Zephaniah 3:18 kjv
I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.
Zephaniah 3:18 nkjv
"I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly, Who are among you, To whom its reproach is a burden.
Zephaniah 3:18 niv
"I will remove from you all who mourn over the loss of your appointed festivals, which is a burden and reproach for you.
Zephaniah 3:18 esv
I will gather those of you who mourn for the festival, so that you will no longer suffer reproach.
Zephaniah 3:18 nlt
"I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals;
you will be disgraced no more.
Zephaniah 3 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 11:12 | He will raise a signal for the nations and assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah... | Gathering the dispersed of Israel and Judah |
| Isa 43:5-6 | Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east... from the ends of the earth. | God promises to gather His scattered people |
| Jer 29:14 | I will be found by you... and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations... | Divine promise of gathering exiles |
| Ezek 34:13 | I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries and bring them into their own land... | God as Shepherd gathering His flock |
| Mic 2:12 | I will surely gather all of you, Jacob; I will surely assemble the remnant of Israel... | Gathering of all Jacob, remnant of Israel |
| Deut 30:3-5 | ...the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you, and He will gather you again... | God's initiative in restoration and gathering |
| Ps 107:2-3 | Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble and gathered from the lands... | The gathered are the redeemed |
| Mt 23:37 | "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... How often would I have gathered your children together..." | Jesus' lament over Jerusalem's unwillingness to be gathered |
| Zec 10:8-10 | "I will whistle for them and gather them, for I have redeemed them..." | God will gather His redeemed people |
| Isa 61:1-3 | "...to comfort all who mourn... to give them a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." | Mourning turned to comfort and praise |
| Ps 30:11 | You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy... | Mourning replaced with joy |
| Jer 31:13 | "...I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them and give them gladness instead of sorrow." | Divine transformation of sorrow to joy |
| Lk 6:21 | "Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh." | Blessedness of those who mourn/weep |
| Ps 42:4 | "...as I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy..." | Longing for participation in worship and feasts |
| Deut 16:16 | "Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place that He will choose..." | Mandate for appointed festivals at the central sanctuary |
| Neh 8:9-10 | "Do not mourn or weep... the joy of the LORD is your strength." | Shift from mourning (for sin) to joy (in God) |
| Isa 25:8 | He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away... | Shame and reproach are removed by God |
| Isa 61:7 | Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion... everlasting joy shall be theirs. | Shame replaced with abundant joy |
| Joel 2:26-27 | "...My people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel..." | Removal of shame for God's people |
| Ezek 36:30 | "...that you may not suffer again the disgrace of famine among the nations." | Removal of reproach (famine, scattering) |
| Zep 3:19-20 | At that time I will deal with all your oppressors... I will give you renown and praise among all the peoples... | Immediate context: shame replaced by renown |
| Zep 3:14-17 | Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion!... The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save... | Context of joyful restoration and divine presence |
| Heb 12:22-24 | But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem... | Heavenly Jerusalem as the ultimate gathering place |
Zephaniah 3 verses
Zephaniah 3 18 Meaning
Zephaniah 3:18 is a prophetic promise of future restoration and joy for the repentant remnant of Judah. The Lord declares He will gather His people who sincerely grieve over their inability to observe the divinely appointed festivals due to their scattering and exile. Their state of dispersion and exclusion from proper worship has been a heavy burden and a source of shame upon them and upon Jerusalem itself. God assures that this lamentable condition will be reversed through His sovereign act of gathering them.
Zephaniah 3 18 Context
Zephaniah’s prophecy begins with stern warnings of God's judgment against Judah and surrounding nations, known as "the Day of the Lord." However, Chapter 3 pivots sharply from divine wrath to glorious promises of salvation and restoration. It opens with a lament over rebellious Jerusalem (Zep 3:1-7) but quickly moves to God's intent to purify His people (Zep 3:8-13) and then bursts into a song of jubilant restoration for Zion (Zep 3:14-20). Verse 18 sits firmly within this celebratory section, specifically addressing those who experienced the painful consequences of judgment—exile and inability to worship. It anticipates a reversal of fortunes where their grief is transformed into divine favor and a triumphant return. Historically, this prophecy looks beyond the immediate post-exilic return, anticipating a full, future gathering of God’s people in perfect worship and honor, likely culminating in the Messiah's reign.
