Zephaniah 2.6-The Mediterranean Coastal Plain Will Become Pasture Lands, Dwelling Places and Sheep Pens For Shepherds
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday April 19, 2016
Zephaniah: Zephaniah 2:6-The Mediterranean Coastal Plains Will Become Pasture Lands, Dwelling Places and Sheep Pens for Shepherds
Lesson # 44
Zephaniah 2:5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines; And I will destroy you so that there will be no inhabitant. 6 So the seacoast will be pastures, with caves for shepherds and folds for flocks. (NASB95)
“So the seacoast will be pastures” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction w (וְ), “so” (2) third person feminine singular qal active perfect form of the verb hāyâ (הָיָה), “will be” (3) masculine singular construct form of the noun ḥebel (חֶבֶל), “the seacoast” (4) articular masculine singular form of the noun yām (יָם), “the seacoast” (5) feminine plural form of the absolute noun nāwâ (נָוָה), “pastures.”
The conjunction w means “consequently, so that, with the result that” since it is functioning as a marker of result meaning it is introducing a prophetic declaration which presents the result of the previous two prophetic declarations recorded in Zephaniah 2:5.
It introduces yet another prophetic declaration which asserts that the Mediterranean seacoast will be used as pasture lands by shepherds and as pens for their flocks.
In verse 7, the prophet expands on this prophecy in verse 6 by asserting that a remnant from the kingdom of Judah will take possession of the Mediterranean seacoast.
Therefore, all this indicates that the Lord will destroy the Cretan and Philistine nations “so that” or “with the result that” the remnant of Judah will use the Mediterranean seacoast as pasture lands by their shepherds and as pens for their flocks.
As was the case in Zephaniah 2:5, the noun ḥebel here in Zephaniah 2:6 means “boundary, region, coast” since it pertains to the end or limit of a fixed area.
When this region is bordered by the sea, it is translated “seacoast.”
The construct state of this word means that it is governing the word which follows it and is expressing a genitive relation with this word which is the noun yām, which refers to a body of water.
The articular construction of this word indicates that this body of water was well-known to the citizens of the kingdom of Judah in Zephaniah’s day.
History tells us that this body of water is the Mediterranean since history records that the Cretans and the Philistines settled on the Mediterranean coastal plains.
The verb hāyâ means “to be” in the sense of existing in a particular state or condition.
Here it is used of the Mediterranean seacoast in Zephaniah’s day in the seventh century B.C.
Thus, this verb indicates that the Mediterranean seacoast will “exist in the state or condition” of being pastures lands for the remnant of the kingdom of Judah.
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.
It expresses the certainty that Mediterranean seacoast will exist in the state or condition of being pasture lands for the remnant of the kingdom of Judah.
The noun nāwâ is in the plural and means “pasture lands, grazing places” since it is describing the Mediterranean coastal plains which were suitable and used for grazing flocks and herds.
“With caves for shepherds and folds for flocks” is composed of the following: (1) feminine plural construct form of the noun kārâ (כָּרָה), “caves” (2) masculine plural qal active participle form of the verb rāʿâ (רָעָה), “for shepherds” (3) conjunction w (וְ), “and” (4) feminine plural construct form of the noun gĕdērâ (גְּדֵרָה), “folds” (5) masculine singular form of the collective noun ṣōʾn (צֹאן), “for flocks.”
The meaning of the noun kārâ is difficult to determine.
It may be a synonym of nāwâ.
The word kar (כַּר) in biblical Hebrew means “pasture” but elsewhere it forms its plural with a masculine ending.
Some have suggested the meaning “wells” or “caves” used as shelters (cf. NEB “shepherds’ huts”).
If this is correct, then we would could render verse 6: “The seacoast will be used for pasturelands; for shepherds’ wells/caves.”
The noun kārâ would appear to mean “wells, cisterns” since its cognate verb kārâ (כָרָה) means “to dig” which would strongly suggest the noun means “wells, cisterns” (cf. Ps. 94:13).
