God sings over us

GOD SINGS OVER US
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Zephaniah 3:17 17The LORD your God is with you,
the Mighty Warriorwho saves. He will take great
delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing."
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Biblical Illustrator
The Lord thy Godin the midst of thee is mighty.
Zephaniah 3:17
God in the midst of His Church
E. Payson, D. D.
Almost all the messagesofthe prophets to the ancient Church begin with the
most awful threatenings and end with the most animating promises.
I. WHAT IS HERE SAID TO THE CHURCH BY WAY OF
ENCOURAGEMENT.
1. The Church is encouragedby the assurance that Jehovahis her God, her
own covenantGod.
2. By assurancesofGod's everlasting, unchanging love, and of His gracious
designs respecting her. He has formed an unalterable determination to save
her.

3. That God rejoices in His love, and in all its sanctifying, saving effects upon
His people.
4. That her God is no less able than willing to effecther salvation. He is a God
at hand, and not afar off. "The Lord Thy God is in the midst of thee."
II. WHAT IS SAID BY WAY OF EXHORTATION. "Fearthou not." There
are various kinds of fear mentioned in the Scriptures, — filial fear, reverential
fear, humble fear, unbelieving fear, slavish fear, etc. The text forbids the
Church —
1. To indulge unbelieving fears;or
2. Slavishfear; or
3. A desponding, pusillanimous fear.The secondexhortationis, "Let not thine
hands be slack."Slackness is opposedto zeal and diligence. The remark is no
less applicable to our spiritual than to our temporal concerns. Slacknessor
indolence is the principal cause why so few Christians are eminently pious or
useful. Inferences —
1. All the doctrines and promises of God's Word, and all the gracious
assurancesofHis love, have a practicaltendency, and are designedto produce
holy zeal and activity.
2. Learn whether our belief of the Divine promises, and the hopes and
consolations whichwe derive from them, are real and scriptural.
3. Is God in the midst of us, resting in His love to us, and rejoicing over us
with joy? Then with what emotions does it become us to receive and embrace
Him!
(E. Payson, D. D.)
God's activity
William Pierce.

This text is castin the Gospelmould. It has the true evangelicalmark. It
discovers the revelationof God's character, whichthe teaching of Christ and
His apostles fully confirms.
I. GOD'S WORKUPON THE EARTH. This is one of the fundamental facts
of our religion, — God is in our very midst. Think of the unworthy
conceptions the heathen formed of God, and the imperfect conceptions Jews
formed. Christianity brought God in Christ to the homes of men, to the
workshops;God became God with us in the very breath we breathe. But
Christianity is more than teaching. It is not a school;it is a Church. Doctrine
by itself might enlighten men's minds; the doctrine and Christ's presence
togetherwill conquer the heart. God is greatin salvation;God is mighty to
save.
II. HOW DOES GOD THINK ABOUT HIS WORK? What is His attitude in
it, His personal interestin it? The activities of man go into two greatdivisions
—
1. Those who labour for bread.
2. Those who find their wages inthe work itself.The one is the labourer, the
other the artist. God takes delightin His work.
(William Pierce.)
The connectionexisting betweenGod and His people
Willlam Jay.
In religious concerns men are always prone to run into the opposite extremes
of presumption and despair. Both these mistakes arise from defective or
partial views of the characterand designof Jehovah.
I. WHAT DOES THE TEXT SAY CONCERNINGGOD'S RELATION TO
US? "The Lord thy God." He is our Maker;the former of our bodies; and the
former of our spirits within us. But as far as we are sinners we are not the
work of His own hands.

II. WHAT DOES THE TEXT TELL US CONCERNING HIS RESIDENCE?
"In the midst of thee." God is everywhere, but not everywhere as Friend and
Saviour.
II. WHAT SAYS OUR TEXT CONCERNING HIS SUFFICIENCY? "Is
mighty." "Is anything too hard for the Lord?"
IV. WHAT SAYS OUR TEXT CONCERNING HIS WORK? "He will save."
Save from what? — From our supreme calamity and peril. But some may say,
We are saved already. But you may know more of this salvation, feelmore of
it, rejoice more in it, and communicate it more to others.
V. WHAT DOES THE TEXT TELL US CONCERNING HIS HEART? Here
is a love accompaniedwith three characters.
1. A characterofDivine delight.
2. A characterofDivine permanency.
3. A characterofDivine expression. "With singing."
(Willlam Jay.)
He will rejoice over thee with joy
God's joy in salvation
William Jay., J. B. Omond.
It is obvious, He can save — for He is in the midst of them, and mighty. Here
is nearness and power. But He will save — He is inclined, He is engaged. He
will save, He will rejoice over them with joy. What is this salvation? It does
not exclude temporal preservationand deliverance. We are not to look for
miracles, but we may look for Him who performed them. Temporal
deliverances are promised conditionally. Salvation includes redemption from
the curse of the law, deliverance from the powers of darkness, freedomfrom
the sting of death, release from the dominion and being of sin. This salvation
is ensured. This salvationis begun.

(William Jay.)Christ's joy in His people: — In the time of Zephaniah the
iniquity of the Jews was verygreat, and as a nation they were fast ripening for
punishment. Battle and defeat, exile and slavery, were in store for them, but
these would pass away, and days of rejoicing would come again. Referring to
that time, the prophet calls for songs of hope.
I. THE LORD GOD IN THE MIDST OF THEE IS MIGHTY. He doeth what
He will with His own, and all things are His. The greatestfeelHis power, and
the leastare not exempt from His care.
II. HE WILL SAVE — From all uselessdread and alarm, from all
unnecessarytrials and assaults. There is no promise that a believer shall be
savedfrom suffering and sorrow and temptation; what is promised is, that he
shall not be overcome of these. Christ will show Himself as Saviour in the days
to come, as truly as in days past. He has saved. He will save.
III. HE WILL REJOICE OVER THEE WITH JOY. His people are His by
creation, purchase, adoption, and by a begun and progressive sanctification.
There is nought in the contemplation of the natural man to callforth the joy
of the Saviour.
IV. HE WILL REST IN HIS LOVE. Margin, "He will be silent," or "keep
silence in His love." This suggests the idea of a love too great for utterance.
V. HE WILL JOY OVER THEE WITH SINGING. If this is not an
amplification of the preceding promises, rather than a new promise, it speaks
of a time when the watchful care of the Saviour will be followedby a feeling of
ecstatic joy— of a time when the silence ofunutterable emotion will be
broken in upon by the triumphant voice of Him whose voice is as the sound of
many waters. Then, if these things be so, let me say, "What manner of persons
ought we to be, in all holy conversationand godliness?"
(J. B. Omond.)
God's delight in saving souls
Skeletons ofSermons.

A knowledge ofourselves will show us how much need we have of repentance;
and a knowledge ofGod will encourage us to repent.
I. GOD'S POWER TO SAVE. We shall not speak ofGod's powerin general,
but as it is manifested in the salvationof His Church and people.
II. HIS DETERMINATION TO SAVE. If He should leave us to ourselves
none of us would be saved. He takes the matter into His own hands, and
determines to save those whom He has given to His Son. He does not destroy
our free agency;but He overcomes our reluctance, and draws us to Himself
by an operationno less powerful than that which He exerted in raising His
Son, Jesus Christ, from the dead.
III. HIS DELIGHT TO SAVE. Notmerely will He feel an inward pleasure;
but as a man, overjoyedat any event, involuntarily expresses his joy by
singing, or some other outward token, so will God manifest His pleasure to the
returning soul.
IV. HIS IMMUTABILITY TOWARDS THOSE WHOM HE INTENDS TO
SAVE. Man is often alienated from the object of his affections, either by
means of some unexpected evil He has discovered, orthrough his own
fickleness andinconstancy. But God changethnot. In this glorious character
of God we may see —
1. The evil of sin. Under whatevercircumstances it may be committed, sin is
directly levelled againstHim.
2. The danger of dying in an unconverted state. Will it be no aggravationof
our guilt in the day of judgment to have despisedsuch a loving and gracious
God?
3. The obligation that lies upon believers to serve the Lord. What should you
render unto the Lord for all His benefits? Have no end, no aim, no wish, but
to please and honour the God of your salvation.
(Skeletons ofSermons.)

The joy of God overHis own
George Elliott.
This is one of those revelations of the characterofGod which are sometimes
calledanthropomorphic. And it is argued that to ascribe human attributes to
God is to limit Him. But we may fearlesslyrejoice in the inspiring revelation
of the text, that societyis necessaryto the fulness of the Divine nature. God
cannot do without His children; He finds His joy in them.
I. IT IS THE JOY OF A STRONG BEING. "The Lord thy God is mighty."
Little natures are capable of little happiness. In our gladdesthours we can but
dimly guess what is the bliss of an infinite Being. This joy God found in
creation, in which His might was revealed.
II. IT IS THE JOY OF A HELPFUL PRESENCE. "Inthe midst of thee."
There is delight in being with and doing for those we love. This is God's joy in
His providence.
III. IT IS THE JOY OF GIVING. "He will save." Notin receiving, but in
giving, is found the highest and deepestjoy. God finds this blessednessin the
work of redemption. The incarnation and atonementare but the self-giving of
God.
IV. IT IS A SILENT JOY. "He will rest in His love";literally, "He will be
silent in His love." Sometimes joy is too deep for speech. It is the unheard
running of the still waters.
V. IT IS AN EXCELLENT JOY. "He will joy over thee with singing." Not
silent all the time. Sometimes He sings. What are some of the notes of God's
song? We may make God glad. The sweetestwords that canclimb to heaven
are, "God be merciful to me a sinner." He will stop the music of glory, and
hush the converse ofthe angels, to hear it stealing up to His throne.
(George Elliott.)
He will rest in His love

The Almighty resting in His love
Daniel Moore, M. A.
God rules in an unquiet world. Yet is He ever at rest. "He will rest in His
love." The idea in the text is of Deity in repose — silent — looking calmly on
all the disorders of the Church and the world, as knowing that there is one
attribute of His nature which will suffice to rectify all things for the
deliverance of His people.
I. THE NATURE OF THIS REST.
1. It is the restof a moral satisfactionwith all the arrangements He had made
for man's spiritual and everlasting happiness. In this sense Godrestedfrom
His work of creation. But this contentment of God with the results of His own
doings was to receive a yet higher illustration. It was greatto make a soul like
ours; how much greaterto redeem! The Almighty has delight in the
provisions made for the spiritual recoveryof our race. Behold, then, the great
Father of spirits reposing with delighted tranquillity on the appointments and
provisions of Messiah's kingdom.
2. It is the restof a Divine foreknowledgeand purpose. The quietness of an
Omniscient mind which, seeing the end from the beginning, will not allow
itself to be moved from the fixed order of its determinations. This abstaining
from interference is observable in the generalorder of earthly affairs, and in
the lot of individual believers. To all human seeming things are left to take
their course. This resting of God in His own moral determination is often
remarkably illustrated in Scriptures as in our Lord's delay in going to sick
Lazarus.
II. IT IS DESCRIPTIVE OF THE GOD AND FATHER OF OUR LORD
JESUS CHRIST RESTING IN HIS LOVE AS THE GREAT MEANS FOR
THE SALVATION OF MANKIND. It must be a sight of the goodnessofGod,
if anything, that will leada man to repentance. Thenif God so restin His love,
how should we rest in it. How assuredand tranquil should we feel in this, God
loves me. There is always a firm footing there.
(Daniel Moore, M. A.)

