Zephaniah 2:12 Kommentar

In this chapter we have, I. An earnest exhortation to the nation of the Jews to repent and make their peace with God, and so to prevent the judgments threatened before it was too late (Zep 2:1-3), and this inferred from the revelation of God's wrath against them in the foregoing chapter. II. A denunciation of the judgments of God against several of the neighbouring nations that had assisted, or rejoiced in, the calamity of Israel. 1. The Philistines (Zep 2:4-7). 2. The Moabites and Ammonites (Zep 2:8-11). 3. The Ethiopians and Assyrians (Zep 2:12-15). All these shall drink of the same cup of trembling that is put into the hands of God's people, as was also foretold by other prophets before and after.

The cup is going round, when Nebuchadnezzar is going on conquering and to conquer; and not only Israel's near neighbours, but those that lay more remote, must be reckoned with for the wrongs they have done to God's people; the Ethiopians and the Assyrians are here taken to task. 1. The Ethiopians, or Arabians, that had sometimes been a terror to Israel (as in Asa's time, Ch2 14:9), must now be reckoned with: They shall be slain by my sword, Zep 2:12. Nebuchadnezzar was God's sword, the instrument in his hand with which these and other enemies were subdued and punished, Psa 17:14. 2. The Assyrians, and Nineveh the head city of their monarchy, are next set to the bar, to receive their doom: He that is God's sword will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria, and make himself master of it. Assyria had been the rod of God's anger against Israel, and now Babylon is the rod of God's anger against Assyria, Isa 10:5. He will make Nineveh a desolation, as was lately and largely foretold by the prophet Nahum. Observe, (1.) How flourishing Nineveh's state had formerly been (Zep 2:15): This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly. Nineveh was so strong that she feared no evil, and therefore dwelt carelessly and set danger at defiance; she was so rich that she thought herself sure of all good, and therefore was a rejoicing city, full of mirth and gaiety; and she had such a dominion that she admitted no rival, but said in her heart, "I am, and there is none besides me that can compare with me, no city in the world that can pretend to be equal with me." God can with his judgments frighten the most secure, humble the most haughty, and mar the mirth of those that most laugh now. (2.) How complete Nineveh's ruin shall now be; it shall be made a desolation, Zep 2:13. Such a heap of ruins shall this once pompous city be that it shall be, [1.] A receptacle for beasts, such a wilderness that flocks shall lie down in it; nay, such a waste, desolate, frightful place, that wild beasts, shall take up their abode there; the melancholy birds, as the cormorant and bittern, shall make their nests in what remains of the houses, as they sometimes do in old ruinous buildings that are uninhabited and unfrequented. The lintels, or chapiters of the pillars, the windows and thresholds, and all the fine cedar-work curiously engraven, shall lie exposed; and on them these rueful ominous birds shall perch, and their voice shall sing. How are the songs of mirth turned into hideous horrid noises! What little reason have men to be proud of stately buildings, and rich furniture, when they know not what all the pomp of them may come to at last! [2.] A derision to travellers. Those that had come from far, to gratify their curiosity with the sight of Nineveh's splendour, shall now look on her with as much contempt as ever they looked upon her with admiration (Zep 2:15): Every one that passes by shall hiss at her, and wag his hand, making light of her desolations, nay, and making sport with them - "There is an end of proud Nineveh." They shall not weep, and wring their hands (the adversities of those are unpitied and unlamented who were insolent and haughty in their prosperity), but they shall hiss and wag their hands, forgetting that perhaps their own ruin is not far off.

Ye Ethiopians also Or, "as for ye Ethiopians also" {h}; not the Ethiopians in Africa beyond Egypt, at a distance from the land of Israel, and the countries before mentioned; but the inhabitants of Arabia Chusea, or Ethiopia, which lay near to Moab and Ammon; these should not escape, but suffer with their neighbours, who sometimes distressed the people of the Jews, and made war with them, being nigh them; see ( 2 Chronicles 14:9 ) ( 21:16 ) : ye [shall be] slain by my sword; or, "the slain of my sword are they" F9; R. Japhet thinks here is a defect of the note of similitude "as", which should be supplied thus, "ye" are, or shall be, "the slain of my sword", as they; as the Moabites and Ammonites; that is, these Ethiopians should be slain as well as they by the sword of Nebuchadnezzar; which is called the sword of God, because he was an instrument in the hand of God for punishing the nations of the earth. This was fulfilled very probably when Egypt was subdued by Nebuchadnezzar, with whom Ethiopia was confederate, as well as near unto it, ( Jeremiah 46:1 Jeremiah 46:2 ) . The destruction of these by the Assyrians is predicted, ( Isaiah 20:4 ) . FOOTNOTES: F8 (Myvwk Mta Mg) "etiam ad vos Aethiopes quod attinet", Piscator. F9 (hmh ybrx yllx) "interfecti gladio meo ipsi", Montanus.

