Interpretation of the prophet Zephaniah

“Commentary on the Prophet Zephaniah” is part of the “Commentary on the 12 Minor Prophets”, written by Blessed. Theodoret of Cyrus in the 30-40s. V century at the request of friends. He uses a typological method of interpretation and pays sufficient attention to clarifying the chronology of the prophet's life. The commentary is a sequential presentation of all 3 chapters of the Book of the Prophet Zephaniah. Blzh. Theodoret highlights the main themes of the book - condemnation of idolatry, social untruths and a call to sincere repentance. He emphasizes that the Lord promises mercy and restoration to those who repent. Particular attention is paid to predictions about the coming judgment of the nations and the restoration of Israel. Blzh. Theodoret interprets these prophecies as a harbinger of Christian salvation through Christ. After the pious and God-loving king Hezekiah, his son Manasseh, who reigned, reached the extreme limit of wickedness, and also caused the people to turn into lawlessness and serve idols. His son Amon, having reigned for a short time, followed his father’s wickedness, but was not jealous of his repentance. He, like his father, taught the people all kinds of vices. The blessed Josiah, born to him, loved the path directly opposite to theirs; He excelled in all piety and in every virtue, preferring service to God to everything in its entirety. With him, the godly wise Zephaniah composed a prophecy. And the divine Jeremiah began to prophesy in the thirteenth year of his reign. This wonderful Prophet predicts what will happen to Jerusalem and the tribe of Judah. He foreshadows sorrows for the foreigners neighboring the Jews, and predicts the final destruction of the Assyrians. Then he foretells the return of the people of God and the future salvation of all nations according to the Master’s incarnation. This is the content of the prophecy in brief. The prophecy begins like this: Zeph.1:1. The word of the Lord came to Zephaniah the son of Husha, the son of Godolin, Amori, Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Ammon king of Judah. Zeph.1:2. May all the earth become impoverished, says the Lord: Zeph.1:3. May man and beast become impoverished, may the birds of the air and the fish of the sea become impoverished. And proving the truth of the prophecy, the Prophet adds: and let wickedness fail, and I will take away the wicked from the face of the earth, says the Lord. For the wickedness and lawlessness of people, I will destroy even that which was created for people and was created for them, that is, the generations of the dumb. For I created birds, fish, and livestock to serve them; then I will destroy this too with them. For there will be no need for this when there are no longer those who use it. And showing what he is annoyed with and what he is angry about, he adds: Zeph.1:4–5. And I will stretch out My hand against Judah, and against all those who dwell in Jerusalem: and I will take away from this place the names of Baal, and the names of the priesthood and the priests, and those who worship on the cover of the heavenly host. The justice of punishments is proven by the calculation of sins. But the punishment is also full of humanity; because God promises deliverance from error and oblivion not only of serving idols, but also of their very name. “Heavenly” he called the host of heavenly bodies “army”; because, wanting to see them better, they made sacrifices on the roofs of houses. And those who swear by the Lord, and those who swear by their king (χατά Μελχ ὠ μ), Zeph.1:6. and those who turn aside from the Lord, and those who do not seek the Lord, and those who do not adhere to the Lord. Another may ask: why does God, through the mouth of another Prophet, command to take away “from the mouth of the abomination” of Baal, but commands to swear like this: “the Lord lives in truth” (Jer. 4:1, 2); and here he threatens with punishment those who swear by the Lord. But it is not difficult to find a quick solution to the problem. For it is said of those who swear by the Lord and of those who swear by their king. And the Ammonite idol was called king (Μελχ ὠ μ), as we find in other Prophets and in the third book of Kings. It is said: “And Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the abomination of Sidon, and after their king, the idol of the children of Ammon” (1 Kings 11:5). Therefore, God threatens with punishment those who swear both by the true God and the Lord and by idols; and therefore the prophecies agree with each other. In one God says: “If you put away the abomination of Baal from your mouth, and swear, the Lord lives in truth” (Jer. 4:1); and here he reproaches those who outwardly show that they serve God, but prefer serving idols. So, after a threat to the sorrowful, he resolves the threat with an admonition, so that they do not fall into the gravest vices, despairing of salvation. Zeph.1:7. Fear on behalf of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is near, for the Lord has prepared His sacrifice, and