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Zephaniah 1:18

in Zephaniah 1

Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the Day of the LORD’s wrath. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy.” For indeed, He will make a sudden end of all who dwell on the earth.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he will make an end, yea, a terrible end, of all them that dwell in the land.

KJV

Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

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This verse in Zephaniah 1

Commentary

8 notes on this verse

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

Note, Sometimes the judgments of God make riddance, even utter riddance, with sinful nations, a speedy riddance; their destruction is effected, is completed, in a little time. Let not sinners be laid asleep by the patience of God, for when the measure of their iniquity is full his justice will both overtake and overcome, will make quick work and thorough work.

This site's exposition

shall walk like blind men

on Zephaniah 1:17-18

Walking like blind men pictures an army stumbling in panic rather than a plague of physical blindness, disoriented because they have sinned against the Lord rather than because any weapon has touched them yet. Blood poured out as dust and flesh as the dung is read by the bench as corpses left unburied and uncounted, the ordinary honor of burial denied by the scale of the slaughter. Neither silver nor gold shall be able to deliver closes the chapter on the same wealth named at the fish gate and Maktesh, the whole land devoured by the fire of his jealousy, and a speedy riddance that Babylon would soon carry out.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers2 voices

A commentator

Jerome

Commentary on Zephaniah · Written before 420.

proposed

(Verse 17, 18.) And I will trouble the people, and they shall walk as blind, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their bodies like dung; but their silver and gold shall not be able to save them in the day of the Lord's wrath, and all the earth shall be devoured by the fire of his zeal: for he will make a speedy consumption of all the inhabitants of the earth.

A commentator

Clement of Alexandria

The Instructor Book 2 · Written before 215.

proposed

I am weary and vexed at enumerating the multitude of ornaments, and I am compelled to wonder how those who bear such a burden are not worried to death. O foolish trouble! O silly craze for display! They squander meretriciously wealth on what is disgraceful and in their love for ostentation disfigure God's gifts, emulating the art of the evil one. The rich man hoarding up in his barns and saying to himself, "You have many goods laid up for many years; eat, drink be merry," the Lord in the Gospels plainly called "fool."

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

5 And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the L ORD , and that swear by Malcham; 6 And them that are turned back from the L ORD ; and those that have not sought the L ORD , nor enquired for him.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:88%@v5-6

Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

Their silver nor their gold - In which they trusted, and from which they expected happiness; these shall not profit them in this awful day. And God will bring this about speedily; and a speedy riddance - a universal desolation, shall in a short time take place in every part of the land.
1 more voice on this verse

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath - Gain unjustly gotten was the cause of their destruction. For, as Ezekiel closes the like description; “They shall cast their silver into the streets, and their gold shall be removed; their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord; they shall not satisfy their souls nor fill their bowels: “because it is the stumbling-block of their iniquity” Eze 7:19. Much less shall any possession, outward or inward, be of avail in the Great Day; since in death the rich man’s “pomp shall not follow him” Psa 49:17, and every gift which he has misused, whether of mind or spirit, even the knowledge of God without doing His will, shall but increase damnation. “Sinners will then have nothing but their sins.” Here the prophet uses images belonging more to the immediate destruction; at the close the words again widen, and belong, in their fullest literal sense, to the Day of Judgment. “The whole land,” rather, as at the beginning, “the whole earth shall be devoured by the fire of His jelousy; for He shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land:” rather, “He shall make an utter, yea altogether a terriffic destruction of all the dwellers of the earth.” What Nahum had foretold of Nineveh , “He shall make the place thereof an utter consumption,” that Zephaniah foretells of all the inhabitants of the world. For what is this, “the whole earth shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy,” but what Peter says, “the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up?” 2Pe 3:13. […]

