Prophet Zephaniah

Prophet Zephaniah

Today we commemorate yet another of the Old Testament prophets: Zephaniah. His name in Hebrew means, “God hides” or “God has hidden” and  may refer to the fact that he was kept hidden from the atrocities suffered under the reign of King Manasseh (cf. II Kings 21:1-18 and II Chronicles 33:1-20).

This prophetic book was probably written around 625 BC and the opening genealogy seems to link Zephaniah to the royal lineage of King Hezekiah.

Because of his stern denunciations of the sins of the people and his impassioned cries for repentance, Zephaniah is often referred to as “the puritan.” Taking a hint then from verse 1:12, artists of the Middle-Ages regularly represented Zephaniah as a man with the lamp, searching Jerusalem for sinners to bring them to punishment.

Aside from these few facts and assumptions, little else is known of this prophet.

A major theme of Zephaniah’s prophesy, focuses on Judgment Day or the “Day of the Lord.” It is viewed as a day of terror and as being an imminent event - i.e. coming soon. This prophecy paints a grim picture of destruction, but out of this chaos will also come a remnant of righteousness. In other words, it may be a day of destruction for many sinful people, but will be a day of deliverance for the faithful.

Fr. John