Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Zephaniah 2:11
The LORD [will be] terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and [men] shall worship him, every one from his place, [even] all the isles of the heathen.
11. will be terrible unto them ] lit. over them. Mal 1:14, “I am a treat king, and my name terrible among the nations.” For “terrible” Sept. reads, will appear.
he will famish all the gods ] lit., as marg., make lean (Isa 17:4). Hitzig, followed by Keil, thinks the meaning to be, that by destroying all the nations the Lord will make lean or enfeeble all their gods, for the vigour of the god is proportionate to the robustness and power of the nation. This kind of reflection is not likely to have passed through the mind of the prophet. His idea appears to be that by terrible deeds Jehovah will make Himself known to the nations, who will fear Him alone, perceiving the impotency of their former gods; comp. Isa 2:20; Isa 30:22, and Ezekiel 25 ff. The use of the term make lean in regard to gods is certainly strange.
every one from his place ] i.e. each individual person, not each nation. The phrase “from his place” seems to mean, everyone where he dwells, the idea being that, without making pilgrimages to Jerusalem (Isa 2:3; Zec 8:22; Zec 14:16), the peoples shall worship Jehovah, every man in his own land (Mal 1:11). The prep, from might have a pregnant sense, each coming from his place, but this meaning is decidedly less natural.
the isles of the heathen ] The term “isles” appears to have been applied to the island-like coasts of the Mediterranean, and then to have been used of distant countries in general, Isa 41:1; Isa 59:18, Eze 39:6.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The Lord will be terrible unto – (upon) them that is, upon Moab and Ammon, and yet not in themselves only, but as instances of His just judgment. Whence it follows, For He will famish all the gods of the earth (Rup.). Miserable indeed, to whom the Lord is terrible! Whence is this? Is not God by Nature sweet and pleasurable and serene, and an Object of longing? For the Angels ever desire to look into Him, and, in a wonderful and unspeakable way, ever look and ever long to look. For miserable they, whose conscience makes them shrink from the face of Love. Even in this life they feel this shrinking, and, as if it were some lessening of their grief, they deny it, as though this could destroy the truth, which they hold down in unrighteousness. Rom 1:18.
For He will famish all the gods of the earth – Taking away the fat of their sacrifices, and the wine of their drink-offerings Deu 32:38. Within 80 years from the death of our Lord , the governor of Pontus and Bithynia wrote officially to the Roman Emperor, that the temples had been almost left desolate, the sacred rites had been for a long time intermitted, and that the victims had very seldom found a purchaser, before the persecution of the Christians, and consulted him as to the amount of its continuance. Toward the close of the century, it was one of the Pagan complaints, which the Christian Apologist had to answer they are daily melting away the revenues of our temples. The prophet began to speak of the subdual of Moab and Ammon; he is borne on to the triumphs of Christ over all the gods of the Pagan, when the worship of God should not be at Jerusalem only, but they shall worship Him, every one from his place.
Even all the isles of the pagan – For this is the very note of the Gospel, that, Cyril: each who through faith in Christ was brought to the knowledge of the truth, by Him, and with Him, worshipeth from his place God the Father; and God is no longer known in Judaea only, but the countries and cities of the Pagan, though they be separated by the intervening sea from Judaea, no less draw near to Christ, pray, glorify, thank Him unceasingly. For formerly His name was great in Israel Psa 76:1, but now He is well known to all everywhere; earth and sea are full of His glory, and so every one worshipeth Him from his place; and this is what is said, As I live, saith the Lord, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord Num 14:21. The isles are any distant lands on the seashore (Jer 25:22, following; Eze 26:15, following; Psa 72:10), especially the very distant Isa 66:19; but also Asia Minor Dan 11:1, Dan 11:8 and the whole coast of Europe, and even the Indian Archipelago , since the ivory and ebony came from its many isles.
