EXEGESIS AND EXPOSITION OF 2:4-5

Pastor William E. Wenstrom Jr. WENSTROM MINISTRIES Marion, Iowa 2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

Exegesis and Exposition of Zephaniah 2:4-5

Zephaniah 2:4

Gaza Abandoned

Zephaniah 2:4 For Gaza will be abandoned and a desolation; will be driven out at noon and will be uprooted. (NASB95) “For Gaza will be abandoned” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction Gaza” (3) feminine“ ,(עַזָּה) for” (2) feminine singular proper noun ʿazzâ“ ,(כִּ י) kî abandoned” (4) third“ ,(עָּזַב) singular qal passive participle form of the verb ʿāzab will“ ,(הָּיָּה) person feminine singular qal active imperfect form of the verb hāyâ be.” The conjunction kî means “because” since it functions as a marker of causation since it is introducing a series of prophetic declarations which present the reason for Zephaniah’s previous commands in Zephaniah 2:1 and 3. The proper noun ʿazzâ, “Gaza” means “strong” and refers to one of four major Philistine cities which was located geographically to the south of . It was the Philistine coastal capital within the tribal allotment of Judah (Josh. 15:47). This city lay at the intersection of two important trade routes in the eastern Mediterranean. The “Way of the Sea” ran between Egypt and Mesopotamia (Africa and Asia). The desert route that connected the Red Sea and Arabia with the Mediterranean also crossed through Gaza which made it a constantly contested city. The proper noun ʿazzâ is similar in sound to the verb ʿāzab, which in the qal passive form means “to be abandoned, deserted, forsaken.” Thus, this verb expresses the idea of the Philistine city of Gaza being deserted, forsaken and abandoned by the citizens of this city. The qal stem of this verb ʿāzab is stative expressing a state or condition indicating that the city of Gaza will exist in the state of being abandoned by its citizens. The passive voice of this verb means that the subject receives the action of the verb from an expressed or unexpressed agency. The subject are the citizens of the Philistine city of Gaza. The expressed agency is this city’s citizens. Thus, the passive voice denotes that the city of Gaza will receive the action of being abandoned by its people. The participle form of this verb is functioning as a predicate adjective meaning it is making the assertion that the city of Gaza in the imminent future will exist in a state of being abandoned by its citizens.

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Together, these two words form a play on words between the name of the city Gaza and the fact of its judgment is intended. They are similar in sound and form the figure of speech called “paronomasia,” which is so-called because one word is placed alongside another which sounds and seems like a repetition of it. However, it is not but only similar. Two things are emphasized and the reader’s attention is called to this emphasis by the similarity of the sound. A play on the sound of the name of the city Gaza emphasizes its imminent destruction by God. The verb hāyâ means “to be” in the sense of existing in a particular state or condition. Here it is used in relation to the city of Gaza and Ashkelon expressing the fact that the former will in the future exist in the state or condition of being abandoned by its citizens and the latter will exist in the state or condition of being desolate. The qal stem is stative expressing a state or condition indicating that the city of Gaza will exist in the state of being abandoned by its citizens and the city of Ashkelon will exist in the state of being desolate. The imperfect conjugation of this verb describes this state of Gaza being abandoned by its people and the city of Ashkelon being desolate as taking place in the future.

Ashkelon Desolate

Zephaniah 2:4 For Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon and Ekron will be uprooted. (NASB95) “And Ashkelon a desolation” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction w ,(אַש ק לֹון) and” (2) feminine singular form of the proper noun ʾašqĕlôn“ ,( וְ) which is not translated (4) feminine singular ( ל־) Ashkelon” (3) preposition l“ ”.desolate“ ש ,(מָּמָּ ה) noun šĕmāmâ The conjunction w is adjunctive meaning it is introducing a prophetic declaration which serves as an addition to the previous one that asserted that Gaza will exist in a state of being abandoned by its citizens. The proper noun ʾašqĕlôn, “Ashkelon” means “place of weights” and was located geographically on the Philistine plain, 32 miles south of Joppa. It was one of the five cities of the (Josh. 13:3; 1 Sam. 6:17). It stood on the shore of the Mediterranean and was located 12 miles north/northeast of Gaza. Like Gaza, the city of Ashkelon was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 603 B.C. It kings was killed and prisoners were taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. Ashkelon’s destruction was not only predicted by Zephaniah but also by Jeremiah (47:5-7). The city recovered and became a famous Hellenistic city. The noun šĕmāmâ means “desolate” since the word pertains to a state of utter ruin often relating to uninhabitable land as a sparsely populated area. Here it refers

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 2 to the city of Ashkelon being devastated and destroyed as a result of an invading army plundering them. It describes the condition of the homes of this city as devastated and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies. This word is also the object of the preposition l which should left untranslated since it is simply marking this noun as the predicate adjective of the verb hāyâ which appears in the first prophetic declaration in verse 4. This indicates that this word is making the assertion that Ashkelon will exist in the state or condition of being desolate or a desolation.

Ashdod Driven Out at Noon

Zephaniah 2:4 For Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon and Ekron will be uprooted. (NASB95) “Ashdod will be driven out at noon” is composed of the following: (1) ”at“ ,( בְ) Ashdod” (2) preposition b“ ,( אַשּדֹוד) feminine singular proper noun ʾašdôd noon” (4) third person“ ,(צָּהֳרַ יִּם) articular masculine dual noun ṣāhŏrayim (3) will be“ ,(גָּרַ ש) masculine plural piel active imperfect form of the verb gāraš which is ,(הְִּיא) driven out” (5) third person feminine singular pronominal suffix hîʾ not translated. The prophet Zephaniah is employing the figure of asyndeton meaning he is not using a connective word between the first and second prophetic statements in verse 4 and the next two which are to follow. The purpose of this figure is the structure of the poetic structure of the prophecies in Zephaniah 2:4-15. It also emphasizes the solemn nature of the third and fourth prophetic declarations in verse 4. The proper noun ʾašdôd means “fortress” and was the northernmost of the three Philistine cities located on or near the Mediterranean coast. It is mentioned 21 times in the and figures prominently in historical narratives addressing the wars between the Israelites and the Philistines. It was located 22 miles south of Joppa, approximately 10 miles north of Ashkelon and three miles inland. The verb gāraš is in the piel stem and means “to be driven out, to expel.” It is used of the inhabitants of Ashkelon indicating that they will be “driven out” or “expelled” from this city. The piel stem of this verb is factitive meaning that the subject of the verb in the piel causes its direct object to enter the state that can be described by the same verb in the qal stem. The subject is those who drive out the inhabitants of Ashdod which history records was the soldiers of Babylon. The object is the Ashdod and specifically, her inhabitants. Therefore, this stem indicates that the Babylonian army will cause the inhabitants of Ashdod to enter the state of having been driven out of the city.

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The imperfect conjugation of this verb describes the inhabitants of Ashdod being driven out by the Babylonian army as taking place in the future. The dual noun ṣāhŏrayim means “noon” since it pertains to a time in the day when the sun appears at the highest point in the daytime sky, a time which is most opposite of night and darkness, the mid-point of the daytime. The word’s articular construction indicates the uniqueness of this period of the day. It is the object of the preposition b which means “at” since it is functioning as a temporal marker indicating the exact point in the day in which Ashdod’s inhabitants will be expelled from this city. The third person feminine singular pronominal suffix hîʾ means “her” referring to the city of Ashdod and in particular her inhabitants. It is functioning as the direct object of the verb gāraš indicating that the citizens of Ashdod receive the action of being expelled from the city by the Babylonian armies.

Ekron Uprooted

Zephaniah 2:4 For Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon and Ekron will be uprooted. (NASB95) “And Ekron will be uprooted” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction Ekron” (3) third“ ,(עֶק רֹון) and” (2) feminine singular proper noun ʿeqrôn“ ,( וְ) w ,(עָּקַר) person feminine singular niphal passive imperfect form of the verb ʿāqar “will be uprooted.” The conjunction w is adjunctive meaning it is introducing another prophetic declaration which is an addition to the previous one. The proper noun ʿeqrôn, “Ekron” means “firm rooted” and is referring to one of the five cities of the Philistine Pentapolis and was located geographically 20 miles southwest of in the border region between the Philistines and Israelites. It appears only a few times in the Old Testament. In every instance, it occurs in relation to the hostile relationship that existed between the Philistines and the Israelites. The verb ʿāqar is in the niphal stem and means “to be uprooted, overthrown” since it pertains to a place being completely emptied of a population with emphasis on a complete uprooting of a city’s inhabitants. Here it refers to the population of the city of Ekron being emptied by a foreign army which history records was Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar. The niphal stem of the verb ʿāqar is a passive niphal meaning that the subject is acted upon by an expressed or unexpressed agency. Here the expressed agency is the city of Ekron. Therefore, this stem indicates that this city will receive the action of being emptied of its population.

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The imperfect conjugation of this verb refers to a completed action as part of a temporal sequence. It is expressing this event as taking place in the future from the perspective of Zephaniah in the seventh century B.C. when he received this revelation from the God of Israel. Together, the verb ʿāqar and the proper noun ʿeqrôn form a play on words between the name of the city Ekron and the fact of its judgment is intended. They are similar in sound and form the figure of speech called “paronomasia,” which as we noted is so-called because one word is placed alongside another which sounds and seems like a repetition of it. However, it is not but only similar. Two things are emphasized and the reader’s attention is called to this emphasis by the similarity of the sound. A play on the sound of the name of the city Ekron emphasizes its imminent removal of her population by God.

