Zephaniah 2 Bible Commentary

Zephaniah 2 begins with an urgent call to Judah to repent to escape the LORD's judgment. After the call, the prophet pronounces judgment upon several foreign nations, such as Philistia in the west, Moab and Ammon in the east, Ethiopia in the south, and Assyria in the north. These nations represent pagan people who are both near and far away from the land of Judah. The LORD will destroy them to demonstrate that He alone is the all-powerful God and that there is no one besides Him. The outline of the passage is as follows:

1. Zephaniah exhorts the people of Judah to repent to avoid the judgment of God upon Judah. He also exhorts the righteous within Judah to seek God, for perhaps He might hide them from suffering when Judah is judged (vv. 1-3).
2. Zephaniah pronounces judgment against Philistia. The LORD will destroy the Philistines and give their land as pasture to the Judahites. The destruction upon Philistia should serve as a warning to Judah, for them to repent and return to their LORD (vv. 4–7).
3. The LORD pronounces judgment against Moab and Ammon for their arrogance against His covenant people. He will destroy them like He did Sodom and Gomorrah (vv. 8-11).
4. The LORD pronounces judgment against the Ethiopians. He will judge them with the sword of war (v. 12).
5. Zephaniah pronounces judgment against Assyria for her pride and arrogance. God will make Nineveh a ruin, and the land of Assyria will be emptied of population and become a place for pasturing animals (vv. 13-15).