Zephaniah 3:14
in Zephaniah 3Sing for joy, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
KJV
Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
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This verse in Zephaniah 3
Commentary
11 notes on this verse(Verse 14 and following) Praise, daughter of Zion, shout for joy, Israel, rejoice and exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord has taken away your judgment, he has turned away your enemies: the Lord, the King of Israel, is in your midst, you will no longer fear evil.
This site's exposition
Sing, O daughter of Zion
on Zephaniah 3:14-17
The command to sing answers every woe and every wait of the book with unmixed joy, the daughter of Zion and daughter of Jerusalem addressed together as one people told to rejoice with all the heart rather than half measure. Verse 15's the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee identifies the ruler the whole book has been building toward, not a human throne restored but the Lord himself reigning in the city he searched with candles at 1:12. Verse 17 is the book's own summit and the Twelve's tenderest line, he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing, the Lord pictured not merely forgiving Zion but singing over her, an image the bench calls unmatched anywhere else in the prophets for its warmth.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
Live now in utter delight, O Jerusalem, living in complete happiness and satisfaction; for God has removed all your lawless deeds and of necessity has rescued you from the power of the foe, to whom you were subjected in paying the penalty of punishment. The …
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem; the Lord hath taken away thine iniquities. The King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee; thou shalt …
As far as the deeper meaning of the passage is concerned, it clearly commands Jerusalem to rejoice exceedingly, to be especially glad, to cheer up wholeheartedly as its trespasses are wiped out, evidently through Christ.
Take heart, O Jerusalem, the Lord will take away your iniquities. The Lord will wash away the filth of his sons and daughters by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning. He will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your sins. Choiring angels shall encircle you, chanting, "Who is it that comes up all white and leaning upon her beloved?" For the soul that was formerly a slave has now accounted its Lord as its kinsman, and he, acknowledging its sincere purpose, will answer, "Ah, you are beautiful, my beloved, ah, you are beautiful … your teeth are like a flock of ewes to be shorn"—a sincere confession is a spiritual shearing. And further: "all of them big with twins," signifying the twofold grace, either that perfected by water and the Spirit or that announced in the Old and in the New Testament. God grant that all of you, your course of fasting finished, mindful of the teaching, fruitful in good works, standing blameless before the spiritual bridegroom, may obtain the remission of your sins from God, in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Thus the "Redeemer shall come to Zion," and to clear his own way, shall "turn away ungodliness from Jacob." These promises were to have their full accomplishment in gospel-times and gospel-graces. The Depravity of Jerusalem. 1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): Sing, O daughter of Zion! sing for joy; Shout, O Israel! in a holy transport and exultation; be glad and rejoice with all the heart; let the joy be inward, let it be great.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Sing, O daughter of Zion,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Sing, O daughter of Zion - Here is not only a gracious prophetic promise of their restoration from captivity, but of their conversion to God through Christ.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Sing, O daughter of Sion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem - Very remarkable throughout all these verses is the use of the sacred number three, secretly conveying to the thoughtful soul the thought of Him, Father Son and Holy Spirit, the Holy and Undivided Trinity by whose operation these things shall be. Threefold is the description of their being freed from sins: (1) they shall “not do iniquity,” (2) “nor speak lies,” (3) “neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth.” Threefold their blessedness; They shall: (1) “feed,” (2) “lie down,” (3) “none make them afraid.” Threefold the exhortation to joy here. (Rup.): “Sing to God the Father; ‘shout’ to God the Son; ‘be glad and rejoice’ in God the Holy Spirit, which Holy Trinity is One God, from whom thou hast received it that thou art: (1) ‘the daughter of Zion’ (2) ‘Israel’ (3) ‘the daughter of Jerusalem’ ‘The daughter of Zion’ by faith, ‘Israel’ by hope, ‘Jerusalem’ by charity.” And this hidden teaching of that holy mystery is continued; “The Lord,” God the Father, “hath taken away thy judgments; He God” the Son, “hath cast out (cleared quite away) thine enemy; the king of Israel, the Lord,” the Holy Spirit, “is in the midst of thee!” Zep 3:15. The promise is threefold: (1) “thou shalt not see evil anymore” (2) “fear thou not” (3) “let not thine hands be slack” The love of God is threefold: (1) “He will rejoice over thee with joy” (2) “He will rest in His love” (3) “He will joy over thee with singing” Again the words in these four verses are so framed as to be “ful”- filled in the end. All in this life are but shadows of that fullness. First, whether the Church or the faithful soul, she is summoned by all her names, “daughter of Zion” (“the thirsty” athirst for God) “Israel” (“Prince with God”) “Jerusalem” (“City of Peace”). […]
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| רָנִּי֙ | rani | shout for joy | H7442 → | |
| בַּת־ | bat- | O daughter of | H1323 → | 588 times |
| צִיּ֔וֹן | tziyon | Zion | H6726 → | |
| הָרִ֖יעוּ | hariu | shout | H7321 → | |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | yisrael | O Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| שִׂמְחִ֤י | simchi | rejoice | H8055 → | |
| וְעָלְזִי֙ | vealzi | and exult | H5937 → | |
| בְּכָל־ | bekhol | with all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| לֵ֔ב | lev | [the] heart | H3820 → | |
| בַּ֖ת | bat | O daughter of | H1323 → | 588 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
רָנִּי֙shout for joy
raniH7442 →
בַּת־O daughter of
bat-H1323 →588 times
צִיּ֔וֹןZion
tziyonH6726 →
הָרִ֖יעוּshout
hariuH7321 →
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לO Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
שִׂמְחִ֤יrejoice
simchiH8055 →
וְעָלְזִי֙and exult
vealziH5937 →
בְּכָל־with all
bekholH3605 →5413 times
לֵ֔ב[the] heart
levH3820 →
בַּ֖תO daughter of
batH1323 →588 times
יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃Jerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 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
Isaiah 12:6Cry out and sing, O citizen of Zion, for great among you is the Holy One of Israel.”
it leads to
- Zechariah 2:5
For I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’”
- Zechariah 2:10–11
“Shout for joy and be glad, O Daughter of Zion, for I am coming to dwell among you,” declares the LORD.
- Zephaniah 3:14–17
Sing for joy, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
- Psalms 9:11
Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; proclaim His deeds among the nations.
- Zechariah 2:5
Through
Micah 4:8And you, O watchtower of the flock, O stronghold of the Daughter of Zion—the former dominion will be restored to you; sovereignty will come to the Daughter of Jerusalem.”
it leads to
- Isaiah 1:26
I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning. After that you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.”
- Revelation 22:5
There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and…
- Zechariah 9:10
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the bow of war will be broken. Then He will proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion will extend…
- Daniel 2:44
In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms…
- Isaiah 1:26
Where this verse is studied
About Zephaniah
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PlaceJerusalemZionThe eastern ridge David took from the Jebusites and made his stronghold, the name the Psalms and the prophets give the city the LO…
- PlaceJerusalemJerusalemThe city David took from the Jebusites and made his capital, where Solomon built the temple, where Christ was crucified and rose,…
This page draws on 11 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); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets; Cosmas Indicopleustes, The Christian Topography, Book 5; Cyril of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON ZEPHANIAH 43; Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 3:16; Edward Bouverie Pusey, The Minor Prophets: A Commentary; Jerome, Commentary on Zephaniah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodore of Mopsuestia, COMMENTARY ON ZEPHANIAH 3:11-15.