Zephaniah 3.19b-God Will Deliver the Lame and Gather the Exiled Within the Future Remnant of Israel
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday September 22, 2016
Zephaniah: Zephaniah 3:19b-God Will Deliver the Lame and Gather the Exiled Within the Future Remnant of Israel
Lesson # 93
Zephaniah 3:19 “Behold, I am going to deal at that time with all your oppressors, I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will turn their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.” (NASB95)
“I will save the lame” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction w (וְ), which is not translated (2) first person singular hiphil active perfect form of the verb yāšaʿ (יָשַׁע), “I will save” (3) object marker ʾēt (אֵת), which is not translated (4) articular feminine singular qal active participle form of the verb ṣālaʿ (צָלַע), “the lame.”
The conjunction w (vay) is adjunctive meaning it is introducing a prophetic declaration which is in addition to the previous one in the verse.
Specifically, it is presenting another action the Lord will perform at His Second Advent.
The verb yāšaʿ (yah-shah) means “to save, to rescue, to deliver” and can refer to saving or delivering or rescuing someone in a spiritual sense or in a physical sense such as from an enemy or some great danger.
Here it is used with regards to the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of Israel and is used in a physical sense speaking of Him delivering those who trust in Him from an army or enemies seeking to destroy them.
This verb appears in Zephaniah 3:17 to describe the Lord and was modifying the noun gibbôr, (gee-borrre) “mighty warrior” which speaks of someone who distinguishes Himself in combat or war which would strongly suggest that the word is used of deliverance from one’s enemies or great physical danger.
Thus, this verb (yaw-shah) in Zephaniah 3:17 and 19 is referring to the fact that Jesus Christ will physically deliver the remnant of Israel from great physical danger because of their enemies seeking to destroy them rather than referring to the spiritual deliverance He provides sinners through faith in Himself.
The hiphil stem of this verb yāšaʿ is factitive which indicates that the Lord Jesus Christ as the subject will cause the lame among the remnant of Israel to enter into a state of being delivered from their enemies.
The perfect conjugation of this verb is a prophetic perfect expressing the certainty that this event will take place in the future.
The verb ṣālaʿ (tsaw-lah) is in the qal stem and means “to be lame” since the word pertains to having a body part and especially a limb so disabled as to impair freedom of movement.
Here it is referring to those among the remnant of Israel who are physically injured and specifically have had their legs injured.
“And gather the outcast” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction w (וְ), “and” (2) articular feminine singular niphal passive participle form of the verb nādaḥ (נָדַח), “the outcast” (3) first person singular piel active imperfect form of the verb qābaṣ (קָבַץ), “gather.”
The conjunction w is adjunctive meaning it is introducing a group of people within the remnant of Israel who will be delivered by the Lord from their enemies which is in addition to those who are lame or injured.
The verb qābaṣ (kaw-vats) is in the piel stem and means “to gather, assemble” since the word pertains to lifting up an object to make linear motion with the object.
Here it is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ gathering the lame and the exiled of the remnant of Israel and bringing them back to the land promised to them and their progenitors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The piel stem of this verb qābaṣ is a factitive piel which denotes that the Lord Jesus Christ will cause the lame and the exiled within the future remnant of Israel to enter a state of being gathered to Himself in the land promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The imperfect conjugation of this verb refers to a completed action as part of a temporal sequence and is expressing this action of Jesus Christ gathering this future remnant of Israel as taking place in the future from the perspective of Zephaniah in the seventh century B.C.
The verb nādaḥ (nee-dahhhaw) is in the niphal stem and means “to be exiled” since the word pertains to being forced to live in another place rather than one’s homeland.
Here it refers to the remnant of Israel who have been exiled to foreign countries because of their enemies.
It speaks of the remnant of Israel living during the seventieth week of Daniel who have been exiled to other countries because of the persecution precipitated by Satan and Antichrist.
The niphal stem of this verb is a niphal passive which expresses the idea that this remnant has been exiled because of those who mistreat them.
Zephaniah 3:19 “Behold, I myself am about to take action against each and every one of those who habitually mistreat you during a specific period of time in the future. Also, I will surely deliver the lame and in addition I will cause those who are exiled to be gathered. Indeed, I will surely transform them, specifically, I will surely transform their shame into praise as well as honor throughout the entire earth.” (My translation)
The second prophetic declaration in Zephaniah 3:19 presents another action the Lord will perform at His Second Advent on behalf of this future remnant of Israel.
In this prophecy, the Lord asserts that He will surely deliver the lame and will cause those who are exiled to be gathered back to Himself in the land of Israel (cf. Isa. 43:5).
The lame would be those regenerate Jews who were injured in war or persecution during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week of Daniel which Jesus Christ calls the “great tribulation.” (Matt. 24:21)
The exiled refers to regenerate Jews who were forced to leave the land of Israel as a result of Antichrist’s persecution (Matt. 24:15-28).
Of course, some Jews will remain in the city of Jerusalem and fight the Antichrist and the tribulation armies (Zech. 14:1-2).
This gathering of the exiled and lame within this future remnant of Israel will occur when Jesus Christ at His Second Advent orders the elect angels to bring them back to the land promised to them and their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and is mentioned in Matthew 24:31 and Mark 13:27.
This second final prophetic declaration in Zephaniah 3:19 implies that there is yet to be another dispersion for the nation of Israel in the future.
The first took place as a result of the Babylonian invasions in the seventh and sixth centuries B.C.
The second was the result of the Roman invasions of Judea in 70 A.D.
In 1948, Israel became a nation again and the Jews resettled their ancient homeland.
However, the great tribulation period during the seventieth week of Daniel instigated by Antichrist will result in a third and final dispersion of the Jews throughout the world.