(Verse 12 and following) But even you, Ethiopians, will be killed by my sword: and he will stretch out his hand over the North, and will destroy Assyria: and he will make a beautiful place desolate, and like a deserted wilderness. And flocks will lie down in the midst of it: all the beasts of the nations, and the pelican, and the hedgehog will dwell in its thresholds: the voice of the singer in the window, the raven on the top. For I will weaken its strength. This is the glorious city, dwelling in confidence, which said in her heart: I am, and there is no other besides me: how has she become a dwelling place of beasts in the wilderness? Everyone who passes by it will hiss and shake his hand. LXX: And you, Ethiopians, wounded by my sword will be; and I will stretch out my hand over the North and destroy Assyria, and make Nineveh a desolation, a dry and desolate land. And flocks will graze in its midst, and all the beasts of the earth; and chameleons and hedgehogs will lie down in its folds, and the beasts will cry out in their dens, and the ravens at its gates: for its height is like a cedar; this is the city devoted to evil, which dwells in hope and says in its heart: I am, and there is none after me; how has it become a pasture for beasts? Everyone who passes through it will hiss and shake their hands. The Jews interpret this whole chapter and the two preceding ones against the Philistines, Moab, and the sons of Ammon, referring to the coming of Christ, whom they believe will come at the end of the world to rebuild Jerusalem and deliver his people from the hand of the nations by which they are held captive. And this is what is meant by what is said: 'And men shall worship him, every man from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.' But not only the nations mentioned above, but also the Ethiopians and Assyrians and the city of Nineveh at that time must be laid waste and become a habitation for all the beasts of the earth, or as it is written in Hebrew, 'all the beasts of the nations.' From this, they believe it is intended to signify all the nations that will overthrow Nineveh. And because Nineveh, which means ‘beautiful,’ in the present place is referred to as beautiful in relation to Babylon. And everything that follows: the pelican and the hedgehog will dwell in its thresholds, and so on, rather applies to Babylon, of which the same desolation is predicted in Isaiah. And on the contrary, others assert that it is clearly about Assyria, of which it was already said: It will stretch out its hand against the north, and it will destroy Assyria, and it will make Nineveh a desolation. According to Al. Post, the Assyrians are better understood as being associated with Nineveh rather than Babylon, which is a city of the Chaldeans. And when he says that the Onocrotalus and the Hedgehog are signs of solitude, it should be understood as signs of judgment. There are two kinds of Onocrotalus: one that is aquatic, and another that is associated with solitude. And when he says the singing voice in the window, it can be understood as either demons or the voices of various birds that are known to inhabit deserted cities. Furthermore, both we and the Seventy similarly translated: 'Corvus' is placed on the threshold in Hebrew, which, according to the differences in reading (), is understood either as drought, or sword, or raven. Therefore, the Eagle, others interpreted as sword or drought. And after its overthrow, as if mocking its ruin, the prophetic speech says: 'This is the glorious city, dwelling in confidence, which said in its heart: I am, and besides me there is no other; how has it become a dwelling place of beasts in the desert?' Anyone who passes by it will hiss and shake his hand. According to what we have said above, either true beasts will dwell in the deserted city, or the varied multitude of nations is certainly indicated under the form of beasts. But if anyone asks how this prophecy applies to the time of Nebuchadnezzar according to the history: let him read the histories about the Ethiopians and Assyrians, to whom the Medes and Persians did nothing, and he will see that the Assyrians and Ethiopians were also subject to the Medes, and that Cyrus had a kingdom, and the power of Cyrus, and everything that has followed thereafter. Let these words be said in Hebrew. However, if we observe in all the Scriptures that the Ethiopians are called those who are deeply sunk in vices, according to what we read in Jeremiah: 'Can the Ethiopian change his skin?' (Jer. XIII, 23). With the Ethiopians turned to better things, there will be hope for anyone who wishes to repent, that they will not be excluded from salvation. Hence, the previously defiled soul, and stained with the filth of sins, says: 'I am black' (Cant. I, 4). And afterwards, at the end of the Song of Songs, it is written about the same, now purified and washed through repentance: Who is she who ascends, all white? (Song of Songs 8:5); Moses also, that is, the Law of the Lord in a spiritual sense, took an Ethiopian woman from the nations as his wife (Exodus 2); and Mary, that is, the synagogue of the Jews, and