He is of the royal line of judah, and more specifically of the house of david. Fausset introduction see introduction to the prophetical books zephaniah, ninth in order of the minor prophets, prophesied in the days of josiah zep 1. Zephaniah the one whom jehovah has chosen was a prophet of judah. Introduction zephaniah ministered before the babylonian captivity began in 586 bc and not long before jeremiah, who lived at the time of the captivity. The people rebel against the teachings of the lord or his servants the prophets. The purpose of this book was to show that god raised up his prophet zephaniah to proclaim a warning of coming judgment and to encourage repentance. When god had a message for the people, he spoke through the prophets. Book of zephaniah, also called sophonias, the ninth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, collected in one book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. Among the minor prophets, we are certainly much more familiar with jonah and hosea.
The book of zephaniah follows the pattern of the four rs rebellion, retribution, repentance, restoration. The frequency of this expression is the highest of any old testament prophet. Zephaniahs prophecy of judgment on judah and jerusalem emphasizes, perhaps more than any other prophecy, the devastation. This probable royal ancestry made him somewhat unusual among all the other hebrew prophets. Video video download options bible book introduction videos share. Zephaniah intro to zephaniah biblica the international bible. Introduction to the prophets bible commentary theology. One day the lords faithful ones will experience an everlasting world of righteousness, peace, prosperity, and joy.
Each of the twelve individual books hosea, joel, amos, obadiah, jonah, micah, nahum, habakkuk, zephaniah, haggai, zechariah, and malachi begins with its own narrative introduction that identifies the prophet and provides details concerning the historical setting and literary characteristics. The book of zephaniah center point bible institute. Often the prophets used a crisis in their day to foreshadow future, endtime events. The latter prophets are divided into two groups, the major prophets isaiah, jeremiah and ezekiel and the twelve minor prophets hosea, joel, amos, obadiah, jonah, micah, nahum, habakkuk, zephaniah, haggai, zechariah and malachi collected into a single book. Zephaniah, the prophet who authored this book, most likely had a royal lineage. The name means jehovah hath guarded, literally, hidden psa 27. The small book of zephaniah is narrative history and prophetic oracle. Three of the latter prophets isaiah, jeremiah, and ezekiel whose books in the old testament are quite lengthy. There is no way to know, however, whether or not his greatgreatgrandfather is the renowned king of judah. Among the jewish captives in the first deportation 605 bc was the young man daniel, whom god used in babylon in the court of all the babylonian emperors. We can begin to pinpoint exactly when zephaniah prophesied by accounting for a few details in the. The prophet zephaniah was evidently a person of considerable social standing in judah and was probably related to the royal line. Dont we need the prophecy of the royal prophet today to bolster our wavering faith. His greatgreat grandfather was hezekiah, one of judahs most righteous kings.
This day is one of judgment against those who sin against god, and one of blessing for those who follow him. This is book number 8 in the summary of the 12 minor prophets of the bible. The name zephaniah means hidden of the eternal, and his book indicates divine protection for gods people. One interesting find is located in the first verse of the book of zephaniah. Introduction to zephaniahthe days of josiah zephaniah 1 may 29 the prophet zephaniah prophesied during the days of king josiah. The prophets in jerusalem at this time included nahum, jeremiah and zephaniah though the high priest turned to a woman prophet, huldah, to interpret the scroll for the king. This prophet warns of the approaching invasion of judah. Historical introduction zephaniah the prophet prophesied during the reign of king josiah who ascended his throne in 639 bc. Doesnt this minor prophet named zephaniah seem extremely relevant for our times, too. The book consists of a series of independent sayings, many of which are rightly attributed to zephaniah, written probably about 640630 bc. His prophecy is the shortest book in the old testament, and one of the most difficult of the prophets to assign a date. He may have been a contemporary of other old testament prophets such as jeremiah and nahum and the book of mormon prophet lehi see bible chronology.
Book of zephaniah, the ninth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, collected in one book, the twelve, in the. David pawson teaching trust 2019 david pawson says that zephaniah was a descendant of the last good king, but now, after evil kings, there was a boy king on the throne, josiah. Introduction286 the book of zephaniah is probably best known for being the least known book of the entire bible. My servants the prophets lessons from the minor prophets lesson 1. The day of the lord is coming, says the book of zephaniah, because gods patience has a limit when it comes to sin. On this day, the nearness and severity of which are emphasized, the lord. The theme of zephaniah is the approaching day of the lord. Jonah had a whale of a time trying to run from god, but. Historically, the book of zephaniah was used in the providence of god to prepare judah for the reforms and revival under king josiah. The book declares judgment on many nations, all of which opposed god. Interesting facts about zephaniah biblical facts and.
