Zephaniah 1:8
What does Zephaniah 1:8 mean?
A plain-English look at Zephaniah 1:8 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Zephaniah 1:8 means
On the day of Jehovah’s sacrifice, the first to be punished are the princes and the king’s sons. Leadership will not be shielded from accountability. Those “clothed with foreign apparel” symbolize imitation of pagan courts and values—status-seeking, pride, and assimilation that often went hand in hand with idolatry. God’s holiness reaches the palace, exposing fashionable compromise and the misuse of privilege. The verse warns that outward refinement cannot conceal inner disloyalty. Royal circles that should have modeled covenant fidelity instead paraded borrowed splendor. Therefore, they become the first examples of judgment, showing that social rank, heritage, and style offer no refuge when God calls His people to account.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And it shall come to pass in the day of Jehovah’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s sons, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And it shall come to pass in the day of Jehovah’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king’s sons, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And it will come about in the day of the Lord's offering, that I will send punishment on the rulers and the king's sons and all who are clothed in robes from strange lands.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862And it hath come to pass, In the day of the sacrifice of Jehovah, That I have laid a charge on the heads, And on sons of the king, And on all putting on strange clothing.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And it shall come to pass in the day of the victim of the Lord, that I will visit upon the princes, and upon the king's sons, and upon all such as are clothed with strange apparel:
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890And it shall come to pass in the day of Jehovah's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's sons, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.
Context
Building on the sacrificial picture in verse 7, verse 8 names the royal house and elite as first in line for discipline. The next verse extends the net to household agents given to superstition and those who enrich themselves through violence and deceit. Together, verses 8–9 reveal a society whose upper echelons have led the way in unfaithfulness, setting the stage for the citywide alarms and economic collapse described in verses 10–11.
v.7Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord Jehovah; for the day of Jehovah is at hand: for Jehovah hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath consecrated his guests.
v.8This passage
v.9And in that day I will punish all those that leap over the threshold, that fill their master’s house with violence and deceit.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- 2 Kings 10:22
And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments.
- Jeremiah 39:6
Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah.
- Jeremiah 22:24
As I live, saith Jehovah, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;
- 2 Kings 25:6
Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.
- 2 Kings 24:12
and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.
- Deuteronomy 22:5
A woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment; for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto Jehovah thy God.
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