Aaron, that is, the carnal priesthood, not according to the order of Melchizedek, murmured against the Law, but in vain. For immediately the synagogue is struck with leprosy, and cast out outside the camp, for the entire time, while Moses himself is praying, it is brought back into the camp. For the hand of Ethiopia had already reached God (Psalm 68). Therefore, the divine word now threatens those who cling to sins and forget the filth of their offenses, who do not want to turn to better things and wash away their dark color. And it threatens them with a sword, which I think is written about in Genesis: He placed Cherubim and a flaming sword, which turned to guard the way of the tree of life. And in Isaiah: He will bring forth a great and holy sword against the twisted serpent dragon, and he will kill him on that day (Isa. XXVII, 1, sec. LXX). And he says that they should be wounded or killed with a sword, so that, fearing punishment, they may imitate Nineveh, and repent (Jonah III), and not endure what the Lord threatens. Indeed, this is also the prophecy of Jeremiah: I will speak, he says, concerning the nation and the kingdom, and I will remove and destroy them: and if they repent, then I will also repent of all the evils that I have spoken to do to them (Jer. XVIII, 7, 8). And so, in order that you may know, for this reason the Lord now threatens the Ethiopians with a sword, so that he may turn them to better things. He introduces this in a little while in this very book about the Ethiopians: Beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, my dispersed sons will bring me an offering. (Below III, 10) Or, as it is found in the Septuagint: From the borders of the rivers of Ethiopia, I will receive my dispersed ones, and they will offer sacrifices to me. After this, the Lord does not speak as before; but the prophetic spirit speaks about him: And he will stretch out his hand over the north, and he will destroy Assyria. (Jer. I, 14). The North wind, of which Jeremiah wrote: ‘Out of the north evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.’ And of which Solomon speaks: ‘The north wind bringeth forth rain; so doth a backbiting tongue, (Prov. 25:23). Therefore God stretches out His hand to inflict punishment, so that both the North wind may feel its penalties, and those who dwell in its land, to which the black horses hasten, concerning which it is said: ‘There were (or, in which were) black horses, and they went into the north country’ (Zech. 6:6). And beautifully, he who moves his feet and withdraws from the East, of whom the same prophet says, Behold a man, his name is the Orient (Ibid., 12), and he looks towards the West, immediately goes to the North, which is not on the right, but is called the right by name. And this is understood both literally, so that whoever stands in the East and turns towards the West, has the North on his right, which they call the right because those who are refreshed by its breath, which is only called the right by name, but in reality and in deed it is rather on the left. But after the Lord has extended His hand over the North, He will also destroy Assyria, which is interpreted as 'the one who directs', which many think means 'the one who directs', but it is false: for 'the one who directs' is said to be the one who accuses and convicts. And since the devil himself is an enemy and an avenger, and he himself suggests sins, and then accuses sinners of their sins, therefore he is called 'the one who directs'. I believe this to be the prince of the Assyrians, who dwells in the North, and has Nineveh as his capital, and he says in Isaiah: With strength I will act, and with wisdom I will remove the boundaries of nations, and I will plunder their powers (Isaiah 10, LXX). Moreover, what follows about the destruction of Nineveh seems to me to be understood according to what is written either in the prophet Jonah or in Nahum. In Jonah, indeed, we interpret Nineveh, that is, the beautiful city that repented at the preaching of Jonah, that is, the dove, as the Church gathered from the Gentiles. But indeed, we have ordered intelligence upon the world. And of the world, it is not difficult to interpret and say that when the Ethiopians have been wounded by the sword of the Lord and have stretched out their hand upon the north, and have destroyed the Assyrian prince of the world, then the world itself shall perish with its prince, and be reduced to the greatest solitude, and be miserable to no one, but all shall hiss and wave their hands at its ruin. But on first appearance the Church seems blasphemous because it is destined to become impassable and deserted, and beasts will inhabit it, and afterwards it is insultingly said to it: This is a city given over to evil, which dwelt in hope, which said in its heart: I am, and there is no other besides me, how is it made into a wilderness, a pasture for beasts? But anyone who considers that saying of the Apostle in which it is said: In the last times there will be times of great evil, and people will be lovers of themselves, greedy, arrogant, proud, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, wicked, without