Ninth of the Minor Prophets in the Prophets section of the Bible. Zephaniah was a descendant of Hezekiah (Zeph. 1:1), presumably King Hezekiah of Judah. In that case, he was distantly related to King Josiah, during whose reign he prophesied. If this is true, one can understand why the prophet railed against the nobility, with whose style of life he was personally acquainted. According to Jewish tradition, Zephaniah was a contemporary of the prophet Jeremiah and the prophetess Huldah. According to a tradition, Jeremiah preached in the markets, Zephaniah in the synagogues, and Huldah before the women.
The Book of Zephaniah is the ninth book of the 12 Minor Prophets. It consists of three chapters, with 53 verses. It contains three oracles by Zephaniah delivered during the early years of the reign of King Josiah (639-609 BCE). The first oracle castigates the people of Judah for idol worship, for adopting non-Israelite practices (1:8). Their punishment is to be a cataclysm, which, like other prophets before him, Zephaniah refers to as the Day of the Lord. Because his descriptions of this event are so vivid, Zephaniah is often called "the prophet of the Day of the Lord." The second oracle is a call for repentance, evidently aimed at Judah. Zephaniah's final oracle denounces Judah's political and religious leaders. God promises to bring against them an army of people from all over the world composed of devotees of God. The surviving remnant of Judah will include ingathered exiles, and it will be characterized by justice and humility; it will be the pride of all humanity.
The New Encyclopedia of Judaism. Copyright © 1989, 2002 by G.G. The Jerusalem Publishing House, Ltd. All rights reserved.
