Zephaniah, Book of

The name “Zephaniah” (צפניה, cephanyāh; Σοφονίας, Sophonías), which is borne by three other men mentioned in the Old Testament, means “Yah hides,” or “Yah has hidden” or “treasured.” “It suggests,” says G. A. Smith, “the prophet’s birth in the killing time of Manasseh” (2 Kings 21:16).

The ancestry of the prophet is carried back four generations (Zephaniah 1:1), which is unusual in the Old Testament (compare Isaiah 1:1; Hosea 1:1); hence, it is thought, not without reason (Eiselen, Minor Prophets, 505), that the last-mentioned ancestor, Hezekiah, must have been a prominent man—indeed, no other than King Hezekiah of Judah, the contemporary of Isaiah and Micah. If Zephaniah was of royal blood, his condemnation of the royal princes (Zephaniah 1:8) becomes of great interest. In a similar manner did Isaiah, who in all probability was of royal blood, condemn without hesitation the shortcomings and vices of the rulers and the court. An ancient tradition declares that Zephaniah was of the tribe of Simeon, which would make it impossible for him to be of royal blood; but the origin and value of this tradition are uncertain.

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Author: International Std. Bible Encyclopedia

Keywords: Zephaniah Book of, Zephaniah, Book of Zephaniah, Prophet Zephaniah

Source: James Orr (editor), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 5 volume set.

Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.