The unchangeable nature of God's love to man
Robert Muter.
God is not only lovely and loving, He is pure unmixed love itself. This love has
numerous objects. Among these His own perfection is the chief. This is a
theme so sublime that we are scarcelyable to form any conceptionof it. A
number takenfrom two classesofHis own rational creatures are
distinguished as the objects of His love, — electangels and electmen. In what
of His love does God rest?
I. IN THE PRINCIPLE OF HIS LOVE. It is as impossible that this love in
itself, or in the essenceofit, canever be anything different from what it is, or
hath been, as it is that God Himself can everbe anything different from what
He is now, or hath been from eternity. Love, as it exists in Himself, is
unchanging and ever-during
II. IN THE OBJECTS OF HIS LOVE. God knows not only how many He has
chosen, but knows also every individual object of His choice. There will be no
voluntary transference of Divine love from one object, or one class ofobjects,
to another.
III. HE WILL REST IN THE DEGREE OF HIS WILL. As God's love always
has been, so it will always continue to be, of the same extent and dimensions.
God loves not His people more or less at one time than another.
IV. IN THE FRUITS OF HIS LOVE. cannotspeak of the fruits of His love in
detail. They embrace a mighty compass. Theyinclude everything, from the
first particle of imparted grace to a seatwith God the Lamb on His throne.
Learn —
1. That believers ought to love their God with the greatestardourand
constancyof which they are capable.
2. In whatevermanner God may act by them, His love is neither changednor
diminished.

3. Believers may be encouragedto smile defiance at every attempt to separate
them from the love of God.
(Robert Muter.)
God's people comforted
James Begg, D. D.
No soonerhad Zephaniah laid open the abounding wickednessofJudah than
he pointed forward to brighter scenes — to the returning suppliants, under
the powerof the Spirit, ashamedof their doings, to the remnant of Israel,
which shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies. The text is consolatory.
1. The consolationis addressedonly to true Christians. No encouragementis
therefore given here to open transgressors,orto persistent backsliders. It is
necessaryto make this distinction, because none are so prone to take to
themselves the promises of the Gospelas those to whom they clearly do not
belong.
2. The text is spokenon the supposition that the people of God will often be
overwhelmed with anxiety — that they shall "fear," and their "hands shall be
slack." No greatermistake canbe made than that of supposing a Christian's
life is a period of continual sunshine. Now illustrate the grounds of confidence
which all Christians may have in the unchanging love of their Almighty
Redeemer.
I. WHAT ARE THE MARKS OF LOVE?
1. Our love toward an object may be known by the direction of our thoughts;
for on the beloved object our thoughts chiefly dwell.
2. By our anxiety in regardto its welfare.
3. By the extent of suffering which we are willing to undergo for the person
beloved.
4. By the prominence given to the objectbeloved.

II. THIS LOVE, AND THE RELATIONSHIPS IMPLIED IN IT. There is a
close relationshipbetweenGod and His people. He is their God in a peculiar
sense. Considerby what names He is called. Mediator, Advocate, Captain,
Surety, Head, King of Saints, etc.
III. CONSIDER WHAT CHRIST HAS ALREADY DONE FOR HIS
PEOPLE. Theyare His by choice, by purchase, by a new creation, by
covenant. And we have the whole past experience of the Christian Church to
prove the truth of the text.
(James Begg, D. D.)
A duster of grapes
F. B. Meyer, B. A.
These words were primarily addressedto the daughter of Zion, to Israelthe
chosenpeople;and they undoubtedly foreshadow blessings whichare yet to be
realised. Tentimes overin this chapter God assures His people of what He
will most certainly do on their behalf. But a much wider circle than the chosen
race may appropriate the blessedcomfort of these words. Twice overin this
paragraph we are told that the Lord, the King of Israel, is in the midst of His
people. This is an indisputable fact. He is in the midst of His Church, so that it
shall not be moved. Well would it be if eachChristian were to devote some
portion, however brief, in eachday, to meditation upon this marvellous fact.
"The mighty God, the King, is in the midst of me. I am God-tenanted, God-
possessed. The High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity has takenup His
abode in my heart." And this marvellous indwelling — more wonderful than
if an angel were to indwell an emmet or a humming-bird — is not dependent
on frames or feelings or aught in us; but endures through all our changes and
fluctuations unto the eternalages. But if the mighty God is indeed in us, why
is there so much weakness andfailure in our lives? Alas, the answeris not far
to seek — we have limited the Holy One of Israel. What now shall hinder us
ridding ourselves ofall which has hindered Him from doing His mighty
works, so that He may do that which He so much loves, and which we so much

need? Then we may expectHim to accomplishthe four blessed"I wills" of
this precious verse.
I. "HE WILL SAVE." As God took the side of His people againsttheir foes,
and will do so againin the final struggle, when His feetshall stand upon the
Mount of Olives, so will He take our side againstour sins. He has savedus
from the penalty of sin. He will also save us from its power. Your foes may be
numerous as the devils in hell, strong and wily; but He will save. Your
temperament may be as susceptible to temptation as an aspenleaf is to the
wind; but He will save. Your past years, by repeatedacts of indulgence, may
have formed habits strong as iron bands; but He will save. Your
circumstances and companions may be most unfavourable to a life of victory;
but He will save. Difficulties are nought to Him; the darkness shineth as the
day.
II. HE "WILL REJOICE OVER THEE WITH JOY." The greatevangelic
prophet gives the keyto understand this promise when he says, "As the
bridegroom rejoicethover the bride, so shall thy Godrejoice over thee." held
that love is the attraction to eachother of twin souls, made eachfor the other,
and moving towards eachother; until eachfinds in the other the complement
and supply of the needs of its own nature. As we need God, so does God need
us. There is something in us which satisfies Him, and without which His
nature would not be perfectly content. We should have thought that our sin
would alienate Him from us for ever. But His yearning for us is greaterthan
His hatred of our sin.
III. "HE WILL REST IN HIS LOVE." The margin suggestsanexquisite
alternative, "He will be silent in His love." Of old the Psalmistsaid that his
soul was silent in its calm expectancyfor God's salvation. Here we are told
that God is silent in His brooding tenderness. All the deepestemotion is silent.
When we are told, then, that God's love will be a silent one, we know that it is
too intense, too deep, too infinite to find expression. It will break silence
presently; but in the meanwhile be still, and know that God is love.
IV. "HE WILL JOY OVER THEE WITH SINGING." It is much to hear a
lark sing, as if its throat must be torn by the torrent of melody; more to hear a

child sing as it comes down a woodland path in spring, chequered with
sunlight falling on blue hyacinths and yellow primroses;more still to hear an
angelsing, as the lone messengerofGod breaks into melody to cheerhimself
on some distant journey from the Home of Song; more still to have heard our
Saviour sing in the days of His earthly ministry, when He joined His disciples
in the JewishHallel: but what will it not be when the greatGod Himself
breaks into song, to celebrate an accomplishedwork, an emancipatedworld, a
redeemedrace, a Bride won for His Son!
(F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
The Lord thy God- olE havoheY‫יהוה‬ ‫אלהיך‬heycha, "The self-existentand
eternal Being, who is in covenantwith you;" the characterof God in reference
to the Jews whenstanding in the nearestrelation to them.
Is mighty - lla eht,enO gniliaverp eht si ,robbig ‫-גבור‬conquering Hero. The
characterwhich is given to Christ, Isaiah9:6; : "His name shall be called ‫רובג‬
".doG ythgimlA gniliaverp eht ,robbig lE ‫אל‬
He will save - Deliver thee from all the powerfrom all the guilt, and from all
the pollution of thy sins; and when thus saved"he will rejoice over thee with
joy," with peculiar gladness. "He will rest in his love," - he will renew his love.
He will show the same love to you that he did of old to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob.
He will joy over thee with singing - The conversionof the Jews willbe a
subject of peculiar delight and exultation to God himself! There will be a more
than ordinary joy in heaven, when the Jews return to God through Christ.

This event cannot be at a great distance;they are as wretchedand as ungodly
as they can well be. The arms of Christians are open to receive them; and all
things are now ready!
Albert Barnes'Notes onthe Whole Bible
The Lord thy Godin the midst of thee is mighty; He will save - What can He
then not do for thee, since He is Almighty? What will He not do for thee, since
“He will save?”whom then should we fear? “If God be for us, who can be
againstus?” Romans 8:31. But then was He especially“in the midst of” us,
when God “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; and we beheld His
Glory, the Glory as of the Only Begottenof the Father, full of grace and
Truth” John 1:14. Thenceforth He ever is in the midst of His own. He with the
Father and the Holy Spirit “come unto them and make Their abode with
them” John 14:23, so that they are “the temple of God. He will save,” as He
saith, “My Fatheris greaterthan all, and no man is able to pluck them out of
My Father‘s hand. I and My Father are One” John 10:29-30. Of the same
time of the Christ, Isaiahsaith almost in the same words; “Strengthenye the
weak hands and confirm the feeble knees, Sayto them that are of a feeble
heart, Be strong, fear not, behold your God will come, He will come and save
you” Isaiah 35:3-4;and of the Holy Trinity, “He will save us” Isaiah 33:22.
He will rejoice, overthee with joy - Love, joy, peace in man are shadows of
that which is in God, by whom they are createdin man. Only in Godthey
exist undivided, uncreated. Hence, Godspeaks afterthe manner of men, of
that which truly is in God. God joyeth “with an uncreated joy” over the works
of His Hands or the objects of His Love, as man joyeth over the objectof “his”
love. So Isaiahsaith, “As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy
God rejoice overthee” Isaiah62:5. As with uncreated love the Father resteth
in goodpleasure in His well-beloved Son, so “God is well-pleasedwith the
sacrifices ofloving deeds” Hebrews 13:16. and, “the Lord delighteth in thee”
Isaiah62:4; and, “I will rejoice in Jerusalemand joy in My people” Isaiah
65:19;and, “the Lord will againrejoice overthee for good” Deuteronomy
30:9. And so in a two-fold way God meeteth the longing of the heart of man.

