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Exegesis and Exposition of Zephaniah 2:14-15

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Exegesis and Exposition of Zephaniah 2:14-15 EXEGESIS AND EXPOSITION OF ZEPHANIAH 2:14-15 Pastor William E. Wenstrom Jr. WENSTROM BIBLE MINISTRIES Marion, Iowa 2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries Exegesis and Exposition of Zephaniah 2:14-15 Zephaniah 2:14 Flocks Will Lie Down in Nineveh Zephaniah 2:14 Flocks will lie down in her midst, all beasts which range in herds; Both the pelican and the hedgehog will lodge in the tops of her pillars; Birds will sing in the window, desolation will be on the threshold; For He has laid bare the cedar work. (NASB95) “Flocks will lie down in her midst” is composed of the following: (1) which is not translated (2) third person masculine plural qal ,( וְ) conjunction w ,( בְ) will lie down” (3) preposition b“ ,(רָ בַץ) active perfect form of the verb rābaṣ (midst” (5“ ,(תָ וְֶך) in” (4) masculine singular construct form of the noun tāwek“ her” (6) masculine“ ,(הִ יא) third person feminine singular pronominal suffix hîʾ ”.flocks“ ,(עֵדֶ ר) plural noun ʿēder The conjunction w is a marker of result meaning that it is introducing a series of prophetic statements which present the result of the previous prophetic declaration recorded at the end of Zephaniah 2:13 which asserts that the God of Israel will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry land like the desert. The noun ʿēder means “flocks and herds” since this word pertains to flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. It pertains to a group of mammals that range together, usually sheep or goats as well as cows, camels, donkeys, etc. The verb rābaṣ means “to lie down” since it pertains to being in a reclining position. Therefore, this word denotes that flocks of sheep and herds of cattle “will lie down” in the city of Nineveh as a result of the God of Israel judging the human population of the city and removing their presence from her. The qal stem is stative expressing a state or condition indicating that these flocks and herds will exist in the state of reclining in the city of Nineveh as a result of God removing the human population from the city. The imperfect form of this verb describes this prophetic event taking place in the future in the city of Nineveh from the perspective of Zephaniah in the seventh century B.C. The noun tāwek means “midst, middle, center” since it pertains to a space within an area, which is determined to be in the middle in relationship to other objects or positions around it. Here it refers to the “midst” or “middle” of the city of Nineveh. The construct state of this noun means that is governing the word which follows it and is expressing a genitive relation with this word which is the ”which means “her ,(הְִיא) third person feminine singular pronominal suffix hîʾ 2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1 referring to the city of Nineveh. The genitive relation is possession indicating that this “middle” or “midst” belongs to the city of Nineveh. The noun tāwek is the object of the preposition b, which means “in”’ since it is functioning as a marker of location. Therefore, this prepositional phrase indicates that these flocks and herds will lie down “in the midst” of Nineveh. All Types of Wild Animals Will Lie Down in the Midst of Nineveh Zephaniah 2:14 Flocks will lie down in her midst, all beasts which range in herds; Both the pelican and the hedgehog will lodge in the tops of her pillars; Birds will sing in the window, desolation will be on the threshold; For He has laid bare the cedar work. (NASB95) “All beasts which range in herds” is composed of the following: (1) collective all” (2) feminine singular construct“ ,(כֹּל) singular construct form of the noun kōl beasts which range in herds” (3) masculine“ ,(חַיָה) form of the noun ḥayyâ ”.beasts which range in herds“ ,(ּגֹוי) singular noun gôy The noun kōl denotes totality and is used in a distributive sense to express the wide variety of wild animals which will populate the city of Nineveh as a result of God removing her human population as a result of His judgment. The construct state of the noun kōl means that it is governing the word which follows it and is expressing a genitive relation with this word which is the noun ḥayyâ which means “wild animal, wild beast” and is a general term for all types of wild animals. The genitive relation is attributive expressing the idea that “each and every kind of wild animal” will lie die down in the midst of Nineveh as a result of God removing the human population of the city due to His judgment. The