Zephaniah 3 18 Word analysis
- I will gather: (אֹסֵף - ʾosef, from the root אָסַף - ʾasaf, "to gather, collect"). This is a clear declaration of God’s active, sovereign will and action. It highlights His divine initiative in bringing His scattered people back together, both physically and spiritually. It is not dependent on human strength but on God’s omnipotence and faithfulness to His covenant promises.
- those of you who mourn: (נוּגֵי - nūgeʾē, from the root יָגָה - yagah, "to grieve, cause pain, be sad"). This identifies a specific group among the exiles. These are the pious and contrite, whose sorrow stems not merely from their physical hardship in exile, but deeply from their separation from God's presence, the Temple, and proper corporate worship. Their mourning signifies genuine repentance and a spiritual longing for God and His ways.
- for the appointed festivals: (מִמּוֹעֵד - mimmoʿēd). The Hebrew preposition min (מִן, indicated by mim due to assimilation) often means "from" or "because of". Here, "from the appointed festivals" implies mourning because of their separation from or on account of the lack of access to these holy gatherings. The "appointed festivals" (מוֹעֵד - moʿed) refer to the divinely ordained feasts (Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles) which were central to Israel's communal worship, pilgrimage, and covenant identity, typically observed in Jerusalem. Their inability to celebrate these deeply symbolic events underscored their alienation and punishment.
- they are a burden: (הָיוּ לְמַשָּׂא - hāyū lĕmaśśāʾ, "they have become a burden" or "they were a burden"; מַשָּׂא - maśśāʾ means "load, burden, heavy object, oracle"). This phrase carries a double sense:
- The people themselves bore a heavy burden: Their suffering, shame, and inability to worship weighed them down heavily.
- Their dispersed state was a burden or cause of grief to Jerusalem/Zion: Their absence meant Zion was not full or glorious, contributing to its desolate state. This "burden" contrasts sharply with the future relief and joy God promises.
- and a reproach to her: (וְחֶרְפָּה עָלֶיהָ - wĕḥerpâ ʿālehā, "and shame/disgrace upon her/it"; חֶרְפָּה - ḥerpâ means "reproach, scorn, disgrace, shame"). "Her" refers to Jerusalem/Zion. The scattered state of God's people was a source of great public shame. It made Judah look abandoned, weakened, and discredited in the eyes of surrounding nations, implying a God unable or unwilling to protect His own. The promise is for this disgrace to be definitively removed.
Zephaniah 3 18 Bonus section
The mourning described here for the "appointed festivals" is distinct from mere regret over personal suffering. It speaks of a deep spiritual homesickness—a yearning for God's corporate presence and the blessed rhythm of life ordained by Him, which includes celebration. This type of sorrow is considered righteous and precious in God's eyes, foreshadowing New Testament principles where those who "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matt 5:6) or "mourn" (Matt 5:4) are pronounced blessed. The imagery of gathering for worship prefigures the church's eschatological gathering into the heavenly Jerusalem, where the redeemed will perfectly worship God without any hindrance or reproach (Heb 12:22-24, Rev 21:3-4). The restoration of these "mourners" means Zion's disgrace is not eternal, but gives way to her rightful glory as a praise among all peoples.
Zephaniah 3 18 Commentary
Zephaniah 3:18 serves as a beacon of hope following intense prophecy of judgment. It highlights God's particular tenderness and intention to gather those who, even in their suffering, demonstrate genuine piety by mourning the loss of their sacred worship life, centered around the appointed festivals and the Temple. This grief is not just for physical discomfort but for spiritual separation and inability to fulfill their covenant obligations. Their scattered and mournful state, which caused a deep "burden" of affliction and was a public "reproach" to their identity and God's name, will be reversed. God Himself initiates this gathering, transforming their shame into honor, and their sorrow into joy as they are brought back into full, vibrant communion and worship, both in Jerusalem and ultimately in the heavenly Zion. This verse anticipates a profound spiritual and physical restoration where true worshippers will once again rejoice in God’s presence and prescribed ways of worship, experiencing ultimate liberation from shame.