The soul, until it hath found God, is evermore seeking some love to fill it, and
can find none, since the love of God Alone can content it. Then too it longeth
to be loved, even as it loveth. God tells it, that every feeling and expressionof
human love may be found in Him, whom if any love, he only “loveth Him,
because He first loved us” 1 John 4:19. Every inward and outward expression
or token of love are heaped together, to express the love of Him who broodeth
and as it were yearneth “over” (it is twice repeated)His ownwhom He loveth.
Then too He loveth thee as He biddeth thee to love Him; and since the love of
man cannot be like the love of the Infinite God, He here pictures His own love
in the words of man‘s love, to conveyto his soul the oneness wherewithlove
unites her unto God. He here echoes in a manner the joy of the Church, to
which He had calledher 1 John 4:14, in words the self-same ormeaning the
same.
We have “joy” here for “joy” there; “singing” or the unuttered unutterable
jubilee of the heart, which cannotutter in words its joy and love, and joys and
loves the more in its inmost depths because it cannotutter it. A shadow of the
unutterable, because Infinite Love of God, and this repeatedthrice; as being
the eternallove of the EverblessedTrinity. This love and joy the prophet
speaks of, as an exuberant joy, one which boundeth within the inmost self, and
againis wholly “silent in His love,” as the deepest, tenderest, most yearning
love broods over the objectof its love, yet is held still in silence by the very
depth of its love; and then, again, breaks forth in outward motion, and leaps
for joy, and uttereth what it cannotform in words, for truly the love of God in
its unspeakable love and joy is past belief, past utterance, past thought. Rup.:
“Truly that joy wherewith ‹He will be silent in His love,‘that exultation
wherewith ‹He will joy over thee with singing, ‹Eye hath not seennor ear
heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man‘ 1 Corinthians 2:9.”
The Hebrew word also contains the meaning, “He in His love shall make no
mention of past sins, He shall not bring them up againstthee, shall not
upbraid thee, yea, shall not remember them” Jeremiah31:34;Jeremiah 33:8;
Micah7:18. It also may express the still, unvarying love of the Unchangeable
God. And againtrow the very silence of God, when He seemethnot to hear, as
He did not seemto hear Paul, is a very fruit of His love. Yet that entire
forgiveness ofsins, and that seeming absence are but ways of showing His

love. Hence, God speaksofHis very love itself, “He will be silent in His love,”
as, before and after, “He will rejoice, He will joy over thee.”
In the next few verses Zephaniah 3:18-21 still continuing the number “three,”
the prophecy closes withthe final reversalof all which, in this imperfect state
of things, seems turned upside down, when those who now mourn shall be
comforted, they who now bear reproachand shame shall have glory, and
those who now afflict the people of God shall be undone.
BIBLE ILLUSTRATOR
He will joy over thee with singing. If this is not an amplification of the
preceding promises, rather than a new promise, it speaks ofa time when the
watchful care of the Saviour will be followedby a feeling of ecstatic joy--ofa
time when the silence ofunutterable emotion will be brokenin upon by the
triumphant voice of Him whose voice is as the sound of many waters. Then, if
these things be so, let me say, “What manner of persons ought we to be, in all
holy conversationand godliness?”(J. B. Omond.)
It is an excellentjoy. “He will joy over thee with singing.” Notsilent all the
time. Sometimes He sings. What are some of the notes of God’s song? We may
make God glad. The sweetestwords that canclimb to heaven are, “Godbe
merciful to me a sinner.” He will stopthe music of glory, and hush the
converse ofthe angels, to hear it stealing up to His throne. (George Elliott.)
He will rest in His love.--
The Almighty resting in His love
God rules in an unquiet world. Yet is He ever at rest. “He will rest in His
love.” The idea in the text is of Deity in repose--silent--looking calmly on all
the disorders of the Church and the world, as knowing that there is one
attribute of His nature which will suffice to rectify all things for the
deliverance of His people.

A duster of grapes
These words were primarily addressedto the daughter of Zion, to Israelthe
chosenpeople;and they undoubtedly foreshadow blessings whichare yet to be
realised. Tentimes overin this chapter God assures His people of what He
will most certainly do on their behalf. But a much wider circle than the chosen
race may appropriate the blessedcomfort of these words. Twice overin this
paragraph we are told that the Lord, the King of Israel, is in the midst of His
people. This is an indisputable fact. He is in the midst of His Church, so that it
shall not be moved. Well would it be if each Christian were to devote some
portion, however brief, in eachday, to meditation upon this marvellous fact.
“The mighty God, the King, is in the midst of me. I am God-tenanted, God-
possessed. The High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity has takenup His
abode in my heart.” And this marvellous indwelling--more wonderful than if
an angel were to indwell an emmet or a humming-bird--is not dependent on
frames or feelings or aught in us; but endures through all our changes and
fluctuations unto the eternalages. But if the mighty God is indeed in us, why
is there so much weakness andfailure in our lives? Alas, the answeris not far
to seek--we have limited the Holy One of Israel. What now shall hinder us
ridding ourselves ofall which has hindered Him from doing His mighty
works, so that He may do that which He so much loves, and which we so much
need? Then we may expectHim to accomplishthe four blessed“I wills” of this
precious verse.
I. “He will save.” As God took the side of His people againsttheir foes, and
will do so again in the final struggle, when His feet shall stand upon the Mount
of Olives, so will He take our side againstour sins. He has saved us from the
penalty of sin. He will also save us from its power. Your foes may be
numerous as the devils in hell, strong and wily; but He will save. Your
temperament may be as susceptible to temptation as an aspenleaf is to the
wind; but He will save. Your past years, by repeatedacts of indulgence, may

have formed habits strong as iron bands; but He will save. Your
circumstances and companions may be most unfavourable to a life of victory;
but He will save. Difficulties are nought to Him; the darkness shineth as the
day.
II. He “will rejoice over thee with joy.” The greatevangelic prophet gives the
key to understand this promise when he says, “As the bridegroom rejoiceth
over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.” Plato held that love is the
attractionto eachother of twin souls, made eachfor the other, and moving
towards eachother; until eachfinds in the other the complement and supply
of the needs of its own nature. As we need God, so does Godneed us. There is
something in us which satisfies Him, and without which His nature would not
be perfectly content. We should have thought that our sin would alienate Him
from us for ever. But His yearning for us is greaterthan His hatred of our sin.
III. “He will restin His love.” The margin suggestsanexquisite alternative,
“He will be silent in His love.” Of old the Psalmistsaid that his soul was silent
in its calm expectancyfor God’s salvation. Here we are told that God is silent
in His brooding tenderness. All the deepestemotion is silent. When we are
told, then, that God’s love will be a silent one, we know that it is too intense,
too deep, too infinite to find expression. It will break silence presently; but in
the meanwhile be still, and know that God is love.
IV. “he will joy over thee with singing.” It is much to hear a lark sing, as if its
throat must be torn by the torrent of melody; more to hear a child sing as it
comes down a woodlandpath in spring, chequeredwith sunlight falling on
blue hyacinths and yellow primroses;more still to hearan angelsing, as the
lone messengerofGod breaks into melody to cheerhimself on some distant
journey from the Home of Song;more still to have heard our Saviour sing in
the days of His earthly ministry, when He joined His disciples in the Jewish
Hallel: but what will it not be when the greatGod Himself breaks into song, to

celebrate an accomplishedwork, anemancipated world, a redeemedrace, a
Bride won for His Son! (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
"Jehovahthy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty one who will save;he will
rejoice overthee with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with
singing."
(See the comment under Zephaniah 3:16, which is also applicable here.)All of
these verses are part of the Messianic prophecywhich concludes Zephaniah,
and all of them dealwith the felicity, confidence, security, and joy of Christ's
kingdom.
"Singing ..." is especiallynoticeable. The savage beats his tom tom; the
Muslim shouts, "To prayer, to prayer!" from his minaret; the Jew intones the
words of the Torah; but the Christian SINGS!In Christ has come to pass the
marvelous prophecy of those "with songs ofeverlasting joy upon their heads!"
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
The Lord thy Godin the midst of thee is mighty,.... Every word carries in it
something very encouraging to the church and people of God; and is an
antidote againstthose fears and faintings they are subject to; Christ "is in the
midst of" them; near at hand to support and supply them, to assistand
strengthen them, to protectand defend them; he is not only near by his
essentialpresence,whichis everywhere; and by his providential presence,
which is concernedwith all his creatures;but by his gracious presence,
peculiar to his church and people; and which gives them unspeakable joy, and
is a sufficient security from all fears and dismayings; see Isaiah41:10 and he,
who is in the midst of them, is the Lord, Jehovah, the Being of beings, eternal,
immutable, and all sufficient, possessedofall divine perfections;and their
"God", Godin their nature, "Immanuel", God with us; and who is "mighty",

the Almighty God, the mighty Mediator, who has all powerin heaven and
earth; and, as man, the man of God's right hand, made strong for himself, and
so able to save his people to the uttermost; to deliver them out of the hands of
every enemy; to raise up his interest when ever so low, and to maintain and
support it; to help and assisthis people in every duty and service he calls them
to:
he will save;he is as willing to save as he is able; he readily undertook in
counseland covenantto save the chosenones;he came in the fulness of time to
seek and to save that which was lost; he has wrought out salvation for them,
and sees thatit is applied unto them, and will come againto put them into the
full possessionof it: he saves them freely, fully, and everlastingly;he saves
them from sin, Satan, the law, hell and wrath, and every spiritual enemy; nor
has the church of Christ anything to fear from any temporal enemy; the
convertedJews will have no reasonto fear the Turk that will come against
them with a vast army; for Christ, who will be in the midst of them, and at the
head of them, will save them from him; to which salvationthis passage has
chiefly a respect;
he will rejoice over thee with joy; with exceeding greatjoy, not to be conceived
of, or expressed;as a bridegroom rejoicethover his bride: this will be the time
of the open marriage of the Lamb with the Jewish church; and there will be
strong expressions ofjoy on this occasion;Christ will rejoice overthem to do
them good;and there will be such singular instances of his goodness to them
as will abundantly show the joy he will have in them:
he will rest in his love; continue in his love, without any variation or change;
nothing shall separate from it; it shall always remain the same; he will take up
his contentment and satisfactionin it; he will solace himselfwith it; it will be a
pleasing thing to him to love his people, and to show it to them; he will take
the utmost complacencyand delight in expressing his love by words and deeds
unto them: or, as some render it, "he will be silent because ofhis love"F18;
and not upbraid them with their sins; or reprove, correct, and chastise them
in his hot displeasure; or sayone word in a wayof vindictive wrath: and he
"will make" all others "silent";every enemy, or whatever is contrary to them;
such is his greatlove to themF19;he will forgive their iniquities, and cover

their sins, and in love to them castthem behind his back:or, "will be
dumb"F20; and not speak;as sometimes persons, when their affections are
strong, and their hearts are filled with love at the sight of one they bear a
greatregard unto, are not able to speak a word. The phrase expresses the
greatness ofChrist's love to his people; the strength, fulness, and continuance
of it: words seemto be wanted, and more are added:
he will joy over thee with singing; there is a pleonasmof joy in Christ's heart
towards his people, and so a redundancy in his expressionof it; he rejoices
with joy, and joys with singing; which shows how delighted he is with his
people, as they are his chosen, redeemed, and calledones;as they have his
own righteousness upon them, and his own grace in them; they are his
"Hephzibah", in whom he delights; his "Beulah", to whom he is married; and
it is his love of complacencyand delight, which is the source of all the grace
and glory he bestows upon them; see Isaiah62:3.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
he will rest in his love — content with it as His supreme delight (compare
Luke 15:7, Luke 15:10)[Calvin], (Isaiah 62:5; Isaiah65:19). Or, He shall be
silent, namely as to thy faults, not imputing them to thee [Maurer] (Psalm
32:2; Ezekiel33:16). I prefer explaining it of that calm silent joy in the
possessionofthe object of one‘s love, too greatfor words to express:just as
God after the six days of creationrested with silent satisfactionin His work,
for “beholdit was very good” (Genesis 1:31;Genesis 2:2). So the parallel
clause by contrastexpresses the joy, not kept silent as this, but uttered in
“singing.”
James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary
GOD’S IMMOVABLE LOVE
‘He will rest in His love.’

