya 3:2-3

3:2 She is disobedient; ¹ 

she refuses correction. ² 

She does not trust the Lord;

she does not seek the advice of ³  her God.

3:3 Her princes ⁴  are as fierce as roaring lions; ⁵ 

her rulers ⁶  are as hungry as wolves in the desert, ⁷ 

who completely devour their prey by morning. ⁸ 

[3:2]  ¹ tn Heb “she does not hear a voice” Refusing to listen is equated with disobedience.

[3:2]  ² 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]  ³ 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).

[3:3]  ⁴ tn Or “officials.”

[3:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “her princes in her midst are roaring lions.” The metaphor has been translated as a simile (“as fierce as”) for clarity.

[3:3]  ⁶ tn Traditionally “judges.”

[3:3]  ⁷ 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.

[3:3]  ⁸ 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.