The Meaning of Zephaniah 2:9 Explained

Zephaniah 2:9

KJV: Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.

YLT: Therefore, I live, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Surely, Moab is as Sodom, And the sons of Ammon as Gomorrah, An overrunning of nettles and salt-pits, And a desolation -- unto the age. A residue of My people do seize them, And a remnant of My nation inherit them.

Darby: Therefore, as I live, saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Moab shall certainly be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of nettles, and salt-pits, and a perpetual desolation; the remnant of my people shall spoil them, and the residue of my nation shall possess them.

ASV: Therefore as I live, saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall make a prey of them, and the remnant of my nation shall inherit them.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Therefore [as] I live,  saith  the LORD  of hosts,  the God  of Israel,  Surely Moab  shall be as Sodom,  and the children  of Ammon  as Gomorrah,  [even] the breeding  of nettles,  and saltpits,  and a perpetual  desolation:  the residue  of my people  shall spoil  them, and the remnant  of my people  shall possess  them. 

What does Zephaniah 2:9 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Because of their hostility toward the Israelites, almighty Yahweh, Israel"s God, would definitely destroy these nations as He had Sodom and Gomorrah (cf. Isaiah 15-16; Jeremiah 48:1 to Jeremiah 49:22; Ezekiel 25:1-14; Ezekiel 35; Amos 1:11 to Amos 2:3). God had completely destroyed these cities that stood in the territory later occupied by Moab shortly before either of these nations came into existence ( Genesis 19:23-29). Sodom and Gomorrah had become a notorious perpetual desolation, a place of salt pits where nothing but nettles grew (cf. Jeremiah 48:9), and that would be what Yahweh would make of Moab and Ammon. The remnant of Israelites would plunder these neighbors and take over their territory as an inheritance from their God (cf. Isaiah 11:14).

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 2:9 mean?

Therefore as live I says Yahweh of hosts the God of Israel surely Moab like Sodom shall be and the sons of Ammon like Gomorrah Overrun with weeds and saltpits and a desolation Even to perpetual the residue of My people shall plunder them and the remnant of My people shall possess them
לָכֵ֣ן חַי־ אָ֡נִי נְאֻם֩ יְהוָ֨ה צְבָא֜וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כִּֽי־ מוֹאָ֞ב כִּסְדֹ֤ם תִּֽהְיֶה֙ וּבְנֵ֤י עַמּוֹן֙ כַּֽעֲמֹרָ֔ה מִמְשַׁ֥ק חָר֛וּל וּמִכְרֵה־ מֶ֥לַח וּשְׁמָמָ֖ה עַד־ עוֹלָ֑ם שְׁאֵרִ֤ית עַמִּי֙ יְבָזּ֔וּם וְיֶ֥תֶר [גוי] (גּוֹיִ֖י) יִנְחָלֽוּם

חַי־  as  live 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
נְאֻם֩  says 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נְאֻם  
Sense: (Qal) utterance, declaration (of prophet).
יְהוָ֨ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָא֜וֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
אֱלֹהֵ֣י  the  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
כִּֽי־  surely 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
מוֹאָ֞ב  Moab 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מֹואָב 
Sense: a son of Lot by his eldest daughter.
כִּסְדֹ֤ם  like  Sodom 
Parse: Preposition-k, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: סְדֹם  
Sense: a Canaanite city, usually paired with Gomorrah, located in the area of the Dead Sea and the Jordan river; both cities destroyed by God in judgment.
תִּֽהְיֶה֙  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
וּבְנֵ֤י  and  the  sons 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
עַמּוֹן֙  of  Ammon 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַמֹּון  
Sense: a people dwelling in Transjordan descended from Lot through Ben-ammi.
כַּֽעֲמֹרָ֔ה  like  Gomorrah 
Parse: Preposition-k, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: עֲמֹרָה  
Sense: the twin-city in evil with Sodom, both destroyed in judgment by God with fire from heaven.
מִמְשַׁ֥ק  Overrun  with 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִמְשָׁק  
Sense: possession, place possessed.
חָר֛וּל  weeds 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָרוּל  
Sense: nettles, weeds, kind of weed (perhaps chickpea).
מֶ֥לַח  saltpits 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֶלַח  
Sense: salt.
וּשְׁמָמָ֖ה  and  a  desolation 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: שְׁמָמָה 
Sense: devastation, waste, desolation.
עַד־  Even  to 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
עוֹלָ֑ם  perpetual 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
שְׁאֵרִ֤ית  the  residue 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שְׁאֵרִית  
Sense: rest, residue, remainder, remnant.
עַמִּי֙  of  My  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
יְבָזּ֔וּם  shall  plunder  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּזַז  
Sense: to spoil, plunder, prey upon, seize.
וְיֶ֥תֶר  and  the  remnant 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יֶתֶר 
Sense: .
(גּוֹיִ֖י)  My  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
יִנְחָלֽוּם  shall  possess  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, third person masculine plural
Root: נָחַל  
Sense: to get as a possession, acquire, inherit, possess.