affection, without peace, accusers, unrestrained, cruel, hating good, traitorous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God: having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power (2 Timothy 3:1, following). Moreover, this is also written in the Gospel, that because of the increase of wickedness, the love of many will grow cold, so much so that during that time it will be fulfilled: Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, do you think he will find faith on earth? (Matthew 24:12) It will not be surprising that the Church will be severely devastated at the end, when the Antichrist reigns, and will be reduced to desolation, handed over to beasts, and will suffer all the things that the prophet now describes. For if God spared not the natural branches on account of unbelief, perhaps He broke them off, and set rivers in the desert, and fountains in the thirsty land, turning fruitful land into salt, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants; why did He not on the contrary do the same to those concerning whom He had said: He turned the desert into pools of water, and the dry land into fountains of water, and made the hungry dwell there; and the rest, and those whom He had grafted from the wild olive tree into the good olive tree, if they, being forgetful of the benefit, have departed from their Creator and worshipped Assyria, may He overturn and lead them back to the same thirst in which they were before? Although it can generally be understood in the coming of the Antichrist, or in the end of the world: nevertheless, it can be understood daily in those who pretend to be of the Church of God, and deny it by their works, and are hearers of the law, and not doers, who vainly boast of being beautiful, while they dwell in them, namely, a multitude of vices, and brute animals serving the body, and all the beasts of the earth, which devour their hearts, and chameleons which do not have one color; but are changed by various sins, now by greed, now by luxury, now by cruelty, now by lust, now by sadness, now by joy, in moments. And in their mangers there will be hedgehogs, a spiky and thorny animal, and it will wound whatever it touches. And the animals will lie in their burrows, that is, in their hearts, and unclean birds will be in their gates, either in their mouths or in their ears, so that they may always speak or hear evil. After this it is brought forth and said: therefore the Church will suffer or has already suffered these things, because it has lifted itself up in pride and has raised its peak like a cedar, given over to wicked deeds, and yet promising itself future happiness, despising others in its heart, thinking that there is no one besides itself, and saying: I am, and there is no other besides me: so how has the pasture of the beasts become a wilderness? For where the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit formerly dwelt, and the angels presided over their ministries, then the beasts will dwell, of whom the prophet also laments, saying: Do not deliver the soul confessing to you to the beasts (Ps. LXXIII, 19). Everyone who passes through it will hiss and move their hands. But if we understand this about the angels, we will interpret it thus: when the angels pass through it, and do not remain in it as they used to do before, they will be amazed and astonished: and they will not support it, and they will not sustain it as it falls with their hand, but they will lift up their hands and pass through it. Certainly, when they raise their hands with a hiss, and they will crackle like mourners in the manner of lamenting. But if we want to understand this about the devil and his angels, who also devastated the vineyard that had been transferred from Egypt: we will say that, by the soul from which Christ has departed, which was previously the temple of God and has ceased to be, the serpent passes through it and hisses, and vomits the poison of malice; and not only does it do this, but it also moves its works, which are figuratively called hands. So that you do not think that we have named it ‘snake’ just for the sake of it, understand violently, as it were, the hands of the snake in the work. Take the testimony of Solomon: Death and life are in the hands of the tongue (Prov. XVIII, 21). We have said these things, serving as best we could the allegorical interpretation. But if someone finds something more plausible and reasonable than what we have discussed, let the authority of that reader prevail.

The prophet, having declared the judgments which were ready to fall on his people, earnestly exhorts them to repentance, that these judgments may be averted, Zep 2:1-3. He then foretells the fate of other neighboring and hostile nations: the Philistines, Zep 2:4-7; Moabites and Ammonites, Zep 2:8-11; Ethiopians, Zep 2:12; and Assyrians, Zep 2:13. In the close of the chapter we have a prophecy against Nineveh. These predictions were accomplished chiefly by the conquests of Nebuchadnezzar.

Ye Ethiopians also - Nebuchadnezzar subdued these. See Jer 46:2, Jer 46:9; Eze 30:4, Eze 30:10. See also on Amo 9:7 (note).