Zephaniah 3:17
We are going to the ground of everything—of all comfort and all hope, of all
affectionand all happiness—whenwe saythat God ‘rests in His love.’ God
has not left us without sufficient evidence on which to restthe blessed
assurance. Letus trace it.
I. First, we see Godin creation.—There He beganto unfold His love; and this
first manifestationwas a beautiful world, in which everything reflectedback
God to Himself. God was pleased;‘He saw everything that He had made, and
behold, it was very good.’And to show His satisfaction, ‘onthe seventh day
He rested.’ Now of all the manifold intentions of mercy to man which lay in
the factof the holy calm of that first appointed Sabbath, I accountthis to be
the foremost—itshowedGod resting in His love.
II. By and by, we find God’s love pitching upon a certain man, and in him, on
his descendants.—Whythat love pitched there, why it took its irresponsible
course, and floating over the nations, settledupon Ur of the Chaldees, it is not
for us to lift the veil to see;but we are to see, we are to considerdeeply, and
we are to admire this—that where it once pitched, there it restedfor ever.
Much there was afterwards—verymuch—to make that love, if it were
possible, unrest itself and go away; for a more intensely ungrateful, or a more
wilfully stupid, or a more determinately rebellious people than that seedof
Abraham never existedon the earth, or could exist. Its wretchedhistory seems
to be left on recordfor this very end, to enhance the marvel of God’s
immovable love. Yet in the midst of all their unparalleled provocations, hear
God saying, by the mouth of His prophet Isaiah, of this very people: ‘I will
take my rest, and I will considerin my dwelling-place like a clearheat upon
herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heatof harvest.’Or observe that prayer
which God taught them to make whenever they halted upon a journey: ‘Arise,
O Lord, into Thy rest, Thou, and the ark of Thy strength.’ Or, again, in the
hundred and thirty-second Psalm, listen to that remarkable expression, with
the same significancy, ‘This is my rest for ever.’
The whole narrative of the Jews marks only a series ofinstances in which God
returns againand againto them—after punishments, after captivities, after

expulsions—howeverlong, back and back to His own once chosenresting-
place of love. His whole heart yearns over them, ‘How shall I give thee up,
Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah?
how shall I setthee as Zeboim? Mine heart is turned within me, My
repentings are kindled together.’And though they are banished now into their
wearyexile, is that ancient love of God worn out? Oh, no! The text is one
among thousands, which in their first and literal application belong to the
Jews, foretelling the time when God shall return to brood over them againin
all His early tenderness.
III. Or listen to the experience of one who perhaps had more spiritual trials
and more varied difficulties than any other man who ever lived.—David had
been greatly exercisedin mind that he should lose the love of God: ‘Is His
mercy clean gone for ever? doth His promise fail for evermore? hath God
forgottento be gracious? hathHe in angershut up His tender mercies?’And
now hear him returning to his confidence:‘And I said, This is my infirmity:
but I will remember the years of the right hand of the MostHigh.’
IV. Or read the history of Christ and His disciples.—He had chosenthem,
wherefore I know not, but yet He had chosenthem; they were an ignorant,
unbelieving, treacherous people, yetHe loved them still. Do you ask why? St.
John, who knew more of His mind than any other, gives us this explanation:
‘Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.’
So that we arrive at a simple faith, a truth which cannot go before it or
beyond it. Why do we go on to love God? Because Godgoes onto love us. And
why does God go on to love us! BecauseHe beganto love us. And why did
God begin to love us? BecauseHe chose us. And why did He chooseto love us?
Because‘He is love.’
And where God loves once, He loves for ever. ‘He rests in His love.’ It might
have been that God had said, ‘I will rest in My hate.’We never read of God
resting in His punishments, we never read of Godresting in displeasure.
There is only one thing that God rests in—‘He rests in His love.’
Outside Christ, God may visit, but He never dwells. Once united there, it is
the Christ in it which makes an objectdear and precious to God; for God,

resting indefinitely upon Christ, cannot choosebut rest on that, whatever it
be, howeverpoor, or unworthy, or sinful soever, in which Christ is.
Let us learn to connectever perpetuity with the love of God. And indeed you
cannot connectit with anything else. Are we not taught every day the
uncertainty of the tenure by which a man holds everything except the love of
God?
All success in life lies within that confidence. Therefore fortify yourself in the
unchangeablenessofthe love of God.
And it is a promise. Wrestle with that promise in prayer. Lay it up in the deep
chambers of your heart. It is true for time, it is true for eternity, ‘He will rest
in His love.’
Only give back your heart’s full, joyous confidences to the love which, in its
own free grace, has shone upon your soul. Cement your union with Christ by
every means in your power. Do let me beseechyou to be a frequent
communicant, that you may cementyour union with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rev. Jas. Vaughan.
Illustration
‘Those who have everknown that sense ofrepose too deep for words—the
thought which feels that, by any expressionof itself it would only mar its own
intensity—would understand the beauty of the fact, that the sentence which
we have translated, “He will rest in His love,” is more literally still, “He will
be silent in His love.” For there is rest beyond language, whosevery eloquence
it is that it cannot choose but to be silent.’
John Trapp Complete Commentary
Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will
save, he will rejoice overthee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over
thee with singing.

Ver. 17. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty] Even the mighty
strong God, Isaiah 9:6, the giant, as the word signifies, the champion of his
Church. He being in the midst of thee cannot but see who thou art setupon;
and how many dangers and difficulties thou encounterestwith, and will send
thee in new supplies, Ephesians 1:19, seasonable help.
He will save]This properly signifieth the privative part of man’s happiness;
but includeth also the positive. Jesus will do all for his people.
He will rejoice over thee with joy] As a bridegroom doth over his bride, Isaiah
62:5. He will take specialcomplacenceandcontent in thee, being made
acceptedin the beloved, Ephesians 1:6.
He will rest in his love] And seek no further. Heb. He will be silent in his love,
passing by small faults without any the leastsignificationof his displeasure;as
if he were even fond over his Church, and did err in his love towards her, as
husbands are licensedto do towardtheir wives, Proverbs 5:19. Some render it
obmutescetin amore suo, he shall be dumb in his love, so as he cannot speak
through excess oflove. Lovers are so transported sometimes that they cannot
utter their minds.
He will joy over thee with singing] As a father doth over his child whom he
beareth in his besom, or dandleth on his knee.
Sermon Bible Commentary
Zephaniah 3:17
Those who have ever known that sense ofrepose too deep for words—the
thought which feels that, by any expressionof itself it would only mar its own
intensity—would understand the beauty of the fact, that the sentence which
we have translated, "He will rest in His love," is more literally still, "He will

be silent in His love." For there is rest beyond language, whose veryeloquence
it is that it cannot choose but to be silent.
I. Notice, onwhat the love of God really lies. It lies, first, on that eternity, in
which you may go back for ever, and never find the moment when it began. It
lies, secondly, on the vast sacrifice ofChrist, and the immensity of the value of
the comprehensivenessofthe atoning work It lies, thirdly, on the breadth of
the atonement. And it lies, fourthly, on all those attributes which go to make
its own greatname; and which have been gatheredby the grace which is in
Christ Jesus into the one prerogative of love.
II. There is a law in the material world that, left to itself, all motion will go on
to move, and all rest will go on to rest, for ever. It is true a thousand-fold with
the characterofGod. It is, we know, not only a doctrine of our faith, but a
matter of personalexperience with every one of us, that "having loved His
own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end"—thatwherever
love lights, there love rests;and that He will abide in His love.
III. Let our watchwordof duty, this year, be one which the most closelycopies
Him—the "rest" ofa fixed heart. When all is mystery, and you cannot see one
step, and the mind must not reasonand cannot reason, letthe soul restits
silent rest. WhereverGod has placedyou, restin your lot till He comes. Rest,
and by resting learn the restwhich is to rest for ever.
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 4th series, p. 117.
Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible
Zephaniah 3:17. He will save, &c.— He will bring salvation; he will rejoice
and be glad over thee; he will renew his love, and joy over thee with singing,
as in a solemnassembly. Zephaniah 3:18. ForI will take awaythose who
oppressedthee; they shall be far from thee, that they may bring no reproach
upon thee. Houbigant.
Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

DISCOURSE:1232
GOD’S DELIGHT IN SAVING SINNERS
Zephaniah 3:17. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty: he will save,
he will rejoice over thee with joy: he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee
with singing.
HOW wonderful are these expressions, as utteredby Jehovahhimself, in
reference to such a worthless and sinful creature as man! But they are the
very words of the MostHigh God addressedto his Church of old, and, in
them, to us also. Behold then,
I. What bright prospects are here for the JewishChurch!
[Greatly had they sinned againsttheir God and raisedhis indignation against
them. Hence they are threatenedwith utter destruction[Note: Zephaniah
1:12-18.]. But their enemies too had grievously offended; and therefore they
also are threatened with the visitations of his wrath [Note: Zephaniah 2:1-15.].
But in the midst of judgment Godremembered mercy towards his ancient
people; and by his prophet announced his purpose to bring them back unto
himself, and to make them happy in the enjoyment of his love [Note: ver. 9–
13]. But, scatteredas they are over the face of the whole earth, this seemedto
be almost impossible. He therefore reminds them how “mighty” he is to save,
even as in the day that he delivered them from their Egyptian bondage. And,
as he had rejoicedover her to do her goodin former days, so would he again
in the latter day, taking awayall her judgments, casting out all her enemies,
and so perpetuating his mercies towards her that she should not see evil any
more [Note: ver. 15 If this were the subjectof a JewishSermon, the four hints
in this last sentence shouldbe distinctly considered, and largely amplified, by
appropriate citations from Holy Writ.].” — — —]
But let us notice also,
II. What bright prospects are here for every individual believer!
“Fearnot, believer, nor let thy hands be slack,”but consider for thine
encouragementwhatthy God has here so graciouslysetbefore thee; namely,

1. His power to save—
[He who was in his Church of old, is equally present with thy soul: and he,
even “the Lord thy God, is mighty” See what he wrought in the days of old,
when he brought forth his people out of Egypt, delivering them from all their
enemies, [Note:Exodus 14:27-28;Exodus 17:14.]and supplying all their
wants [Note: Psalms 77:15-16.]. And “is his hand now shortened that he
cannot save, orhis ear heavy that he cannot hear [Note:Isaiah 59:1.]?” Be
assured, there is not any thing which he will not accomplishfor you also,
through the care of his providence [Note:Romans 8:28.]and the operationof
his grace [Note:2 Corinthians 10:4-5.].]
2. His determination to save—
[“He will save;” and none shall hinder him. Having bought you with the blood
of his dear Son, and committed you to him, he will suffer “none to pluck you
out of his hands.” Under all circumstances,“the grace ofChrist shall be
sufficient for you,” and “the strength of Christ be magnified in your
weakness.” Only“be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might,” and
“nothing shall be impossible unto you [Note: Mark 9:23.].”]
3. His delight in saving—
[You may see in the parable of the prodigal son, what are the feelings of
Jehovahtowards returning penitents. But if that convey not an adequate idea
to your minds, call to mind the image under which God has condescendedto
setforth the joy which he feels in his believing people. Nothing that a natural
man can experience, canexceedthe joy with which a bridegroom, after a long
seasonofsuspense and fear, is animated in the possessionofhis bride. Yet to
that does Jehovahrefer as most fitly illustrating the delight which he has in
manifesting his love to his chosenpeople [Note: Isaiah62:5.].]
4. His immutability towards those whom he intends to save—
[Man is often alienated from the object of his affections, eitherby means of
some unexpected evil he has discovered, orthrough his own fickleness and
inconstancy. But God changeth not [Note: Malachi3:6. James 1:17.]. Whom
he loveth he loveth to the end [Note: John 13:1.]. He hateth putting away