The words behind it

24 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • גַּם־neither

    gam-H1571 →769 times

  • כַּסְפָּ֨םsilver their

    kaspamH3701 →

  • גַּם־nor

    gam-H1571 →769 times

  • זְהָבָ֜םgold their

    zehavamH2091 →

  • לֹֽא־not

    lo'-H3808 →5168 times

  • יוּכַ֣לit will be able

    yukhalH3201 →

  • לְהַצִּילָ֗םto deliver them

    lehatzilamH5337 →

  • בְּיוֹם֙on [the] day of

    beyomH3117 →2304 times

  • עֶבְרַ֣ת[the] fury of

    ʾevratH5678 →

  • יְהוָ֔הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • וּבְאֵשׁ֙and in [the] fire of

    uveeshH784 →

  • קִנְאָת֔וֹjealousy his

    kinatoH7068 →

  • תֵּאָכֵ֖לit will be consumed

    teakhelH398 →

  • כָּל־all

    kol-H3605 →5413 times

  • הָאָ֑רֶץthe earth

    haaretzH776 →2504 times

  • כִּֽי־for

    ki-H3588 →4482 times

  • כָלָ֤הcomplete destruction

    khalahH3617 →

  • אַךְ־surely

    ʾakh-H389 →

  • נִבְהָלָה֙a terrible [thing]

    nivhalahH926 →

  • יַֽעֲשֶׂ֔הhe will make

    yaasehH6213 →2628 times

  • אֵ֥תwith

    ʾetH854 →

  • כָּל־all

    kol-H3605 →5413 times

  • יֹשְׁבֵ֖י[the] inhabitants of

    yosheveiH3427 →1079 times

  • הָאָֽרֶץ׃ סthe earth

    haaretzH776 →2504 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Matthew 6:19Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.21 worksProverbs 11:4Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.18 worksEzekiel 7:19They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will seem unclean. Their silver and gold cannot save them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their appetites or fill their stomachs with wealth, for it became the stumbling block that brought their iniquity.10 worksZephaniah 3:8Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD, “until the day I rise to testify. For My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them My indignation—all My burning anger. For all the earth will be consumed by the fire of My jealousy.9 worksProverbs 10:3The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but He denies the craving of the wicked.8 worksDeuteronomy 4:24For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.8 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Jeremiah 9:23This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.7 worksHebrews 10:27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries.7 worksZephaniah 1:2–3“I will completely sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.6 worksMalachi 4:1“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”6 worksZephaniah 2:2before the decree takes effect and the day passes like chaff, before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the Day of the LORD’s anger comes upon you.6 worksJeremiah 9:11“And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”5 worksMatthew 16:26What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?5 worksZephaniah 1:11Wail, O dwellers of the Hollow, for all your merchants will be silenced; all who weigh out silver will be cut off.5 worksZephaniah 1:15That day will be a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,5 worksJames 5:1Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.5 worksProverbs 18:11A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city; it is like a high wall in his imagination.4 worksIsaiah 42:13The LORD goes forth like a mighty one; He stirs up His zeal like a warrior. He shouts; yes, He roars in triumph over His enemies:4 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Proverbs 11:4

    Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 10:2

      Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

    • Genesis 7:1

      Then the LORD said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.

    • Ezekiel 7:19

      They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will seem unclean. Their silver and gold cannot save them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their…

    • 1 Timothy 4:8

      For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.

  • Through

    Ezekiel 7:19

    They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will seem unclean. Their silver and gold cannot save them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their…

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 11:4

      Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

    • Luke 12:19–20

      Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

    • Ezekiel 14:7

      For when any Israelite or any foreigner dwelling in Israel separates himself from Me, sets up idols in his heart, and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the…

  • Through

    Zephaniah 3:8

    Therefore wait for Me,” declares the LORD, “until the day I rise to testify. For My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out upon them My indignation—all My burning anger.…

    it leads to

    • Joel 3:2

      I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning My people, My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among…

Where this verse is studied

About Zephaniah

Zephaniah: the study guide →Read Zephaniah 1 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor Book 2; Jerome, Commentary on Zephaniah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Zephaniah 1 →