Zephaniah 1.10-Zephaniah Predicts the Anguish of the Citizens of Jerusalem Resulting from the Destruction of the City by an Army from the North
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday March 2, 2016
Zephaniah: Zephaniah 1:10-Zephaniah Predicts the Anguish of the Citizens of Jerusalem Resulting from the Destruction of the City by an Army from the North
Lesson # 24
Zephaniah 1:10 “On that day,” declares the LORD, “There will be the sound of a cry from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills.” (NASB95)
“There will be” is the third person masculine singular qal active perfect form of the verb hāyâ (הָיָה), which means “to take place, to occur.”
It is used of the punishment the Lord will inflict upon the citizens of Jerusalem as a result of their idolatrous and unfaithful behavior as related to their covenant relationship with God.
Specifically, this verb is used of the intense anguish the citizens of Jerusalem will experience when the Lord sends a foreign army from the north to attack her.
Thus, this word speaks of this intense anguish of the citizens of Jerusalem “taking place” or “occurring” on the day of the Lord’s sacrificial meal when He sends a foreign army from the north to attack her as a result of her citizens’ idolatrous and unfaithful behavior with regards to their covenant relationship with Him.
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 this intense anguish of the citizens of Jerusalem will take place during the period of the Lord’s sacrificial meal.
“On that day” is composed of the following: (1) preposition b (בְּ), which is not translated (2) articular masculine singular form of the noun yôm (יוֹם), “day” (5) definite article ha- which is not translated (4) third person masculine singular pronominal suffix hûʾ (הוּא), “that.”
The noun yôm means “time period” since it does not pertain to a twenty-four period but rather an indefinite period of time which could range from a relatively short to very long period of time.
Here it refers to the period of time in which the God of Israel judged the citizens of the kingdom of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem between 605-587 B.C. through the Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar.
The noun yôm is the object of the preposition b which is functioning as a marker of an extent of time within a larger unit and therefore, it denotes that “during” this indefinite period of time, there will be anguish among the idolatrous and unfaithful citizens of Jerusalem.
“Declares the LORD” is composed of the following: (1) masculine singular construct form of the noun nĕʾum (נְאֻם), “declares” (2) masculine singular proper noun yhwh (יהוה), “the Lord.”
The masculine singular construct form of the noun nĕʾum means “declaration” since it pertains to a marker of prophetic discourse as a marker of the origin and authority of the message in the discourse found in the beginning, middle and mostly on the end of a discourse.
So here the word is a marker of prophetic discourse so as to identify this prophetic declaration in Zephaniah 1:10 as originating from the Lord and thus expressing the divine authority of this message.
The proper noun yhwh (Yahweh) means “the Lord” and is the covenant-keeping personal name of God used in connection with God’s covenant relationship with the Jewish people and emphasizes that God has a covenant relationship with the unfaithful and idolatrous citizens of Jerusalem.
It indicates that the Lord through Zephaniah is speaking of those who have trusted in Him and are believers since in Old Testament Israel non-believers do not have a covenant relationship with Him but only believers.
Also, this word yhwh is emphasizing the “immanency” of the Lord meaning that He involves Himself in and concerns Himself with and intervenes in the affairs of men and specifically it emphasizes that the Lord intervenes in the lives of those who He has a covenant relationship, namely the people of Judah.
Zephaniah 1:10 “Consequently, there will certainly be during this particular period,” declares the Lord, “a sound of a scream of anguish from the Fish Gate as well as wailing from the Second District and in addition a loud crash from the hills.” (My translation)
The three prophecies contained in Zephaniah 1:10 present the result of the previous prophetic statements recorded in Zephaniah 1:8-9.
In verse 8, the prophet Zephaniah under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit predicts that during the period of the Lord’s sacrificial meal He will certainly inflict punishment against the leaders of Judah.
He asserts that the Lord will inflict punishment against the King of Judah’s sons as well as against each and every one in the kingdom of Judah who wear foreign clothing.
Then, in verse 9, he asserts that during this period of the Lord’s sacrificial meal, the Lord will certainly inflict punishment against each and every one of those in Judah who leap over the threshold and are characterized as causing Solomon’s temple to be filled with violence and deceit.
Now, here in verse 10, the prophet first asserts that during this period of the Lord’s sacrificial meal, there will be the sound of a scream of anguish coming from the Fish Gate in Jerusalem.
Secondly, he asserts that there will certainly be a wailing from the Second Quarter in this city.
Thirdly, he asserts that there will certainly be a loud crash from the hills surrounding Jerusalem.
This prediction in verse 10 refers to the invasion of Jerusalem by a foreign army coming from the north which is the result of the idolatrous behavior of Jerusalem’s citizens.
The Lord will send a foreign army to attack Jerusalem from the north as a result of her citizens’ idolatrous and unfaithful behavior.
“During this particular period” refers to the period of time in which the God of Israel judged the citizens of the kingdom of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem between 605-587 B.C. through the Babylonian Empire under Nebuchadnezzar.
Nebuchadnezzar’s attack of Jerusalem in 605 B.C. during the third year of Jehoiakim, Judah’s king resulted in the first of three deportations of the Jewish people (Daniel 1:1; 2 Kings 24:1-2, 13; 2 Chronicles 36:5, 6, 7).
Nebuchadnezzar captured the city of Jerusalem in 597 B.C. and in 587 B.C. destroyed the city and the temple.
That this attack is from north is indicated by the reference to the “Fish Gate” and the “Second District” since the Fish Gate was the north gate of the second district or quarter of Jerusalem.
Researchers have been unable to determine a precise location or date range for the Fish Gate, neither by biblical references nor archaeological findings.
However, it was probably located near the northwest corner of the Temple Mount.
The Fish Gate is mentioned in connection with fortifications built by Manasseh (2 Chronicles 33:14).
It was rebuilt during the time of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 3:3; 12:39).
The name is perhaps derived from the proximity of the gate to the fish market (cf. Nehemiah 13:16-22).
The “Second District” or “Second Quarter” was a residential area of Jerusalem which is mentioned three times in the Old Testament and likely extended west of the City of David and the Temple Mount.
There are two main locations which have been proposed by archaeologists.
The first is west of the city of Jerusalem on the Western Hill and the other is north of Jerusalem.
The hills mentioned in Zephaniah 1:10 were situated on the western, central and eastern sides of the city of Jerusalem.
Mount Zion was located in the west, while Mount Moriah was situated centrally and the Mount of Olives was located on the eastern border.
The north provided easier access to Jerusalem due to these hills located on the west, east and centrally.
So the Fish Gate and the Second Quarter mentioned in Zephaniah 1:10 were situated on the norther sector of the city of Jerusalem.
Fortifications for Jerusalem were customarily located in the north which was the place most vulnerable in time of an enemy attack.
The crumbling and collapse of these fortifications on the hills of Mount Moriah, Olives and Zion would lead the citizens of this city to scream out in anguish and wail.
Zephaniah 1:10 reveals that the prophet Zephaniah knew the city of Jerusalem and in particular its layout.
This prophecy was fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon three invasions of Jerusalem in 605, 597 and 586 B.C.
This army attacked Jerusalem from the north in fulfillment of this prophecy.
So Zephaniah 1:10 is describing the anguish of the citizens of Jerusalem during these three invasions.
It is also describing the sound of this attack.
Interestingly, God’s destruction of the capital city of the kingdom of Judah would start in the commercial or financial district of the city and not the Temple.
This attack from the north would be against the “Wall Street” of the kingdom of Judah.