The book tells us that zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah, the king of judah from 640 to 609 bc zephaniah 1. Personal and national sins had provoked god to bring judgment. Zephaniah would have been the first prophet to judah in the 60 years since isaiah nahum was about assyria iv. Shortly after this time the babylonians would replace the assyrians as the dominant power in the near east. The book is attributed to a prophet named zephaniah, who prophesied in judah during the seventh century b. Unlocking the old testament part 55 zephaniah youtube. Zephaniah contemporary of jeremiah preached around 625 bc king manasseh is dead after a reign of 55 years the most evil king in judah he was the exact opposite of his father king hezekiah. The greatgreat grandson of the godly king hezekiah the only prophet of royal descent. The books of nahum, habbakuk and zephaniah with introduction and notes. Introduction to prophets study guide flashcards quizlet. Hosea, joel, amos, obadiah, jonah, micah, nahum, habakkuk, zephaniah, haggai, zechariah, and malachi. Zephaniah may have been a contemporary of other old testament prophets such as jeremiah and nahum and the book of mormon prophet lehi see bible. Haggai ministered among the jews who had returned to judea after some 70.
Born during the later part of the reign of king manasseh. The prophecy opens with a statement of the authors ancestry, which in itself is an unusual feature of the hebrew prophetic tradition. In any case, zephaniah s oracles are set in the days of josiah. Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah 640609 b. The third chapter of zephaniah is a powerful message of hope, restoration, singing, productiveness, new birth, and the lords return to the center of his new church. The name of the book it is named after the prophet. Zephaniah means yahweh has hiddenprotected, or yahweh hides. Probably the most famous of the minor prophets, this book details the adventures of a prophet named jonah who was unwilling to proclaim gods message to the assyrians in nineveh thats because jonah was afraid the ninevites would repent and avoid gods wrath. It is a small book, nestled in the midst of the minor prophets, toward the end of the old testament. The book of zephaniah was written before 629 bc when josiah found and eagerly read the holy scriptures discovered in the temple. The first verse of the book of zephaniah makes him a contemporary of josiah, king of judah reigned c. The book was written some time between 641 and 612 b. Josiah was followed by kings whose disastrous political decisions eventually brought the babylonian conqueror nebuchadnezzar ii against jerusalem 2 kgs. A commentary on the minor prophets obadiah, joel, jonah.
So often found in the teachings of the prophets of israel. His word came in visions, oracles, dreams, parables, and the like. We have no knowledge of his background except for what is given in verse 1 regarding his lineage. This summary of the book of zephaniah provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of zephaniah. Zephaniah, also spelled sophonias, flourished 7th century bc, israelite prophet, said to be the author of one of the shorter old testament prophetical books, who proclaimed the approaching divine judgment. Does zephaniah s prophecy have meaning for our day. Zephaniah is the ninth of the twelve prophets in the book of the twelve in hebrew scripture. Zephaniah is the ninth of the minor prophets, the last 12 books of the old testament. Zephaniah the prophet may have been the son of a cushite man. Among the prophets, this is a unique introduction with its long list of fathers back to zephaniahs greatgreat grandfather, hezekiah. We often overlook seemingly boring genealogies in the bible, but sometimes they can be the most interesting part. The message of zephaniah, a prophet from jerusalem zephaniah is a contemporary of nahum, living and prophesying in jerusalem during the seventh century b. Zephaniah was a fourthgeneration descendant of hezekiah, a notable king of judah from 715 to 686 b.
The specific mention of the second year of darius places the book in the year 520 b. The book of haggai contains messages delivered by the prophet haggai, and thus it is reasonable to consider haggai its author. Book of zephaniah overview insight for living ministries. The book of the twelve prophets was originally on one parchment roll because of the brevity of the text, and together formed one book of the 24 books of hebrew scripture. Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of josiah, when egypt, judah, and babylonia were eroding the power of assyria.
The prophet zephaniah made it clear that the day of gods judgment was near for disobedient judah and jerusalem. Judgment and blessing occur both in the near future for the prophet and his. The major contribution of zephaniah is its contribution to the doctrine of the day of the lord, a concept which occurs over twenty times in the book. The tracing of zephaniah s genealogy through several generations to his greatgreatgrandfather hezekiah is unique in the prophets. The reason for this act of judgement was the rampant idolatry in jerusalem which was begun by manasseh. A guide for introducing each book of the bible please refer to this guide as you rehearse your reading for the week. Its title, in the vulgate latin version, is, the prophecy of zephaniah. The old testament the torah book lectors introduction. Zephaniah may have been a contemporary of other old testament prophets such as jeremiah and nahum and the book of mormon prophet lehi see bible chronology.
The author first of all presents a brief introduction to the minor prophets. Then he takes up each book separately, working through each with general observations discussing such matters as authorship, date, interpretations, message, and lessons, outline of the book, and commentary unfolding the meaning of each passage and verse in clear and. We can begin to pinpoint exactly when zephaniah prophesied by accounting for a few details in the text. The specification in the introductory heading, of not only his.
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