sanctify those who are called. The prophetic word repeatedly calls the beating of the lawless “sacrifices”; and this can be found in other Prophets, and in the God-wise Ezekiel. “Called” refers to enemies. The Prophet said: “sanctify”, instead of: determined. So through the mouth of Isaiah he says: “they are sanctified: and I lead them” (Is. 13:3), that is, they are determined for this. And just as the holy is truly separated and excommunicated from the profane, so those who are determined to suffer punishment, as those who are separated for this by God himself, are called sanctified. So he called it a victim, not in the exact meaning of the word. So the word: “anathema” has a double meaning; for it signifies not only that which is dedicated to God, but also that which is alienated from God. Zeph.1:8. And it shall come to pass, on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will take vengeance on the princes, and on the king’s house, and on all that are clothed in strange garments: Zeph.1:9. And I will take vengeance on all those who are before the gates on that day, who fill the church of the Lord their God with wickedness and flattery. Since the definition of punishment was pronounced in the days of Josiah, a godly king, this king was not subject to responsibility for this, but his children and descendants, living lawlessly, were punished for the deeds they dared to do; then he rightly said: “I will take revenge” not on the king, but “on the royal house and on the princes.” By “garments” “alien,” according to some, it is understood to be acquired through theft and covetousness, and according to others, done out of extreme lasciviousness; because both men, living lawlessly, put on women's clothing, and women, given over to lust, wear men's clothing. But it seems to me that the prophetic word will make us understand something else. The law prohibits clothing woven from linen and wool (Deut. 22:11). It is likely that those who were proud of their wealth and devoted to luxury in clothing imitated neighboring peoples, and on linen tunics they made around them some varied and unnecessary decorations from crimson-colored wool; and this was directly contrary to divine law. Therefore, God threatens both them and those who enter the divine church with wickedness and flattery. And with the word: “flattery” the Prophet makes it clear that, apparently, they had piety, but in secret they loved serving idols. For these iniquities of yours, the prophecy says, Zeph.1:10. On the day there will be, says the Lord, a voice of crying from the goring gates and weeping from the second, and great destruction from the hills. When the enemies break the city wall and open the gates; Then, with an exclamation and a cry, you will run to take refuge within the walls of the sanctuary. When will the gates of the church also be opened for enemies; give yourself over to crying and you will be overwhelmed. And if some of you occupy the tops of mountains, or enter high houses, you will suffer the same destruction. Zeph.1:11. Weep, you who live in the slaughter, for all the people have become like Canaan, and have all consumed the glory of silver. The prophet called Jerusalem “cut” because of the calamity that befell it, and commands that it be mourned because it was deserted by its inhabitants. because they were jealous of the wickedness of the Canaanites; then they suffered final destruction like the Canaanites; and wealth did not help them at all. Zeph.1:12. And it shall come to pass in that day that I will search out Jerusalem with a lamp, that is, none of those subject to punishment will escape execution; but I will deliver everyone to the slaughter. This is expressed figuratively, and the image of speech is taken from those who use a lamp when looking for something lost, and do not let it go from their hands until they find it. and I will take revenge on men who do not care about their guards, “Guards” refers to those things established by law that the law commanded to be preserved. saying in their hearts: The Lord will not do good, but it will be bitter. Here he condemns those who reject providence, who dare to say that everything is accidental, who claim that God neither benefits nor punishes everyone. The Prophet threatens them with plunder, destruction of houses and fruitless labor. For he says: Zeph.1:13. And they will build houses, and not have to come into them; and they will plant vines, and not have to drink their wine. And so that they would not think that the punishment would be postponed, he added: Zeph.1:14. For the great day of the Lord is near, near and soon, The Prophet called the day great because on it they would be subjected not to some slight admonition, but to decisive punishment. Then, to make his listeners more afraid, he describes that very day. The voice of the day of the Lord is bitter and cruel. Zeph.1:15–16. Strong is the day of wrath, that day, the day of sorrow and need, the day of hopelessness and disappearance, the day of darkness and gloom, the day of clouds and darkness, the