Zephaniah Bible Study Resources

Study questions, maps, charts, outlines, and links to help you study the Old Testament book of Zephaniah.

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Jump to: Background; ** Maps; ** Key Words; ** Encyclopedias; ** Commentaries; ** Articles; ** GotQuestions ** Next **

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Basics

• Zephaniah prophesied to the southern kingdom of Judah approximately 630-625 BC.
• Zephaniah is the only prophet descended from a king.
• Zephaniah dates his message to the reign of Josiah (640-609 BC), probably prior to Josiah’s reforms.
• 628 BC – Josiah tore down the altars to Baal (2 Chronicles 34:3-7).
• 622 BC – Josiah found the Book of the Law (2 Chronicles 34:8-35:19).
• Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah.
• Politically, the weakening of the Assyrian empire gave Judah a degree of independence for the first time in 50 years which King Josiah took advantage of.
• Theme: Judgment and destruction are certain unless you repent.
• Zephaniah was a contemporary of Jeremiah and Habakkuk.

Outline

• 1:1-2:3 – Judgment on Judah
• 2:4-15 – Judgment on the nations
• 3:1-7 – Judgment on Jerusalem
• 3:8-20 – Salvation in the Day of the Lord

Genre: Understanding Prophecy

Section 1: Background

Background

• Introduction to the Prophets
• Chart: Bible History at a glance
• Blue Letter Bible: Old Testament Timeline
• Biblehub: Habakkuk Overview
• Biblehub: The Divided Kingdom
• Chart: Kings of Israel & Judah
• Bible Atlas: Assyria
• Bible Atlas: Babylon
• Bible Atlas: Chaldea
• Bible Atlas: Jerusalem
• Ray C Stedman: Overview of the Book
• John MacArthur: Author, Date, Background
• ESV: Introduction to Minor Prophets
• ESV: Introduction to Zephaniah
• ESV: The Global Message of Zephaniah
• NIV: Introduction to Zephaniah
• Minor prophets quotes in the New Testament
• James van Dine: Analysis of Zephaniah
• David Malick: An Introduction to the Book of Zephaniah
• David Malick: An Argument of the Book of Zephaniah
• JVernon McGee:Zephaniah and Haggai – Introductory Notes, Outlines
• Charles Swindoll: Book of Zephaniah Overview
• Hampton Keathley: Zephaniah – Overview

Section 2: Maps

Maps from Bible-History.com

• Assyrian Conquests
• Judah under Babylon
• Judah under Hezekiah
• Babylonian Empire
• Old Testament Judah

Maps from Studylight.org

• The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah (1)
•  The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah (2)
• The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah (3)
•  The Rise of Assyria  
• Israel & Judah in the days of Jeroboam II and Uzziah
•  Assyrian Empire under Tiglath-Pileser III  
• The Syro-Ephraimite War
• Tiglath-Pileser III’s Campaigns
• Fall of Samaria and Deportation of Israelites  
• The Fall of the Kingdom of Israel  
• Assyrian Districts after the Fall of Samaria
• Prophets of the 8th Century BCE
• Hezekiah’s Preparation for Revolt
• Judah under King Hezekiah
• Hezekiah’s Jerusalem
• Sennacherib’s Campaign against Judah
•  Assyria in the 7th century BCE
•  The Rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire
• The Reign of Josiah
• The Districts of Judah under King Josiah
•  The Golden Age of King Josiah
• Nebuchadnezzar’s Campaigns against Judah

