Zephaniah 1:6 Ulasan

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.

And them that are turned back from the Lord Who once were worshippers of him, but now become apostates, and had turned their backs on him and his worship. Some think this describes those who renewed their covenant with God in Josiah's time, and after that revolted from him, who must be very abominable to him; and therefore he threatens to stretch out his hand, and pour out his wrath upon them: and [those] that have not sought the Lord, nor inquired for him; profane abandoned sinners, that lived without God in the world, and as if there was no God; never concerned themselves about the worship of him, having no faith in him, love to him, or fear and reverence of him; so far were they from seeking him in the first place diligently, zealously, and with their whole heart, that they never sought him at all; nor took any pains to get any knowledge of him, or of his mind and will, and manner of worship; but were altogether careless about these things, and unconcerned for them.

(Verse 4 and following) And I will stretch out my hand over Judah and over all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and I will destroy from this place the remnants of Baal, and the names of the idolatrous priests together with the priests, and those who worship on the rooftops the host of heaven, and those who worship and swear by the Lord, and swear by Melchom; and those who turn away from the Lord, and those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of him. LXX: And I will stretch out my hand over Judah, and over all who dwell in Jerusalem, and I will remove from this place the names of the Baals, and the names of the priests with the priests, and those who worship on the rooftops the host of heaven, and those who swear by the Lord, and swear by their king, and those who turn away from the Lord, and those who do not seek the Lord, and those who do not retain the Lord. After the downfall of the impious and the removal of the wicked from the face of the earth, consequently, regarding Judah and Jerusalem, it is said in the person of the Lord: 'And I will stretch out my hand over Judah and over all the inhabitants of Jerusalem' (for the stretching out of the hand indicates the gesture of striking); 'and I will destroy from this place the remnants of Baal' (not that the names of the Baals according to the Septuagint are to be completely eradicated, but rather that the worshippers of Baal, who remained few in number from the slaughter of the enemies in Judah and Jerusalem, are to be removed). The names of the priests, as well as the temple attendants, were also mentioned. Judas and Benjamin had fallen into such great impiety that they set up a statue of Baal in the Temple of the Lord, as Ezekiel writes and the fourth book of Kings shows. This statue, which the Lord calls the image of jealousy, and the idols in the same sanctuary were worshipped both by priests and the Lord (Ezekiel VIII). Hence, the priests of the idols were specifically called not priests, but 'temple attendants' or fanatics, which in Hebrew is called Acchumarim (4 Kings X and XVII). So the Lord will remove from Jerusalem the judges and priests who once served him, as well as those who worshiped the army of heaven—the sun and the moon and the stars—and those who swore allegiance to the Lord but also worshiped Molech, the detestable idol of the Ammonites. The Lord will sweep them away and erase even the memory of them from Israel. He will destroy the leftovers of Baal worship and the names of the pagan priests. Those who worship on the rooftops, those who swear oaths by the Lord and also by Molech, those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek nor ask for his guidance will be cut off as well. But the people of Israel turn their backs on the Lord, abandoning his worship and swearing by Melchom, and worshiping the host of heaven and bowing down to the idol of the Sidonians, Baal. So far the meaning of the story has been explained; now let us consider the moral sense. Because of the Lord who came from the tribe of Judah, and because of Jerusalem where Judas reigned, that is, the Lord and Savior, let us say that when wickedness has multiplied and the love of many has grown cold, and when the Lord comes, faith will be rare on earth to the extent that God's chosen ones will even be tested (Matthew 24, Luke 18). Then the Lord will stretch out his hand in punishment for sins upon Judas, who seems to confess the name of the Lord, and upon Jerusalem, the Church which has received its name from peace, and will remove the names of the Baals from the Church, which is interpreted in higher things. But the Lord will take away the names of empty glory and false admiration, which are found in the Church, in which, according to James, a golden ring is honored, and the poor is despised, when at the coming of the judge and senator, and in the common gathering of all the rich, the whole people rise up, and the holy poor is not even given a place to stand among the ranks of the powerful, and their privileges are not granted; but also the names of the priests with the priests who applaud themselves in vain in the name of bishop, and in the dignity of the presbytery, and not in work (James 2). Where he particularly says, that the works of the priests with other priests are not necessary, but only for show they assume false titles of dignity, and by evil works they destroy their own names, and those who worship the celestial host above the roofs, who rise up against the knowledge of God; and everything that is done in the world, they falsely claim to possess knowledge about, and they attribute it to the movements of the stars and the rising and setting, and they follow the errors of the mathematicians, and those who worship the Lord and Melchom, who think they can serve both the world and the Lord, and satisfy two masters, God and mammon: they, while claiming to be soldiers of Christ, bind themselves to worldly affairs, and offer the same image to God and Caesar, and although they claim to be priests of Christ, they consecrate their sons to Melchom, that is, to their king (2 Timothy 2). For they are right who have a king for a man, who have lost the Lord as their king, and who turn away from the Lord through wicked works, and do not seek him, holding onto their sins as they flee. But if anyone wishes to understand this according to the interpretation of the names of Judah and Jerusalem upon the soul of each person, he will not err, that the Lord may take away all that we have said, either at the consummation of the world, or at the departure of each individual, when they will hear: 'Fool, tonight your soul will be taken from you.' (Luke 12) And may He stretch out His hand upon him who does not confess the Lord, and upon him who boasts of having the sense of peace, so as to remove and destroy from such Jerusalem all pride, and false worship of God, and errors of doctrines, and servitude to God and the world alike, and through daily sins, turning away from the Lord and neglecting God.

Them that are turned back - Who have forsaken the true God, and become idolaters. Nor inquired for him - Have not desired to know his will.

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.

This verse describes more comprehensively those guilty of defection from Jehovah in any way (Jer 2:13, Jer 2:17).

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).