day of trumpets and shouting against solid cities and on high corners. The Prophet calls the towers “high corners”; “Trumpets” and “cries” called the invasion of enemies; “by darkness, darkness, cloud” and “darkness” - the attack of disasters, upon the occurrence of which the sun will not be bright for those looking at it and the day will not be clear; but everything will seem full of darkness. And explaining this, the Prophet added: Zeph.1:17. And I will offend people, and they will walk like blind people, sinned before the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like linen: that is, they will not be worthy of what is established by the law; There will be no burial for them. Zeph.1:18. and their silver and gold will not be able to take them away in the day of the wrath of the Lord; because the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His zeal: for this He will bring destruction and destruction upon all who live on the earth. And wealth will not help the rich; because they will not receive deliverance from disasters for money, but, like some kind of fire, they will be destroyed by God’s wrath, which will subject those inhabiting the earth to sudden death. So he threatens them with sorrows, and then offers an exhortation to resort to repentance. Zeph.2:1. Get together and communicate the unpunished tongue, Zeph.2:2. before you were like the passing flower of the day, before the wrath of the wrath of the Lord came upon you. Others, not understanding this place, translated the word: “contact”: beg together; but most of the listings read: “contact” . The word this implies healing through medical compositions and dressings, understood in a figurative sense. For we find this also in the God-wise Isaiah. Showing the incurability of the ulcers of the Jewish people, he cries out: “there is no plaster to apply, lower than oil, lower than duty” (Is. 1:6). Therefore, “bind yourself,” says the Prophet, with medical compositions and bandages of repentance, you who are ignorant of good and untrained in this, precede “His face in confession” (Psalm 93:2), so that like spring flowers you will not bend when God’s wrath befalls you. Zeph.2:3. Seek the Lord in all the lowliness of the earth Look at the insignificance of your nature, at your forefather - the dust, and seek the Creator, who has richly endowed you with so many blessings. Then the Prophet teaches how to seek God: Do justice, and seek righteousness; seek meekness, and I will answer. Maintain straightforwardness and justice, love a modest and moderate life, and make it a rule to follow this to the end; for this means: “answer I.” Then the Prophet shows the fruit from this. for that you may be covered in the day of the wrath of the Lord. Zeph.2:4. Zane Gaza will be plundered, and Ascalon will disappear: and Azoth will be rejected at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted. If you begin the repentance mentioned above, you will gain salvation, and the foreign cities will suffer the predicted disasters. Zeph.2:5. Woe to those who live on food by the sea, strangers of Crete: the word of the Lord is against you Canaan, the land of foreigners, and I will destroy you from your habitation: Zeph.2:6. And Crete will be a pasture for the flocks, and a fence for the sheep. Sea snake the Prophet names a seaside country; because “already” in the Divine Scripture is called a plot, according to the custom of already measuring out the land and allocating to everyone their due portion. Therefore, since God left the Philistines, descended from Canaan, in a coastal country, as if some part of the inheritance, separating this land for them; then the Prophet called them “sea creatures”, and those who moved from Crete - “aliens;” because, as is likely, some from Crete came to the coastal cities and settled there. Therefore, the Prophet named the coastal lands in Palestine, which he threatened with desolation, by “Canaan”, and “already by the sea”, and “Crete”, and “Cretan aliens”. Zeph.2:7. And you will have left the sea to the house of Judah: they will devour them in the houses of Askalonih, and in the evening they will take it from the presence of the sons of Judah: for the Lord their God will come to them, and return them to captivity. This came to fruition upon his return from captivity; for in the books of Maccabees we find that Jonathan and Simon, having taken possession of Gaza, Ascalon and Ptolemais, subjugated them to their power. The exact and indisputable fulfillment of the prophecy can be seen after the ascension of our Savior and after the preaching of the holy Apostles; for they, having come out of Judea, dwelt in these cities “toward the evening,” that is, before the end of the evening, when the God of all looked upon the pagans and freed them from bitter slavery and captivity. After this, the Prophet pronounces judgment on the Moabites and the Ammonites; because they, being related to Israel and descended from Lot, rejoiced at the misfortunes of the people of God, and uttered blasphemies against the God of all kinds, as