The Meaning of Zephaniah 2:3 Explained

Zephaniah 2:3

KJV: Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD'S anger.

YLT: Seek Jehovah, all ye humble of the land, Who His judgment have done, Seek ye righteousness, seek humility, It may be ye are hidden in a day of the anger of Jehovah.

Darby: Seek Jehovah, all ye meek of the land, who have performed his ordinance; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of Jehovah's anger.

ASV: Seek ye Jehovah, all ye meek of the earth, that have kept his ordinances; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah's anger.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Seek  ye the LORD,  all ye meek  of the earth,  which have wrought  his judgment;  seek  righteousness,  seek  meekness:  it may be  ye shall be hid  in the day  of the LORD'S  anger. 

What does Zephaniah 2:3 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The prophet urged his humble hearers who had sought to be obedient to the Lord to continue to seek Him in prayerful dependence. He was appealing to the faithful remnant in particular (cf. Zephaniah 3:12; Isaiah 11:4; Amos 8:4; Matthew 5:3). They needed to continue to pursue righteous behavior and place themselves under the Lord"s sovereign authority by listening to Him and obeying Him. If they did this, the Lord might hide them when He poured out His anger on the unrepentant. [1] Repentance was open to anyone. God did indeed protect some Judeans from destruction when the Babylonians invaded (cf. 2 Kings 24:14-16). Zephaniah"s exhortation appears to have been effective.
Zephaniah called on the humble of the "earth" to seek the Lord. While the Promised Land may be in view, this is probably a worldwide invitation. All people need to seek the Lord by repenting.
The Hebrew word satar is the root of the word translated "hidden." Satar is a synonym of saphan, which may be part of Zephaniah"s name. If it Isaiah , "Zephaniah" probably means "Yahweh hides." Thus his name could have had connection with his message of preservation for the godly remnant.

Context Summary

Zephaniah 2:1-15 - Meekness Saves, Pride Destroys
The nation, on the whole, had no remorse, no desire for God; but there were a few meek and lowly souls, and the hope was held out to them that they would be hidden from the coming overthrow. God discriminates in His judgments, and sends His angels to conduct Lot out of Sodom. The judgment of the surrounding nations occupies Zephaniah 2:4-15. Philistia, Moab, Amnion, Ethiopia and Assyria, are mentioned. God never forgets the treatment meted out to His people by their foes, Zephaniah 2:8-10. The captivity of Israel would be turned again, but there was no hope of recovery for the peoples that had rejoiced in their overthrow. What a picture is given in Zephaniah 2:11 of famished gods! It seemed incredible that great Nineveh should become a wilderness, yet so it has been for centuries. Whenever an individual or nation dwells carelessly, destruction is not far away. [source]

Chapter Summary: Zephaniah 2

1  An exhortation to repentance
4  The judgment of the Philistines,
8  of Moab and Ammon,
12  of Ethiopia,
13  and of Assyria

What do the individual words in Zephaniah 2:3 mean?

Seek - Yahweh all you meek of the earth who His justice have upheld Seek righteousness humility It may be that you will be hidden in the day of the anger of Yahweh
בַּקְּשׁ֤וּ אֶת־ יְהוָה֙ כָּל־ עַנְוֵ֣י הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִשְׁפָּט֖וֹ פָּעָ֑לוּ בַּקְּשׁוּ־ צֶ֙דֶק֙ עֲנָוָ֔ה אוּלַי֙ תִּסָּ֣תְר֔וּ בְּי֖וֹם אַף־ יְהוָֽה

בַּקְּשׁ֤וּ  Seek 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עַנְוֵ֣י  you  meek 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: עָנָו 
Sense: poor, humble, afflicted, meek.
הָאָ֔רֶץ  of  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
מִשְׁפָּט֖וֹ  His  justice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מִשְׁפָּט  
Sense: judgment, justice, ordinance.
פָּעָ֑לוּ  have  upheld 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: פָּעַל  
Sense: to do, make.
בַּקְּשׁוּ־  Seek 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine plural
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.
צֶ֙דֶק֙  righteousness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: צֶדֶק  
Sense: justice, rightness, righteousness.
עֲנָוָ֔ה  humility 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֲנָוָה  
Sense: humility, meekness.
אוּלַי֙  It  may  be  that 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אוּלַי  
Sense: perhaps, peradventure.
תִּסָּ֣תְר֔וּ  you  will  be  hidden 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: סָתַר  
Sense: to hide, conceal.
בְּי֖וֹם  in  the  day 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
אַף־  of  the  anger 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אַף 
Sense: nostril, nose, face.
יְהוָֽה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.