The Meaning of Zephaniah 3:14 Explained

Zephaniah 3:14

KJV: Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

YLT: Cry aloud, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel, Rejoice and exult with the whole heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

Darby: Exult, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; rejoice and be glad with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem:

ASV: Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Sing,  O daughter  of Zion;  shout,  O Israel;  be glad  and rejoice  with all the heart,  O daughter  of Jerusalem. 

What does Zephaniah 3:14 Mean?

Verse Meaning

In view of these wonderful prospects, Zephaniah called the people of Jerusalem and all the Israelites to shout for joy with all their hearts.
"Although the command is aimed at the future Jerusalem, no doubt the message would not be lost on the godly worshipers of Zephaniah"s own day." [1]
The phrase "daughter of" is a way of referring to the citizens of Zion (Jerusalem) as the children of the city. Children born in any city are the children of that city in a metaphorical sense as well as the children of their physical parents in a literal sense. Elsewhere, "daughters of Jerusalem" sometimes refers to the villages surrounding Jerusalem, those little communities that Jerusalem spawned.

Context Summary

Zephaniah 3:1-20 - Fullness Of Salvation
The sins of Jerusalem, Zephaniah 3:1-7. Uninfluenced by judgments upon other nations, Jerusalem pursued her course, morally impure, oppressive, refusing instruction, estranged from God. Yet God still dwelt in the city which He had chosen. Morning by morning His Spirit was appealing for repentance and righteousness. Through His faithful ones He was still shedding the light and glory of a holier civilization through the community, but the population at large refused to heed.
The effects of cleansing judgment, Zephaniah 3:8-20. These closing verses are marked by great tenderness, showing as they do, the results that God's dealings are designed to effect. A pure life; service with one consent; the trust of the afflicted soul in the love of God; the weaning of the heart from all iniquity-what great and lovely results of that long captivity! Let God have His way with you! He will change your sorrow into songs; will cast out your enemies and turn again your captivity; will manifest His infinite love, now in brooding tenderness, and then in outbursting songs. Those who have been filled with sorrow, and have borne the burden of reproach for God, shall be comforted. Even the halt and exiled shall participate, and become a name and a praise. The captives would be liberated and the dispersed would be gathered home [source]

Chapter Summary: Zephaniah 3

1  A sharp reproof of Jerusalem for various sins
8  An exhortation to wait for the restoration of Israel,
14  and to rejoice for their salvation by God

What do the individual words in Zephaniah 3:14 mean?

Sing daughter of Zion Shout Israel Be glad and rejoice with all [your] heart daughter of Jerusalem
רָנִּי֙ בַּת־ צִיּ֔וֹן הָרִ֖יעוּ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל שִׂמְחִ֤י וְעָלְזִי֙ בְּכָל־ לֵ֔ב בַּ֖ת יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם

רָנִּי֙  Sing 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: רוּן 
Sense: to overcome.
בַּת־  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
צִיּ֔וֹן  of  Zion 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
הָרִ֖יעוּ  Shout 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: רוּעַ  
Sense: to shout, raise a sound, cry out, give a blast.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
שִׂמְחִ֤י  Be  glad 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: שָׂמַח  
Sense: to rejoice, be glad.
וְעָלְזִי֙  and  rejoice 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: עָלַז  
Sense: (Qal) to exult, rejoice, triumph.
בְּכָל־  with  all 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
לֵ֔ב  [your]  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
בַּ֖ת  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם  of  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.