if the Jews had not received any help from Him. Therefore God says: Zeph.2:8. I heard the reproaches of Moab, and the reproaches of the sons of Ammon, about whom I reproached My people, and I magnified My borders. Zeph.2:9. For this cause I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Moab shall be like Sodom, and the children of Ammon shall be like Gomorrah, and Damascus shall be forsaken like a barnyard, and laid waste forever: and the rest of my people shall I plunder, and the remnants of my tongue shall inherit them. Zeph.2:10. This is for their annoyance, because they have insulted and exalted the people of the Lord Almighty. The Moabites and the Ammonites had their own kings, and Damascus reigned over all Syria; but they were all overthrown by the Babylonians; The God of all things granted return to the Jews alone through the Persian Cyrus. They again came to a flourishing state, regained their former power, and kept all these peoples in fear; The Jews owned the land of these nations, and they were not able to resist the Jews. Therefore, God's word foretells that the Moabites and Ammonites will be given over to final destruction, and Damascus will be like a haystack left on a threshing floor. This is what they suffered during the invasion of the Chaldeans. And the Prophet says about “Damascus” that “it will be ruined forever,” because from now on for all subsequent time it will lose its royal power and will no longer have peoples submissive to it; but he will become a tributary of the previously reigning Babylonians, Persians, Macedonians, and the now reigning Romans. However, here too the prophecy received an exact fulfillment through the holy Apostles and their successors - the saints. For the Divine Apostle called them “the remnant.” Presenting the prophecies clearly declaring: “Even if the number of the children of Israel is like the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved” (Rom. 9.27). The Apostle interprets this by saying: “So also at this time there is a remnant according to the election of grace” (Rom. 11:5). The Lord also speaks through the mouth of blessed Zephaniah: “and those who are left behind of My tongue will inherit them.” Then he interprets it more clearly. Zeph.2:11. The Lord will appear upon them and consume all the gods of the languages ​​of the earth: and everyone from their place will worship Him, even all the islands of paganism. These words do not give room to the shameless objection of the Jews. If they say that, upon returning from Babylon, many of the pagans, having believed in the God of all, performed lawful service in the Jerusalem temple; then they will be clearly exposed in their lies. The prophetic word says that “everyone will worship Him from his place.” And this is not done according to the law, but according to the teaching of the Gospel; because the law gathered everyone into one single church; The Lord in the Gospel says to the Samaritans: Amen, amen, I say to you, “Woman, for the hour is coming, when” not in Jerusalem and not in this place, but in every place “they will worship the Father” (John 4:21-23). The God-wise Zephaniah also cries out: “The Lord will appear on them,” that is, on all the previously mentioned foreigners, the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, the inhabitants of Damascus, and on all other nations, “and all the gods of the languages of the earth will consume, and every one from their place will worship Him, all the islands of paganism,” that is, cities not only located on solid ground and coastal ones, but also those among the sea. To this the Prophet adds: Zeph.2:12. And you will kill ulcers with My weapon. This word means a horde of demons, crushed by the attack of the saving cross, and the defeat by God’s punishment of people who are denigrated in the soul and who fight against God. Thus, having foreshadowed the salvation of the pagans, the Prophet turns his speech to the sequence of historical events, and threatens the death of the Assyrians, because Nineveh has not yet suffered punishment. Zeph.2:13–14. And he will stretch out his hand to the north, and destroy the Assyrian, and make Nineveh disappear, waterless, like a desert: They will devour the flocks in the midst of it, and all the beasts of the earth, and chameleons, and hedgehogs will nest in its nests: and the beasts will howl in its clefts, and the corvids in its gates, beyond the cedars. her exaltation. Signs of desolation are everything that was said before: the pastures of herds, the settlement of various animals, and the nests of ravens. But all this, says the Prophet, will be tolerated by Nineveh for the arrogance of its soul; because her arrogance was likened to a cedar. Then, depicting this more clearly, the Prophet adds: Zeph.2:15. This city is despicable, that is, he considered every city and every kingdom to be insignificant and small, who thought that he would never tolerate anything sorrowful, Say in your hearts: I am, and there is no more for me: Then, laughing at Nineveh, he says: What would it be like to