Zephaniah 2:5
in Zephaniah 2Woe to the dwellers of the seacoast, O nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines: “I will destroy you, and no one will be left.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea-coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Jehovah is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines; I will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
KJV
Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
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This verse in Zephaniah 2
Commentary
10 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The “woe” having been pronounced on the five cities apart, now falls upon the whole nation of the Cherethites or Philistines. The Cherethites are only named as equivalent to the Philistines, probably as originally a distinct immigration of the same people . The name is used by the Egyptian slave of the Amalekite 1Sa 30:14 for those whom the author of the first book of Samuel calls Philistines 1Sa 30:16. Ezekiel uses the name parallel with that of “Philistines,” with reference to the destruction which God would bring upon them .
This site's exposition
the nation of the Cherethites
on Zephaniah 2:5-7
Cherethites is a name for the Philistines the bench connects to Crete, David's own bodyguard the Cherethites and Pelethites carrying the same word, and calling the land Canaan alongside Philistines widens the judgment to the whole coastal strip by its older, pre-Philistine name. The oracle turns at verse 7 from destruction to inheritance, the same coast becoming dwellings for shepherds and folds for flocks that the remnant of Judah will feed upon and lie down in come evening, judgment on one people making room for the return of another. For the Lord their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity closes the reversal, the land emptied of its old inhabitants filled again with the people it belonged to by promise.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 5-7.) Woe to those who dwell by the sea, the nation of the lost: the word of the Lord is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; and I will destroy you so that there will be no inhabitant. And the sea coast shall be pastures, with shelters for shepherds and folds for flocks. And the remnant of the house of Judah shall possess it; they shall feed on it. In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening; for the Lord their God will visit them and restore their fortunes.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
This land is yet to be possessed ( five lords of the Philistines ), so that they wrongfully kept Israel out of the possession of it ( Judg. iii. 3 ), which is now remembered against them. For, though the rights of others may be long detained unjustly, the righteous God will at length avenge the wrong.
), which, coming from God, denotes all misery: The word of the Lord is against them --the word of the former prophets, which, though not yet accomplished, will be in its season, Isa. xiv. This word, now by this prophet, is against them.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coasts, the nation of the Cherethites,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Eze 25:16). the Cherethites--the Cretans, a name applied to the Philistines as sprung from Crete (De 2:23; Philistine means "an emigrant." Canaan . . . land of the Philistines--They occupied the southwest of Canaan (Jos 13:2, 3); a name which hints that they are doomed to the same destruction as the early occupants of the land.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The word of the Lord was against the land to which these words were spoken. The whole verse reads, "Woe unto the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy you, that there shall be no inhabitant." This contest could have only one end, for behind "the word of the Lord" was the Lord Himself. "Woe unto him that strives with his Maker!" Who shall dare to oppose His sovereign will? All forces are at His command and they are foolish, indeed, who say to Him, "What are You doing?" I have not come here, however, to speak to you simply about the land of the Philistines and the sinners who dwelt there. The burden of my sermon is concerning men and women who are now living and to whom I may truthfully say, "The Word of the Lord is against you." May you wake up to see the truth of this terrible sentence and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, be at once moved to flee from the wrath to come! The Philistines were one of the Canaanite nations and they were so prominent that they gave their name to the whole country. Palestine was the land of the Philistines. These people had a fine physical development and among them were persons of unusual stature. There were giants in their cities—Goliath of Gath is the one most familiar to us because of his encounter with David—but there were many others. They were, moreover, a very warlike race. When God brought His people out of Egypt into the land of promise, the five lords of the Philistines were to be destroyed and their cities were to be taken by the Israelites. But they were not destroyed and neither were their cities captured, for the Israelites had not faith enough and the Philistines were men of courage and stubbornly defended their country.
The word of the Lord was against the land to which these words were spoken. The whole verse reads, "Woe unto the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of the Lord is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy you, that there shall be no inhabitant." This contest could have only one end, for behind "the word of the Lord" was the Lord Himself. "Woe unto him that strives with his Maker!" Who shall dare to oppose His sovereign will?