Translation of Zephaniah 2:4

Zephaniah 2:4 For Gaza will exist in the state of being abandoned. Also, Ashkelon will exist in the state of being desolate. Ashdod, they will cause her inhabitants to be expelled at noon. Also, Ekron’s population will be uprooted. (Author’s translation)

Exposition of Zephaniah 2:4

In Zephaniah 2:1, the prophet issued two solemn commands. Both were directed at unrepentant sinners living in Judah during the seventh century B.C. and those who will be living during the seventieth week of Daniel. The first command demanded that each and every one of the Jewish people living in the seventh century B.C. and those living during the seventieth week to cause each other to enter the state of being assembled together before the Lord for the purpose of repentance. It emphasizes the importance of the Jewish people acting upon each other by causing those who need to repent to enter into the state of assembling before the Lord to do so. It emphasizes the need of the Jewish people to hold each other accountable. So the first command is directed at those who are faithful. The second simply requires that they assemble themselves together as a corporate unit. So the second command is directed at the unfaithful. So the idea of these two commands is that of the faithful Jews were to act upon unfaithful Jews so as to cause the latter to enter into the state of being assembled with the former for the purpose of seeking the Lord’s forgiveness. Zephaniah 2:2 presents the reason why they are to cause each other to assemble for the purpose of repentance, namely before the decree to judge them is executed by the Lord and expresses His righteous indignation towards them. The reference

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 5 to the humble of the earth who carried out the Lord’s commands in Zephaniah 2:3 are not under God’s judgment because they have carried out His commands. They are commanded to continue to seek His righteousness and seek humility so that perhaps they will be spared from experiencing the Lord’s anger. Of course, they would be spared if they continued to obey Him. The commands in Zephaniah 2:3 were directed exclusively at the faithful Jewish believers living in the seventh century B.C and those living during the seventieth week of Daniel. This is indicated by the fact that those who are to obey these commands are described as humble and who obey the Word of God. The Scriptures teach that only those who are faithful believers are humble and obey the Word of God. Nowhere do they describe the unfaithful believer or the non-believer as humble and obeying the Word of God. Rather they are described as arrogant and proud. The first command issued by the prophet Zephaniah in verse 3 required that each and every one of these faithful Jewish believers continue making it their habit of diligently seeking after the Lord’s will. This would involve the diligent study of the Word of God which reveals His will. The Word of God for faithful Jewish believers in the seventh century B.C. would be the Mosaic Law. However, for those living during the seventieth week, it would be the gospel of Jesus Christ which appears in the Greek New Testament. To seek after the Lord would also involve seeking the Lord’s will through prayer. The faithful believer is a humble believer and seeking after the Lord for them would involve learning the Lord’s will through a study of His Word and making a request of Him in prayer with regards to His will. The believer learns the will of God by a study of God’s Word. The Spirit reveals the Father’s will through the study of the Word of God. God will not fulfill a request which is not according to His will. Consequently, the believer must first learn God’s will by studying God’s Word in order to present a request to the Father in prayer which He will fulfill. Praying according to God’s will is the direct result of learning God’s will through a study of His Word. The second command in Zephaniah 2:3 demanded that each and every one of the faithful Jews living in the seventh century B.C. and those living during the seventieth week of Daniel continue making it their habit of seeking after righteousness which refers of course to the righteousness of God. It refers to God’s perfect integrity in that His character is perfectly sound, perfectly adhering to His own perfect holy standards and what He promises to men. It is all that God is, all that He commands, all that He demands, all that He approves, and all that He provides through Christ. It describes God as always fulfilling His covenantal obligations with regards to Israel which stands in stark contrast with Israel’s failure to meet her covenantal obligations with regards to God.

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The third command which appears in Zephaniah 2:3 is also addressed to faithful Jewish believers living in the prophet Zephaniah’s day in the seventh century B.C. and those who will live during the seventieth week of Daniel. It demands that they continue making it their habit of diligently seeking after humility which speaks of one who has learned to submit to the will of God as a result of experiencing deserved or undeserved suffering in their life. They are also characterized as humble because they are faithfully obedient to God’s Word. The Spirit of God through the Word of God reveals the will of God. They are also characterized by humility because they pray to God for His will to be accomplished whether in their own lives or the lives others. Thus, they are humble because they are totally dependent upon God which is manifested by their seeking God’s will through a study of His Word and pray to Him for His will to be accomplished. These Jewish believers would manifest humility if they continue making it their habit of learning God’s will by making it their habit of studying His Word and obeying it and praying for His will to be accomplished. Now, here in Zephaniah 2:4-15, the prophet under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit presents a series of prophetic declarations which provide the reason for the two commands in verse 1 and the three commands in verse 3. These prophetic declarations are recorded in Zephaniah 2:4-15. They assert that Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon will be a desolation while Ashdod will be driven out at noon and Ekron will be uprooted. They also pronounce judgment against the people who came from Crete as well as the Canaanites, the land of the Philistines. These prophetic declarations also pronounce judgment against Moab, the Ammonites, the Ethiopians and Assyria and her capital city Nineveh. Therefore, in relation to the commands in verse 1, the prophetic declarations in Zephaniah 2:4-15 indicate that faithful Jews were to cause unfaithful Jews to assemble together for the purpose of seeking the Lord’s forgiveness and thus for the purpose of repentance because the Lord will judge their Gentile nations who are their neighbors. In relation to the commands in verse 3, faithful Jews were to seek after the Lord’s will as well as righteousness and humility because the Lord will judge these surrounding nations. The purpose of this causal clause in verse 4 is to motivate unfaithful Jews to repent and faithful Jews to continue being faithful since God’s judgment of heathen Gentile nations who are their neighbors will bring blessing to them as a nation. If these Jews are judged by God like the heathen Gentile nations who are their neighbors, then they will not be able to take advantage of and experience blessing as a nation. The reference to these nations in Zephaniah 2:4-15 which were in existence in the seventh century B.C. and will not be during the seventieth week of Daniel indicates that these verses serve as motivation for the Jews living in the seventh century B.C. rather than those living during the seventieth week of Daniel to obey

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 7 the commands in verses 1 and 3. The motivation for the Jews living during the seventh century B.C and those living during the seventieth week of Daniel to obey the commands in verse 1 to assemble for the purpose of repentance have already been given by the prophet in verse 2. The motivation for faithful Jews to obey the Lord’s commands to remain faithful is found in verse 3 in that they will be spared if they remain faithful. Thus the prophet’s statements in verses 4-15 are serving as further motivation for the Jews living in the seventh century B.C. to obey the commands in verses 1 and 3. Verse 2 provides a negative motivation in the sense that God won’t judge those unfaithful Jews who assemble to repent as a corporate unit and He will not judge those Jews who continue to remain faithful to Him. However, verses 4-15 provide positive motivation in the sense that God is attempting to motivate them to obey His commands to assemble and repent and remain faithful. Zephaniah 2:4-15 deals with judgments directed against the Gentile nations surrounding the in the seventh century B.C. These nations are being held accountable by God for the idolatry and for murder and injustice as well as sins against the kingdom of Judah and when Israel was not a divided kingdom but a united one when it was known only as Israel. God indicts these nations for their treatment of Israel. This announcement of God’s intention to judge these Gentiles nations surrounding Judah makes clear to the citizens of Judah that God is not only sovereign over their nation but all the nations surrounding them. The Philistines resided to the west of Judah, Moab and to the east, Assyria to the north and Ethiopia to the south. Hannah writes “The prophet predicted the destruction of four of Philistia’s five major cities—Gaza … Ashkelon … Ashdod, and Ekron, mentioned in order from south to north. The reason for ’s being omitted is uncertain, but most scholars feel that the city had not recovered from ’s devastation of it (2 Chron. 26:6). Or it may be that four rather than five are mentioned in order to maintain the literary symmetry of the verse’s structure. (:6–8 omits Gath also.).”1 Barker writes “Zephaniah basically moved from south to north in his description of the destruction. Gaza, the most remote Philistine city, lay fifty miles southwest of Jerusalem. Since the time of Sennacherib, Gaza had served as a vassal of Assyria and held Judean territory with the help of the Assyrians.2 From Gaza, Zephaniah moved his prophecy progressively closer to Jerusalem, proclaiming the coming destruction of Ashkelon, Ashdod, and Ekron. Zephaniah’s message came closer and closer to the covenant people who had rejected the true God for idols which do not profit.”3

1 Hannah, J. D. (1985). Zephaniah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1529). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. 2 Stinespring, “Gaza,” IDB, 357–58. 3 Barker, K. L. (1999). Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (Vol. 20, p. 454). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

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Patterson writes “Zephaniah begins his messages concerning the foreign nations with words for Judah’s perennial enemy to the west—the Philistines. Philistine presence in had been reported since the days of the patriarchs (Gen. 21:32) and the era of the Exodus and Conquest (Ex. 13:17;Josh. 13:2-3). The Philistines were a constant threat during the time of the judges (Judg. 3:3-4; 13-16) and the early monarchy (cf. 1 Sam. 4:1-11; 7:1-14). Although they were defeated by in the tenth century B.C. (2 Sam. 5:17-25; 1 Chron. 20:4-5), they remained a constant thorn in the side of the Israelites throughout the days of Solomon and the period of the divided monarchy (cf. 1 Kings 15:27-28; 16:15-19; 2 Chron. 21:16- 17; Isa. 14:28-32; 28:16-21;Amos 1:6-8). Though they had become vassals of Assyria in the eighth century B.C., they nonetheless enjoyed a measure of independence so that they continued to be a source of danger and irritation to the people of God (cf. 2 Kings 18:5-8; 2 Chron. 26:6-8). Even as late as the closing days of the Southern Kingdom, the Philistines were being condemned by Judah’s prophets (Jer. 47:1-7; Ezek. 25:15-17).4 Accordingly Zephaniah’s words of condemnation and judgment were neither unprecedented nor unexpected and doubtless would have been well received by the citizens of Judah and Jerusalem.”5 Barker writes “Zephaniah’s words of judgment here are not against a chance grouping of nations. Like Amos before him (Amos 1–2), Zephaniah seemed to have had a definite purpose in his grouping of the nations. He chose nations close by (Philistia, Moab, Ammon) and far away (Cush, Assyria). He spoke of nations which surrounded Judah from all four points of the compass. He spoke of nations which concerned Judah because of their proximity, and he spoke of nations which concerned Judah because of their place in history. As Sweeney notes, ‘Zeph 2:4– 15 includes those nations that were ’s major enemies or that Josiah intended to subjugate.’6 Philistia lay to the west with Moab and Ammon to the East. Cush and Assyria were south and north of Judah. In the center of all this lay Judah. Zephaniah, in advising young King Josiah, showed that God would bring defeat to the king’s enemies in every direction. Motyer categorizes these nations in interesting ways: ‘Here is a typical world: the militarily tough Philistines, the vaguely related (Gen 19:36–38) but unpredictable Moab and Ammon, the distant and hardly known Cush, and the superpower Assyria. Here is the world in its political diversity: the city-states of Philistia, the minor sovereignties of Moab and Ammon, and the monolithic imperialist Assyria. From all this Zephaniah stands back and sees that it is the Lord only who is sovereign, who decrees the destinies