construct state of the noun ḥayyâ means that it is governing the word which follows it and is expressing a genitive relation with this word which is the noun gôy which in this context means “type” or “kind” since it pertains to a type of animal. Here it is used in relation to wild animals. The genitive relation is attributive. Therefore, this entire expression indicates that “each and every type of wild animal” will lie down in the midst of the city of Nineveh as a result of God removing the human population of this city due to His judgment. Owls Will Sleep in the Tops of Nineveh’s Support Pillars Zephaniah 2:14 Flocks will lie down in her midst, all beasts which range in herds; Both the pelican and the hedgehog will lodge in the tops of her pillars; Birds will sing in the window, desolation will be on the threshold; For He has laid bare the cedar work. (NASB95) 2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 2 “Both the pelican and the hedgehog will lodge in the tops of her pillars” is both” (2) feminine singular noun“ ,(ּגַם) composed of the following: (1) adverb gam and” (4) masculine singular noun“ ,(ּגַם) the pelican” (3) adverb gam“ ,(קָאַ ת) qāʾat in” (6) masculine plural construct“ ,( בְ) hedgehog” (5) preposition b“ ,(קִפֹּד) qippōd the tops of pillars” (7) third person feminine“ ,(כַפ תֹור) form of the noun kaptôr her” (8) third person masculine plural qal“ ,(הִ יא) singular pronominal suffix hîʾ ”.will lodge“ ,(לִין) active imperfect form of the verb lîn The NET Bible has the following note, they write “The Hebrew text reads here refers to some type of bird קָאַ ת gam-qa’at gam-qippod). The term) ּגַם־קָאַ תְּגַם־קִפֹּד (see Lev 11:18; Deut 14:17) that was typically found near ruins (Isa 34:11); one of the most common translations is “owl” (cf. NEB “horned owl”; NIV, NRSV may also refer to a type of קִפֹּד desert owl”; contra NASB “pelican”). The term“ bird (cf. NEB “ruffed bustard”; NIV, NRSV “screech owl”). Some suggest a rodent may be in view (cf. NASB “hedgehog”); this is not unreasonable, for a rodent or some other small animal would be able to sleep in the tops of pillars which would be lying in the ruins of the fallen buildings.”1 The adverb gam means “also” or “as well as” since it is used in an adjunctive sense in that it introduces an addition to the previous prophetic declaration. The noun qāʾat is the name of a species of desert bird. Some argue that the word speaks of a “pelican” in this context but that is highly unlikely since Nineveh will be devoid of a water supply that will make it uninhabitable for this type of animal. Most expositors believe that it is referring to a “desert owl” here in Zephaniah 2:14. This would appear to be the best interpretation since they would be inclined to live in the tops of the pillars of an abandoned city. Once again we have the adverb gam which is again adjunctive meaning that is it presenting an addition to the noun qāʾat. The noun qippōd is often interpreted as referring to the “screech owl” by most of the modern English translations (LEB, NIV, TNIV, NLT, HCSB) and contemporary scholars. This makes the most sense of the context since they are described as lodging in the support pillars of Nineveh, which an owl would do. Some translate the word “hedgehog” or “porcupine” but as Patterson writes “such an identification is difficult on the basis of the words associated with swampland in Isa. 14:23 and with the list of birds in Isa. 34:11.”2 NEB The New English Bible (1970) NIV The New International Version NRSV New Revised Standard Version (1989) NASB New American Standard Bible NEB The New English Bible (1970) NIV The New International Version NRSV New Revised Standard Version (1989) NASB New American Standard Bible 1 Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press. 2 Patterson, Richard D., An Exegetical Commentary-Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah; www.Bible.org; 2007.2 2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 3 The verb lîn is in the qal stem and means “to live” since it pertains to occupying a space during both the day and nighttime. Here it is used of both the screech and desert owl roosting in the support pillars of Nineveh. The qal stem of this verb is stative expressing a state or condition indicating that these owls will exist in the state of roosting in the support pillars of the city of Nineveh during the day and night as a result of God removing the human population from the city. The imperfect form of this verb describes this prophetic event taking place in the future in the city of Nineveh from the perspective of Zephaniah in the seventh century B.C.
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