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The Book of Zephaniah

Th e LO RD you r G od is w ith y ou , t h e M igh ty War rio r wh o sa v e s . H e w il l ta ke g re at d el igh t in y ou ; in h i s lo v e h e w il l n o lon g er r eb u k e you , b u t w il l r ej oi ce o v e r y ou w ith s in g in g . Zep h an ia h 3 : 17

The Book of Zephaniah General Info, Authorship, and Genre:

The theme of Zephaniah, one preached more consistently by him than by any other prophet, is the day of the LORD (1:7, etc.). This approaching day shows two faces: one of judgment against those who sin against God, and one of blessing for those who follow him. God will show himself just in both punishment and praise.
The Day of the LORD: In Zephaniah, the day of Yahweh (used 17x between 1:7 and 2:3!) refers to a time of decisive change on behalf of the righteous and against the wickedand Judah is among the wicked.

Zephaniah ministered during the reign of Josiah (Judahs last good king). Josiahs reigned from 640-609 B.C. He was only eight years old when he became king and reigned 31 years (2 Kings 22:1). He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left (2 Kings 22:2). In the midst of temple repairs the book of the law was found (2 Kings 22:8-10) and as the Scripture was read to Josiah he was greatly distressed over what he had heard (2 Kings 22:11-13; probably passages like Deuteronomy 30:15-20). These convictions of the king lead to the great reform the abolishing of pagan worship throughout Judah as well as the refurbishing the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. Zephaniah, who was possibly a member of the royal court, received a word from Yahweh, announcing that the day of the Lord *Yahweh+ is near (1:7, 14, 18; 2:3). The burden of his prophecy is Gods judgment on Judah for her idolatry and complacent wickedness (1:3b18a; 3:15). But also included are a call to repentance (2:13), judgments against other nations (2:415), and the promise of restoration for a faithful remnant (3:920). Thus, as you will quickly recognize, Zephaniahthe ninth of the book of the Twelvecarries through with all of the 1 significant concerns found in the Israelite prophetic tradition. The book of Zephaniah is a typical work of prophecy poetic oracles. The primary genre within this prophetic book is the oracle of judgment, with an oracle of salvation coming at the expected place, namely, at the end. Zephaniah, almost uniquely among the so-called minor prophets, looks like a major prophet in miniature: it has oracles of judgment (1:118), oracles against foreign nations (2:4 2 15), and oracles of hope (3:820).
The Book of Zephaniah Overview and Outline 1. Prophecy of God's Judgments (1:1-2:3) a. Identity of the prophet (1:1) b. Announcement of certain judgment (1:2-6) c. Announcement of the Day of the Lord (1:7-9) d. The Day of the Lord a day of woe (1:10-13) e. Judgment will not be delayed (1:14-18) f. Exhortation to repentance (2:1-3) 2. God's Judgment of the Nations (2:4-3:8) a. Destruction of Philistia announced (2:4-7) b. Moab and Ammon to be destroyed (2:8-11) c. Universality of the judgment (2:12-15) d. The corrupt city Jerusalem (3:1-8) 3. Promised Blessings (3:9-20) a. Salvation and deliverance (3:9-13) b. Salvation demands praise (3:14-20)

The Near East at the Time of Zephaniah - c. 620 B.C.

Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah, when Egypt, Judah, and Babylonia (with the help of the Medes) were regaining their autonomy and eroding the power of Assyria. Shortly after this time the Babylonians would replace the Assyrians as the dominant power in the Near East.

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Fee, G. D., & Stuart, D. K. (2002). How to read the Bible book by book : A guided tour (248). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan. Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (1730). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.