4 See further K. A. Kitchen, “The Philistines,” in Peoples of Old Testament Times, ed. D. J. Wiseman (Oxford: Clarendon, 1973), pp. 53-78; E. E. Hindson, The Philistines and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1971); W. S. LaSor, “Philistines, Philistia,” ISBE 3:841-46; T. Dothan, The Philistines and Their Material Culture (New Haven: Yale U., 1982); “What We Know About the Philistines,” Biblical Archaeology Review 8 (1982): 20-44. 5 Patterson, Richard D., An Exegetical Commentary-Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah; www.Bible.org; 2007. 6 Sweeney, Isaiah 1–39, 216.

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 9 of all alike. His is a calm kingship, unswayed by worldly power, religious affiliation, proximity or remoteness on the face of the earth.’7”8 The four prophecies recorded in Zephaniah are directed against the Philistines. Each of these prophecies is directed against their major cities. Wiersbe writes “The Philistines were ancient enemies of the Jews (Gen. 20–21, 26). According to Amos 1:6–8, they took Jewish people captive from cities in southern Judah and sold them to other nations as slaves. But the time would come when their populous cities would be empty and their land left desolate, a place for shepherds to feed their flocks. Their coastal cities, made wealthy by vast shipping enterprises, would be destroyed by the enemy and left in ruins. Nebuchadnezzar invaded Philistia and conquered it, and the only remnant of that great nation left today is the name ‘Palestine,’ which comes from ‘Philistine’ (see Ezek. 25:15–28:26).”9 The first prophetic declaration recorded in Zephaniah 2:4 predicts that the Philistine city of Gaza will exist in a state of being abandoned by its citizens. This prediction was fulfilled through Nebuchadnezzar and his armies in 603 B.C. This city was one of four major Philistine cities which were located geographically to the south of Judah. It was the Philistine coastal capital within the tribal allotment of Judah (Josh. 15:47). This city lay at the intersection of two important trade routes in the eastern Mediterranean. The “Way of the Sea” ran between Egypt and Mesopotamia (Africa and Asia). The desert route that connected the Red Sea and Arabia with the Mediterranean also crossed through Gaza which made it a constantly contested city. Gaza was a capital of the Philistines, Israel’s greatest enemy during Iron Age. Gaza controlled the routes by which later invading armies entered Israel. The Philistine migration to the area in the 12th century BC destabilized the region, making it possible for the Israelites to settle in territory that, before, had been securely in Egyptian hands (Mazar, Archaeology, 235, 287–88, 305). Joshua began the expulsion of the Philistines but was unable to conquer the five great Philistine cities: Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath—together known as the Pentapolis (Josh 13:1–3). Saul was also unsuccessful against the Philistines, but 1 Samuel records victories won against them by his son, Jonathan (1 Sam 14:1–15). David became famous after defeating the great Philistine warrior, Goliath, on Saul’s behalf (1 Sam 17:50–52). Solomon may have completed their subjugation by creating peace “all the way to Gaza” (1 Kgs 4:21). This phrase implies Gaza was on the very edge of the recognized land of Israel (compare Deut 2:23; Judg 6:4). achieved the same feat two centuries later (2 Kgs 18:8). Because of its distance from Jerusalem, the Philistines regrouped at Gaza. While nearby Gath

7 Motyer, “Zephaniah,” 3:931. 8 Barker, K. L. (1999). Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (Vol. 20, p. 453). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers. 9 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be concerned (p. 127). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor.

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 10 ceased to exist as a Philistine stronghold before the Babylonian invasion, Gaza remained a Philistine city as long as Jerusalem remained a Hebrew one (Stern, Archaeology, 102, 531). The Way of the Sea, a trade route through Gaza, was the most important road in the eastern Mediterranean. It was the necessary route for all trade between Africa and Asia, and invading armies of Egypt and Mesopotamia had to pass that way (Curtis, Oxford Bible Atlas, 27). In the earliest records, Egypt held the area of southern Canaan largely through its district capital at Gaza (Nakhai, Archaeology, 121). After the death of Solomon, who had a treaty with Egypt, Pharaoh Shishak invaded Judah by way of Gaza in 923 BC and plundered the wealth of the temple under Rehoboam (Bubastite Portal; compare Baker, The Face of Old Testament Studies, 55; 1 Kgs 3:1; 14:25–26). Tiglath-pileser III of Assyria conquered Gaza in 734 BC, introducing the Assyrian cult to that city and its temple (Stern, Archaeology, 104, 32). Hanun, king of Gaza, rebelled with Egypt’s help against Tiglath-pileser’s successor, Sargon II, but was quickly defeated at Raphia in 722 BC (Curtis, Oxford Bible Atlas, 112). Gaza remained faithful to Assyria, and Sargon took on large building projects to develop the city and its trade capacity, including the large port at Ruqeish (Stern, Archaeology, 105, 109). During this campaign, the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed (2 Kgs 15:29). In 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Judah and sent its occupants into exile; Gaza fell to Babylon’s armies in 603.10

10 Winters, C. T. (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). Gaza. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

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The second prophetic declaration in Zephaniah 2:4 predicts that another Philistine city, namely Ashkelon will exist in a state of being desolate. This prediction was fulfilled through Nebuchadnezzar and his armies in 603 B.C. This city was located geographically on the Philistine plain, 32 miles south of Joppa. It was one of the five cities of the Philistines (Josh. 13:3; 1 Sam. 6:17). It stood on the shore of the Mediterranean and was located 12 miles north/northeast of Gaza. Like Gaza, the city of Ashkelon was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 603 B.C. It kings was killed and prisoners were taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. Ashkelon’s destruction was not only predicted by Zephaniah but also by Jeremiah (47:5-7). The city recovered and became a famous Hellenistic city. The Lexham Bible Dictionary has the following article, “The Masoretic Text of Judg 1:18 records that after Joshua’s death, the men of Judah and Simeon conquered Ashkelon along with Gaza and Ekron. However, the version of Judg 1:18 indicates that they did not overtake these cities. This interpretive translation may have been influenced by Josh 13:3, which lists Ashkelon within Canaanite territory that remained to be taken. Joshua’s presentation of these locations as Philistine cities may reflect a later editorial identification of this territory as clearly Philistine. Additionally, fluctuations of control during times of war may have resulted in the Israelites taking the city and then losing it. Ashkelon was an enemy city by the time of the Samson narrative, as Samson went there seeking vengeance following his wedding (Judg 14:19). Although Ashkelon was a large city, it featured less prominently in the biblical narrative than Ashdod because it was farther removed from the Israelite settlements in the hill country. Ashkelon was one of the five Philistine cities that returned the ark of the covenant back to Israel with a guilt offering after keeping it in Philistine territory for seven months. In his lament over the death of Saul and Jonathan at the hands of the Philistines, David urged his audience not to proclaim the disaster in Gath or the streets of Ashkelon lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice (2 Sam 1:20). The reference to ‘streets’ could possibly imply bazaars, appropriate for a commercial center (Stager, NEAEHL, 104). The prophets condemned Ashkelon along with the other members of the Pentapolis. In the eighth century BC, Amos strongly criticized the rulers of Ashdod and Ashkelon for participating in the trade of Israelite slaves (Amos 1:8). This was part of a larger diatribe against enemies that surrounded Israel and Judah. Two centuries later, as Judah was about to fall, Zephaniah warned of disaster for the Philistine cities, among them Ashkelon (Zeph 2:4). Jeremiah framed this impending doom in terms of God forcing the neighboring nations to drink the cup of His wrath. Among these were the Philistine cities ‘Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod’ (Jer 25:20). His word

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2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 12 was even more sobering as the Philistines faced Pharaoh’s attack on Gaza (Jer 47:1). Although it appeared that Egypt was the bringer of judgment, it was really the Lord (Jer 47:7). Jeremiah stated that Ashkelon would be silenced (Jer 47:5). Zechariah declared that after the exile, Ashkelon, head of the remaining Philistine cities, would face God’s judgment along with Damascus, Tyre, and Sidon (Zech 9:1–5).”11 The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary has the following on this city, “A large seaport town located on the Mediterranean coast 20 km N of Gaza and 50 km S of Tel Aviv (M.R. 107119). The city has had a long and eventful history, stretching from at least the latter part of the 4th millennium. Its biblical significance begins in the Conquest narratives as one of the cities of the Philistine Pentapolis (Josh 13:3) and later is the object of one of Samson’s outbursts (Judg 14:19). During the prophetic period, Ashkelon was a frequent object of denunciation (cf. Jer 25:20; 47:5, 7; Zeph 2:4, 7; Zech 9:5). Ashkelon’s importance as a port city was enhanced by its fertile soils and easily accessible fresh water. Famous in antiquity for its onions, the modern word ‘scallion’ is derived from the name Ashkelon.”12

11 Phillips, E. A. (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). Ashkelon. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. km kilometer N north (ern) km kilometer S south (ern) 12 Esse, D. L. (1992). Ashkelon (Place). In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 1, p. 487). New York: Doubleday.