[Note:Malachi2:16.]. And, as he loved his people from eternity [Note:
Jeremiah31:3.], and chose them without any reference to good, either seenor
foreseen, in them [Note: Deuteronomy7:7-8; Deuteronomy 9:5-6.], so will he
not forsake them on accountof their infirmities [Note:Isaiah 54:7-10.]. He
will indeed punish their transgressionswith all needful severity [Note:Psalms
89:30-34.];but his gifts and callings are without repentance [Note: Romans
11:29.];nor will he castoff the people whom he has chosenin Christ, and
given to him [Note: 1 Samuel12:22. Hosea 2:19-20.].]
See, Brethren,
1. How marvellous the compassionofyour God!
[Call to mind the wickednessofGod’s ancientpeople through the whole
course of their conduct, till they completedit and filled up the measure of it in
crucifying their Messiah, the Lord of glory. Yet to them is my text more
immediately addressed, and in them shall it ere long be certainly fulfilled.
How utterly does such love pass all human comprehension! But look back to
your own ways, my brethren, and ye will have reasonenoughto adore and
magnify the grace ofGod, when ye consider, that you also are interestedin
these promises, and that in you shall they receive a speedy accomplishment.
Dearbrethren, I would have this to be, if I may so say, the constantsubject of
your devoutestmeditations. It is this that will setyour hearts at liberty, and
cause you to go on your way rejoicing. Nothing can obstruct the happiness of a
mind habituated to such contemplations as these.]
2. How ardent should be your zeal in his service!
[Is his mind so set on you, and his powerso engagedforyou? how devoted
then should ye be to him; and how entirely should your souls be occupiedin
endeavours to fulfil his holy will! Does he “restin his love” to you, and will ye
suffer one moment’s intermission in your love to him? O stir yourselves up
more and more to serve him; and let your every faculty, whether of mind or
body, be in constantexercise for the advancement of his glory.]
Alexander MacLaren's Expositions ofHoly Scripture

Zephaniah
ZION’S JOY AND GOD’S
Zephaniah 3:14, Zephaniah 3:17.
What a wonderful rush of exuberant gladness there is in these words!The
swift, short clauses, the triple invocation in the former verse, the triple
promise in the latter, the heaped togethersynonyms, all help the impression.
The very words seemto dance with joy. But more remarkable than this is the
parallelism betweenthe two verses. Zion is called to rejoice in God because
God rejoices in her. She is to shout for joy and sing because God’s joy too has
a voice, and breaks out into singing. For every throb of joy in man’s heart,
there is a wave of gladness in God’s. The notes of our praise are at once the
echoes andthe occasions ofHis. We are to be glad because He is glad: He is
glad because we are so. We sing for joy, and He joys over us with singing
because we do.
I. God’s joy overZion.
It is to be noticed that the former verse of our text is followedby the
assurance:‘The Lord is in the midst of thee’; and that the latter verse is
precededby the same assurance. So, then, intimate fellowship and communion
betweenGod and Israellies at the root both of God’s joy in man and man’s
joy in God.
We are solemnly warned by ‘profound thinkers’ of letting the shadow of our
emotions fall upon God. No doubt there is a real dangerthere; but there is a
worse danger, that of conceiving of a God who has no life and heart; and it is
better to hold fastby this-that in Him is that which corresponds to what in us
is gladness. We are often told, too, that the Jehovahof the Old Testamentis a
stern and repellent God, and the religion of the Old Testamentis gloomy and
servile. But such a misconceptionis hard to maintain in the face of such words
as these. Zephaniah, of whom we know little, and whose words are mainly
forecasts ofjudgments and woes pronouncedagainstZion that was rebellious
and polluted, ends his prophecy with these companion pictures, like a gleam

of sunshine which often streams out at the close of a dark winter’s day. To
him the judgments which he prophesied were no contradiction of the love and
gladness ofGod. The thought of a glad God might be a very awful thought;
such an insight as this prophet had gives a blessedmeaning to it. We may
think of the joy that belongs to the divine nature as coming from the
completeness ofHis being, which is raisedfar above all that makes of sorrow.
But it is not in Himself alone that He is glad; but it is because He loves. The
exercise oflove is ever blessedness. His joy is in self-impartation; His delights
are in the sons of men: ‘As the bridegroom rejoicethover the bride, so shall
thy God rejoice overthee.’ His gladness is in His children when they let Him
love them, and do not throw back His love on itself. As in man’s physical
frame it is pain to have secretions dammedup, so when God’s love is forced
back upon itself and prevented from flowing out in blessing, some shadow of
suffering cannot but pass acrossthat calm sky. He is glad when His face is
mirrored in ours, and the rays from Him are reflectedfrom us.
But there is another wonderfully bold and beautiful thought in this
representationof the gladness ofGod. Note the double form which it assumes:
‘He will rest’-literally, be silent-’in His love; He will joy overthee with
singing.’ As to the former, loving hearts on earth know that the deepestlove
knows no utterance, and canfind none. A heart full of love rests as having
attained its desire and accomplishedits purpose. It keeps a perpetual Sabbath,
and is content to be silent.
But side by side with this picture of the repose of God’s joy is setwith great
poetic insight the preciselyopposite image of a love which delights in
expression, and rejoices overits object with singing. The combination of the
two helps to express the depth and intensity of the one love, which like a song-
bird rises with quivering delight and pours out as it rises an ever louder and
more joyous note, and then drops, composedand still, to its nest upon the
dewy ground.
II. Zion’s joy in God.
To the Prophet, the fact that ‘the Lord is in the midst of thee’ was the
guarantee for the confident assurance ‘Thoushalt not fearany more’; and

this assurance wasto be the occasionofexuberant gladness, whichripples
over in the very words of our first text. That greatthought of ‘God dwelling in
the midst’ is rightly a pain and a terror to rebellious wills and alienated
hearts. It needs some preparation of mind and spirit to be glad because Godis
near; and they who find their satisfactionin earthly sources,and those who
seek forit in these, see no word of goodnews, but rather a ‘fearful looking for
of judgment’ in the thought that God is in their midst. The word rendered
‘rejoices’in the first verse of our text is not the same as that so translatedin
the second. The latter means literally, to move in a circle;while the former
literally means, to leap for joy. Thus the gladness ofGod is thought of as
expressing itself in dignified, calm movements, whilst Zion’s joy is likened in
its expressionto the more violent movements of the dance. True human joy is
like God’s, in that He delights in us and we in Him, and in that both He and
we delight in the exercise oflove. But we are never to forgetthat the
differences are real as the resemblances,and that it is reservedfor the higher
form of our experiences in a future life to ‘enter into the joy of the Lord.’
It becomes us to see to it that our religion is a religion of joy. Our text is an
authoritative command as well as a joyful exhortation, and we do not fairly
representthe facts of Christian faith if we do not ‘rejoice in the Lord always.’
In all the sadness and troubles which necessarilyaccompanyus, as they do all
men, we ought by the effort of faith to setthe Lord always before us that we
be not moved. The secretof stable and perpetual joy still lies where
Zephaniah found it-in the assurancethat the Lord is with us, and in the vision
of His love resting upon us, and rejoicing over us with singing. If thus our love
clasps His, and His joy finds its way into our hearts, it will remain with us that
our ‘joy may be full’; and being guarded by Him whilst still there is fearof
stumbling, He will set us at last ‘before the presence of His glory without
blemish in exceeding joy.
Matthew Poole's EnglishAnnotations on the Holy Bible
The Lord; the everlasting One, who changethnot.

Thy God; thine in covenant, never to be forgottenor repealed. Is mighty; can
do all he will, canrestrain and destroy enemies, cansupport and defend his
own people. He will save, from thy fears, and thine enemies’rage.
Will rejoice overthee with joy; will greatlyrejoice in thee. Will restin his
love; will take contentand satisfactionin this his love. The love he showethto
thee shall be rest to him; not thy loveliness, but his own love shall satisfy him.
Will joy over thee with singing; will show greatestlove and joy in most
affectionate manner: all expressions borrowedfrom the entirestlove of man
toward dearestrelations, Psalms 103:11,13Isa 62:5.
E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
is mighty; He will save. The Hebrew accents place the chief pause or emphasis
on "save", implying not that He will save at some future time, but that He is
an ever-present Saviour. Read"Jehovahthy Elohim is in the midst of thee,
mighty to save [at all times]". Reference to Pentateuch(Deuteronomy 10:17).
He will rejoice, &c. Referenceto Pentateuch(Deuteronomy 30:9). App-92.
will rest. Hebrew will be silent. Septuagint reads "will renew thee"
over thee. The Hebrew accentplaces the emphasis on these two words.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged
The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice
over thee with joy; he will restin his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
The Lord thy Godin the midst of thee ... he will rejoice over thee with joy -
even "as the bridegroom rejoicethover the bride" (Isaiah 62:5); so will the
Lord "rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in His people" (Isaiah65:19).
He will rest in his love - content with it as His supreme delight, even as "there
is joy in heaven ... in the presence ofthe angels of God ... over one sinner that
repenteth" (Luke 15:7; Luke 15:10)(Calvin). Or, He shall be silent [from

chaarash, to be silent] - namely, as to thy faults, not "imputing" them to thee
(Maurer). (Psalms 32:2; Exodus 33:16.)I prefer explaining it of that calm
silent joy, in the possessionofthe objectof one's love, too greatfor words to
express;just as God, after the six days of creation, restedwith silent
satisfactionin His work, because "behold, it was very good" (Genesis 1:31;
Genesis 2:2). So the parallel clause, by contrast, expressesthe joy, not kept
silent, as this, but uttered in good" (Genesis 1:31;Genesis 2:2). So the parallel
clause, by contrast, expresses the joy, not kept silent, as this, but uttered in
"singing."
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(17) He will rest . . .—Better, He will keepsilence in His love; He will exult
over thee with a shout of joy. Unutterable yearnings and outbursts of jubilant
affectionare both the expressions of sexuallove. By a bold
anthropomorphism, both are attributed to the Heavenly Bridegroom, as He
gazes on “a glorious Church . . . holy, and without blemish.”
Commentary by J.C.Philpoton selecttexts of the Bible
Zephaniah 3:17
"The Lord your God in the midst of you is mighty." Zephaniah 3:17
What a mighty God we have to dealwith! And what would suit our case,but a
mighty God? Have we not mighty sins? Have we not mighty trials? Have we
not mighty temptations? Have we not mighty foes and mighty fears? And who
is to deliver us from all this mighty host except the mighty God? It is not a
little God (if I may use the expression)that will do for God"s people. They
need a mighty God because theyare in circumstances where none but a
mighty God canintervene in their behalf.