disappear, to graze as a beast? and what usually happens, Everyone passing by will call out to him and lift up his hands. because it is the custom of people, when misfortunes befall them beyond their expectations, to whistle and raise their hands in the air. Thus, having predicted about Nineveh, the Prophet turns again to Jerusalem. Zeph.3:1. O bright and liberated city, dove! Truly worthy of tears and lamentation is the city, which in happiness was famous and glorious, repeatedly saved by God of all kinds, and abounding in spiritual gifts. For I assume that the Prophet in calling “blueberry” means either this very thing or the splendor and beauty of the city; because the dove is also a beautiful animal. And probably the Prophet also expressed that, just as a dove is more willing to settle in separate houses, so you Jerusalemites, when you live piously, diligently attend a church dedicated to God. Then the Prophet describes the sins; and firstly disobedience: Zeph.3:2. Without hearing a voice, do not trust in the Lord, and do not draw near to your God and after this the brutality and injustice of the princes: Zeph.3:3. Its kings are in it like lions roaring, lawlessness and violence of judges: His judges are like the wolves of Arabia; they will not leave him in the morning. the deceit and godlessness of the soothsayers: Zeph.3:4. His prophets are wind-bearers, men are contemptuous, (for he calls false prophets prophets); then the wickedness and vile life of the priests: his priests defile the holy thing, and dishonor the law. But when, says the Prophet, they dare to do all this in Jerusalem, Zeph.3:5. The Lord is righteous in the midst of it, and he will not do unrighteousness: the morning, the morning, will bring His judgment into the light: and not hiding, and not knowing unrighteousness in torment, nor in strife, insult. Soon the Lord will impose punishment on those who dared to do so much evil; for with the words: “morning morning,” the Prophet expressed speed; and in the word: “into the light” - that this will happen openly, and not secretly. And the Lord will do this, overthrowing the insolence of unrighteousness and not allowing it to prevail to the end. Zeph.3:6. In the corruption of the debased ones, the majestic ones, I have vanished their corners: I will devastate their paths so much that they cannot be passed through; I have vanished and destroyed them, so that they were neither to be nor to live. Just as buildings are connected by corners, so power rests on success in business. Therefore, giving over to corruption those who live proudly, I will bring down their heights to the earth; so that the memory of them will not pass on to descendants, and I will abandon their cities to complete desolation. After such threats, the Lover of Mankind again exhorts and advises them to be afraid of what was said and to accept this lesson that is appropriate for them - to avoid the threatening death that lawlessness gave rise to, not to hesitate or put off, but rather to repent. For he says: Zeph.3:7. Get ready, morning, bring repentance quickly. Fear not the Assyrians, of whom I have struck multitudes at your gates; because I will deliver “their foliage,” that is, those who escaped this punishment, to the Babylonians. Zeph.3:8. For this sake be patient with Me, says the Lord, on the day of My resurrection, as a testimony: For this reason is My judgment in the host of tongues before the reception of kings, so that the wrath of My wrath may be poured out on me: before the fire of My zeal will the whole earth be consumed. Do not think that I am careless about human affairs; but wait, and you will see that I will arise, judge truthfully, destroy unrighteous kingdoms, and with My zeal, as if by some kind of fire, I will cleanse the universe. And presenting this even more clearly, he added: Zeph.3:9. For then I will turn my tongue to people throughout their generations, to call on everyone the name of the Lord, to work for Him under the yoke as one. Aquila, Theodotion and Symmachus translated this more clearly; and Aquila and Theodotion say: then I will turn chosen lips to all nations, and Symmachus: then I will turn pure lips to all nations; but he calls clean lips those lips that name not gods, but God. God spoke something similar to this through the mouth of Isaiah: “The silent nations will soon learn to speak peace” (Is. 32:4): and again: “And the tongue of the wicked will be clear” (Is. 35:6). Therefore, he will convert these nations, taught polytheism, and make them elect and pure, so that everyone will call on the name of the Lord, and all nations will serve the Lord “under one yoke.” And even Zeph.3:10. From the ends of the rivers of Ethiopia, I will accept those who pray to Me: the sons of the scattered will offer sacrifices to Me. Those who dwell in the extreme reaches of the earth, having accepted the teaching of the preachers scattered by Me everywhere, will offer Me a sacrifice of praise. Symmachus also translated this: from the ends of the rivers of Ethiopia, the children of those who have