Zephaniah 3:6
What does Zephaniah 3:6 mean?
A plain-English look at Zephaniah 3:6 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Zephaniah 3:6 means
God reminds the city that He has already judged nations around them—tearing down defenses, emptying streets, and turning cities into ghost towns. These past acts were not random disasters; they were purposeful works of divine justice. The desolations were meant to be seen and considered by Jerusalem. God’s history with the nations stood as living parables, urging repentance and reform. If neighboring peoples could be overthrown, Jerusalem should not presume safety while persisting in sin. This verse shows that warnings were amply supplied: God’s judgments are recorded on the landscape itself, and they serve as sober markers of His holiness.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000I have cut off nations; their battlements are desolate; I have made their streets waste, so that none passeth by; their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant.
KJV
King James Version · 1611I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901I have cut off nations; their battlements are desolate; I have made their streets waste, so that none passeth by; their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949I have had the nations cut off, their towers are broken down; I have made their streets a waste so that no one goes through them: destruction has overtaken their towns, so that there is no man living in them.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862I have cut off nations, Desolated have been their chief ones, I have laid waste their out-places without any passing by, Destroyed have been their cities, Without man, without inhabitant.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752I have destroyed the nations, and their towers are beaten down: I have made their ways desert, so that there is none that passeth by: their cities are desolate, there is not a man remaining, nor any inhabitant.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890I have cut off nations: their battlements are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by; their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, so that there is no inhabitant.
Context
Having set forth His righteousness, God points to historical evidence: He has cut off nations and devastated cities. Verse 6 lays the groundwork for verse 7, where God explains what He hoped Jerusalem would do in light of those signs. The narrative is tightening: from character, to acts, to the expected response. The tension prepares for the tragic confession that instead of fearing and reforming, the people rushed headlong into deeper corruption.
v.5Jehovah in the midst of her is righteous; he will not do iniquity; every morning doth he bring his justice to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.
v.6This passage
v.7I said, Only fear thou me; receive correction; so her dwelling shall not be cut off, according to all that I have appointed concerning her: but they rose early and corrupted all their doings.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Jeremiah 25:18
to wit, Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, and the kings thereof, and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, a hissing, and a curse, as it is this day;
- Isaiah 19:1
The burden of Egypt. Behold, Jehovah rideth upon a swift cloud, and cometh unto Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.
- Nahum 2:1
He that dasheth in pieces is come up against thee: keep the fortress, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.
- Leviticus 26:31
And I will make your cities a waste, and will bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savor of your sweet odors.
- Isaiah 37:24
By thy servants hast thou defied the Lord, and hast said, With the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof, and the choice fir-trees thereof; and I will enter into its farthest height, the forest of its fruitful field;
- Zephaniah 2:5
Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea-coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Jehovah is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines; I will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.
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