Zephaniah 1.3c-The Lord Declares That He Will Bring About the Violent Execution of the Human Race
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday February 3, 2016
Zephaniah: Zephaniah 1:3c-The Lord Declares That He Will Bring About the Violent Execution of the Human Race
Lesson # 12
Zephaniah 1:1 The word of the LORD which came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah: 2 “I will completely remove all things from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD. 3 “I will remove man and beast; I will remove the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea, and the ruins along with the wicked; And I will cut off man from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.” (NASB95)
“And I will cut off man from the face of the earth” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction w (וְ), “and” (2) third person masculine singular hifʿîl active perfect form of the verb kārat (כָּרַת), “I will cut off” (3) object marker ʾēt (אֵת), which is not translated (4) masculine singular noun ʾādām (אָדָם), “man” (5) preposition min (מִן), “from” (4) preposition ʿal (עַל), “from” (6) masculine plural construct form of the noun pāne (פָּנֶה), “the face of” (7) articular feminine singular form of the absolute noun ʾădāmâ (אֲדָמָה), “the earth.”
This prophetic statement is emphatic meaning it advances upon and intensifies the first prophetic statement in Zephaniah 1:3 that the Lord is about to cause the destruction of humanity.
It also advances upon and intensifies the prophetic statement in Zephaniah 1:2 that the Lord is about to cause every living thing to be destroyed on the face of the earth.
In other words, the third prophetic statement serves to reiterate in order to emphasize the prophetic statement in Zephaniah 1:2 and the first one in Zephaniah 1:3.
This final prophetic statement in Zephaniah 1:3 expresses the Lord’s determination and resolve to destroy the human race along with those who practice idolatry in the kingdom of Judah.
Furthermore, it is advancing upon the prophetic statement in Zephaniah 1:2 and the first one in Zephaniah 1:3 in the sense that it is expressing the violent nature in which the Lord is determined to destroy the human race along with those who practice idolatry in the kingdom of Judah.
This is indicated by the verb karat which means “to violently cut off, to violently remove, to violently execute as a criminal.”
Therefore, it is expressing the idea that the Lord will violently execute as criminals the human race and those who practice idolatry in Judah as criminals because they have broken the first two of the Ten Commandments.
The perfect tense of this verb is a perfect of certitude or prophetic perfect which describes a future event as if it had already taken place and expresses the certainty that the Lord will bring about the violent execution of the human race.
Zephaniah 1:3 “I am about to cause the human race as well as the animal kingdom to be destroyed. I am about to cause the birds belonging to the earth’s atmosphere as well as aquatic life belonging to the various bodies of water to be destroyed likewise the wicked who produce their idolatrous obstacles. Yes, I will bring about the violent execution of the human race residing on the face of the earth,” declares the Lord. (Author’s translation)
This third and final prophetic statement in Zephaniah 1:3 is expressing the idea that the Lord will bring about the violent execution of the human race as criminals and those who practice idolatry in Judah as criminals because they have broken the first two of the Ten Commandments.
It also expresses the certainty that the Lord will bring about the violent execution of the human race.
This violent execution of members of the human is commensurate with the pervasive violence of those who rebel against the God of Israel (cf. Zephaniah 1:9).
We must remember that like the flood of Noah, this judgment of the human race and Judah was redemptive in the sense that just as a godly remnant was saved from the ungodly in the days of Noah, so a godly remnant in Judah was delivered from the ungodly in Judah during the days of Nebuchadnezzar.
Also, just as a godly remnant was saved from the ungodly in the days of Noah, so a godly remnant in Israel will be delivered from the ungodly through the tribulation portion of Daniel’s seventieth week and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
In each instance the ungodly, who are those practicing idolatry will be removed from the earth by the Lord leaving a godly remnant to worship Him.
Like Zephaniah 1:2, the prophet in Zephaniah 1:3 emphasizes that the Lord is the author of these three prophetic declarations which predicts that He will bring about the execution as criminals the human race residing on the face of the earth.
