Meaning Jah hides, or Jah treasures; Jah being a shortened form of Jehovah. The name probably signifies being hidden by Jehovah as His treasure in the day of His anger (Zeph. 2:3). As the son of Cushi, Zephaniah was a royal descendant who was related to two good kings of Judah, Hezekiah and Josiah.

The central thought of this book is that Jehovah is the judging and saving God both to Israel and to the nations, issuing in His reigning among Israel (Zeph. 3:15b) and in Israel’s singing and rejoicing in their restoration (Zeph. 3:14). Jehovah judges Israel as well as the nations, and He saves the nations as well as Israel. His judgment and His salvation are universal. Jehovah’s judgment on Israel and on the nations and His salvation to the Gentiles and to Israel have a particular order: His judgment is first on Israel and then on the nations (cf. 1 Pet. 4:17a), but His salvation is first to the Gentiles and then to Israel (Rom. 11:11, 25-26).

See note Jer. 49:1².

See note Joel 1:15^1a.

God had prepared His sinful elect as His sacrifice to offer to the invading army of the Chaldeans (Ezek. 39:19-20; Jer. 25:9), whom He had called and consecrated (sanctified). The Chaldean army, as the locusts (Joel 1:4), would destroy Israel, and this destruction would be their eating of the sacrifice.

Or, sanctified.