Sofonia 1:11 Commento

After the title of the book (Zep 1:1) here is, I. A threatening of the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem, an utter destruction, by the Chaldeans (Zep 1:2-4). II. A charge against them for their gross sin, which provoked God to bring that destruction upon them (Zep 1:5, Zep 1:6); and so he goes on in the rest of the chapter, setting both the judgments before them, that they might prevent them or prepare for them, and the sins that destroy them, that they might judge themselves, and justify God in what was brought upon them. 1. They must hold their peace because they had greatly sinned (Zep 1:7-9). But, 2, They shall howl because the trouble will be great. The day of the Lord is near, and it will be a terrible day (Zep 1:10-18). Such fair and timely warning as this did God give to the Jews of the approaching captivity; but they hardened their neck, which made their destruction remediless.

Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh The name of a street in Jerusalem, as Aben Ezra; perhaps it lay low in the hollow of the city, and in the form of a mortar, from whence it might have its name, as the word F17 signifies; which is used both for a hollow place and for a mortar, ( Judges 15:19 ) ( Proverbs 27:22 ) unless it might be so called from such persons dwelling in it, that used mortars for spice, and other things. The Targum is, ``howl, all ye that dwell in the valley of Kidron;'' and Jerom thinks the valley of Siloah is intended, which is the same; which, Adrichomius F18 says, was broad, deep, and dark, and surrounded the temple in manner of a foss, or ditch; and was disposed in the form of a mortar, called in Hebrew "machtes"; in Latin, "pila"; in which merchants and tradesmen of all kinds dwelt. It is thought by others to be the same which Josephus F19 calls "the valley of the cheese mongers", which lay between the two hills Zion and Acra. The reason of their howling is, for all the merchant people are cut down; either cut to pieces by the sword of the enemy, and become silent, as the word F20 sometimes signifies, and the Vulgate Latin version here renders it; become so by death, and laid in the silent grave, and no more concerned in merchandise; or else stripped of all their wealth and goods by the enemy, and so cut down, broke, and become bankrupt, and could trade no more. The word for merchant signifies a Canaanite; and the Targum paraphrases it thus, ``for all the people are broken, whose works are like the works of the people of the land of Canaan:'' all they that bear silver are cut off; that have large quantities of it, and carry it to market to buy goods with it as merchants; these shall be cut off, and so a great loss to trade, and a cause of howling and lamentation; or such that wear it in their garments, embroidered with it; or rather in their purses, who are loaded with this thick clay, abound with it. The Targum is, ``all that are rich in substance shall be destroyed.'' FOOTNOTES: F17 (vtkmh) "mortarii", Vatablus, Tigurine version; "cavi", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "loci concavi", Calvin. F18 Theatrum Terrae Sanctae, p. 163. F19 De Bello Jud. l. 5. c. 4. sect. 1. F20 (hmdn) "conticuit", V. L. "in silentium redactus est", Drusius.