Zephaniah revives the term, by which Moses had spoken of the dispersion of the sons of Japhet: By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands, every one after his tongue Gen 10:5. He adds the word, all; all, wherever they had been dispersed, every one from his place, shall worship God. One universal worship shall ascend to God from all everywhere. So Malachi prophesied afterward; From the rising up of the sun even to the going down of the same My Name shall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place incense shall be offered unto God and a pure offering, for My Name shall be great among the pagan, saith the Lord of hosts Mal 1:11. Even a Jew says here: This, without doubt, refers to the time to come, when all the inhabitants of the world shall know that the Lord is God, and that His is the greatness and power and glory, and He shall be called the God of the whole earth. The isles or coasts of the sea are the more the emblem of the Church, in that, Cyril: lying, as it were, in the sea of this world and encompassed by the evil events in it, as with bitter waters, and lashed by the most vehement waves of persecutions, the Churches are yet founded, so that they cannot fall, and rear themselves aloft, and are not overwhelmed by afflictions. For, for Christs sake, the Churches cannot be shaken, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them Mat 16:18.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Zep 2:11
And men shall worship Him.
Good things in the future
I. The destruction of idolatry. You may burn up all heathen temples and leave idolatry as rampant as ever.
II. The advancement of true worship. And men shall worship Him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen. Observe–
1. The object of true worship. Men shall worship Him,–that is, Jehovah. Him, not it–not the universe, but the Infinite Personality that created it.
2. The scene of true worship. Every one from his place. Wherever he is. He need not go to any particular scene–to temple, chapel, or cathedral.
3. The extent of true worship. Even all the isles of the heathen. What a glorious future awaits this world! (Homilist.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 11. He will famish all the gods of the earth] They shall have no more sacrifices; their worship shall be entirely destroyed. Idolaters supposed that their gods actually fed on the fumes and spirituous exhalations that arose from the burnt-offerings which they made unto their idols. It is in reference to this opinion that the Lord says, “He will famish all the gods of the land.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The Lord will be terrible; or, the Lord, who is to be feared, is against or above them, and will make it appear that he is terrible in his doings.
Unto them; Moabites and Ammonites, and their gods, of whom they gloried.
He will famish; starve; though now their altars are filled with sacrifices, and their bowls run over, as if they designed to make their gods fat; but they shall want their sacrifices and drink offerings, these shall be few or quite cease, and their priests grow lean. There shall be a consumption among them all.
All the gods, idols, heathen gods,
of the earth; of those lands, Dagon, Chemosh, Molech, &c., that are gods no where else but on earth, and among the deceived; or gods of the earth., as sons of the earth, vile, spurious gods.
Men shall worship him; men of that country whose gods are undone, or all men, shall know, own, and worship the God of Israel.
Every one from his place, where he dwelleth, not only at Jerusalem, or in this mount, but every where.
All the isles; either literally, as we now see it fulfilled, or as the Jews interpret isles to be transmarine places. So they wait for his law, as foretold Isa 42:4.
Of the heathen; of all nations in all parts of the world. This is eminently fulfilled by the prevailing of the gospel.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. famishbring low by takingfrom the idols their former fame; as beasts are famished by theirfood being withheld. Also by destroying the kingdoms under thetutelage of idols (Psa 96:4;Isa 46:1).
gods of the earthwhohave their existence only on earth, not in heaven as the trueGod.
every one from his placeeachin his own Gentile home, taught by the Jews in the truereligion: not in Jerusalem alone shall men worship God, buteverywhere (Psa 68:29; Psa 68:30;Mal 1:11; Joh 4:21;1Co 1:2; 1Ti 2:8).It does not mean, as in Isa 2:2;Mic 4:1; Mic 4:2;Zec 8:22; Zec 14:16that they shall come from their several places toJerusalem to worship [MAURER].