EXHORTATION TO REPENT BEFORE THE CHALDEAN INVADERS COME. DOOM OF JUDAH'S FOES, THE PHILISTINES, MOAB, AMMON, WITH THEIR IDOLS, AND ETHIOPIA AND ASSYRIA. (Zep 2:1-15) Gather yourselves--to a religious assembly, to avert the judgment by prayers (Joe 2:16) [GROTIUS]. Or, so as not to be dissipated "as chaff" (Zep 2:2). The Hebrew is akin to a root meaning "chaff." Self-confidence and corrupt desires are the dissipation from which they are exhorted to gather themselves [CALVIN]. The foe otherwise, like the wind, will scatter you "as the chaff." Repentance is the gathering of themselves meant. nation not desired--(Compare Ch2 21:20), that is, not desirable; unworthy of the grace or favor of God; and yet God so magnifies that grace as to be still solicitous for their safety, though they had destroyed themselves and forfeited all claims on His grace [CALVIN]. The Margin from Chaldee Version has, "not desirous," namely of returning to God. MAURER and GESENIUS translate, "Not waxing pale," that is, dead to shame. English Version is best.

Fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar (God's sword, Isa 10:5) conquered Egypt, with which Ethiopia was closely connected as its ally (Jer 46:2-9; Eze 30:5-9). Ye--literally, "They." The third person expresses estrangement; while doomed before God's tribunal in the second person, they are spoken of in the third as aliens from God.

Exhortation to Repentance in View of the Judgment - Zephaniah 2:1-3:8 Zephaniah, having in the previous chapter predicted the judgment upon the whole world, and Judah especially, as being close at hand, now summons his people to repent, and more especially exhorts the righteous to seek the Lord and strive after righteousness and humility, that they may be hidden in the day of the Lord (Zep 2:1-3). The reason which he gives for this admonition to repentance is twofold: viz., (1) that the Philistians, Moabites, and Ammonites will be cut off, and Israel will take possession of their inheritances (Zep 2:4-10), that all the gods of the earth will be overthrown, and all the islands brought to worship the Lord, since He will smite the Cushites, and destroy proud Asshur and Nineveh (Zep 2:11-15); and (2) that even blood-stained Jerusalem, with its corrupt princes, judges, and prophets, will endure severe punishment. Accordingly, the call to repentance is not simply strengthened by the renewed threat of judgment upon the heathen and the ungodly in Judah, but is rather accounted for by the introduction of the thought, that by means of the judgment the heathen nations are to be brought to acknowledge the name of the Lord, and the rescued remnant of Israel to be prepared for the reception of the promised salvation.

After this statement of the aim of the judgments of God, Zephaniah mentions two other powerful heathen nations as examples, to prove that the whole of the heathen world will succumb to the judgment. Zep 2:12. "Ye Cushites also, slain of my sword are they. Zep 2:13. And let him stretch out his hand toward the south, and destroy Asshur; and make Nineveh a barren waste, a dry place, like the desert. Zep 2:14. And herds lie down in the midst of it, all kinds of beasts in crowds: pelicans also and hedgehogs will lodge on their knobs; the voice of the singer in the window; heaps upon the threshold: for their cedar-work hath He made bare. Zep 2:15. This the city, the exulting one, the safely dwelling one, which said in her heart, I, and no more: how has she become a desolation, a lair of beasts! Every one that passeth by it will hiss, swing his hand." As a representative of the heathen dwelling in the south, Zephaniah does not mention Edom, which bordered upon Judah, or the neighbouring land of Egypt, but the remote Ethiopia, the furthest kingdom or people in the south that was known to the Hebrews. The Ethiopians will be slain of the sword of Jehovah. המּה does not take the place of the copula between the subject and predicate, any more than הוּא in Isa 37:16 and Ezr 5:11 (to which Hitzig appeals in support of this usage: see Delitzsch, on the other hand, in his Comm. on Isaiah, l.c.), but is a predicate. The prophecy passes suddenly from the form of address (in the second person) adopted in the opening clause, to a statement concerning the Cushites (in the third person). For similar instances of sudden transition, see Zep 3:18; Zac 3:8; Eze 28:22. (Note: Calvin correctly says: "The prophet commences by driving them, in the second person, to the tribunal of God, and then adds in the third person, 'They will be,' etc.") חללי חרבּי is a reminiscence from Isa 66:16 : slain by Jehovah with the sword. Zephaniah says nothing further concerning this distant nation, which had not come into any hostile collision with Judah in his day; and only mentions it to exemplify the thought that all the heathen will come under the judgment. The fulfilment commenced with the judgment upon Egypt through the Chaldaeans, as is evident from Eze 30:4, Eze 30:9, as compared with Josephus, Ant. x. 11, and continues till the conversion of that people to the