Zephaniah 3:7
in Zephaniah 3I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me and accept correction.’ Then her dwelling place would not be cut off despite all for which I punished her. But they rose early to corrupt all their deeds.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
I said, Only fear thou me; receive correction; so her dwelling shall not be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her: but they rose early and corrupted all their doings.
KJV
I said, Surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction; so their dwelling should not be cut off, howsoever I punished them: but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.
⋯
This verse in Zephaniah 3
Commentary
10 notes on this verse(Chapter 3, verses 1 onwards) Woe to the provoking and redeemed city: the dove did not hear the voice and did not receive discipline. It did not trust in the Lord and did not approach its God. Its princes are in its midst, like roaring lions. Its judges are wolves of the evening, they do not leave anything for the morning. Its prophets are insane, unfaithful men. Its priests have defiled the holy, they have acted unjustly against the law. The Lord is righteous; he will not do injustice.
This site's exposition
I made their streets waste
on Zephaniah 3:6-7
The Lord points Jerusalem to the very judgments chapter 2 has just pronounced on the nations as a warning already carried out before her eyes, towers desolate and streets so wasted that none passes by, meant to teach the lesson before it had to be applied at home. Verse 7's I said, Surely thou wilt fear me states the purpose plainly, the destruction of others intended as instruction rather than mere entertainment or distant news. But they rose early, and corrupted all their doings answers the intended lesson with its opposite, diligence turned toward corruption rather than correction, the same eagerness Judah shows for evil that a faithful people would show for good.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Their wickedness was universal: All their doings were corrupted; and it was all owing to themselves; they could not lay the blame upon the tempter, but they alone must bear it; they themselves wilfully and designedly corrupted all their doings; for every man is tempted when he is drawn aside of his own lust and enticed.
I said - I thought (speaking after the manner of men). Fear me - For the many and great judgments executed upon others. I punished them - In some measure.
I said, Surely thou wilt fear me,....
By way of promise of mercy and grace, which God had yet in reserve for them. Two general heads of promises here are:-- 1. That God would bring in a glorious work of reformation among them, cleanse them from their sins, and bring them home to himself; many promises of this kind here are,
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
I said, surely thou wilt fear Me - God speaks of things here, as they are in their own nature. “It could not but be,” that in the very presence of the Hand of God, destroying others but as yet sparing them, they must learn to fear Him; they must stand in awe of Him for His judgments on others; they must be in filial fear of Him for His loving longsuffering toward themselves. “Thou ‘wilt’ receive instruction,” corrected and taught through God’s correction of others and the lighter judgments on themselves, as Solomon says, “I looked, I set my heart: I saw, I received instruction” Pro 24:
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The just Lord--Why then are ye so unjust? is in the midst thereof--He retorts on them their own boast, "Is not the Lord among us" (Mic 3:11)? True He is, but it is for another end from what ye think [CALVIN]; namely, to lead you by the example of His righteousness to be righteous.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
English Version, or CALVIN'S view, is better. rose early, and corrupted, &c.--Early morning is in the East the best time for transacting serious business, before the relaxing heat of midday comes on. Thus it means, With the greatest earnestness they set themselves to "corrupt all their doings" (Ge 6:12;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Surely thou wilt fear me - After so many displays of my sovereign power and judgments. But they rose early - And instead of returning to God, they practiced every abomination. They were diligent to find out times and places for their iniquity. This is the worst state of man.
The words behind it
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אָמַ֜רְתִּי | ʾamarti | I said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אַךְ־ | ʾakh- | surely | H389 → | |
| תִּירְאִ֤י | tiri | you will fear | H3372 → | 315 times |
| אוֹתִי֙ | ʾoti | <obj.> me | H853 → | 10935 times |
| תִּקְחִ֣י | tikchi | you will accept | H3947 → | |
| מוּסָ֔ר | musar | correction | H4148 → | |
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִכָּרֵ֣ת | yikaret | it will be cut off | H3772 → | 288 times |
| מְעוֹנָ֔הּ | meonah | dwelling its | H4583 → | |
| כֹּ֥ל | kol | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| פָּקַ֖דְתִּי | pakadti | I have visited | H6485 → | 303 times |
| עָלֶ֑יהָ | ʾaleiha | on it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אָכֵן֙ | ʾakhen | nevertheless | H403 → | |
| הִשְׁכִּ֣ימוּ | hishkimu | they rose early | H7925 → | |
| הִשְׁחִ֔יתוּ | hishchitu | they corrupted | H7843 → | |
| כֹּ֖ל | kol | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| עֲלִילוֹתָֽם׃ | alilotam | practices their | H5949 → |
אָמַ֜רְתִּיI said
ʾamartiH559 →5305 times
אַךְ־surely
ʾakh-H389 →
תִּירְאִ֤יyou will fear
tiriH3372 →315 times
אוֹתִי֙<obj.> me
ʾotiH853 →10935 times
תִּקְחִ֣יyou will accept
tikchiH3947 →
מוּסָ֔רcorrection
musarH4148 →
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
יִכָּרֵ֣תit will be cut off
yikaretH3772 →288 times
מְעוֹנָ֔הּdwelling its
meonahH4583 →
כֹּ֥לall
kolH3605 →5413 times
אֲשֶׁר־that
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
פָּקַ֖דְתִּיI have visited
pakadtiH6485 →303 times
עָלֶ֑יהָon it
ʾaleihaH5921 →5755 times
אָכֵן֙nevertheless
ʾakhenH403 →
הִשְׁכִּ֣ימוּthey rose early
hishkimuH7925 →
הִשְׁחִ֔יתוּthey corrupted
hishchituH7843 →
כֹּ֖לall
kolH3605 →5413 times
עֲלִילוֹתָֽם׃practices their
alilotamH5949 →
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
Jeremiah 36:3Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the calamity I plan to bring upon them, each of them will turn from his wicked way. Then I will forgive their iniquity and their…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 18:8
But if that nation I warned turns from its evil, then I will relent of the disaster I had planned to bring.
- Acts 3:19
Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,
- Deuteronomy 30:2
and when you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey His voice with all your heart and all your soul according to everything I am giving you today,
- Jeremiah 18:8
Through
Hosea 9:9They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah; He will remember their guilt; He will punish their sins.
it leads to
- Hosea 10:9
Since the days of Gibeah you have sinned, O Israel, and there you have remained. Did not the battle in Gibeah overtake the sons of iniquity?
- Judges 19:16
That evening an old man from the hill country of Ephraim, who was residing in Gibeah (the men of that place were Benjamites), came in from his work in the field.
- Hosea 10:9
Through
Zephaniah 3:2She heeded no voice; she accepted no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she has not drawn near to her God.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 22:21
I warned you when you were secure. You said, ‘I will not listen.’ This has been your way from youth, that you have not obeyed My voice.
- Jeremiah 5:3
O LORD, do not Your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than…
- Jeremiah 22:21
Through
Jeremiah 25:5The prophets told you, ‘Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and deeds, and you can dwell in the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers forever and…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 7:7
then I will let you live in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.
- Jeremiah 7:7
Where this verse is studied
About Zephaniah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Zephaniah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.