The Book of Zephaniah

Thomas Renz is the rector of Monken Hadley. Previously, he taught Old Testament and Hebrew at Oak Hill Theological College (1997-2009). Renz published a revision of his 1997 University of Bristol dissertation as The Rhetorical Function of the Book of Ezekiel (VTSup 76; Brill, 1999). He has contributed many articles on these books and a monograph on Hebrew Poetry, Colometry and Accentuation in Hebrew Prophetic Poetry (KUSATU 4; Hartmut Senner, Waltrop 2003). This new volume of the New International Commentary on the Old Testament replaces O. Palmer Robertson’s highly respected commentary on these three obscure Minor Prophets (Eerdmans, 1990). 

Renz states in the preface he tried to confine himself to matters which "illuminate our understanding of the received Hebrew text" (xv). Initially he did not want to be overly concerned with text-critical or redactional issues. But as the commentary progressed, he realized some discussion of source, form and reduction criticism was necessary. But these are not what drives this commentary. Technical details appear in the commentary under the heading "composition" or in the footnotes. This will make the commentary accessible to pastors without being overwhelmed by technical details.

Like other prophetic texts, the Book of Zephaniah enjoyed popularity and recognition by the members of the Qumran community. This is testified to by five biblical manuscripts of that book, four in Hebrew (4Q77-78, 4Q82, Mur 88) and one in Greek (8Hev 1), quotations in the Rule of the Community (1QS 5:11 = Zeph 1:6) and in the Exposition on the Patriarchs (4Q464 frg. 4, col. 3, line 9 = Zeph 3:9), direct allusions in the Rule of the Community (1QS 10:22; par. 4Q260 frg. 1, col. 3, line 3 = Zeph 3:13), allusions in the Thanksgiving Scroll (1QH 13:32 and 17:6 = Zeph 1:15), in the Paraphrase of the Books of the Kings (4Q382 frg. 9, line 4 = Zeph 1:5), in the Words of the Lights (4Q504 frg. 1-2, col. 5, lines 5-6 = Zeph 1:18; 3:6.8), as well as by its existence in the form of two scrolls as the Pesher Zephaniah (1Q15; 4Q170). Even though the extant texts of the Pesher Zephaniah are highly fragmentary and do not have much content, the very fact of their existence proves that the biblical Book of Zephaniah was the subject of intense studies carried out by the members of the community, and that its text served as a source of commentary.

Zephaniah 2:1 calls "the nation not longing" to bundle together in submission to the Lord, and 2:3 urges "the humble of the land/earth" to seek him increasingly. The identity of these vocatives significantly affects the book's interpretation , but scholars generally offer one of three views on the proper referent(s): (1) Both 2:1 and 3 address Judah collectively as a rebellious nation. (2) 2:1 confronts rebellious Judah collectively, but 2:3 speaks to the enemy foreign nations. (3) 2:1 addresses rebellious Judah collectively, but 2:3 addresses the nation's faithful remnant. After overviewing these alternatives and arguing that option three best captures the principal referents, this study argues (4) that Judah and its remnant are the primary but not sole addressees of 2:1 and 3, with the literary context suggesting that the prophet intended that other rebellious nations and their remnants see 2:1 and 3 as applying equally to them by extension.

In the New Testament there are no citations from the Book of Zephaniah. There are only allusions which are understood as references to another work of literature thanks to which a given text uses the content of other literature to a greater or lesser extent as a way of expressing its own content. The author of the article analyses the following allusions: to Zep 1:3 in Mt 13:41; to Zep 3:8 in Rev 16:1; to Zep 3:13 in Rev 14:5 and to Zep 3,15 in Jn 1:49, asking about their importance and weight. He comes to the conclusion that some of them are very probable (e.g. Zep 1:3 in Mt 13:41; Zep 3:13 in Rev 14:5 or Zep 3,15 in Jn 1:49) and others should be viewed as the echo of prophetic texts (e.g. Zep 3:8 in Rev 16:1). However, in all cases we can observe the reinterpretation of the Book of Zephaniah in a new Christological (Zep 1:3 in Mt 13:41; Zep 3,15 in Jn 1:49), ecclesiological (Zep 3:13 in Rev 14:5) or theological (Zep 3:8 in Rev 16:1) context.

The chief aim of this article is to show the key features of the Aramaic version of the Book of Zephaniah, that is a part of the Targum Jonathan. The first section of the research discusses the most important aspects of the theological concepts of Targum Jonathan based on examples from Targum Zephaniah. The second part of the article also presents some features of targumic renderings.

The author gives, first, the detailed panorama of the historical situation in Juda in VII century BCE and, second, describes the reforms of Josiah. As regards the exact dating of the life and activity of the prophet Zephaniah there are three main options. One group of scholars puts it at the very beginning of the reign of the king Josiah, so immediately after 640 BCE. The others prefer the time that followed the very beginnings of the reform movement, mentioned in the Second Book of Chronicle, so in the decade before the culmination of the reform activities of Josiah. The third group puts the message of Zephaniah in the period after 622 BCE, suggesting that the prophet strongly supported the king. The first two solutions seem to be the most reasonable.