been scattered by Me will pray to Me and bring Me a gift; that is, having become children of the preachers of piety scattered by Me to all nations, they will bring Me spiritual gifts. Zeph.3:11. On the day he will not be ashamed of all your undertakings, the image of which you have disrespected in Me: for then I will take away from you the reproach of your annoyance, and whoever will not be allowed to be magnified in My holy mountain. When this is accomplished, and the pagans are worthy of salvation, then you, who live in Jerusalem, having accepted salvation by faith, will be freed from your former wickedness, you will not despise My commandments and will not boast of the Old Testament temple. And since not all Jews subsequently heeded the gospel teaching; the Prophet clearly predicts this and that. Zeph.3:12–13. And I will leave in you a people meek and humble, and they will revere the name of the Lord. The remnants of Israel will not commit iniquity, nor will they speak vain things, nor will a flattering tongue be found in their mouths: they will devour evils and nest, and there will be no one to make them afraid. And this clearly points us to the face of the apostle, appeasing Whom, the Lord said: “blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5); and again: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). Blessed Zephaniah calls them people “meek and humble”: because the Israelites are not like that, but “a people of violence and foolishness” (Deut. 32:6), and in the words of another Prophet: “their neck is of iron” and “their forehead is of copper” (Is. 48:4). The Prophet calls these, free from untruth, having a tongue foreign to flattery. Therefore, having acquired for himself such a people instead of the evil, impudent, and wicked ones, Zeph.3:14. Rejoice, daughter of Zion, preach to the daughter of Jerusalem, rejoice and be adorned with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem. God made you clean from idols and freed you from serving destructive demons. Zeph.3:16. At this time the Lord says to Jerusalem: Be bold in Zion, let not your hands fail. Zeph.3:17. The Lord your God is in you, the Mighty One will save you: He will bring joy to you and renew you in His love, and will rejoice over you in adornment, as on the day of the holiday. Zeph.3:18. And I will collect your erased ones: I know that others understood this about the return from Babylon and the renewal of Jerusalem, and I do not contradict what they said; because the prophecy befits what happened then. But the exact event can be found in the incarnation of our Savior; for then the Lord healed those who were broken-hearted by the bath of restoration, then He renewed human nature, loving us so much that He gave His soul for us; for “greater than sowing love,” says the Lord, “no one can show, but whoever lays down his life for his friends” (John 17:13); and again: “God so loved the world, as He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but may have eternal life” (John 3:16). Then the Prophet threatens those who then reviled Jerusalem, and who subsequently dared to do the same thing against the preachers of the truth; because the prophecy has a double meaning. woe to him who accepts reproach. Zeph.3:19. Behold, I will create in you for My sake, says the Lord, at the time, and I will save the oppressed and rejected, and I will put it in praise, and the famous throughout the whole earth will not be ashamed Zeph.3:20. In the time when I will do good to you, and in the time when I receive you, I will give you honor and praise among all the people of the earth, so that I may never return your captivity before you, says the Lord. The salvation of people depends on God’s love for mankind alone; because we do not acquire it as a reward of righteousness, but it is a gift of God’s goodness. Therefore, the Master says: “For my sake” I will save, and accept, and take for myself what was alien to Me, and make her famous and glorious among everyone, free her from her former shame, and make the former captives and slaves free and My household. This, as I said, I granted to those who then returned from Babylon, and after this will be given to all people; because, having been enslaved in ancient times to the devil, having freed ourselves from that bitter slavery, having forgotten the charm of polytheism, we became our own to God, having become famous, according to this prophecy, among the Greeks and barbarians, and “those who were sometimes far away” became “near”, according to the word of the divine Apostle (Eph. 2:13). Therefore, we too must submit to the apostolic admonition, which clearly calls: “through freedom, with which Christ has freed us, stand, and do not remain under the yoke of work” (Gal. 5:1). For in this way we will free ourselves from the bitter power of the tormentor, and, serving our Master, we will be made worthy of the kingdom of heaven, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom glory to the Father and with the Holy Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages! Amen.