Why, if you did not know feelingly and experimentally your mighty sins, your
mighty trials, your mighty temptations, and your mighty fears, you would not
need a mighty God. This sense of our weaknessand his power, of our misery
and his mercy, of our ruin and his recovery, of the aboundings of our sin and
the super-aboundings of his grace—a feeling sense,I say, of these opposite yet
harmonious things brings us to have personal, experimental dealings with
God; and it is in these personal dealings with God that the life of all religion
consists.
O what a poor, dead, useless religionis that in which there are no personal
dealings with God—no calling upon his holy name out of a sincere heart; no
seeking ofhis face, orimploring of his favor; no lying at his feet and begging
of him to appear; no pitiable, lamentable case forhim to have compassion
upon; no wounds or sores for him to heal, no leprosyto cleanse,no enemies to
put to the rout, no fears to dispel, and, I may almost say, no soul to save!
And yet such is the religion of thousands. They draw near to God with their
lips, but their hearts are far from him, and while they outwardly say, "Lord,
Lord," they inwardly say, "This man shall not have dominion over us." If you
differ from them, and need a God near at hand and not afaroff, a mighty God
in the very midst of your soul, of your thoughts, desires, and affections, you
may well bless him for the grace whichhas made you to differ, and thankfully
bow your neck to sufferings and trials, as means in his hand to bring you and
him together.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
Background:To accuratelyinterpret the famous passagein Zephaniah 3:17,
we must first take a moment to examine the context, for context is "king"
regarding accurate Interpretation.

When was Zephaniah written? Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of
godly King Josiah(640-609BC), mostlikely in the latter portion of his reign
(between640-630BC). Others suggestthatZephaniah's prophecy occurred
earlier were a significantinfluence of the godly actions of King Josiahwho
became king in 632BC atage 16, when "he began to seek the Godof his father
David and in the twelfth year (age 20, 628BC)he beganto purge Judah and
Jerusalemof the high places, the Asherim, the carved images, and the molten
images (idolatry)" (2Chr 34:3). "In the eighteenth yearof his reign (age 26,
622BC), whenhe had purged the land and the house" (2Chr 34:8), the book of
the was discoveredin the house of the LORD (2Chr 34:14)which led to
significant reforms which lastedfor only a short time (For more excellent
historicalbackground read 2Ki 22:1-23:30, 2Chr 34:1-35:27). Recallthat the
Northern 10 Tribes (often referred to as "Israel")had fallen and been taken
into exile by Assyria in 722BC, overa century before the fall of Judah and
Jerusalem(586BC)ofwhich Zephaniah prophesied. Zephaniah also
prophesied the destruction of Nineveh (Zeph 2:13) which occurredin 612BC.
(For more on the historicalsetting of Zephaniah read 2Ki 22:1-23:30, 2Chr
34:1-35:27)
MacDonald- Believing scholars are divided as to whether he wrote before or
after the greatrevival of 621 B.C. If before, his prophecy likely helped bring
about the spiritual awakening. Butseveraldetails, such as quoting the newly
rediscoveredlaw, would suggesta date after 621. Since Zephaniah 2:13 shows
that Nineveh was still standing, a date before that city’s destruction in 612
B.C. is calledfor. Hence the book was probably written between621 and 612
B.C. (Believer’s Bible Commentary)
By Whom? Zephaniah (Zeph 1:1 note genealogygoesback to godly king
Hezekiah). His name means "Jehovahhas hidden" (sheltered, concealed,
treasured, storedup). One writer suggeststhat the idea of hidden derives
from the factthat he was likely born to godly parents in the time of
Manasseh'sevil rule during which he "shedvery much innocent blood." (2Ki
21:16).
To Whom? Judah and Jerusalem(Zeph 1:4) Although the immediate
audience was Jewish, clearlythe truths of this prophecy (especiallyin Zeph

3:9-20) are applicable to every believer of every age whetherJew or Gentile.
As John Piper reminds us "eventhough the amazing promises of this section
relate most directly to the convertedand restoredpeople of Israel(Zeph 3:10
Ed: "dispersedone" - see notes below), nevertheless it is a necessary
implication of the prophecy that the blessings promised flow out beyond the
bounds of Israeland include us who through faith in Christ become
Abraham's seedand heirs of the promise (Galatians 3:29). (The Lord Will
Rejoice overYou)
What is the structure? In very generalterms, from the preceding chart it is
clearthat most of the book deals with judgment (Zeph 1:1-3:8), but even in
the midst of these "earth shaking" prophecies ofGod's righteous wrath
againstJudah, there is a beautiful prophecy of future restoration, a prophecy
that will be fulfilled at the SecondComing of the Messiah, Who alone is
Mighty to Save the believing remnant of the ChosenPeople.
What are the Key Words or Key Phrases in Zephaniah (See key words &
marking key words)
Day of the Lord (see anotherdiscussionof this Day),
remnant (Zeph 1:4, 2:7, 9, 3:13, cf Zeph 3:12 "I will leave" - see notes below),
nations (plural - Zeph 2:11, 3:6, 8),
destruction/destroy(Zeph 1:15, 2:5, 13),
desolate/desolation(Zeph 1:13,15, 2:4, 9, 13, 14, 15, 3:6),
midst (Zeph 2:14, 3:11, 15, 17),
Woe (Zeph 2:5, 3:1),
Seek (Zeph 2:3),
Anger (Zeph 2:2, 3, 3:8),
Wrath (Zeph 1:15, 18),
Indignation (Zeph 3:8);

Gather (Zeph 2:1, 3:8, 18, 19, 20);
Earth (Zeph 1:2, 3, 18, 2:3, 11, 3:8, 19, 20).
Why? What is Zephaniah's purpose? Given the fact that Zephaniah mentions
the Dayof the Lord (see another discussionof this Day) Dayof the Lord more
than any other OT book, clearlythis is a keysubject. That Day begins with
prophecies of greatdestruction, not only involving Judah, but eventually
involving the entire earth (cf Zeph 1:1, 4, 1:18, 2:10). Zephaniah stated that
the Dayof the LORD was "near" (Zeph 1:14), would be a time of wrath,
trouble, distress, etc, (see full description in Zeph 1:15-16)and would come as
judgment on sin againstJehovah(Zeph 1:17), but that it would be followedby
blessing of His very presence in the midst of His people (Zeph 3:17). (See
Theologyof Zephaniah in Baker's EvangelicalDictionaryofBiblical
Theology)
“If anyone wishes all the secretoraclesofthe prophets to be given in a brief
compendium, let him read through this brief Zephaniah.”—Martin Bucer
(1528)
Outline - from William MacDonald
I. GOD’S DETERMINATIONTO EXECUTE JUDGMENT (Zephaniah1)
A. On All the Earth (Zeph 1:1–3)
B. On Judah and Jerusalembecause ofIdolatry (Zeph 1:4–6)
C. The Dayof the Lord under the Figure of a Sacrifice (Zeph 1:7–13)
1. Guests-Judah’s Enemies (Zeph 1:7)
2. Victims-WickedPeople of Judah (Zeph 1:8–13)
D. The Terrorof the Day of the Lord (Zeph 1:14–18)
II. JUDAH IS CALLED TO REPENT (Zeph 2:1–3)
III. THE DOOM OF GENTILE NATIONS (Zeph 2:4–15)
A. The Philistines (Zeph 2:4–7)

B. The Moabites and Ammonites (Zeph 2:8–11)
C. The Ethiopians (Zeph 2:12)
D. The Assyrians and Especiallythe City of Nineveh (Zeph 2:13–15)
IV. WOE PRONOUNCEDON JERUSALEM (Zeph 3:1–7)
A. Disobedience,Unresponsiveness, Unbelief, Impenitence (Zeph 3:1, 2)
B. Greedof the Princes and the Judges (Zeph 3:3)
C. Levity and Treacheryof the Prophets and Sacrilegeofthe Priests (Zeph
3:4)
D. The Lord’s Presence in Judgment (Zeph 3:5–7)
V. MESSAGE OF COMFORT TO THE FAITHFUL REMNANT (Zeph 3:8–
20)
A. Destructionof WickedGentiles (Zeph 3:8)
B. Conversionof the Remaining Nations (Zeph 3:9)
C. RestorationofDispersedIsrael(Zeph 3:10–13)
D. Rejoicing overthe SecondAdvent of Christ (Zeph 3:14–17)
E. What God Will Do for His People (Zeph 3:18–20)
A FUTURE AND
A HOPE
(Jer 29:11)
Warren Wiersbe explains why the Jewishprophets consistentlyended their
books with a message ofhope for the people of Israel...
(1) To begin with, hope is a great motivation for obedience, and the prophets
wanted to encourage God’s people to submit to God’s will and do what He
commanded. God’s covenant blessings come to His people only when they
obey His covenantconditions.

(2) A secondreasonis the prophets’ emphasis on the faithfulness of God. The
Lord will keepHis promises and one day establishthe kingdom (Ed: This
question was ever in the heart of every pious Jew - Acts 1:6, cf the prayer in
Mt 6:10-note, Lk 11:2); and since God is faithful to keepHis promises (1Cor
1:9, 10:13-note, 2Cor1:18, 2Th 3:3, Heb 10:23-note), we ought to be faithful
obeying His Word. If we obey, God will be faithful to chasten;if we confess,
He will be faithful to forgive (1Jn 1:9-note).
(3) Finally, the closing messageofhope was an encouragementto the faithful
remnant in the land, who were true to Godand suffered because oftheir
devotion to Him (Ed: God always has His "7000"who have not bowed to Baal
[Ro 11:4-note], cf Simeon - Lk 2:25 and Anna - Lk 2:36, 37, 38). It’s difficult
to belong to that “company of the committed” who stand true to the Lord and
His Word no matter what others may do or say. Knowing that Godwould one
day defeattheir enemies and reign in righteousness wouldencourage the
believing remnant to persistin their faithful walk with the Lord. (Be
Concerned)
DIVINE WRATH
CONSUMMATED
ZEPHANIAH 3:8
Zeph 3:8 "Therefore waitfor Me," declares the LORD, "Forthe day when I
rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decisionis to gather nations, to assemble
kingdoms, to pour out on them My indignation, all My burning anger; for all
the earth will be devoured by the fire of My zeal.
Wait for Me - Jehovahissues a command to wait, but the question is "To
Whom?" While we cannot be definitive, in the context it could be those who
seek righteousnessandhumility in Zeph 2:1-3. The fact that Jehovahwill
exert His sovereignpowerto "gathernations, to assemble kingdoms" (cf
repeatedallusions to the global aspectofthis prophecy - Zeph 1:2, 3, 18, 2:3,
11, 3:8, 19, 20) clearlyrequires a future fulfillment and parallels John's
description of the gathering of the nations of the world at Armageddon (see
discussionof this campaign), in preparation for the final great conflict(see

Rev 16:14-16-note). Noticethe vivid synonyms that describe the LORD's
attitude in "the day" - indignation, anger, (zealous)fire. This Day of Jehovah
will have a two-fold effect, bringing judgment on the nations that have
rejectedHis gracious offerof eternal life in Christ (and for their treatment of
Israel- see Joel3:2b) and purification for the God fearing remnant (cp Ro
11:26-27-note).
NET Note - The secondpersonverb form ("you must wait patiently") is
masculine plural, indicating that a group is being addressed. Perhaps the
humble individuals addressedearlier(see Zech 2:3) are in view. Becauseof
Jerusalem's sin, they must patiently wait for judgment to pass before their
vindication arrives.
For - term of explanation. What is he explaining? He is explaining why they
must wait. They must be patient for the day when Jesus avengesHis cause.
The day when I rise up - When is this day? The context helps us, explaining
that it will be a day when Jehovahgathers nations and assembles kingdoms
and that this would involve the entire earth. This is clearly at the Second
Coming of Jesus.
John MacArthur - The prophet transitions from the historical invasion of
Judah by Babylon to the future day of the Lord. He speaks ofthe Great
Tribulation, when the LORD will gatherall the nations for judgment (cf. Joel
3:1-2 [“Forbehold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes
of Judah and Jerusalem, "Iwill gatherthe nations And bring them down to
the valley of JehoshaphatThen I will enter into judgment with them there On
behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, Whom they have scattered
among the nations; And they have divided up My land."], Joel3:12–17;Zec
12:2, 3; 14:2; Mt 24:21). The faithful remnant, presumably the meek of Zeph
2:1–3, are exhorted to wait in trust for Him to carry out His judgment.
(MacArthur Study Bible)
Witness (Lxx = marturion/martyrion - see martureo) - This is a description of
Jehovahtestifying or taking the witness stand (so to speak)againstHis
enemies, a conceptof which is common in the Old Testament(Mic 1:2; Mal