Section 3: Key Words

Key Words

• Day (13x) (of the Lord; on that day; a day of ; in that day) – Zep 1:7; Zep 1:8; Zep 1:9; Zep 1:10; Zep 1:14; Zep 1:15; Zep 1:16; Zep 1:18; Zep 2:2; Zep 2:3; Zep 3:8; Zep 3:11; Zep 3:16.
• earth (8x) – Strong’s H127 in Zep 1:2; Zep 1:3; Strong’s H776 in Zep 1:18; Zep 2:3; Zep 2:11; Zep 3:8; Zep 3:19; Zep 3:20.
• gather (5x) – Strong’s H7187b in Zep 2:1; Strong’s H622 in Zep 3:8; Zep 3:18; Strong’s H6908 in Zep 3:19; Zep 3:20.
• remnant (4x)- Strong’s H7611 in Zep 1:4; Zep 2:7; Zep 2:9; Zep 3:13; Strong’s H7605 in Zep 1:4.
• nations (3x) – Strong’s H1471 in Zep 2:11; Zep 3:6; Zep 3:8.
• destroy (2x) – Strong’s H6 in Zep 2:5; Zep 2:13.
• destruction – Strong’s H7724b in Zep 1:14.
• Woe (2x) – Strong’s H195 in Zep 2:5; Zep 3:1.
• anger (4x) – Strong’s H639 in Zep 2:2; Zep 2:3; Zep 3:8.
• wrath (2x) – Strong’s H3117 in Zep 1:15; Zep 1:18.
• midst (4x) – Strong’s H7130 in Zep 3:11; Zep 3:15; Zep 3:17; Strong’s H8432 in Zep 2:14.

Section 4: Encyclopedias

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

• Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Zephaniah – Theology
• American Tract Society: Zephaniah
• Bridgeway Bible Dictionary: Zephaniah
• Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Zephaniah
• Fausset Bible Dictionary: Zephaniah, the Book Of; Zephaniah
• Holman Bible Dictionary: Zephaniah, Book Of; Zephaniah
• Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible: Zephaniah; Zephaniah (1)
• Kitto’s Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature: Zephaniah
• International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Book of Zephaniah
• McClintock and Strong: Zephaniah, Book Of,; Zephaniah
• The Nuttall Encyclopedia: Zephaniah
• The Jewish Encyclopedia: Zephaniah

Section 5: Commentaries

Commentaries & Study Bibles

• Ligionier.org Top 5 Commentaries: Zephaniah
• Tim Challies Best Commentaries:
• Commentary Reviews: Zephaniah
• Walter Kaiser-Preacher’s Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible: Zephaniah
• Matthew Henry: Zephaniah
• Albert Barnes Notes: Zephaniah
• Reformation Study Bible Notes: Zephaniah
• Geneva Study Bible: Zephaniah
• Precept Austin Commentaries & Sermons: Zephaniah

Section 6: Articles

Articles

• The Message of Zephaniah An Urgent Echo — Greg A. King
• The Day of the Lord in Zephaniah — By Greg A. King
• The Remnant in Zephaniah (1995)– Greg A. King
• The Remnant in Zephaniah (1994) — Greg A. King
• The Historical Testimony of the Prophet Zephaniah – H Ferguson
• Literary Look at Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah by Richard D. Patterson
• Zephaniah’s Day of the LORD – Jonathan Patterson
• Zephaniah: Protology in Eschatology – Mark A Winder
• Zephaniah 1:7, 14 The Prophet’s Watchword: Day of the LORD-Richard Mayhue
• The Commanding Importance of the Prophetic Scriptures – Charles Feinberg
• D. Rudman, “A Note on Zephaniah,” Biblica 80 (1999): 109-112.
• Additional Articles On Zephaniah at Bible.org
• Hampton Keathley: The Minor Prophets

Section 7: Got Questions

GotQuestions.org

• Book of Zephaniah – Bible Survey
• What are the Major Prophets and Minor Prophets?
• Who are the Chemarim / Chemarims in Zephaniah 1:4?
• What does it mean to worship the starry host or the host of the heavens (Zephaniah 1:5)?
• When did Moab and Ammon eventually worship the Lord (Zephaniah 2:11)?
• What can ordinary people do about sinful religious leaders (Zephaniah 3:4)?
• What does it mean that God will rejoice over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17)?
• Who was Baal?
• What is the day of the Lord?

Bible Study Helps

• Bible Study 101
• Interpreting Narratives
• Study Software & websites
• More Maps & Charts
• Hebrew word studies by Precepts Austin

Section 8: Next

Next: Haggai

Previous: Habakkuk

Series: Resources by Book

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