The Meaning of Zephaniah 1:16 Explained

Zephaniah 1:16

KJV: A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

YLT: A day of trumpet and shouting against the fenced cities, And against the high corners.

Darby: a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fenced cities and against the high battlements.

ASV: a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

A day  of the trumpet  and alarm  against the fenced  cities,  and against the high  towers. 

What does Zephaniah 1:16 Mean?

Context Summary

Zephaniah 1:1-18 - "the Great Day Of The Lord"
Zephaniah means hidden of the Lord. He lived in Josiah's reign, and cooperated with that king in his efforts to put down idolatry. His prophecy deals with the sins that were rife in Judah and the fearful retribution that would be inflicted through the Chaldeans.
Approaching destruction, Zephaniah 1:2-6. The Chemarim, r.v., were idolatrous priests dressed in black garments. Malcam is Milcom or Moloch. Notice the successive classes of those who were to suffer in the overthrow. They constitute a series of concentric circles, narrowing down at last to those who had turned back, and to those who had never sought the Lord.
The invaders, Zephaniah 1:7-18. The guests whom God invited to the banquet were Nebuchadnezzar and his soldiers! They marched in through the Fish Gate; and, as they advanced, cry after cry arose from the affrighted populace, driven from quarter to quarter. Maktesh, Zephaniah 1:11, was probably the Vale of Siloam, where the merchant princes dwelt or pursued their business. None would be able to elude the coming vengeance. Those that affected foreign attire, or leaped across the threshold in superstition, or practiced deceit, would have to pay dearly for their sins. Fulfilled in the overthrow of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and afterward by Titus, these words will always stand for the inevitable national sufferings which follow national crimes. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zephaniah 1

1  The time when Zephaniah prophesied
2  God's severe judgments against Judah

What do the individual words in Zephaniah 1:16 mean?

a day of trumpet and alarm Against the cities fortified and against the towers high
י֥וֹם שׁוֹפָ֖ר וּתְרוּעָ֑ה עַ֚ל הֶעָרִ֣ים הַבְּצֻר֔וֹת וְעַ֖ל הַפִּנּ֥וֹת הַגְּבֹהֽוֹת

י֥וֹם  a  day 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
שׁוֹפָ֖ר  of  trumpet 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֹׁופָר  
Sense: horn, ram’s horn.
וּתְרוּעָ֑ה  and  alarm 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: תְּרוּעָה  
Sense: alarm, signal, sound of tempest, shout, shout or blast of war or alarm or j oy.
עַ֚ל  Against 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הֶעָרִ֣ים  the  cities 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
הַבְּצֻר֔וֹת  fortified 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine plural
Root: בָּצַר 
Sense: to gather, restrain, fence, fortify, make inaccessible, enclose.
וְעַ֖ל  and  against 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הַפִּנּ֥וֹת  the  towers 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: פִּנָּה  
Sense: corner.
הַגְּבֹהֽוֹת  high 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine plural
Root: גָּבֹהַּ  
Sense: high, exalted.