The sea-coasts, the nation of the Cherethites - The sea-coasts mean all the country lying on the Mediterranean coast from Egypt to Joppa and Gaza. The Cherethites - the Cretans who were probably a colony of the Phoenicians. See on 1Sa 30:14 (note), and Amo 9:7 (note).
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ה֗וֹי | ho | woe to! | H1945 → | |
| יֹֽשְׁבֵ֛י | yoshevei | [the] inhabitants of | H3427 → | 1079 times |
| חֶ֥בֶל | chevel | [the] region of | H2256 → | 62 times |
| הַיָּ֖ם | haiyam | the sea | H3220 → | 396 times |
| גּ֣וֹי | goy | [the] nation of | H1471 → | 561 times |
| כְּרֵתִ֑ים | keretim | [the] Kerethites | H3774 → | |
| דְּבַר־ | devar- | [the] word of | H1697 → | |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| עֲלֵיכֶ֗ם | ʾaleikhem | [is] on you | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כְּנַ֙עַן֙ | kenaan | O Canaan | H3667 → | |
| אֶ֣רֶץ | ʾeretz | [the] land of | H776 → | 2504 times |
| פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים | pelishtim | [the] Philistines | H6430 → | |
| וְהַאֲבַדְתִּ֖יךְ | vehaavadtikh | and I will destroy you | H6 → | |
| מֵאֵ֥ין | meein | from not | H369 → | 789 times |
| יוֹשֵֽׁב׃ | yoshev | inhabitant | H3427 → | 1079 times |
ה֗וֹיwoe to!
hoH1945 →
יֹֽשְׁבֵ֛י[the] inhabitants of
yosheveiH3427 →1079 times
חֶ֥בֶל[the] region of
chevelH2256 →62 times
הַיָּ֖םthe sea
haiyamH3220 →396 times
גּ֣וֹי[the] nation of
goyH1471 →561 times
כְּרֵתִ֑ים[the] Kerethites
keretimH3774 →
דְּבַר־[the] word of
devar-H1697 →
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
עֲלֵיכֶ֗ם[is] on you
ʾaleikhemH5921 →5755 times
כְּנַ֙עַן֙O Canaan
kenaanH3667 →
אֶ֣רֶץ[the] land of
ʾeretzH776 →2504 times
פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים[the] Philistines
pelishtimH6430 →
וְהַאֲבַדְתִּ֖יךְand I will destroy you
vehaavadtikhH6 →
מֵאֵ֥יןfrom not
meeinH369 →789 times
יוֹשֵֽׁב׃inhabitant
yoshevH3427 →1079 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Amos 3:1Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:
it leads to
- Amos 2:10
And I brought you up from the land of Egypt and led you forty years in the wilderness, that you might take possession of the land of the Amorite.
- Jeremiah 8:3
And wherever I have banished them, the remnant of this evil family will choose death over life,” declares the LORD of Hosts.
- Amos 2:10
Through
Ezekiel 25:16therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant along the coast.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 30:14
We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.”
- Zephaniah 2:4–15
For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon left in ruins. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted.
- Ezekiel 25:13
therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: I will stretch out My hand against Edom and cut off from it both man and beast. I will make it a wasteland, and from Teman…
- Jeremiah 47:1–7
This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet about the Philistines before Pharaoh struck down Gaza.
- 1 Samuel 30:14
Through
Mark 12:12At this, the leaders sought to arrest Jesus, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them. But fearing the crowd, they left Him and went away.
it leads to
- Mark 11:18
When the chief priests and scribes heard this, they looked for a way to kill Him. For they were afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.
- Mark 11:18
Through
Joshua 13:3All the territory of the Philistines and the Geshurites, from the Shihor east of Egypt to the territory of Ekron on the north (considered to be Canaanite territory)—that of the five Philistine rulers of…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 2:18
Now what will you gain on your way to Egypt to drink the waters of the Nile? What will you gain on your way to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
- Jeremiah 2:18
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Zephaniah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2235: “A Warrant for Your Apprehension” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; 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.