The Meaning of Zephaniah 2:11 Explained

Zephaniah 2:11

KJV: 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.

YLT: Fearful is Jehovah against them, For He made bare all gods of the land, And bow themselves to Him, each from his place, Do all islanders of the nations.

Darby: Jehovah will be terrible unto them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and all the isles of the nations shall worship him, every one from his place.

ASV: Jehovah 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 nations.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Zephaniah 2:11 Mean?

Verse Meaning

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. Malachi 1:11). This part of the prophecy awaits future fulfillment.

Context Summary

Zephaniah 2:1-15 - Meekness Saves, Pride Destroys
The nation, on the whole, had no remorse, no desire for God; but there were a few meek and lowly souls, and the hope was held out to them that they would be hidden from the coming overthrow. God discriminates in His judgments, and sends His angels to conduct Lot out of Sodom. The judgment of the surrounding nations occupies Zephaniah 2:4-15. Philistia, Moab, Amnion, Ethiopia and Assyria, are mentioned. God never forgets the treatment meted out to His people by their foes, Zephaniah 2:8-10. The captivity of Israel would be turned again, but there was no hope of recovery for the peoples that had rejoiced in their overthrow. What a picture is given in Zephaniah 2:11 of famished gods! It seemed incredible that great Nineveh should become a wilderness, yet so it has been for centuries. Whenever an individual or nation dwells carelessly, destruction is not far away. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zephaniah 2

1  An exhortation to repentance
4  The judgment of the Philistines,
8  of Moab and Ammon,
12  of Ethiopia,
13  and of Assyria

What do the individual words in Zephaniah 2:11 mean?

Awesome Yahweh [will be] to them for He will reduce to nothing - all the gods of the earth and [People] shall worship Him each one from his place [Indeed] all the shores of the nations
נוֹרָ֤א יְהוָה֙ עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם כִּ֣י רָזָ֔ה אֵ֖ת כָּל־ אֱלֹהֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ וְיִשְׁתַּֽחֲווּ־ לוֹ֙ אִ֣ישׁ מִמְּקוֹמ֔וֹ כֹּ֖ל אִיֵּ֥י הַגּוֹיִֽם

נוֹרָ֤א  Awesome 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָרֵא 
Sense: to fear, revere, be afraid.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh  [will  be] 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם  to  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רָזָ֔ה  He  will  reduce  to  nothing 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָזָה  
Sense: to be or become or grow lean.
אֵ֖ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אֱלֹהֵ֣י  the  gods 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
הָאָ֑רֶץ  of  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְיִשְׁתַּֽחֲווּ־  and  [People]  shall  worship 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁחָה  
Sense: to bow down.
אִ֣ישׁ  each  one 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מִמְּקוֹמ֔וֹ  from  his  place 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.
כֹּ֖ל  [Indeed]  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אִיֵּ֥י  the  shores 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אִי  
Sense: coast, island, shore, region.
הַגּוֹיִֽם  of  the  nations 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.