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The third prophetic declaration recorded in Zephaniah 2:4 predicts that Ashdod will have her inhabitants expelled or driven out at noon. This prediction was fulfilled through Nebuchadnezzar and his armies in 603 B.C. This city was the northernmost of the three Philistine cities located on or near the Mediterranean coast. It is mentioned 21 times in the Old Testament and figures prominently in historical narratives addressing the wars between the Israelites and the Philistines. It was located 22 miles south of Joppa, approximately 10 miles north of Ashkelon and three miles inland. The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary has the following article on this city, “The people of Ashdod are first mentioned in Ugaritic, both in cuneiform and alphabetic texts from the 14th–13th centuries B.C. These texts deal mainly with Ashdod textile merchants who brought both purple wool and garments from Ashdod probably to Ugarit. The Ashdod merchants living in Ugarit and in its port Maʾhadu (Minet el- Beideh) bear mostly W-Semitic names. Ashdod, its inhabitants, and its surrounding territory appear in the Bible many times. In Josh 11:21–22, which recounts how Joshua wiped out the Anakim, there is a note indicating that some Anakim remained in Ashdod. Although Ashdod was assigned to the tribe of Judah (Josh 15:47), it does not seem to have been conquered by the Israelites. After the battle of Ebenezer, Ashdod became the scene of the story about the temple of Dagon to which the ark of the covenant was brought by the Philistines (1 Sam 5:1–7). After the Philistines suffered several more disasters during its stay, the ark was moved to Gath. Ashdod is not mentioned in the Bible again until the reign of Uzziah, king of Judah, who ‘broke down … the wall of Ashdod and built cities about Ashdod and among the Philistines’ (2 Chr 26:6). The conquest of the city in 712 B.C. (Isa 20:1) and its relations with Assyria are well-known from the inscriptions of Sargon II (cf. ANET, 284–287). From these sources we know that in 713 B.C. the city, under Azuri, revolted against Assyria. Consequently, Sargon placed Ahimetu on the throne, quelling the revolt while Yamani, who had made himself the king of Ashdod, fled to Egypt. The destroyed city and its territory were annexed by the Assyrians and became a province under an Assyrian governor. In the period of Sennacherib the city did not participate in the revolt of other Philistine cities, and the territory of Ashdod was restored to an independent monarchic status under Mitinti (ANET, 287–88). The next vassal king, Ahimilki is mentioned in Assyrian sources under Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal (ANET, 291, 294). According to Herodotus, during Ashurbanipal’s reign Ashdod withstood an Egyptian siege for 29 years, until it was conquered by Psamtik I. After Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest, the king of Ashdod is mentioned as a captive at the Babylonian court (ANET, 307–

ANET Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 3d ed. withsuppl., ed. J. B. Pritchard, Princeton, 1969 ANET Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 3d ed. withsuppl., ed. J. B. Pritchard, Princeton, 1969 ANET Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 3d ed. withsuppl., ed. J. B. Pritchard, Princeton, 1969 ANET Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 3d ed. withsuppl., ed. J. B. Pritchard, Princeton, 1969

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8), while Ashdod and its territory became a Babylonian province. Some of these and later events of Ashdod’s history are also mentioned in the Bible (Zeph 2:4; Zech 9:5–6; Neh 4:1–2). During the Persian period Ashdod is mentioned in the book of Judith (2:28).”13

The Lexham Bible Dictionary has the following article regarding this city in the prophetic books, “Ashdod appears several times in the Prophets, including Amos, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Zechariah. As part of his scathing condemnation of nations surrounding Israel, Amos (eighth century BC) pronounced judgment on four Philistine cities, among them Ashdod (Amos 1:8), because they engaged in wholesale slave trade of Israelite communities. In Amos 3:9, Ashdod was formidable enough to sit in judgment along with the Egypt against Samaria. About three decades after the time of Amos, Sargon II of Assyria captured Ashdod (Isa 20:1). Although his successor, Sennacherib, did not take the southern kingdom, he did encamp at Lachish, suggesting that Ashdod had been critical in the Assyrian’s strategy to control the coast. Approximately a century later, Jeremiah speaks of the barely rebuilt state of Ashdod as he lists the nations who would be compelled to drink the cup of God’s wrath and experience utter ruin. Among them are “all the kings of the land of the Philistines, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod” (Jer 25:20). The same four cities appear in Zephaniah’s condemnation of

13 Dothan, M. (1992). Ashdod (Place). In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 1, pp. 477–478). New York: Doubleday.

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Philistines and other nations who had ravaged Judah. He declares that Ashdod would be emptied at noon (Zeph 2:4). In the postexilic period, Zechariah pronounced woe on Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod, which would be occupied by foreigners (Zech 9:5–6). Nehemiah 13:23–24 indicates that the people of Ashdod had been hostile to rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. It also indicates some Jews married Ashdodite women.”14 There are a couple of interpretations with regards to the significance of Ashdod’s inhabitants being expelled at noun. First, people in the ancient world in Zephaniah’s day rested at noontime which was the hottest part of the day. The attack of this city taking place at noon would thus surprise the city making it an easy prey for the enemy. Another view is that the city falling to the enemy by noon suggested it fell easily to the enemy. So one is that the reference to noontime expresses the city would be taken by surprise or it fell easily to the enemy. The latter interpretation is more likely since the city would be on alert already after hearing the fall of the other major Philistine cities to the enemy which history records was Babylon. The fourth and final prophetic declaration in Zephaniah 2:4 predicts that Ekron’s population would be uprooted by the enemy. This prediction was fulfilled through Nebuchadnezzar and his armies in 603 B.C. This city was also one of the five cities of the Philistine Pentapolis and was located geographically 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem in the border region between the Philistines and Israelites. It appears only a few times in the Old Testament. In every instance, it occurs in relation to the hostile relationship that existed between the Philistines and the Israelites. The Lexham Bible Dictionary has the following article, “Condemnations in the Prophetic Books further communicate the biblical writers’ conviction that the Philistines were encroaching upon what rightfully belonged to Israel. Jeremiah 25:20 declares that Ekron, Ashkelon, Gaza, and the remnant of Ashdod will receive the Lord’s ‘cup of wrath’ through King Nebuchadnezzar’s campaigns (Jer 25:9; see also Amos 1:8). Zephaniah declares that Ekron will be ‘uprooted’ and its land given to Judah (Zeph 2:4). In this denouncement, the prophet uses vowel wordplay as a way to defame Ekron’s agricultural prowess that had developed in the Iron Age. speaks of the destruction of Ekron’s neighbors, which will eventually descend upon Ekron and other Philistine cities. Similar to Zephaniah, Zechariah foresees Ekron’s assimilation into Judah’s territory. The phrase, ‘Ekron will be like the Jebusites’ recalls 2 Sam 6 and David’s conquering of Jerusalem.”15

14 Phillips, E. A. (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). Ashdod. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. 15 Schreiner, D. (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). Ekron. In J. D. Barry, D. Bomar, D. R. Brown, R. Klippenstein, D. Mangum, C. Sinclair Wolcott, … W. Widder (Eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

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The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary writes “Ekron was one of the capital cities of the Philistine Pentapolis, and is first mentioned in the Bible as part of ‘the land that yet remains’ to be captured by the Israelites (Josh 13:2–3). Subsequently, Ekron is cited as defining the N border of the territory of Judah (Josh 15:11) and as one of its cities (15:45–46). In Judges (1:18), Judah is accredited with taking the areas awarded it in Joshua, including Ekron and its territory. However, it is also stated in Judges (1:19) that ‘Judah took possession of the hill country, but could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain, because they had chariots of iron.’ Apparently, based on this later verse, the LXX of Judg 1:18 makes the correction that Judah did not conquer the Philistine cities. The assignment of Ekron to Judah may indicate a late addendum in the time of Hezekiah. Another source lists Ekron in the territories of the tribe of Dan as marking its S boundary (Josh 19:43). This may reflect the tribal boundary system of the time of David and Solomon. After the ark of the covenant was captured by the Philistines, they passed it through the Pentapolis members, including Ekron (1 Samuel 5–6). Israel later recaptured the cities which the Philistines had taken (1 Sam 7:14); it also was part of the battle scene following the David and Goliath epic (1 Sam 17:52). In the 9th century B.C.E., Ahaziah, king of Israel, sent ambassadors to ‘Baalzebub the god of Ekron’ to inquire regarding

N north (ern) LXX Septuagint S south (ern)

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 17 the prospects of recovery from his illness (2 Kgs 1:2–3). In the 8th century B.C.E., the prophet Amos threatened Ekron and its sister cities with destruction (1:8).”16

16 Dothan, T., & Gitin, S. (1992). Ekron (Place). In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 2, p. 415). New York: Doubleday.