all . . . isles of . . .heathenthat is, all the maritime regions, especially the west,now being fulfilled in the gathering in of the Gentiles to Messiah.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The Lord [will be] terrible unto them,…. To the Moabites and Ammonites in the execution of his judgments upon them, and make their proud hearts tremble; for with him is terrible majesty; he is terrible to the kings of the earth, and cuts off the spirit of princes, Job 37:22 or, as Kimchi observes, this may be understood of the people of God reproached by the Moabites and Ammonites, by whom the Lord is to be feared and reverenced with a godly and filial fear: so it may be rendered, “the Lord is to be feared by them” e; and to this inclines the Targum,
“the fear of the Lord is to redeem them;”
for he will famish all the gods of the earth; particularly of those countries mentioned in the context, the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Ethiopians, and Assyrians; as Dagon, Chemosh, Molech, Bel, and others; called “gods of the earth”, in distinction from the God of heaven, to whom they are opposed; and because made of earthly matter, and worshipped by earthly and carnal men; these the Lord, who is above them, and can destroy them at pleasure, threatens to “famish”; or to bring “leanness” f upon them, as the word signifies; to bring them into a consumption, and cause them to pine away gradually, by little and little, till they are no more; and that by reducing the number of their worshippers, so that they shall not have the worship and honour paid them, nor the sacrifices offered to them, supposed by the heathens to be the food of their gods; and, this being the case, their priests would be starved and become lean, who used to be fat and plump. The Septuagint version renders it, “he will destroy all the gods of the nations of the earth”; which is approved of by Noldius, and preferred by him to other versions. This had its accomplishment in part, when these nations were subdued by Nebuchadnezzar; for idols were usually demolished when a kingdom was taken; and more fully when the Gospel was spread in the Gentile world by the apostles of Christ, and first ministers of the word; whereby the oracles of the heathens were struck dumb, and men were turned everywhere from the worship of idols; the idols themselves were destroyed, and their temples demolished, or converted to better uses; and will have a still greater accomplishment in the latter day, at the conversion of the Jews, and the bringing in the fulness of the Gentiles, when the worship of idols will cease everywhere. The Syriac version renders it, “all the kings of the earth”; very wrongly:
and [men] shall worship him, everyone from his place; or, “in his place” g; that is, every man shall worship the true God in the place where he is; he shall not go up to Jerusalem to worship, but in every place lift up holy bands to God, pray unto him, praise and serve him; the worship of God will be universal; he will be King over all the earth, and his name and service one, and shall not be limited and confined to any particular place, Mal 1:11:
[even] all the isles of the heathen; or “Gentiles”; not only those places which are properly isles, as ours of Great Britain and Ireland; though there may be a particular respect had to such, and especially to ours, who have been very early and long favoured with the Gospel, and yet will be; but all places beyond the seas, or which the Jews went to by sea, they called isles.
e “timendus Jehovah super ipsis”, Cocceius, Burkius. f “emaciabit”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator “quasi macie consumit”, Vatablus; “quum emaciaverit”, Cocceius; “quia emaciavit”, Burkius. g .
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“Fearful is Jehovah over them, for He destroyeth all the gods of the earth; that all the islands of the nations, every one from its place, may worship Him.” Whilst refers to what precedes, the next clause in the reason assigned points to the announcement of judgment upon the remaining nations of the earth in Zep 2:12.; so that Zep 2:11 cannot be taken either as the conclusion of the previous threat, or as the commencement of the following one, but leads from the one to the other. Jehovah is terrible when He reveals Himself in the majesty of Judge of the world. The suffix appended to does not refer to , but to the in Zep 2:10, answering to the Moabites and Ammonites. Jehovah proves Himself terrible to these, because He has resolved to destroy all the gods of the earth. Razah , to make lean; hence to cause to vanish, to destroy. He causes the gods to vanish, by destroying the nations and kingdoms who relied upon these gods. He thereby reveals the nothingness of the gods, and brings the nations to acknowledge His sole deity (Mic 5:12). The fall of the false gods impels to the worship of the one true God. is the consequence, the fruit, and the effect of Jehovah’s proving Himself terrible to the nations and their gods. , islands of the Gentiles, is an epithet taken from the islands and coastlands of Europe, to denote the whole of the heathen world (see at Isa 41:1). The distributive refers to haggoym as the principal idea, though not in the sense of “every nation,” but in that of every individual belonging to the nations. Mimm e qomo , coming from his place: the meaning is not that the nations will worship Jehovah at their own place, in their own lands, in contradistinction to Mic 4:1; Zec 14:16, and other passages, where the nations go on pilgrimage to Mount Zion (Hitzig); but their going to Jerusalem is implied in the min (from), though it is not brought prominently out, as being unessential to the thought. With regard to the fulfilment, Bucer has correctly observed, that “the worship of Jehovah on the part of the heathen is not secured without sanguinary wars, that the type may not be taken for the fact itself, and the shadow for the body …. But the true completion of the whole in the kingdom of Christ takes place here in spirit and in faith, whilst in the future age it will be consummated in all its reality and in full fruition.” Theodoret, on the other hand, is too one-sided in his view, and thinks only of the conversion of the heathen through the preaching of the gospel. “This prophecy,” he says, “has received its true fulfilment through the holy apostles, and the saints who have followed them; … and this takes place, not by the law, but by the teaching of the gospel.”