(Verse 11.) Ululate, inhabitants of the ball: all the people of Canaan are silent. LXX: Mourn, you who inhabit the broken one: for all the people of Canaan are compared. The ball which is called Machtes in Hebrew, and is reversed by Aquila, εἰς τὸν ὅλμον, must be read with a long syllable first, not a short one, so that we do not think of a sphere, but of an elongated one, so that we know it is said about the ball in which grains are pounded, a concave vessel, suitable for the use of physicians, in which ptisanae are usually prepared. Someone may say that they understand what 'pila' means, but they want to know why it is mentioned in the present context. Because once there was a description of a captured city, and it is said: 'The voice of shouting comes from the Gate of Fish, and the howl from the Second, and great destruction from the hills.' Now the same order of description is maintained, and it is said about the howling of those who live in the Valley of Siloe. And Scripture beautifully did not say those who live in the valley, those who live in the gorge, but those who live in the pila, because indeed just as grains are crushed by a beam striking from above, so an army will rush out from the Gate of Fish, and the Second Gate, and the hills against you. But the people of Canaan he called the people of Judah, according to what we read in Daniel: The seed of Canaan and not of Judah (Dan. XIII, 56); and to Jerusalem: Your father was an Amorite, and your mother a Hittite (Ezek. XVI, 3); and in another place: Canaan is in your hand, the scale of iniquity (Hosea XII, 7). And if we want to weave a moral interpretation according to both translations, those who dwell in the deepest depths of sin are rightly stirred to howling and lamentation, and those immersed in the lowest depths of their crimes say: I am stuck in the mud of the deep, and there is no substance, they say (Ps. LXVIII, 2). And it is added: you who dwell in the shattered, that is, a soul wounded by many iniquities, or the Church, which is torn by schisms and heresies, and laments over each wound and mourns the children who have been killed. But what it says: 'The whole population of Canaan has become silent, or rather their blasphemy has ceased on the day of judgment' signifies that their mouths, which they have raised up to the skies, and their tongues, which reach down to the earth, will be silenced for eternity. And because Jerusalem has sinned, and therefore has been thrown into turmoil, the people are called Canaan, which means 'commotion'. For it cannot be said: 'He has set my feet upon a rock' (Psalm 39:3), but instead he is uncertain and always in motion. Therefore, even the holy man Noah, after he awoke from his sleep, placed a curse on Canaan, saying: 'Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers' (Genesis 9:25). Not only are sinners likened to Canaan, but according to the quality and diversity of sin, one is likened to Pharaoh, another to the giant Nimrod. And conversely, through good works and virtues, since the paths of virtues are different, one person takes on the spirit of Abraham, another of Moses, another of Elijah; therefore, it is said by the Apostle: Be zealous for better gifts (1 Corinthians 12:31). But whoever is perfect, according to that perfection which human condition can attain, is marked by the likeness of God. They all perished, wrapped in silver. LXX: They all perished, those who trusted in wealth. They said to themselves, 'We have such great riches that we consider ourselves wrapped up and protected by them.' Or at least according to the LXX, those who were lifted up in pride and despised the poor were destroyed by anger. Consider also that it does not say 'those who trusted in wealth will perish,' but rather, even now, before the day of punishment comes to them, in their very pride and constant thoughts of their treasures, they have already perished and fallen. But whoever understands this, I think he does not desire riches enough, in which they will not perish, but have perished who have been proud. Nor indeed should it be estimated that only those who have been proud of silver have perished, but according to this definition, he who boasts in the nobility of his race will also perish. He who boasts in dignities will perish; he who is inflated will perish; he who boasts in the strength of his body will perish. He who is softened by the weakness of women, nourishes his hair, plucks his hairs, polishes his skin, and gazes at himself in the mirror, which is properly the passion and madness of women, will perish. But if anyone wants to be exalted and boast with holy pride, let them be exalted with the apostles, when they are worthy to suffer insult for the name of Jesus Christ, let them boast with the Apostle, who rejoiced in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces patience, and patience produces hope, and hope does not disappoint (Rom. 5).

Maktesh - Calmet says this signifies a mortar, or a rock in form of a mortar, and was the name of a quarter of Jerusalem where they hulled rice, corn, etc., according to St. Jerome. Some think the city of Jerusalem is meant, where the inhabitants should be beat and pounded to death as grain is pounded in a mortar. Newcome translates it, the lower city, and considers it the valley in Jerusalem, which divided the upper from the lower city. They that bear silver - The merchants, moneychangers, usurers, rich men.

GOD'S SEVERE JUDGMENT ON JUDAH FOR ITS IDOLATRY AND NEGLECT OF HIM: THE RAPID APPROACH OF THE JUDGMENT, AND THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF ESCAPE. (Zep. 1:1-18) days of Josiah--Had their idolatries been under former kings, they might have said, Our kings have forced us to this and that. But under Josiah, who did all in his power to reform them, they have no such excuse. son of Amon--the idolater, whose bad practices the Jews clung to, rather than the good example of Josiah, his son; so incorrigible were they in sin. Judah--Israel's ten tribes had gone into captivity before this.

Maktesh--rather, "the mortar," a name applied to the valley of Siloam from its hollow shape [JEROME]. The valley between Zion and Mount Olivet, at the eastern extremity of Mount Moriah, where the merchants dwelt. Zac 14:21, "The Canaanite," namely, merchant [Chaldee Version]. The Tyropœon (that is, cheese-makers') valley below Mount Akra [ROSENMULLER]. Better Jerusalem itself, so called as lying in the midst of hills (Isa 22:1; Jer 21:13) and as doomed to be the scene of its people being destroyed as corn or drugs are pounded in a mortar (Pro 27:22) [MAURER]. Compare the similar image of a "pot" (Eze 24:3, Eze 24:6). The reason for the destruction is subjoined, namely, its merchant people's greediness of gain. all the merchant people--literally, the "Canaanite people": irony: all the merchant people of Jerusalem are very Canaanites in greed for gain and in idolatries (see on Hos 12:7). all . . . that bear silver--loading themselves with that which will prove but a burden (Hab 2:6).

Judgment upon All the World, and upon Judah in Particular - Zephaniah 1 The judgment will come upon all the world (Zep 1:2, Zep 1:3), and will destroy all the idolaters and despisers of God in Judah and Jerusalem (Zep 1:4-7), and fall heavily upon sinners of every rank (Zep 1:8-13). The terrible day of the Lord will burst irresistibly upon all the inhabitants of the earth (Zep 1:14-18).