3:5; Jer29:23). Some versions like ESV render the Hebrew here as plunder or
seize, picturing the LORD avenging Himself againstHis enemies.
To pour out on them - Who is them? In contextthem signifies the nations and
kingdoms, in short the Gentiles.
As noted in the table above Zephaniah 1:1-3:8 prophesies darkness and gloom
associatedwith the Day of the LORD when Godpours out His wrath on
Judah and Jerusalemand then on the entire world. Zephaniah 3:8 is in a
sense the climax of the pouring of His wrath, after which the tone changes to
one of hope and restorationfor those who place their faith in the Messiah,
both Jews and Gentiles. As Matthew Henry says Zephaniah 3:9-20 propounds
"precious promises...to the people of God, for the banishing of their griefs and
fears and the encouraging of their hopes and joys."
Zeal (07068)(qin'ah)means ardor, zeal, jealousy. Zephaniah 1:18 uses this
same word descriging the time when "allthe earth will be devoured In the fire
of His jealousy."z
Qin'ah - 41v- Nu 5:14f, 18, 25, 29f;25:11; Deut 29:20;2Kgs 10:16; 19:31;Job
5:2; Ps 69:9; 79:5; 119:139;Prov 6:34; 14:30;27:4; Eccl4:4; 9:6; Song 8:6;
Isa 9:7; 11:13; 26:11;37:32; 42:13;59:17; 63:15;Ezek 5:13; 8:3, 5; 16:38, 42;
23:25;35:11; 36:5f; 38:19; Zeph 1:18; 3:8; Zech 1:14; 8:2. NAS Usage:
anger(1), envy(1), jealousy(24), passion(1), rivalry(1), zeal(14).
DIVINE RESTORATION
COMPLETED
ZEPHANIAH 3:9-20
Zeph 3:9 "Forthen I will give to the peoples purified lips, that all of them may
call on the Name of the LORD, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
For then: Note the conjunction "then" which is a strategic expressionoftime -
- always be alert to this word asking "Whathappens then?," or "When is
then?", etc, especiallyin prophetic passages. Thenoften (usually) marks some
event next in the order of time and thus helps establishsequence of prophetic
events. In this case, the dark times of God's judgment (Zeph 3:8), will give

way to a new day, a new age for mankind, as Jehovahpromises a great
conversionat His SecondComing.
The peoples - The phrase "the peoples" describes the believing "remnant" of
Gentiles who will be blessedduring this time of restoration. So even though
Zeph 1:2-3 says the wickedof the world would be cut off, not all be cut off.
While Zephaniah is primarily addressing the ChosenPeople, the Gentiles are
in no wayexcluded from this glorious time of restorationwhich will ultimately
be consummated in the Millennial Reign of the Messiahonearth.
ESV Study Bible - God the judge is also God the gracious. He intends that the
nations (Ed: The Gentiles)should turn to him (Zeph 3:9–10), as wellas His
own people (Ed: Referring to those in Israel who turn to Him) (Zeph 3:11–13).
Give (NAS translation) is not the besttranslation of this Hebrew word
(haphak) which is a word (ESV = "I will change")whichdescribes a turning
around, a turning away, a transformation, total change, this turn being
manifest not as a slow, progressive change,but as a sudden, radical break
with the past(compare repentance - metanoia). The Septuaginttranslates
haphak with the verb metastrepho which means to turn around, to cause
something to change in its state or condition, as in turning something to its
opposite state. In this case unregeneratemen and women are given the gift of
regeneration, the gift of new hearts (cf God's promises in Ezek 11:19-note,
Ezek 18:31, Ezek 36:26-27-note)!In short this clearly describes conversionof
the Gentiles by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9-note)!
I will give them purified lips speaks ofthem being born again(regenerated,
entering into the New Covenant) for out of the mouth comes that which fills
the heart (Mt 12:34-37, Lk 6:45, cf Isaiah6:5-note, Hos 2:17). The only way to
have purified lips is to have a purified ("circumcised")heart!
Call on the Name of the LORD - This is something only someone with a "new
heart" would even desire to do, for no man seeksafterGod (see Ro 3:11-note,
cf Ro 8:7-note, Isa 9:13-note, Isa 31:1, see also Ge 4:26; 1Ki 18:24;Jer. 10:25;
Joel2:32; Acts 2:21; Ro 10:12, 13)

Shoulder to shoulder - It is interesting that the Lxx uses the noun zugos, which
is strictly speaking a crossbeam, the yoke that was used to control two
working oxen who workedbest when they pulled in unison. Beloved, this
phrase is a beautiful picture of the coming day when born again Jews and
Gentiles will worship and serve the Messiahside by side, in one accord. Oh,
what a glorious day it will be! Maranatha!
Zeph 3:10 "From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My dispersed ones will bring
My offerings.
My dispersedones - Could refer to either Gentiles throughout the world or
the Diaspora, the dispersion of the Jews, orboth.
My worshipers:Born againJews and Gentiles
Comment: The truth of God’s offer of redemption to both Jews and Gentiles
is seenin a number of other Old Testamentpassages (Isaiah2:2–4-note;
Micah4:1–4-note;Isaiah 11:9-note;Isaiah 19:23–25;49:5–6)
Offerings (minh‫ג‬h) refers to voluntary “gift” offerings (cf. Lev. 2) which is
made over an above the regular offerings and thus is expressive of deep
gratitude to God.
Zeph 3:11 "In that day you will feelno shame because ofall your deeds by
which you have rebelled againstMe; for then I will remove from your midst
your proud, exulting ones, and you will never again be haughty on My holy
mountain.
In that day - Pause, ponder and query this expressionof time. In that day, in
context the day when Messiahreturns to turn an upside down world, right
side up! In short, the Day of the Lord!
You will feelno shame - While this could refer to both Jews and Gentiles, the
reference to "My holy mountain" might favor this as reference primarily to
the Jews who come to faith in Messiah.
For then - Pause and ponder and query this expressionof time.
I will remove from your midst your proud - See Isa 2:12-18.

exulting...haughty - Israel had the Law and yet choose to rebel.
My holy mountain - The central, most strategic and important site of the
world in that day, the place where Messiahrules and reigns His kingdom in
Jerusalem(Isaiah2:2–4-note;Micah 4:1–4-note;Isaiah11:9-note).
Zeph 3:12 "But I will leave among you a humble and lowly people, and they
will take refuge in the name of the LORD.
I will leave (a remnant) (07604)(sha'ar)means to remain, be left over. Lxx =
hupoleipo = to leave remaining, leave behind or be left behind. Clearly this
Hebrew verb shaarspeaks ofthe remnant, and in this verse does refer to the
believing Jewishremnant. Three times Zephaniah speaks ofa remnant being
saved(Zeph 2:3, 2:7, 3:12-13)and twice he mentions their return from
captivity (Zeph 2:7, 3:20).
A humble and lowly people - In contrastto the proud, exulting...haughty in
Zeph 3:11.
(Jas 4:6) But He gives a greatergrace. Thereforeit says, “GOD IS OPPOSED
TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.”
Humble ("afflicted" KJV)(06041)(anifrom anah = to be boweddown or
afflicted [Dt 8:3]) means the poor, afflicted, humble and primarily refers to
someone suffering some kind of disability or distress. (Lev 23:22)The Lxx
translates ani with praus which means gentle, meek, not overly impressed
with a sense ofone's self-importance. Compare Jesus'promise in the
"beatitude" in Mt 5:5-note “Blessedare the gentle, for they shall inherit the
earth."
Lowly (01800)(dal)means low, weak, poor, thin. Lxx = tapeinos = means low,
not high, not rising far from the ground. It speaks ofone's condition as lowly
or of low degree. It describedwhat was consideredbase, common, unfit, and
having little value. It pictures one brought low, as for example by grief.
Tapeinos is descriptive particularly of attitude and socialpositions. This is
who the Messiahcame to redeem and deliver from bondage!

Adam Clarke - In such a state will the Jews be found when they shall hear the
universal call, and believe in Christ Jesus. Indeed, this is the generalstate of
the Jews in the present day/
Will take refuge - Hebrew = hasah = seek ortake refuge (literally under a tree
- Jdg 9:15), in Zion (Isa 14:32), in Jehovah(2Sa 22:31), under His wings (Ru
2:12, Ps 36:7, Ps 57:1, Ps 61:4, Ps 91:4). Louw-Nida says hasah pictures one
going "to a place where one will find safety, rest, or comfort, implying the
place of refuge is a place to be trusted to keepone safe." Theiraction of
"taking refuge" in Jehovah's Name is tantamount to an expressionof their
trust in Him. We don't take refuge under a roofthat we think is going to
collapse and leave us unprotected or even hurt! Nahum writes
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble (Which Nahum
describes in Nah1:1-6, etc), and He knows those who take refuge (hasah) in
Him.
Name of the LORD (See Why Should You Study His Names?) - His Names
depict His greatcharacterand glorious attributes. See the encouraging study
on the Name of the LORD is a Strong Tower:Summary
Jehovah= God's covenantName. He is faithful to keepcovenantforever and
ever. Amen
Three qualities of the redeemed - humble, lowly, trusting.
Zeph 3:13 "The remnant of Israelwill do no wrong and tell no lies, nor will a
deceitful tongue be found in their mouths; For (always pause, ponder and
query this term of explanation) they will feed and lie down with no one to
make them tremble."
Remnant - Hebrew = sheerith (from shaar= to remain, be left over, used in
Zeph 3:12) = rest, residue, remnant, remainder (see comments on Zeph 3:12).
These are the Jews who are savedby the Deliverer (Ro 11:26-27-note)and
who will enter into the Millennial Kingdom.
Do no wrong (like their Lord in Zeph 3:5 = do no injustice)...no lies...deceitful
tongue - Their lives will match their lips, their professionof faith in Messiah.

They would speak truth with no deceit. These were sins of which they had
been guilty. How is it they now do not commit these sins? Jeremiah31:33
explains...
"But this is the covenant(New Covenant - Jer 31:31-32 - notice the covenant
is with Israeland Judah, not just Israel, so clearly this is not spokento the
Church which some take as "Israel" today, but to the united nation, Israel
and Judah. No where is the Church ever called "the house of Judah" - literal
promises MUST be interpreted literally. You do not have to be a
dispensationalistto interpret Scripture literally!) which I will make with the
house of Israelafter those days (What days? The full fulfillment will be in the
last days, the time of Jacob's distress, Jer30:7, the GreatTribulation),"
declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them and on their heart I will
write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (cf Ezekiel
36:27-note which explains that they will then have a "new power," the
indwelling Holy Spirit Who gives the desire and the powerto obey the Law on
their heart - cp Php 2:13-note).
Kaiser aptly remarks - Those who attempt to place this prediction somewhere
within the present historic process willfind that they have an impossible task,
for it will exceedall constraints of language to make it fit our present world.
This must be a day when our Lord has returned and our lips, hearts and lives
have been drastically changed!
Adam Clarke - O what a change!And then, how different shall they be from
their present selves!Iniquity, lying, and deceitshall not be found among
them! A Jew once said to me “Tere are shome of you Christians who are
making wonderful efforts to convert the Tshews (Jews.)Ah, dere ish none but
Gott Almighty dat can converta Tshew.” Truly I believe him. Only Godcan
convert any man; and if there be a peculiar difficulty to convertany soul, that
difficulty must lie in the conversionof the Jew.
The will feedthem and lie down - This picture is common in prophecy (Is
49:9; Mic. 7:14; Jer. 50:19; Ezek. 34:14).
No one to make them tremble - Micahalludes to this same time of future
peace and security in Israel (Mic 4:4).