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
He proceeds with the same subject,—that God would show his power in aiding his people. But he calls him a terrible God, who had for a time patiently endured the wantonness of his enemies, and thus became despised by them: for the ungodly, we know, never submit to God unless they are constrained by his hand; and then they are not bent so as willingly to submit to his authority; but when forced they are silent. (100) This is what the Prophet means in these words; as though he had said, that the wicked now mock God, as they disregard his power, but that they shall find how terrible an avenger of his people he is, so that they would have to dread him. And then he compares the superstitions of the nations with true religion; as though he had said, that this would be to the Jews as a reward for their piety, inasmuch as they worshipped the only true God, and that all idols would be of no avail against the help of God. And this was a necessary admonition; for the ungodly seemed to triumph for a time, not only over a conquered people, but over God himself, and thus gloried in their superstitious and vain inventions. The Prophet, therefore, confirms their desponding minds; for God, he says, will at length consume all the gods of the nations
The verb רזה, reze, means strictly to make lean or to famish, but is to be taken here metaphorically, as signifying to consume. God then will famish all the inventions of the nations: and he alludes to that famine which idols had occasioned through the whole world; as though he had said, that God’s glory would shortly appear, which would exterminate whatever glory the false gods had obtained among them, so that it would melt away like fatness.
He at last adds, that the remotest nations would become suppliants to God; for by saying, adore him shall each from his place, (101) he doubtless means, that however far off the countries might be, the distance would be no hindrance to God’s name being celebrated, when his power became known to remote lands. And, for the same reason, he mentions the islands of the nations, that is, countries beyond the sea: for the Hebrews, as it has been elsewhere observed, call those countries islands which are far distant, and divided by the sea. (102) In short, the Prophet shows, that the redemption of the people would be so wonderful, that the fame of it would reach the farthest bounds of the earth, and constrain foreign nations to give glory to the true God, and that it would dissipate all the mists of superstition, so that idols would be exposed to scorn and contempt. It follows—
(100) The word, [ נורא ], is rendered “to be feared,” by Cocceius and Henderson, and [ עליהם ], “above them,” that is, “the gods of the earth,” mentioned in the next line; it being considered an instance of a pronoun preceding its noun. But this is forced; and it is not necessary. Moab and Ammon are evidently referred to; and what is said is, that God would be terrible to them, as well as to others, for he would famish or destroy all the gods of the earth. And then in the next verse he mentions other nations. Some extend what is here said to gospel-times; but there seems no reason for this, inasmuch as God’s judgment is the subject of the Prophet.— Ed.
(101) Literally—
And bow down to him, every one from his place, Shall all the islands of the nations.
(102) By the earth the Jews understood the great continent of all Asia and Africa, to which they had acces by land; and by the isles of the sea they understood the places to which they sailed by sea, particularly all Europe. Sir I. Newton on Daniel, p. 276.”— Newcome.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(11) Famish.Literally as in margin make lean: to cause to disappear.
Every one from his place.It is difficult to accept Keils theory of a pregnant construction, each one coming from his place: scil. to Jerusalem. This passage, therefore, is one of the very few which foretell that the worship of Jehovah shall find centres outside the Holy Land. The usual prediction, on the other hand, represents the converted nations as flowing to Jerusalem.