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Zephaniah 2:5

The Announcement of Judgment Against the Seacoast People from Crete

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. (NASB95) “Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, the nation of the Cherethites” is woe to” (2) masculine plural“ ,(הֹוי) composed of the following: (1) interjection hôy ”the inhabitants of“ ,(יָּשַ ב) construct qal active participle form of the verb yāšab (the seacoast” (4“ ,(חֶבֶל) masculine singular construct form of the noun ḥebel (3) (the seacoast” (5“ ,(יָּם) articular masculine singular form of the noun yām (the nation of” (6“ ,(גֹוי) masculine singular construct form of the noun gôy ”.the Cherethites“ ,(כ רֵתִּ י) masculine plural ethnic noun kĕrētî Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the prophet Zephaniah is once again employing the figure of asyndeton in order to express the solemn nature of the first prophetic declaration here in verse 5 which is directed against the people of Crete who migrated to the Mediterranean coastal plains. This figure is designed to motivate unregenerate Jews and Jewish believers in apostasy to repent in order to take advantage of God judging the Gentiles nations surrounding them and to experience blessing from God. The figure is also designed to move these Jews to meditate upon this announcement of judgment against their Gentile neighbors for the purpose of personal application, which is God wants them to repent. For the unregenerate, this would involve changing their attitude toward the Lord and trusting in Him. For the regenerate, this would involve confession of sin to be restored to fellowship with Him followed by obedience to His Word to maintain this fellowship. The interjection hôy indicates dissatisfaction and discomfort and occurs entirely in the prophetic literature of the Old Testament with one exception (1 Kings 13:30). It can be translated “woe, alas” but in today’s English a better translation would be “disaster” since the word pertains to a sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, or destruction. Here the word in Zephaniah 2:5 it has eschatological implications meaning it is used to announce a prophecy. The word expresses God’s dissatisfaction with the people of Crete who migrated to the Mediterranean coastal plains and were associated with the Philistines. It also expresses the fact that God will surely judge them by bringing disaster to them resulting in their experiencing tremendous adversity and suffering for their unrepentant sinful lives.

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So this interjection is being used by Zephaniah to emphasize God’s threat to judge the Cretans if they don’t repent. This repentance would involve a change attitude toward the God of Israel by trusting in Him. It would also involve a change of conduct in that after becoming a part of His covenant people by faith in Him, they would live according to His holy standards which are expressed in His Word. By using this interjection, the prophet is mourning in advance the downfall of the Cretans if they choose not to repent. The verb yāšab means “to inhabit, to live in, to dwell in” since it pertains to being in a place for any period of time usually implying a longer amount of time. Here the word is used of the Cretans. Therefore, this word speaks of the Cretans inhabiting or residing on the Mediterranean coastal plains. The qal stem of this verb is stative indicating the state of the Cretans living on or inhabiting the Mediterranean coastal plains. The participle form of this verb is functioning as a substantive participle. The noun ḥebel 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 It 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 settled on the Mediterranean coastal plains. The genitive relation between these two words is explicative meaning yām specifies a subtype or genus within in the broader category of the construct noun ḥebel. It is usually translated by putting the genitive directly before the construct noun. Thus, we will translate these two words “seacoast.” The construct state of the substantive participle yāšab means that it is governing noun ḥebel and is expressing a genitive relation with this word. The genitive relation between these two words is a possessive genitive indicating that these inhabitants belong to the Mediterranean coastal plains. The noun gôy means “nation” since it refers to a large group of people based on various cultural, physical, and geographical ties, extending to clan relationships. It refers to a group of people that form a political entity. The word speaks of a politically organized body of people under a single ruler or government. Here it is used with reference to the Cretans living during the seventh century B.C. 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 masculine plural ethnic noun kĕrētî which means “Kerethites” since it pertains to a tribe or clan of people who lived in the south of Judah and migrated to the Mediterranean coastal plain from the island of Crete. The word literally means “the

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Cretans.” It seems reasonable to suppose that the Cherethites were Cretans and the Pelethites *PHILISTINES, the latter name being perhaps an analogic adaptation of pelištî on the basis of kerēṯî, together with assimilation of š to following ṯ, to form the easy phrase hakkerēṯî wehappelēṯî, ‘the Cherethites and the Pelethites’. This being so, the distinction between them was that though they both came from Crete, the Cherethites were native Cretans, whereas the Pelethites had only passed through the island in their travels from some other original homeland.17 The genitive relation between gôy and kĕrētî is appositional meaning that the latter is an individual member of the class given by the former. The latter describes the nation the writer is referring to. We can translate these two words “the Cretan nation” or “the nation of Crete.”

The Word of the Lord is Against Canaan

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. (NASB95) “The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines” is composed of the following: (1) masculine singular construct form of the common ,(יהוה) the word of” (2) masculine singular proper noun yhwh“ ,(ּדָּבָּר) noun dĕbar against” (4) second person masculine plural“ ,(עַל) the Lord” (3) preposition ʿǎl“ you” (5) feminine singular proper noun kĕnaʿan“ ,(אַתֶ ם) pronominal suffix ʾattem ,(אֶרֶ ץ) O Canaan” (6) feminine singular construct form of the noun ʾereṣ“ ,( כנַעַן) ”.the Philistines“ ,(פ לִּש תִּ י) land of” (7) masculine plural ethnic noun pĕlištî“ Once again, the prophet Zephaniah is employing the figure of asyndeton and this time its purpose is to express the solemn nature of the second prophetic declaration here in verse 5 which is directed against the Philistines who migrated from Crete and other places in the Aegean Sea region to the Mediterranean coastal plains. This figure is designed to motivate unregenerate Jews and Jewish believers in apostasy to repent in order to take advantage of God judging the Gentiles nations surrounding them and to experience blessing from God. The figure is also designed to move these Jews to meditate upon this announcement of judgment against their Gentile neighbors for the purpose of personal application, which is God wants them to repent. For the unregenerate, this would involve changing their attitude toward the Lord and trusting in Him. For the regenerate, this would involve confession of sin to be restored to fellowship with Him followed by obedience to His Word to maintain this fellowship.

17 Mitchell, T. C. (1996). Cherethites. In D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, & D. J. Wiseman (Eds.), New Bible dictionary (3rd ed., p. 183). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

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the word of the Lord” appears 270“ ,(ּד בַר־י הוָָּ֣ה) The expression dĕbar-yĕhwâ times in the Old Testament and twice in the (1:1; 2:5). It is used the majority of the time in the Old Testament to refer to a Word spoken by Yahweh to a prophet as a technical expression for the prophetic word of revelation. It is the formula that gives the prophetic books of the Old Testament their distinctiveness. This expression in the Old Testament also is an earmark of inspiration indicating that what the prophet is communicating to people in writing is inspired by the Holy Spirit and is a revelation of God’s will (cf. 2 Peter 1:20-21). In Zephaniah 2:5, the noun dĕbar means “message” referring to what Yahweh, the God of Israel said to the prophet Zephaniah. The content of this message is recorded in the book of Zephaniah. The exact manner in which Zephaniah received this message is not given by Zephaniah. Here in verse 5 it refers to a message which is directed against the Philistine people who settled on the Mediterranean coastal plains. The proper noun yhwh (Yahweh) “Lord” is the personal name of God emphasizing that He is the redeemer of mankind and is used in His relationship to His covenants or contracts with men whereas Elohim emphasizes the transcendent character of God. So the term yhwh, “Lord” appears in Zephaniah 2:5 and not Elohim, “God” or Yahweh Elohim, “Lord God.” This is significant since the term yhwh, “Lord” is the covenant-keeping personal name of God used in connection with the salvation of the human race, whether Jew or Gentile. It is emphasizing the covenant relationship that Zephaniah and the kingdom of Judah had with the Lord and that the revelation that Zephaniah received was from God. This word is emphasizing the “immanency” of the Lord meaning that He involves Himself in and concerns Himself with and intervenes in the affairs of men whereas Elohim, “God” emphasizes the transcendent character of God. Therefore, in Zephaniah 2:5, we have the term yhwh, “Lord” employed under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit by Zephaniah in order to emphasize God’s concern for the kingdom of Judah that He intervenes in the affairs of this nation. This word emphasizes where the message to Zephaniah “originates from.” The expression “the word of the Lord came to Zephaniah” emphasizes with the reader, the kingdom of Judah, and her Gentiles neighbors and the entire world that Zephaniah received divine authority to proclaim a message to them. The construct state of the noun dĕbar means that the word is in “construction” with another noun or we can say that it is governing another noun. Specifically, it is used to indicate that it is grammatically bound to the nominal that follows it in a broadly possessive or genitival construction. The construct relationship can often be recognized by the presence of a maqqef between the nouns. Also, a noun in the construct state never has the definite (־)

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 22 article. If the last noun is definite, the noun in construct is also definite. Correspondingly, if the last noun is not definite, the noun in construct is not definite. Here the construct state of dĕbar means that it is governing the noun yhwh. The genitive function is source indicating that this message that Zephaniah was communicating to Judah through this book “originated from” the Lord Himself. It could also be interpreted as possession indicating that this message belongs to the Lord. At this point in Zephaniah 2:5, Zephaniah is employing the figure of ellipsis meaning that he is deliberately omitting the third person masculine singular qal which means “to be directed at” and ,(הָּיָּה) active perfect form of the verb hāyâ speaks of the communication of this prophecy against the Philistines. The qal stem of the verb hāyâ is fientive expressing the action of the Lord communicating through Zephaniah this message which he was to communicate in writing to the kingdom of Juda regarding the Philistines in the land of Canaan. The perfect tense of the verb hāyâ is complete-action perfect which refers to a verb with the meaning of complete action describing the event as a complete whole, with its beginning, middle, and end all in view. The action may be already finished or it may simply be described that way. Here the perfect pertains to a present state resulting from a previously completed action. The past action is the Lord communicating a message to Zephaniah, which the prophet in turn was to communicate to Judah regarding the Philistines residing in Canaan. The present state is the publication of this prophecy against the Philistines in that it announces God’s intention to judge these people if they don’t repent. The second person masculine plural pronominal suffix ʾattem means “all of you” and is used in a distributive sense emphasizing no exceptions. It is referring to the Philistine people who lived in Canaan. This word is the object of the preposition ʿal, which means “against” since it is functioning as a marker of opposition. Therefore, this prepositional phrase indicates God’s righteous indignation is “against” the Philistine people residing in Canaan for their unrepentant sinful lives. The proper noun kĕnaʿan means “Canaan” since it pertains a geographical area roughly from (South to North) Kadesh Barnea to Lebo Hamath and (West to East) the Mediterranean Sea to the Dead Sea, in the north, slightly further east. So Canaan normally meant the region west of the Jordan River. Here in Zephaniah 2:5 the word contains the figure of metonymy meaning that the land of Canaan is put for those who live in this region. The noun ʾereṣ means “land, region, territory” since it pertains to a specific large area of the earth where a distinct culture or kingdom dwells. Here it is used with regards to the Philistines. This word contains the figure of metonymy

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 23 meaning that the land is put for its inhabitants. The construct state of this noun means that is governing the word which follows it and is expressing a genitive ,(פ לִּש תִּ י) relation with this word which is the masculine plural ethnic noun pĕlištî “the Philistines.” The genitive relation is possession indicating that this land or territory belongs to the Philistines who were a people who migrated from southern Greece to the coastland of Canaan.