No one to make them tremble (see Isa 17:2, 54:14, Jer 30:10, Ezek 39:26) -
This speaks ofthe security of these redeemedJews in the age to come
(Millennial) which is in marked contrastto Israel's status in this present age.
Zeph 3:14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Zephaniah 3:14 to Zeph 3:17 is a message ofencouragementfrom Zephaniah.
In Zeph 3:18 to the end the message is from the lips of JehovahHimself (Note
the lastwords of the book are "Yahweh has spoken!")
The tone of Zephaniah 3:14-20 is so radically different that some doubt
whether Zephaniah actually penned these words. Howeverthis pattern of the
promise of the Lord's presence and protection is not unique to Zephaniah, but
is seenin passages suchas Isaiah57:7-10, Isaiah54:1-8.
(Zech 2:10) “Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am
coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares the LORD. (Ed: This is
JehovahWho is Jesus - He will dwell in their midst at He promises in Zeph
3:15, 17!Lord, hastenthat glorious Day! Amen)
(Zech 9:9-10) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O
daughter of Jerusalem!Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and
endowedwith salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt,
the foalof a donkey(First Advent).10 I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
And the horse from Jerusalem;And the bow of war will be cut off. And He
will speak peace to the nations; And His dominion will be from sea to sea, And
from the River to the ends of the earth (SecondAdvent).
McComiskeynotes that "J. Smith (Zephaniah, p. 261)reports that few defend
Zephaniah’s authorship of this passage, mainly because threat gives way to
promise." Statements such as this are one of the primary reasons you need to
be careful reading the commentaries (even the one you are reading now!). It is
the height of arrogance to question that the Holy Spirit would inspire
Zephaniah to write a note of hope at this juncture. Carry out your own
inductive Bible study, so that you will be able to wisely comment on the
commentaries!.

Shout (Sing = KJV, NIV) (ranan = give a ringing cry, translated"sing" by
KJV, ESV)...shout(rua = raise a shout, give a blast)...rejoice(samach=
rejoice, be glad)...exult(alaz = be jubilant) - Four "staccato-like"commands
which is a callfor the people of Israelto acknowledgethe greatblessing and
boundless joy over their restoration!Beloved, while this is addresseddirectly
to Israel, all believers will participate in this divine utopia, something
mankind has been searching for throughout world history. It has finally
arrived, for the King has taken His throne and begins His righteous rule.
NLT Study Bible - The cumulative effectof these commands emphasizes that
God’s people will one day experience unsurpassedjoy.
Shout (Sing) (07442)(ranan)means to give a ringing cry. It canrefer to a cry
of lamentation (Lam 2:19), awe (Lev 9:24), or joy (Ps 96:12). The type of the
cry must be determined by the context joy, exaltation(Isa 12:6; 24:14; Jer.
31:7) praising the Lord (Isa 26:19;35:2; 52:8; Jer. 31:12;51:48, Ps. 5:11;
67:4; 81:1; 90:14; 92:4; 149:5). An absent cry canbe an indication of God’s
judgment (Isa. 16:10). God makes a widow’s heart sing for joy (Job 29:13),
causes nature to shout for delight (Ps. 65:8) and commands the righteous to
shout for joy (Ps. 32:11). In some context it is a cry of distress (Isa. 65:14; Lam
2:19). Finally, ranan canbe cry of encouragement, exhortationor instruction
(Pr 1:20; 8:3).
NAS Usage:cries(1), cries ofjoy(1), cry aloud(1), joyfully sing(2), rejoice(1),
sang(1), shout for joy(16), shout of joy(1), shout joyfully(4), shouted(1),
shouts(1), sing for joy(18), sing aloud(3), sing aloud for joy(1), sings(1).
Vine - “to sing, shout, cry out.” Found in both ancient and modern Hebrew,
this word is used in modern Hebrew in the sense of“to chant, sing.” It occurs
approximately 50 times in the Hebrew Old Testament, with about half of these
uses being in the Book ofPsalms, where there is specialemphasis on “singing”
and “shouting” praises to God(see below). Ranan is found for the first time in
Lev. 9:24 at the conclusionof the consecrationofAaron and his sons to the
priesthood. When the fire fell and consumed the sacrifice, the people
“shouted, and fell on their faces.”Rananis often used to express joy,
exultation, which seems to demand loud singing, especiallywhenit is praise to

God: “ Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For greatin your
midst is the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa. 12:6). When Wisdom calls, she cries
aloud to all who will hear(Pr. 8:3). To shout for joy (Ps. 32:11) is to let joy
ring out!
Ranan - 52v - Lev 9:24; Deut 32:43;1 Chr 16:33; Job29:13; 38:7; Ps 5:11;
20:5; 32:11; 33:1; 35:27;51:14; 59:16;63:7; 65:8; 67:4; 71:23; 81:1; 84:2;
89:12;90:14; 92:4; 95:1; 96:12; 98:4, 8; 132:9, 16; 145:7;149:5; Pr 1:20; 8:3;
29:6; Isa 12:6; 16:10;24:14; 26:19;35:2, 6; 42:11;44:23; 49:13;52:8f; 54:1;
61:7; 65:14; Jer31:7, 12;51:48; Lam 2:19; Zeph 3:14; Zech 2:10.
(Ps 5:11) But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for
joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in
You.
(Ps 20:5) We will sing for joy over your victory, And in the name of our God
we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.
(Ps 32:11)Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;And shout
for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
(Ps 33:1) Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones;Praise is becoming
to the upright.
Notice how appropriate it is that this call for joy immediately follows (Zeph
3:13) the cleansing oftheir sins (an "emancipationproclamation")and the
silencing of their fears of insecurity. This reminds us of the effectthe
knowledge that our sins against a Holy God have been removed, forgiven...
A Psalm of David. A Maskil. How blessedis he whose transgressionis
forgiven, Whose sin is covered!2) How blessedis the man to whom the LORD
does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit! (Ps 32:1-2-
note)
He who conceals his transgressions willnot prosper, but (always carefully
observe this term of contrast, as some reveala striking change of direction!)
he who confessesandforsakes (cfrepents, not just words from one's lips, but

a change in one's heart, resulting in a change in direction of one's life!) them
will find compassion. (Pr28:13-note)
This is a greatpassagefor those of us who love "Praise and Worship" - The
Millennium will be a time of shouting (singing) with joy! John Phillips
comments that "We have a God who is happy as well as holy. He loves to hear
us sing. One of the greatestbooksofthe Bible is Psalms, the Hebrew
hymnbook; it is full of joyful song. Only a redeemed people can really sing.
The first song in Scripture was sung by Israel when, having been put under
the blood and brought through the water, they stoodon the other side of the
Red Sea, which had swept their old enemies away; Ex 14:30-15:1 records,
"Thus the Lord saved Israel.... Thensang Mosesand the children of Israel."
In the millennial kingdom Israel-redeemed, regenerated, andregathered
home-will sing. Oh, how they will sing! The sobs and anguish of centuries will
be swept awayin song. They will rejoice becausethe enemy is gone.
This call for greatjoy reminds one of the Year of Jubilee (see also ISBE
article), where jubilee is the Hebrew jowbel, the joyful shout or resounding
blasts of trumpets marking this time of celebrationas lands were returned to
their original owners and slaves were setfree from bondage. The Year of
Jubilee begins with the blast of the Shophar on the Day of Atonement each
fiftieth year. (Listen to the wonderful words of MichaelCard's greatsong
Jubilee)
Alexander Maclarenhas a sermon comparing Zeph 3:14 and Zeph 3:17 - The
very words seemto dance with joy. But more remarkable than this is the
parallelism betweenthe two verses. Zion is called to rejoice in God because
God rejoices in her. She is to shout for joy and sing because God’s joy too has
a voice, and breaks out into singing. For every throb of joy in man’s heart,
there is a wave of gladness in God’s. The notes of our praise are at once the
echoes andthe occasions ofHis. We are to be glad because He is glad: He is
glad because we are so. We sing for joy, and He joys over us with singing
because we do. It is to be noticed that the former verse of our text is followed
by the assurance:‘The Lord is in the midst of thee’; and that the latter verse
is precededby the same assurance. So, then, intimate fellowship and
communion betweenGod and Israellies at the rootboth of God’s joy in man

and man’s joy in God. (Readthe full sermon = Zephaniah 3:14, 17 Zion's Joys
and God's)
Shout in triumph - The Lxx translates rua with kerusso which pictures the
proclamation like a town herald would cry out. "In triumph" in not in the
literal Hebrew but is added by the translators for effect.
Matthew Henry - After the promises of the taking awayof sin, here follow
promises of the taking awayof trouble; for when the cause is removed the
effectwill cease. Whatmakes a people holy will make them happy of course.
With all your heart - Let it emanate from deep within your soul. With all that
is within you. With your whole being. Holding nothing back. Oh, "happy
day!" You may be downcast, despairing, depressed, ordisillusioned this day,
but look up dear one, for a new day is dawning, a day of righteousness and
truth and justice in the presence of the Righteous One Himself, the long
awaitedand longedfor Messiah. Hastenthat glorious day, Lord God, when
our morning is turned into dancing! (Ps 30:11, Eccl3:4)
Daughterof Zion - 28x= Personificationof Jerusalem(and therefore the
populace, the Jews orIsrael, cf Jer 6:26 "daughter of my people")= 2Kgs
19:21;Ps 9:14; Isa 1:8; 10:32; 16:1; 37:22;52:2; 62:11; Jer4:31; 6:2, 23;Lam
1:6; 2:1, 4, 8, 10, 13, 18; 4:22; Mic 1:13; 4:8, 10, 13; Zeph 3:14; Zech 2:10; 9:9;
Matt 21:5; John 12:15. Daughter of Zion does not refer to the Church as some
older commentaries state (Albert Barnes). Clearlythis is a Jewishprophet
speaking to Jews and to spiritualize a passage thatcan with normal reading
can easilybe interpreted literally is poor hermeneutics.
F B Meyer (1847-1929)- Nota dispensationalistbut one who rightly divided
the Word of Truth, ascribing literalness to passageswhichcould and should
normally be interpreted in such a manner. Thus it is not surprising to read
Meyer's comment "These words were primarily addressedto the daughter of
Zion, to Israelthe chosenpeople;and they undoubtedly foreshadow blessings
which are yet to be realised. Tentimes over in this chapterGod assures His
people of what He will most certainly do on their behalf. But a much wider
circle than the chosenrace may appropriate the blessedcomfort of these
words."

God sings over us

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God sings over us