Zephaniah 1 10

Zephaniah 1:10 kjv

And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and an howling from the second, and a great crashing from the hills.

Zephaniah 1:10 nkjv

"And there shall be on that day," says the LORD, "The sound of a mournful cry from the Fish Gate, A wailing from the Second Quarter, And a loud crashing from the hills.

Zephaniah 1:10 niv

"On that day," declares the LORD, "a cry will go up from the Fish Gate, wailing from the New Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills.

Zephaniah 1:10 esv

"On that day," declares the LORD, "a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, a loud crash from the hills.

Zephaniah 1:10 nlt

"On that day," says the LORD,
"a cry of alarm will come from the Fish Gate
and echo throughout the New Quarter of the city.
And a great crash will sound from the hills.

Zephaniah 1 verses

Zephaniah 1 10 Meaning

Zephaniah 1:10 vividly declares God's impending judgment upon Jerusalem, portraying a scene of pervasive destruction and profound distress. It specifically points to sounds of anguish and ruin emanating from key strategic locations within and around the city: a cry from the northern Fish Gate, a wail from the established residential district known as the Second Quarter, and the ominous sound of catastrophic collapse echoing from the surrounding hills. This illustrates the comprehensiveness and inescapable nature of the divine wrath.

Zephaniah 1 10 Context

Zephaniah's prophecy unfolds during the reign of King Josiah (640-609 BC) in Judah, a period marked by both significant religious reform and persistent spiritual apostasy among the people. Despite Josiah's efforts to eradicate idolatry and restore covenant faithfulness, deep-seated corruption, syncretism, and social injustice pervaded Jerusalem. The prophet Zephaniah proclaims the imminence of the "Day of the Lord," an overwhelming judgment that would sweep away not only Judah's idolatry but also the very fabric of society. Chapter 1 particularly focuses on the universal and detailed nature of this impending judgment upon Jerusalem, starting with its inhabitants and culminating in the destruction of specific geographical locations. Verse 10 builds upon the declaration of judgment against those who turn from God (vv. 4-6) and against princes, royal sons, and foreign idolaters (vv. 8-9), now graphically illustrating the specific points of attack and the audible chaos that will define the city's demise. This specific imagery assures the audience of the literal and localized impact of God's wrath.

Zephaniah 1 10 Word analysis

• And on that day (וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא - v’hayah bayom hahu): A prophetic idiom indicating a distinct and climactic moment of divine intervention. It signifies the Day of the Lord, characterized by God's direct action, typically bringing judgment or salvation. In Zephaniah, it primarily forebodes wrath.
• declares the Lord (נְאֻם יְהוָה - ne'um Yahweh): An authoritative prophetic formula. Ne'um signifies an "oracle" or "utterance," emphasizing that these are direct, certain, and divine words from God (Yahweh), the covenant Lord, ensuring the prophecy's truth and inevitability.
• a cry (קוֹל צְעָקָה - qol tsᵉʿaqah):
  • qol: sound, voice, noise.
  • tsᵉʿaqah: a desperate, loud cry, scream, or outcry, often indicating distress, alarm, or deep anguish from attack or suffering. It's a primal expression of pain.
• from the Fish Gate (מִשַּׁעַר הַדָּגִים - mishaʿar hadagim): A literal gate of Jerusalem, likely situated in the northern wall, through which fish were brought into the city. Northern gates were often vulnerable points of entry for invaders from the north. Its mention signals the initiation of distress at the city's perimeter.
• a wail (וְיִלְלָה - v’y’lalah): A strong term for loud lamentation, howling, or deep grief. It evokes images of public mourning, often associated with funerals or extreme communal tragedy and loss, reflecting widespread sorrow.
• from the Second Quarter (מִן הַמִּשְׁנֶה - min hammishneh): Refers to the "Mishneh," a district or expansion of Jerusalem, likely a newer and perhaps more affluent residential area adjacent to the Temple or northern part of the city. Its specific mention indicates that the judgment would reach and devastate even the established and seemingly secure parts of the metropolis.
• a loud crash (וְשֶׁבֶר גָּדוֹל - v’shever gadol):
  • shever: a breaking, crushing, ruin, collapse, shattering.
  • gadol: great, loud, massive. This signifies the sound of immense physical destruction, like buildings collapsing or walls shattering, implying catastrophic physical devastation accompanying the human anguish.
• from the hills (מִן הַגְּבָעוֹת - min hag'vaot): Refers to the hills surrounding Jerusalem. This imagery suggests either the sound of destruction originating within the city is so vast it reverberates outward, or that destruction is occurring on the idolatrous "high places" and other settlements in the city's environs, extending the judgment beyond the walls.

Words-group analysis:

• "a cry from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, and a loud crash from the hills": This progressive geographical detailing emphasizes the all-encompassing nature of the judgment. It moves from an initial point of breach (Fish Gate), through the city's internal districts (Second Quarter), and outward to the surrounding terrain (hills). This signifies that no part of the city, nor its immediate environs, will escape the calamity. The three distinct types of sounds—human anguish (cry, wail) and physical ruin (crash)—further underscore the multi-faceted and devastating impact, suggesting both intense personal suffering and wholesale destruction of infrastructure.

Zephaniah 1 10 Bonus section

• The distinct sounds described – tsᵉʿaqah (cry of alarm), y’lalah (mournful wail), and shever gadol (great crash) – create an aural landscape of disaster, amplifying the terror and comprehensive nature of the judgment for the original hearers. This vivid sensory imagery makes the future judgment almost palpable.
• The progression from external gate to inner quarter to outer hills suggests a sweeping, unavoidable judgment that consumes the city from its borders inward and outward, sparing no one and no place.
• The Fish Gate and the "Second Quarter" indicate the target is not merely abstract Judah, but specific, known, and active parts of daily Jerusalem life, making the judgment intensely personal and inescapable for its residents.

Zephaniah 1 10 Commentary

Zephaniah 1:10 functions as a highly descriptive declaration of God's certain and devastating judgment on Jerusalem. The "Day of the Lord," characterized by divine visitation, is no abstract concept but will be a tangibly experienced event. By specifying the "Fish Gate," "Second Quarter," and "hills," Zephaniah grounds the prophecy in the city's concrete reality, assuring the listeners that the judgment will literally and physically manifest in their immediate surroundings. The crescendo of sounds—from an agonizing "cry," to a pervasive "wail," and finally a resounding "loud crash"—vividly conveys the escalating and widespread horror of the invasion and its aftermath. It’s not merely that people will suffer, but that the very structures of their lives and city will collapse, making the sound of ruin inseparable from the sounds of human anguish. This depiction serves as a potent warning against Judah's persistent sin and underscores God's absolute sovereignty and the inescapable nature of His justice. The verse compels a recognition that even protected city strongholds and affluent areas are vulnerable to divine wrath.