The Meaning of Zephaniah 1:8 Explained

Zephaniah 1:8

KJV: And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD'S sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel.

YLT: And it hath come to pass, In the day of the sacrifice of Jehovah, That I have laid a charge on the heads, And on sons of the king, And on all putting on strange clothing.

Darby: And it shall come to pass in the day of Jehovah's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's sons, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.

ASV: And it shall come to pass in the day of Jehovah's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's sons, and all such as are clothed with foreign apparel.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it shall come to pass in the day  of the LORD'S  sacrifice,  that I will punish  the princes,  and the king's  children,  and all such as are clothed  with strange  apparel. 

What does Zephaniah 1:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

When the Lord slew Judah like a sacrifice, He would punish the king"s sons and those who wore foreign clothing. The king"s sons, the future rulers of the nation, bore special responsibility for conditions in the land. Josiah"s sons did indeed suffer Yahweh"s punishment. Jehoahaz was taken captive to Egypt ( 2 Kings 23:34). Jehoiakim was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar and died in Jerusalem ( 2 Kings 24:1-6). Josiah"s grandson, Jehoiachin, was taken captive to Babylon ( 2 Kings 24:8-16). The last son of Josiah to rule over Judah, Zedekiah, was blinded and also taken captive to Babylon ( 2 Kings 24:18 to 2 Kings 25:7). Wearing foreign garments evidently expressed love and support for non-Israelite values and so incurred God"s wrath (cf. Numbers 15:38; Deuteronomy 22:11-12).

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 1:8 mean?

And it shall be in the day of the sacrifice of Yahweh that I will punish upon the princes and children of the king and all such as are clothed with apparel foreign
וְהָיָ֗ה בְּיוֹם֙ זֶ֣בַח יְהוָ֔ה וּפָקַדְתִּ֥י עַל־ הַשָּׂרִ֖ים וְעַל־ בְּנֵ֣י הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וְעַ֥ל כָּל־ הַלֹּבְשִׁ֖ים מַלְבּ֥וּשׁ נָכְרִֽי

וְהָיָ֗ה  And  it  shall  be 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
בְּיוֹם֙  in  the  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
זֶ֣בַח  of  the  sacrifice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: זֶבַח  
Sense: sacrifice.
יְהוָ֔ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וּפָקַדְתִּ֥י  that  I  will  punish 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: פָּקַד 
Sense: to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for.
עַל־  upon 
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.
הַשָּׂרִ֖ים  the  princes 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
בְּנֵ֣י  children 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ  of  the  king 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
הַלֹּבְשִׁ֖ים  such  as  are  clothed 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: לָבַשׁ  
Sense: to dress, wear, clothe, put on clothing, be clothed.
מַלְבּ֥וּשׁ  with  apparel 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַלְבּוּשׁ  
Sense: clothing, apparel, vestments, raiment, attire.
נָכְרִֽי  foreign 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: נָכְרִי  
Sense: foreign, alien.