God Will Destroy the Philistines

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. (NASB95) “And I will destroy you so that there will be no inhabitant” is composed of and” (2) first person singular hiphil active“ ,( וְ) the following: (1) conjunction w I will destroy” (3) second person feminine“ ,(אָּבַד) perfect form of the verb ʾābad (so that” (5“ ,(מִּ ן) you” (4) preposition min“ ,( אַתְ) plural pronominal suffix ʾat (there will be no” (6“ ,(אַיִּן) masculine singular construct form of the noun ʾayin ”.inhabitant“ ,(יָּשַ ב) masculine singular qal active participle form of the verb yāšab This time the conjunction w is a marker of cause meaning it is introducing a prophetic declaration which presents the reason for the previous prophetic declaration that the message from the Lord is directed against Canaan and specifically the land of the Philistines. It is introducing a prophetic declaration which asserts that God will destroy the Philistines. Therefore, this conjunction indicates that the message from the Lord is directed against Canaan and specifically the land of the Philistines “because” God will destroy the Philistines The verb ʾābad is in the hiphil stem and means “to cause another person to be destroyed or killed” since it pertains to causing someone through violence to experience physical death. Here it is used of God killing the Philistines. The hiphil stem of the verb ʾābad is factitive meaning that the subject of this verb causes its direct object to enter the state described by the same verb in the qal. Here the subject is of course God and the object is the Philistine people residing on the Mediterranean coastal plains. Therefore, this stem expresses the idea that God will cause the Philistines to experience physical death. He will cause them to be killed. 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 the Lord will cause the Philistines to be killed. The second person feminine plural pronominal suffix ʾat means “all of you” referring to the Philistine nation residing on the Mediterranean coastal plain in the

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 24 seventh century B.C. and is used in a distributive sense meaning “each and every one of you” emphasizing no exceptions. God is against every unrepentant Philistine sinner. The masculine singular construct form of the noun ʾayin is functioning here as a negative adverb and means “there will be no” and denies the existence of the thing represented by the masculine singular qal active participle form of the verb yāšab inhabitant.” Therefore, the word denies the existence of any Philistine“ ,(יָּשַ ב) inhabiting the land of Canaan after God is through killing them all. This word is the object of the preposition min, which means “until” since it is used as a temporal marker pertaining to continuance to a specified time. Here it denotes that God will cause the Philistines to be killed until there is absolutely not one inhabitant in Canaan. The verb yāšab means “to inhabit, to live in, to dwell in” since it pertains to being in a place for any period of time usually implying a longer amount of time. Here the word is used of the Philistines residing on the Mediterranean coastal plain. Therefore, this word speaks of the Philistines inhabiting or residing on the Mediterranean coastal plains. The qal stem of this verb is stative indicating the state of not one Philistine living on or inhabiting the Mediterranean coastal plains. The participle form of this verb is functioning as a substantive participle.

Translation of Zephaniah 2:5

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.” (Author’s translation)

Exposition of Zephaniah 2:5

Zephaniah 2:5 contains two prophetic declarations. The first is directed against the Cretan people who resided in the Mediterranean coastal plain in the prophet Zephaniah’s day in the seventh century B.C. The prophet declares that these people will face disaster. This prophecy was fulfilled in history by the destruction inflicted by Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt (609–594) as an attempt to consolidate the area west of the Euphrates against the Babylonians (Jer. 47). The Babylonian invasions under Nebuchadnezzar in 605, 597 and 586 B.C. finished them off. The second prophecy is directed against the Philistines who resided in the land of Canaan in the prophet’s day and age. The prophet declares that he has message for the Philistines

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 25 which originates from the Lord and is against them. He then provides the reader the reason why this message is against them, namely the Lord will surely cause them to be killed until there is absolutely not of them inhabiting the land of Canaan. This was fulfilled in history as well through the destruction inflicted by Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt (609–594) as an attempt to consolidate the area west of the Euphrates against the Babylonians (Jer. 47). The Babylonian invasions under Nebuchadnezzar in 605, 597 and 586 B.C. finished them off. These two prophecies were designed to motivate unregenerate Jews and Jewish believers in apostasy to repent in order to take advantage of God judging the Gentiles nations surrounding them and to experience blessing from God. They were designed to move these Jews to meditate upon this announcement of judgment against their Gentile neighbors for the purpose of personal application, which is God wants them to repent. For the unregenerate, this would involve changing their attitude toward the Lord and trusting in Him. For the regenerate, this would involve confession of sin to be restored to fellowship with Him followed by obedience to His Word to maintain this fellowship. Carl Ehrlich has the following article on Crete, he writes “A people of presumably Aegean origin who settled along the SW coast of Palestine and from whose ranks David drew the core of his personal guard (1 Sam 30:14; 2 Sam 8:18; 15:18; etc.). The term ‘Cherethite’ is first encountered in reference to a region of the Negeb in the account of the sick Egyptian slave abandoned by his Amalekite master and found by David (1 Sam 30:14). The Cherethites are most frequently mentioned in conjunction with the PELETHITES. Together they formed a mercenary unit under the command of Benaiah which was distinct from the regular army (2 Sam 8:18; 20:23 [Qere; about the Kethib kry see CARITES] 2 Kgs 11:4, 19; 1 Chr 18:17; see also de Vaux AncIsr, 123, 219–22). They owed their allegiance to David and showed him great loyalty in times of crisis. The Cherethites and the Pelethites accompanied David on his flight from Absalom (2 Sam 15:18); they went out in pursuit of Sheba during his revolt against David (2 Sam 20:7); and they were instrumental in Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah’s efforts to crown Solomon king (1 Kgs 1:38, 44). After the death of David, the Cherethites and the Pelethites disappeared from the biblical record. Albeit there are two references to the Cherethites as a people in poetic parallel with the Philistines in prophetic oracles (Ezek 25:16; Zeph 2:5). Research on the Cherethites has tended to focus on the questions of their geographical origin and ethnic affiliation. Although the island of Crete is named Caphtor in the (Deut 2:23; Jer 47:4; etc.; Akk Kaptara, Eg Keftiu; see CAPHTOR), most scholars view the Heb

SW southwest (ern) AncIsr R. de Vaux, 1961. Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions. Trans. J. McHugh. London. Repr. New York, 1965 Akk Akkadian Eg Egyptian

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 26 kĕrēt as meaning Cretan and seek the Cherethites’ roots on the island of Crete (Gk Krētē; Albright 1920–1921; Delcor 1978; but see Virolleaud [1936: 8–10] who views the Ugaritic hero Keret as the eponymous ancestor of the kĕrēt m; arguments against this latter view can be found in Delcor 1978: 414–15). The exact relationship between the Cherethites and the Philistines is unclear. Since the Hebrew Bible ascribes the Philistines’ origin to the island of Caphtor (Amos 9:7), it would appear that the Cherethites and the Philistines came from the same region of the Aegean. In spite of poetic passages such as Ezek 25:16 and Zeph 2:5 in which the Cherethites and the Philistines are juxtaposed, it cannot be determined whether the Cherethites were identical with the Philistines, a subgroup of the Philistines, or a separate ethnic entity. Owing to the absence of their name among the Sea Peoples in the Medinet Habu inscription of Ramses III (ANET, 262–63), Albright (1920–21) surmised that the Cherethites were foreign mercenaries already in Egyptian employ before the mass movements of Sea Peoples at the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the Iron Age which brought the Philistines to Canaan. Hence they were unrelated to the Philistines and able to enter David’s service, in which they presumably fought against the Philistines. Using the same evidence, Delcor (1978: 421) concluded that the Cherethites must have arrived on the scene at about the time of David, or shortly before. In his opinion they either merged with or formed a subgroup of the Philistines. The area of Cherethite settlement was in the Negeb to the S and SE of Gaza (Aharoni 1958: 28–30). It may have been during the time of David’s service to Achish, king of Gath, at Ziklag (1 Samuel 27; 29) that he hired the loyalty of the Cherethites and formed them into his personal bodyguard (McCarter 1 Samuel AB, 435).”18 T.C. Mitchell has the following article on Crete, “A mainly mountainous island in the Mediterranean lying across the S end of the Aegean. It is about 250 km long, and its breadth varies from 56 km to 11 km. It is not mentioned by name in the OT, but it is probable that the *Cherethites, who formed part of David’s bodyguard, came from it, and the place-name *Caphtor probably referred to the island and the adjacent coastlands which fell within its dominion during the 2nd millennium bc. In the NT Cretans (Krētes) are mentioned among those present at Pentecost (Acts 2:11), and later the island (Krētē) is named in the account of Paul’s journey to Rome (Acts 27:7–13, 21). His ship sailed past Salmone at the E end and put into a port called Fair Havens near Lasea in the centre of the S coast, and Paul advised wintering there. He was overruled, however. The ship set out to coast round to a better wintering-berth at Phoenix in the SW, but a strong wind sprang up, driving

ANET Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 3d ed. withsuppl., ed. J. B. Pritchard, Princeton, 1969 S south (ern) SE southeast (ern) AB Anchor Bible 18 Ehrlich, C. S. (1992). Cherethites. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 1, pp. 898–899). New York: Doubleday.