This meaning does make sense of the context.
However, another meaning which makes sense of the context would be “dwelling, shelters, caves” since it is used in relation to shepherds.
The construct state of this word kārâ would seem to indicate that this is the meaning of the word rather than “wells” or “cisterns” since the construct state of this noun expresses a genitive relation between this word and the word which follows it which is the verb rāʿâ, “for shepherds” which it governs.
The genitive relation between these two words is a genitive of purpose which means that the participle rāʿâ is specifying the purpose of the preceding construct form of the noun kārâ which would indicate that the purpose of these temporary dwelling places was to provide shelter for the shepherds.
These dwelling places are for shepherds.
Wells or cisterns would be more important to sustain the life and well-being of the flocks while shelter from the elements would be critical for the shepherds.
The verb rāʿâ is in the qal stem and means “to be a shepherd” since the word pertains to caring for any needs that flocks of small mammals have, and so act as a herdsman with emphasis on providing grazing pasture for the flock and moving the flocks around to the grazing grounds.
Therefore, this word describes a person whose occupation is tending, feeding and guarding sheep in a pasture.
The noun gĕdērâ means “pen” since it pertains to a stone-fenced area for holding livestock such as sheep.
The construct state of this word indicates that it is governing the word which follows it and is expressing a genitive relation with this word which is the collective noun ṣōʾn which means “sheep” since it pertains to a collection of goats and/or sheep.
The word speaks of a ceremonially clean individual four-footed mammal smaller than cattle, donkeys and thus it refers sheep.
The genitive relation is explicative which means that ṣōʾn specifies a subtype or genus within the broader category of the construct noun gĕdērâ.
Thus, these two words should be translated “sheep pen.”
Zephaniah 2:5 Disaster for those who inhabit the seacoast, namely the Cretan nation. The message originating from the Lord is directed against each and every one of you inhabitants of Canaan, the inhabitants of the land of the Philistines because “I will surely cause each and every one of you to be killed until there is absolutely not one inhabitant.” 6 Consequently, the seacoast will, as a certainty be pasture lands, dwelling places for those who are shepherds as well as sheep pens. (My translation)
The prophetic declaration in verse 6 is a result clause since it presents the result of the previous two prophetic declarations recorded in Zephaniah 2:5.
The first asserted that disaster would strike those who inhabit the Mediterranean seacoast and specifically the Cretan nation.
The second predicts that the inhabitants of Canaan, and specifically the Philistines would be killed by the Lord until there is absolutely not one of them left in Canaan.
Now, here in verse 6, the prophet asserts that the Mediterranean seacoast will as a certainty be used as pasture lands and dwelling places for those who are shepherds as well as for sheep pens.
In verse 7, the prophet expands on this prophecy in verse 6 by asserting that a remnant from the kingdom of Judah will take possession of the Mediterranean seacoast.
Therefore, in verse 6, we have a prediction that the Mediterranean coastal plains will be used as pasture lands and dwelling places as well as sheep pens for shepherds from the remnant of Judah as a result of the Lord destroying the Cretans and the Philistines.
This was fulfilled in history through a combination of two events.
The first is the Babylonian invasions of the Mediterranean coastal plains which destroyed the Cretan and Philistine populations.
The second is that a small remnant from the kingdom of Judah returned from the Babylonian exile and settled on the Mediterranean coastal plains replacing the Cretan and Philistine nations.
God destroyed these two nations because of their unrepentant sinful condition.
If they had repented like the people of Nineveh, God would have relented and had mercy on them and spared their lives.
However, history records that they did not follow the example of the people of Nineveh and were thus attacked by Nebuchadnezzar and were either killed or exiled to Babylon as was the case with the kingdom of Judah.
Zephaniah 2:6 and history teaches us that God is holy and that He exercises His righteous indignation against unrepentant sinners.
It also teaches us that God is the judge not only of Judah or Israel but all the nations of the earth are under His sovereign authority.