Lord, the commencement of which is recorded in Act 8:27-38. The prophet dwells longer upon the heathen power of the north, the Assyrian kingdom with its capital Nineveh, because Assyria was then the imperial power, which was seeking to destroy the kingdom of God in Judah. This explains the fact that the prophet expresses the announcement of the destruction of this power in the form of a wish, as the use of the contracted forms yēt and yâsēm clearly shows. For it is evident that Ewald is wrong in supposing that ויט stands for ויּט, or should be so pointed, inasmuch as the historical tense, "there He stretched out His hand," would be perfectly out of place. נטה יד (to stretch out a hand), as in Zep 1:4. ‛al tsâphōn, over (or against) the north. The reference is to Assyria with the capital Nineveh. It is true that this kingdom was not to the north, but to the north-east, of Judah; but inasmuch as the Assyrian armies invaded Palestine from the north, it is regarded by the prophets as situated in the north. On Nineveh itself, see at Jon 1:2 (p. 263); and on the destruction of this city and the fall of the Assyrian empire, at Nah 3:19 (p. 379). Lishmâmâh is strengthened by the apposition tsiyyâh kammidbâr. Nineveh is not only to become a steppe, in which herds feed (Isa 27:10), but a dry, desolate waste, where only desert animals will make their home. Tsiyyâh, the dry, arid land - the barren, sandy desert (cf. Isa 35:1). בּתוכהּ, in the midst of the city which has become a desert, there lie flocks, not of sheep and goats (צאן, Zep 2:6; cf. Isa 13:20), but כּל־חיתו־גוי , literally of all the animals of the (or a) nation. The meaning can only be, "all kinds of animals in crowds or in a mass." גּוי is used here for the mass of animals, just as it is in Joe 1:6 for the multitude of locusts, and as עם is in Prov. 30:35-36 for the ant-people; and the genitive is to be taken as in apposition. Every other explanation is exposed to much greater objections and difficulties. For the form חיתו, see at Gen 1:24. Pelicans and hedgehogs will make their homes in the remains of the ruined buildings (see at Isa 34:11, on which passage Zephaniah rests his description). בּכפתּריה, upon the knobs of the pillars left standing when the palaces were destroyed (kaphtōr; see at Amo 9:1). The reference to the pelican, a marsh bird, is not opposed to the tsiyyâh of Zep 2:13, since Nineveh stood by the side of streams, the waters of which formed marshes after the destruction of the city. קול ישׁורר cannot be rendered "a voice sings," for shōrēr, to sing, is not used for tuning or resounding; but yeshōrēr is to be taken relatively, and as subordinate to קול, the voice of him that sings will be heard in the window. Jerome gives it correctly: vox canentis in fenestra. There is no necessity to think of the cry of the owl or hawk in particular, but simply of birds generally, which make their singing heard in the windows of the ruins. The sketching of the picture of the destruction passes from the general appearance of the city to the separate ruins, coming down from the lofty knobs of the pillars to the windows, and from these to the thresholds of the ruins of the houses. Upon the thresholds there is chōrebh, devastation (= rubbish), and no longer a living being. This is perfectly appropriate, so that there is no necessity to give the word an arbitrary interpretation, or to alter the text, so as to get the meaning a raven or a crow. The description closes with the explanatory sentence: "for He has laid bare the cedar-work," i.e., has so destroyed the palaces and state buildings, that the costly panelling of the walls is exposed. 'Arzâh is a collective, from 'erez, the cedar-work, and there is no ground for any such alteration of the text as Ewald and Hitzig suggest, in order to obtain the trivial meaning "hews or hacks in pieces," or the cold expression, "He destroys, lays bare." In Zep 2:15 the picture is rounded off. "This is the city," i.e., this is what happens to the exulting city. עלּיזה, exulting, applied to the joyful tumult caused by the men - a favourite word with Isaiah (cf. Isa 22:2; Isa 23:7; Isa 24:8; Isa 32:13). The following predicates from היּושׁבת to עוד are borrowed from the description of Babel in Isa 47:8, and express the security and self-deification of the mighty imperial city. The Yod in 'aphsı̄ is not paragogical, but a pronoun in the first person; at the same time, 'ephes is not a preposition, "beside me," since in that case the negation "not one" could not be omitted, but "the non-existence," so that אפסי = איני, I am absolutely no further (see at Isa 47:8). But how has this self-deifying pride been put to shame! איך, an expression of amazement at the tragical turn in her fate. The city filled with the joyful exulting of human beings has become the lair of wild beasts, and every one that passes by expresses his malicious delight in its ruin. Shâraq, to hiss, a common manifestation of scorn (cf. Mic 6:16; Jer 19:8). היניע יד, to swing the hand, embodying the thought, "Away with her, she has richly deserved her fate."