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 27 them out to sea, and finally to Malta. After his imprisonment at Rome, Paul evidently revisited Crete, for he left *Titus there to carry on the work. The unflattering description of the Cretans in Tit. 1:12 is a quotation from Epimenides of Crete (quoted also in Acts 17:28a). Our knowledge of the island’s history is derived chiefly from archaeology. There were neolithic settlements on it in the 4th and 3rd millennia bc, but it was in the Bronze Age that a powerful civilization was achieved. This was centred upon Knossos, a site excavated over many years by Sir Arthur Evans. The Early Bronze Age (Early Minoan I-III, c. 2600–2000 bc) was a period of gradual commercial expansion, which was continued during the Middle Bronze Age (Middle Minoan I-III, c. 2000–1600 bc). In this latter period writing (on clay and copper tablets) was in use, first of all in the form of a pictographic script (c. 2000–1650 bc) and then in a simplified form, known as Linear A (c. 1750–1450 bc). Neither of these scripts has been positively deciphered (C. H. Gordon’s suggestion that Linear A was used to write Akkadian has not been widely accepted). The peak of Cretan civilization was reached in the early part of the Late Bronze Age (Late Minoan I (-II), c. 1600–1400 bc). The Linear A script continued in use during part of this period, but a third script, Linear B, appeared at Knossos (Late Minoan II, known only from Knossos). This was finally deciphered in 1953 by M. Ventris, and found to be couched in an archaic form of Gk. (Mycenaean), suggesting that the Late Minoan II period at Knossos was due to an enclave of Gk. speaking invaders. Similar tablets have also been found at Mycenae and Pylos on the mainland of Greece, where the script continued to be used after the decline of Minoan civilization, a decline which was accelerated by the violent destruction, perhaps by pirates, of most of the towns in Crete, around 1400 bc. This decline continued through the last phases of the Bronze Age (Late Minoan III, c. 1400–1125 bc). Towards the end of this period Dorian Greeks came to the island and ushered in the Iron Age. Discoveries in Egypt, and at such sites as Ras Shamra (cf. the name of king krt in the cuneiform tablets), Byblos and Atchana (Alalah ) in Syria, show that Cretan commerce had extended to W Asia by the Middle Minoan II period (1st quarter of the 2nd millennium), and from this time on the folk- movements, in which the *Philistines played a part and which culminated in the invasion of the ‘Sea Peoples’ in the 14th century, were taking place. Throughout the Iron Age the island was divided among a number of feuding city-states, until it was subdued by Rome in 67 bc.19 P. J. Achtemeier writes “Crete (Caphtor in the ot), the fifth largest Mediterranean island, 152 miles long (243 km.) from west to east, 7.5-35 miles wide (12-56 km.) and 3,189 square miles in area (8,259 sq. km.). Crete forms the

19 Mitchell, T. C. (1996). Crete. In (D. R. W. Wood, I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, & D. J. Wiseman, Eds.)New Bible dictionary. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 28 southern boundary of the Aegean Sea. While maintaining a resolute identity and culture of its own, its primary relationship is with Greece, rather than with Anatolia, Egypt, or the Levant, although there has been constant communication between them. Structurally related to the mountain ranges of the Peloponnesus and southwest Turkey, Crete is composed of four limestone massifs, reaching an altitude of 8,058 ft. (2,456 m.) in the center, almost that in the west, but only 4,757 ft. (1,450 m.) further east. In the south the mountains drop steeply into the sea, leaving little room for settlement, Kali Limenes (Gk., ‘Fair Havens,’ Acts 27:8) being the only good anchorage. The northern coast is less precipitous, with better harbors, and is consequently the most populated region. The island has winter rainfall (about 20 inches [500 mm.] on the north coast) and heavy snow on the mountains. Summers are dry and hot, especially when the ‘Libyan wind’ sweeps across from the Sahara to the south, but the mountains may have thunderstorms. Winter gales can be severe, especially on the south coast, where northeast winds can pour tempestuously down the steep mountainsides (Acts 27:14-15). The now bare highlands were once thickly clothed with oak, cypress, juniper, pine, and Spanish chestnut. Grapes, olives, barley, and oats have always been the main crops; today citrus is also grown. Sheep and goats are reared on the mountain slopes. Crete was first settled between 6000 and 5000 b.c., and gradually the brilliant Bronze Age Minoan culture developed. Large palaces were first built around 2000, and, after a severe earthquake about 1700 b.c., the even more splendid ‘New Palace’ culture arose, with superb frescoes and sculpture as well as intricate ceremonial activity and widespread trade throughout the Mediterranean. The language of this period was Greek, written in ‘Linear B’ script, and by 1500 Mycenaean Greek was becoming dominant. About 1450 a disastrous earthquake, related to the gigantic eruption of the volcanic island of Santorini, initiated a cultural decline, and Crete thereafter acted as ‘middleman’ in the development of Mediterranean culture rather than as leader. Biblical references to Caphtor or Crete are few. The Israelites, who played no active role at all on the Mediterranean Sea, knew the remote island chiefly as the home of the Philistines (Deut. 2:23; Jer. 47:4; Amos 9:7; see also Gen. 10:14; 1 Chron. 1:12), part of the great movement of the ‘Sea Peoples.’ Among these Philistine immigrants were the Cherethites and Pelethites, who formed an important part of David’s army (2 Sam. 8:18; 15:18; 20:23). The Letter to Titus speaks of a visit to Crete by the apostle Paul. Paul subsequently left Titus in Crete ‘to amend what was defective and appoint elders’ (Titus 1:5). His derogatory, and probably unjustified, quotation about the Cretans being ‘always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons’ (cf. Titus 1:10) comes from the same

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 29 poem of the Cretan poet Epimenides that Paul had quoted in Athens (Acts 17:28).”20 Easton writes “Crete (Crēt) Long, narrow, mountainous island south of mainland Greece, running 170 miles east-west but never more than about 35 miles wide. Crete was the center of the Minoan maritime empire named after the legendary King Minos and associated especially with the famous palaces of Cnossos and Phaestos, which flourished from 2000 to 1500 b.c. This artistically brilliant civilization fell suddenly, perhaps by earthquake followed by conquest, about 1400 b.c., leaving written tablets in the oldest known scripts of Europe, including the undeciphered ‘Linear A’ and the apparently later proto-Greek ‘Linear B,’ found also on the mainland. The Minoans of Crete were known to the Egyptians as ‘Keftiu,’ which may be the same as biblical ‘Caphtor,’ though the biblical term may include a wider reference to coastlands and islands of the Aegean area. The Philistines came to Palestine from Caphtor (Jer. 47:4; Amos 9:7) and may have been part of the widespread migrant ‘Sea Peoples’ rather than Cretans proper. In classical Greek times Crete had many city-states, but they played relatively little part in mainstream Greek history. It had become a center of piracy before the Roman occupation in 67 b.c. Under the Romans it became part of a double province, Crete with Cyrene, under a governor with the title ‘proconsul,’ who ruled the island and the opposite coast of North Africa from the Roman capital Gortyna. This had already been among the cities to whom the Romans had appealed a century before for fair treatment of their Jewish minorities (1 Macc. 15:23). Cretans were among those listed as present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:11), and the gospel may first have reached the island through them. Paul made his voyage to Rome as a prisoner on a Roman grain ship. The voyage followed the route south of Crete, which gave partial shelter from the northwest winds and avoided the peril of the lee shore on the north coast, while still involving the need to beat against largely adverse winds. The journey had already been very slow, and it was getting dangerously late in the summer sailing season. The ship doubled Salmone, the eastern cape of Crete, and with difficulty reached Fair Havens, a small anchorage near the city of Lasea (Acts 27:8). There the emergency council called by the centurion and shipmaster overruled Paul’s advice, and a risky attempt was made to reach Phoenix, a regular port for servicing the grain ships, some 40 miles further west along the coast. The gentle south wind gave way to a violent northeaster (Euroclydon, Acts 27:14) when they came out of the shelter of Cape Matala (Loukinos) into an open bay, and the ship was driven helplessly, managing only some emergency action in the lee of the offshore island of Cauda, and thence to shipwreck on Malta. The only other references to Crete in

20 Achtemeier, P. J., Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature. (1985). In Harper’s Bible dictionary. San Francisco: Harper & Row.

