The Meaning of Zephaniah 1:12 Explained

Zephaniah 1:12

KJV: And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil.

YLT: And it hath come to pass, at that time, I search Jerusalem with lights, And I have laid a charge on the men Who are hardened on their preserved things, Who are saying in their heart: Jehovah doth no good, nor doth He evil.

Darby: And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men that are settled on their lees, that say in their heart, Jehovah will not do good, neither will he do evil.

ASV: And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with lamps; and I will punish the men that are settled on their lees, that say in their heart, Jehovah will not do good, neither will he do evil.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it shall come to pass at that time,  [that] I will search  Jerusalem  with candles,  and punish  the men  that are settled  on their lees:  that say  in their heart,  The LORD  will not do good,  neither will he do evil. 

What does Zephaniah 1:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord would search among the residents of Jerusalem carefully then, as one searches by using a lamp (cf. Luke 15:8). He would punish the people whose love for Him had stagnated, like wine left undisturbed too long (cf. Revelation 3:15-16), and who concluded indifferently that He was complacent and would not act (cf. Isaiah 32:9; Ezekiel 30:9; Amos 6:1).

Context Summary

Zephaniah 1:1-18 - "the Great Day Of The Lord"
Zephaniah means hidden of the Lord. He lived in Josiah's reign, and cooperated with that king in his efforts to put down idolatry. His prophecy deals with the sins that were rife in Judah and the fearful retribution that would be inflicted through the Chaldeans.
Approaching destruction, Zephaniah 1:2-6. The Chemarim, r.v., were idolatrous priests dressed in black garments. Malcam is Milcom or Moloch. Notice the successive classes of those who were to suffer in the overthrow. They constitute a series of concentric circles, narrowing down at last to those who had turned back, and to those who had never sought the Lord.
The invaders, Zephaniah 1:7-18. The guests whom God invited to the banquet were Nebuchadnezzar and his soldiers! They marched in through the Fish Gate; and, as they advanced, cry after cry arose from the affrighted populace, driven from quarter to quarter. Maktesh, Zephaniah 1:11, was probably the Vale of Siloam, where the merchant princes dwelt or pursued their business. None would be able to elude the coming vengeance. Those that affected foreign attire, or leaped across the threshold in superstition, or practiced deceit, would have to pay dearly for their sins. Fulfilled in the overthrow of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and afterward by Titus, these words will always stand for the inevitable national sufferings which follow national crimes. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zephaniah 1

1  The time when Zephaniah prophesied
2  God's severe judgments against Judah

What do the individual words in Zephaniah 1:12 mean?

And it shall come to pass at time that [That] I will search - Jerusalem with lamps and punish on the men who are settled in complacency who say in their heart not will do good Yahweh nor will He do evil
וְהָיָה֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔יא אֲחַפֵּ֥שׂ אֶת־ יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם בַּנֵּר֑וֹת וּפָקַדְתִּ֣י עַל־ הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים הַקֹּֽפְאִים֙ עַל־ שִׁמְרֵיהֶ֔ם הָאֹֽמְרִים֙ בִּלְבָבָ֔ם לֹֽא־ יֵיטִ֥יב יְהוָ֖ה וְלֹ֥א יָרֵֽעַ

וְהָיָה֙  And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בָּעֵ֣ת  at  time 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: עֵת  
Sense: time.
הַהִ֔יא  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person feminine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
אֲחַפֵּ֥שׂ  [That]  I  will  search 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: חָפַשׂ  
Sense: to search, search for, to search out, disguise oneself.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
בַּנֵּר֑וֹת  with  lamps 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נִיר 
Sense: lamp.
וּפָקַדְתִּ֣י  and  punish 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
הָאֲנָשִׁ֗ים  the  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
הַקֹּֽפְאִים֙  who  are  settled 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: קָפָא 
Sense: to thicken, condense, congeal, settle, become dense.
שִׁמְרֵיהֶ֔ם  complacency 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: שֶׁמֶר  
Sense: lees, dregs.
הָאֹֽמְרִים֙  who  say 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בִּלְבָבָ֔ם  in  their  heart 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לֵבָב  
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.
יֵיטִ֥יב  will  do  good 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָטַב  
Sense: to be good, be pleasing, be well, be glad.
יְהוָ֖ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְלֹ֥א  nor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יָרֵֽעַ  will  He  do  evil 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מֵרֵעַ 
Sense: to be bad, be evil.