As was the case in Zephaniah 1:2, these three prophetic statements in Zephaniah 1:3 are poetic hyperbole expressing the finality and decisiveness of God’s judgment of both mankind, the animal kingdom, bird kingdom, aquatic life and those practicing idolatry in Judah.
Thus, it does not speak of the annihilation of the human race, the animal kingdom, bird kingdom, aquatic life and those practicing idolatry in Judah.
These prophetic declarations are hyperbole which is so called because the expression adds to the sense so much that it exaggerates it and enlarges or diminishes it more than is really meant in fact or when more is said than is meant to be literally understood in order to heighten the sense.
This figure emphasizes that the Lord will not kill each and every living being or creature on the earth but a good majority of them.
There are many indications within the contents of Zephaniah which indicate the language of Zephaniah 1:2-3 are hyperbole.
For example, Zephaniah 2:3 indicates the possibility of the “humble of the land” surviving this catastrophic judgment.
In Zephaniah 3:6-9, the prophet asserts that although “no one will be left—no one at all” in the cities of the nations, the Lord also announces that He will “purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.”
Furthermore, Zephaniah 3:10 and 20 reveal that the Lord’s people will also worship Him after the earth is judged.
Zephaniah 3:11-12 also predicts that the Lord will remove the proud rebels in the midst of Judah and will leave a remnant of humble Jews.
This will also be true of the Gentile nations.
Therefore, the totality of destruction theme is merely hyperbole in order to emphasize that there will be no place on planet earth which will escape the Lord’s judgment and that the renovation of the earth will be complete.
So the Lord’s three prophetic declarations contained in Zephaniah 1:3 are all related to the tribulation portion of Daniel’s seventieth week which will end with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
These prophetic declarations were fulfilled to a certain extent in a near sense through Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon sacking Judah and her neighbors in the Mediterranean region.
This is indicated by the fact that Nebuchadnezzar’s armies did kill the majority of those practicing idolatry in Judah since they rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar which was against the will of the Lord according to Jeremiah chapters 25-27.
It is also indicated by the prophetic declarations that appear in Zephaniah 1:3-3:7 which speak of the destruction of Judah and her Gentile neighbors which took place through the Babylonian invasions led by Nebuchadnezzar.
Zephaniah 1:3-2:3 describes the historical situation in the kingdom of Judah when the Babylonian invasions took place.
Also, Zephaniah 2:4-15 contains references to Gentile nations which surrounded Judah which like Judah were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.
Zephaniah 2:4-5 contains references to Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, Crete and the Philistines.
Zephaniah 2:8-12 contains references to the nations of Moab, Ammon and Ethiopia.
Zephaniah 2:13-15 contains a reference to Assyria and the great city Nineveh which were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon.
However, these three prophetic declarations that appear in Zephaniah 1:3 will ultimately be fulfilled in a far sense during the tribulation portion of Daniel’s seventieth week.
This is indicated by the prophetic declarations that appear in Zephaniah 3:8-20 which contain references to the restoration and regeneration of the nation of Israel and millennial reign of Jesus Christ which immediately follow the tribulation portion of Daniel’s seventieth week.
Nowhere in Judah or Israel’s history was Judah or Israel regenerated with their Messiah living in their midst rejoicing over them.
The mention of the human race, the animal and bird kingdoms and aquatic life suffering God’s wrath emphasizes how thorough the destruction of planet earth will be indicating that when this judgment is executed the events on earth will be like during the days of Noah.
This also indicates that this prophecy in Zephaniah 1:3 will find its ultimate fulfillment during the tribulation portion of Daniel’s seventieth week.
In fact, Jesus Christ taught that this period will be like the days of Noah (cf. Matthew 24:37-38).
So here in Zephaniah 1:3 the judgment described in this verse is very similar to the flood of Noah (cf. Genesis 6:17; 7:21-23).
Notice also in Zephaniah 1:3 that there is the reversal of creation.
The order of creation was fish, birds, beast and then mankind (cf. Genesis 1:20-26).
Here in Zephaniah 1:3 the order is completely reversed.