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Introduction
to Zephaniah
INTRODUCTION TO ZEPHANIAH
This
book in some Hebrew copies is called "Sepher Zephaniah", the Book of
Zephaniah. Its title, in the Vulgate Latin version, is, the Prophecy of
Zephaniah; and, in the Syriac version, the Prophecy of the Prophet Zephaniah;
and so the Arabic version calls him a prophet; and he is the last of the minor
prophets that prophesied before the Babylonish captivity. The time of his
prophesying, as well as his, parentage, are expressed Zephaniah 1:1, and
therefore need not be inquired into; only the sad mistake of HobbesF1Leviathan,
c. 33. may be observed, who makes him to be the most ancient of the prophets,
and to be contemporary with Amaziah and Uzziah, kings of Judah, when he is
expressly said to prophesy in the days of Josiah. Pseudo-EpiphaniusF2De
Prophet. Vita & Interitu, c. 19. calls him a prophet of Sarabatha, of a
mountain of that name, and says he was of the tribe of Simeon; and in this
IsidoreF3De Vita & Morte Sanct. c. 48. agrees with him; and both
affirm that he died and was buried in his own native place; but the author of
the Cippi HebraiciF4P. 50. Ed. Hottinger. says he was buried at
Geba, in Mount Lebanon, in the midst of a cave shut up, where his school
continues; and from which place the clouds never depart, and where also are
flowing fountains. His name, according to Jerom, signifies either "the
Lord's watch tower", or "watchman"; or else "the secret of
the Lord"; or, "his hidden one"; deriving his name, either from
hpu, which signifies to "look out", as a watchman from his tower; or
from Npu, "to hide"; which latter derivation is best; and some
interpret it "a revealer of the secrets", or "hidden things, of
the Lord"; and take it to be much the same with Zaphnathpaaneah, the name
given to Joseph by Pharaoh, Genesis 41:45, and
is of the same signification: but HillerusF5Onomastic. Sacr. p. 471,
952. interprets the name of Zephaniah, "the Lord hid himself"; which
agrees with the times in which he lived. That this prophecy was wrote by
himself, there need be no doubt of; nor of the authenticity of it, being always
received by the Jewish synagogue as authentic; and as it appears to be from its
style and manner of composition; from the subject matter of it agreeing with
other parts of Scripture, especially with Jeremiah and Ezekiel; and from the
accomplishment of various prophecies in it. There are indeed some spurious
things which have been ascribed to him, as the "analepsis" or
assumption of Zephaniah the prophet, and the prophecy of Zephaniah, consisting
of six hundred verses; but these are apocryphal, and have no likeness to this
prophecy; in which he foretells the destruction of the Jews by the Chaldeans
for their sins, which he inveighs against, and calls them to repentance for
them, as also the ruin of many other nations, all which came to pass; as well
as he prophesies of the calling of the Gentiles, and the conversion of the
Jews, and of the comfortable state of the church in Gospel times, and especially
in the latter day.
Commentator
John Gill (November 23, 1697-October 14,
1771) was an English Baptist, a biblical scholar, and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
In his youth, he attended Kettering Grammar School, mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve, Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor, William Wallis, on the text, "And the Lord called
unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel,
Horsleydown, Southwark in 1719. In 1757, his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane, St. Olave's Street, Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748, Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist, which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself, which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version Bible, NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version, while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order,
grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou",
"thee", "ye," "thy," and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example, "speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young, who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.