The Meaning of Zephaniah 1:7 Explained

Zephaniah 1:7

KJV: Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

YLT: Hush! because of the Lord Jehovah, For near is a day of Jehovah, For prepared hath Jehovah a sacrifice, He hath sanctified His invited ones.

Darby: Be silent at the presence of the Lord Jehovah; for the day of Jehovah is at hand; for Jehovah hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath hallowed his guests.

ASV: Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord Jehovah; for the day of Jehovah is at hand: for Jehovah hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath consecrated his guests.

Discover Zephaniah 1:7

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Zephaniah 1:7?

MEANING: What does Zephaniah 1:7 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Zephaniah 1:7 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Zephaniah 1:7?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Hold thy peace  at the presence  of the Lord  GOD:  for the day  of the LORD  [is] at hand:  for the LORD  hath prepared  a sacrifice,  he hath bid  his guests. 

What does Zephaniah 1:7 Mean?

Study Notes

for the day of the Lord
As in the other Prophets, the approaching invasion of Nebuchadnezzar is treated as an adumbration of the true day of the Lord in which all earth-judgments will culminate, to be followed by the restoration and blessing of Israel and the nations in the kingdom. See "Day of the Lord" Isaiah 2:10-22 ; Revelation 19:11-21 "Israel"; Genesis 12:2 ; Genesis 12:3 ; Romans 11:26 . CF. Joel 1, 2.

Verse Meaning

In view of the inevitability of coming judgment for idolatry, it was appropriate for the Judeans to be quiet before sovereign Yahweh (cf. Habakkuk 2:20).
"This is a call to the people of Judah to cease every manner of opposition to God"s word and will, to bow down in submissive obedience, in unconditional surrender, in loving service, to their Covenant God." [1]
This is Zephaniah"s first reference to the day of the Lord, to which he referred24times in this book. [2]
References to the day of the LORD as a time of judgmentReferences to the day of the LORD as a time of blessingThe day of the LORD Zephaniah 1:7; Zephaniah 1:14 (2)That day Zephaniah 3:11; Zephaniah 3:16The day of the LORD"s sacrifice Zephaniah 1:8That time Zephaniah 3:19-20That day Zephaniah 1:9-10; Zephaniah 1:15The time Zephaniah 3:20That time Zephaniah 1:12A day of the LORD"s wrath Zephaniah 1:18The day Zephaniah 2:2; Zephaniah 3:8The day of the LORD"s anger Zephaniah 2:2-3A day Zephaniah 1:15 (5), Zephaniah 1:16
The day of the Lord was a time when God works, in contrast to man"s day in which he works.
"As employed by the prophets, the Day of the Lord is that time when for His glory and in accordance with His purposes God intervenes in human affairs in judgment against sin or for the deliverance of His own." [3]
Here the prophet announced that the Lord"s day was near; He was about to intervene in human history (e.g, the Flood). The Lord had prepared a sacrifice, namely, Judah (cf. Isaiah 34:6; Jeremiah 46:10), and He had set apart "guests" to eat it, namely, the Babylonians (cf. Jeremiah 10:25; Habakkuk 1:6). Another view is that the invited guests were the Judeans who, ironically, would also serve as the sacrifice. [4]

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 1:7 mean?

Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD for [is] at hand the day of Yahweh for has prepared Yahweh a sacrifice He has invited His guests
הַ֕ס מִפְּנֵ֖י אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֑ה כִּ֤י קָרוֹב֙ י֣וֹם יְהוָ֔ה כִּֽי־ הֵכִ֧ין יְהוָ֛ה זֶ֖בַח הִקְדִּ֥ישׁ קְרֻאָֽיו

הַ֕ס  Be  silent 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הַס 
Sense: (Piel) hush, keep silence, be silent, hold peace, hold tongue, still v.
מִפְּנֵ֖י  in  the  presence 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
אֲדֹנָ֣י  of  the  Lord 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲדֹנָי  
Sense: my lord, lord.
יְהוִ֑ה  GOD 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
קָרוֹב֙  [is]  at  hand 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: קָרֹוב  
Sense: near.
י֣וֹם  the  day 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
יְהוָ֔ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
הֵכִ֧ין  has  prepared 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כּוּן 
Sense: to be firm, be stable, be established.
יְהוָ֛ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
זֶ֖בַח  a  sacrifice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זֶבַח  
Sense: sacrifice.
הִקְדִּ֥ישׁ  He  has  invited 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָדַשׁ  
Sense: to consecrate, sanctify, prepare, dedicate, be hallowed, be holy, be sanctified, be separate.
קְרֻאָֽיו  His  guests 
Parse: Verb, Qal, QalPassParticiple, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.

What are the major concepts related to Zephaniah 1:7?

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Similar Scriptures for Zephaniah 1:7

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