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 30 the NT are in the epistle to Titus. Paul had left Titus in Crete to exercise pastoral supervision over the churches there (Titus 1:5). The character of the people is described in a quotation from a prophet of their own: ‘Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons’ (Titus 1:12 HCSB), words attributed to the Cretan seer Epimenides, who was also credited with having advised the Athenians to set up altars to unknown gods (cp. Acts 17:23). Now called Candia, one of the largest islands in the Meditterranean, about 140 miles long and 35 broad. It was at one time a very prosperous and populous island, having a ‘hundred cities.’ The character of the people is described in Paul’s quotation from “one of their own poets” (Epimenides) in his epistle to Titus: ‘The Cretans are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies’ (Titus 1:12). Jews from Crete were in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:11). The island was visited by Paul on his voyage to Rome (Acts 27). Here Paul subsequently left Titus (1:5) ‘to ordain elders.’ Some have supposed that it was the original home of the Caphtorim (q.v.) or Philistines.”21 Negev writes “The largest and southernmost of the Greek islands in the Mediterranean. According to Ezekiel (25:16) and Zephaniah (2:5), the Philistines originated in Crete (Authorized Version: ‘Cheretim, Cherethites’). Some scholars identify the Cherethites of the Bible with Caphtor. Until half a century ago very little was known of the culture of Crete, and that little was drawn mainly from the ancient Greek writers, who mention Minos, the mighty ruler of Crete. The excavations by Sir Arthur Evans at Knossos and other excavators elsewhere revealed remains of the Cretans’ rich culture, illustrating their great achievements in architecture, pottery, metal-work and painting. These finds shed much light on the strong influence of Crete on the history and culture of the Mediterranean countries from as early as the beginning of the 3rd millennium to the end of the 2nd millennium bc. Traces of this influence may be observed on the Greek mainland and the Aegean islands, while numerous finds attest to Crete’s close cultural and commercial contacts with Asia Minor, Egypt, Phoenicia and Palestine, where objects have been found which were either direct imports from Crete or local imitations. Cretan material culture may be divided into three main periods: Early Minoan (c. 3000–2000 bc), Middle Minoan (2000–1500 bc) and Late Minoan (1500–1200 bc). The appearance of the hieroglyphic script of Crete is attributed to the beginning of the Middle Minoan period. At first its use was limited to seals, but as time went on it was applied also to clay tablets, where it assumed a more cursive form. Later in the same period this script was replaced by what is known as Linear A script. Near the beginning of the Late Minoan period Linear B script made its appearance. Only Linear B has so far been deciphered; it proved to be an early form of the Greek language. In addition to this evidence of

21 Easton, M. G. (1893). In Easton’s Bible dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers.

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 31 the highly developed Minoan culture, prehistoric remains and remains of the Iron Age and later periods have also been discovered in Crete.”22 The land of Canaan is named after a descendant of one of Noah’s sons. Namely Ham. Genesis 9:18 Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan. (NASB95) Ham’s descendants, the Canaanites, developed into seven nations in Canaan (Deut. 7:1) and were idolatrous (Deut. 29:17), involved in the occult (Deut. 18:9- 10) and gross immorality (Lev. 18), which archaeology confirms. The term “Canaanite” denotes those individuals descended from Canaan who lived in the land west of the Jordan River before the conquest of Joshua and whose western border was the Mediterranean Sea, especially in the lower and coastal regions (Gen. 13:12; Num. 33:51). The northern border of the land of the Canaanites went as far as Sidon, which is 120 miles north of Jerusalem and the southern border extended to Gerar, which is about 11 miles south-southeast of Gaza, which was on the coast 50 miles southeast of Jerusalem. The Canaanites who lived in the highland regions were often called “Amorite.” At times the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, were called “Canaanites” but strictly speaking the nations who dwelt on the coasts or river lowlands were called “Canaanite” (Nm. 13:29). The Canaanites were descendants of Noah’s son Ham. They were actually composed of seven nations (Deut. 7:1) and were idolatrous (Deut. 29:17), involved in the occult (Deut. 18:9-10) and gross immorality (Lev. 18), which archaeology confirms. They were under a divine curse (Genesis 9:24-27). Discoveries at the ancient Ugarit, north of Tyre and Sidon, have revealed Canaanite religion promoted child sacrifice, idolatry, prostitution in the name of religion and all kinds of occultic and immoral practices. Therefore, it was an act of justice in the Lord dispossessing the Amorites, also known as the Canaanite. The Lord does not dispossess and judge a nation immediately until He has given it grace in the sense of giving it a sufficient amount of time to repent. Once a nation has completely rejected God’s grace and every opportunity to repent and accept Christ as Savior, it will become totally and completely saturated with evil (see Lev. 18:24-28; 20:23) and then the Lord sends judgment. The Lord used the nation of Israel under Joshua to pour out His judgment upon the Canaanites for their immoral degeneracy (Gen. 15:16; 19:5; Lev. 18; 20; Deut. 12:31). The Canaanites were defeated on the battlefield, destroyed, or integrated with other nations or enslaved to Israel (Gen. 14:1-16; 15:18-21; Ex. 3:7-10; Deut.

22 Negev, A. (1990). In The Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land. New York: Prentice Hall Press.

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1-3; Josh. 10-19). Therefore, Genesis 9:24-29 sets the stage or lays the foundation for Israel’s foreign policy in the land (Deut. 20:16-18). “Canaan” is the more ancient name of Palestine, apparently derived from Hurrian, meaning, “belonging to the land of red purple,” the dye the early Canaanites or Phoenician traders peddled far and wide. It was obtained from the murex shells found on the Mediterranean (Phoenician) coast” (Unger’s Commentary on the Old Testament, page 54, AMG Publishers). The land of Canaan was west of the Jordan River before the conquest by Joshua, which had the Mediterranean Sea as its eastern border and whose position served as the route of two major highways between Egypt and the Western coast of the Arabian Peninsula to Mesopotamia and Asia Minor (with connections to India and Europe respectively). The natural boundaries of Canaan as expressed in the Bible extend from the Negev in the South to the northern reaches of the Lebanon Range in Syria and the land west of the range and of the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. In Genesis 10:19, Moses defines the borders of the Canaanites because it is this land that the Lord will dispossess for Israel and fulfill the prophecy of Noah in Genesis 9:24-25 regarding Canaan. The northern border of the land of the Canaanites went as far as Sidon, which is 120 miles north of Jerusalem and the southern border extended to Gerar, which is about 11 miles south-southeast of Gaza, which was on the coast 50 miles southeast of Jerusalem. Commenting on the Philistines in this verse, the NET Bible writes, “The term Philistines has been viewed by modern scholarship as an anachronism, since the Philistines were not believed to have settled in the region until the reign of Rameses III (in which case the term would not fit either the early or the late view of the exodus). But the OT clearly refers to Philistines in the days of the patriarchs. The people there in the earlier period may have been Semites, judging from their names, or they may have been migrants from Crete in the early time. The Philistines after the exodus were of Greek origin. The danger of warfare at this time was clearly with Canaanitish tribes. For further details, see K. A. Kitchen, “The Philistines,” Peoples of Old Testament Times, 53–54; J. M. Grintz, “The Immigration of the First Philistines in the Inscriptions,” Tarbiz 17 (1945): 32-42, and Tarbiz 19 (1947): 64; and E. Hindson, The Philistines and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1970), 39–59.”5 H. J Katzenstein writes “The Philistines (Eg P-r- -t-w; Heb p li t m), whose country of origin is still unknown, must have come to Canaan through the Aegean basin, destroying the Mycenaean and Minoan civilizations. They came partly overland via Anatolia, destroying the Hittite empire, Ugarit, and Amurru, and

5 Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Ex 13:17). Biblical Studies Press. Eg Egyptian

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 33 partly by ship via Crete (Caphtor of the Bible, cf. Amos 9:7 and Jer 47:4; Keftiu of the Egyptians) and Cyprus (“Ships come from the quarter of Kittim,” i.e. Cyprus [Num 24:24] probably alludes to the first waves of the Sea Peoples). They were allied with other Sea Peoples, and their ultimate goal was to settle in Egypt. In about 1190, Rameses III clashed with them and defeated them. Rameses settled the conquered Philistines, mostly as Egyptian mercenaries, in the coastal towns, Gaza, Ashkelon, and Ashdod (cf. Deut 2:23, where “Caphtorim” refers to the Philistines). The connection between Egypt and Caphtorim is reflected in Gen 10:13–14 (cf. Speiser, Genesis AB). The term “the Negeb of the Cherethites” (1 Sam 30:14) may reflect Philistine occupation of that part of the Negeb (for the identification of Cherethites as Philistines, cf. Ezek 25:16).”23 Genesis 10:13-14 lists the Philistines in the Table of Nations. Genesis 10:13 Mizraim became the father of Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim 14 and Pathrusim and Casluhim (from which came the Philistines and Caphtorim. (NASB95) The “Philistines” descended from the Casluhites from Egypt and according to :4 and Amos 9:7 that like Israel they were enslaved in Crete, from which God delivered them like Israel. The Table of Nations connects the Philistines with other descendants of Ham, such as the Canaanites. The Philistines however, were not a single ethnic group, but rather a conglomeration of several different peoples from different origins and time periods. Therefore, the Philistines who originated from the Casluhites were different from the ones who descended from Caphtor. Katzenstein writes “When Pharaoh Hophra (Apries) succeeded to the throne of Egypt in 589 B.C.E., he persuaded Zedekiah to revolt and even came to the aid of Zedekiah against Nebuchadnezzar, but the Egyptian army retreated as soon as the main Babylonian forces left Jerusalem to fight them (cf. Jer 37:7). It is likely that the Philistine cities joined in the revolt, and it was probably at this time that Nebuchadnezzar deported people from the Philistine towns and settled them in the vicinity of Nippur, although our evidence comes from later times. The kings of Gaza and Ashdod appear (together with several other kings from W Asia) at the end of a list of high court officials from ca. 570 B.C.E. During the reign of Nabonidus, there existed a place named Gaza (Ḫa-za-tu), which must have been founded by exiles from Gaza although the people mentioned all had Babylonian

AB Anchor Bible 23 Katzenstein, H. J. (1992). Philistines: History. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 5, p. 326). New York: Doubleday. W west (ern) ca. circa (about, approximately)

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 34 names. The archives of the Murasu family from Nippur (455–403 B.C.E.), also mention settlements near Nippur named ‘Ashkelon,’ ‘Bît Arsa,’ and ‘Gaza.’”24

24 Katzenstein, H. J. (1992). Philistines: History. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.), The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (Vol. 5, p. 328). New York: Doubleday.

2016 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 35