Isles.Better, sea coasts.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Zep 2:11. For he will famish, &c. He will dissipate. Houbigant. But Bishop Warburton observes, that the expression, as it stands in our version, is noble, and alludes to the popular superstitions of Paganism, which conceived that the gods were nourished by the steam of sacrifices. But when were the heathen gods thus famished, but in the first ages of Christianity? Every one from his place, or in his place; that is to say, they were not to go up to Jerusalem to worship;even all the isles of the heathens. But when did they worship the God of Israel, every one from his place, before the preaching of the apostles? Then indeed their speedy and general conversion distinguished them from the rest of the nation. Houbigant observes, that the calling of the Gentiles is mentioned here very appositely, and in its proper place, as in order of time it followed soon after the kingdom of the Maccabees.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Zep 2:11 The LORD [will be] terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and [men] shall worship him, every one from his place, [even] all the isles of the heathen.
Ver. 11. The Lord will be terrible unto them ] For he shall march forth in battle array against proud persons, 1Pe 5:5 , and stain the pride of all their glory (’ A ); he will pull them down from their pinnacle of self-exaltation, and make them know themselves to be but men. Attilas, king of the Huns, proudly gave out that the stars fell before him, the earth trembled at his presence, and that he would be the scourge of all nations. But what became of him? He died suddenly by a flux of blood, breaking out at his mouth and choking him, on his weddingday at night. It were easy to instance further, in Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus, Herod, the king of Tyro, &c. “With God is terrible majesty,” Job 37:22 , “he is terrible to the kings of the earth, while he cutteth off their spirits,” Psa 76:12 . Heb. he slippeth them off, as one should slip off a flower between one’s fingers, or a bunch of grapes off the vine; so soon is the business done.
For he will famish all the gods of the earth
And men shall worship him
Every one from his place
Even all the isles of the heathen
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
famish = cause to waste away.
the isles of the heathen = the coast-lands of the nations. Reference to Pentateuch (Gen 10:5). App-92. The phrase occurs nowhere else.
isles = coast-lands.
heathen = nations.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
for: Deu 32:38, Hos 2:17, Zec 13:2
famish: Heb. make lean
and men: Psa 2:8-12, Psa 22:27-30, Psa 72:8-11, Psa 72:17, Psa 86:9, Psa 97:6-8, Psa 117:1, Psa 117:2, Psa 138:4, Isa 2:2-4, Isa 11:9, Isa 11:10, Mic 4:1-3, Zec 2:11, Zec 8:20, Zec 8:23, Zec 14:9-21, Mal 1:11, Joh 4:21-23, 1Ti 2:8, Rev 11:15
the isles: Gen 10:5, Isa 24:14-16, Isa 42:4, Isa 42:10, Isa 49:1
Reciprocal: Exo 12:12 – against Num 33:4 – upon their gods Jos 3:11 – the Lord 1Sa 5:3 – Dagon was Psa 65:5 – afar Psa 97:1 – let the multitude of isles Isa 11:11 – the islands Isa 17:4 – the fatness Isa 24:15 – isles Isa 40:15 – the isles Isa 51:5 – the isles Isa 56:3 – joined Isa 60:9 – the isles Isa 66:19 – the isles Jer 10:11 – they Jer 31:10 – declare Jer 43:12 – in the Jer 46:25 – with their Jer 50:2 – her idols Jer 51:18 – in the Eze 30:13 – I will also Eze 39:6 – in the isles Dan 11:18 – the isles Zec 14:20 – shall there Act 11:1 – the Gentiles Act 19:27 – that not 1Th 1:9 – ye
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Zep 2:11. The heathen nations all depended upon their false gods and the Lord proposed to expose their weakness. Men shall worship him when they see His power to be superior to that of the idols. This does not mean they will become true servants of God in all of the requirements of divine law, but they will recognize Him as the superior deity over all beings claiming the adoration of mankind,
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
2:11 The LORD [will be] terrible unto them: {g} for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and [men] shall worship him, every one from his place, [even] all the isles of the heathen.
(g) When he will deliver his people and destroy their enemies and idols, his glory will shine throughout all the world.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Lord would terrify them. He would remove the inhabitants of these nations from the face of the earth so they would not be able to offer sacrifices to their pagan gods. As a result, these gods would starve. What kind of a god needs the sacrifices of mortals to sustain it? People from all the nations, pictured as living on the coastlands of the world, would worship Yahweh (cf. Mal 1:11). This part of the prophecy awaits future fulfillment.