Zephaniah 2:6

Judgment on Nations

4 For ^aGaza shall be forsaken,
And Ashkelon desolate;
They shall drive out Ashdod ^bat noonday,
And Ekron shall be uprooted.

5 Woe to the inhabitants of ^athe seacoast,
The nation of the Cherethites!
The word of the Lord is against you,
O ^bCanaan, land of the Philistines:
“I will destroy you;
So there shall be no inhabitant.”

6 The seacoast shall be pastures,
With¹ shelters for shepherds ^aand folds for flocks.

7 The coast shall be for ^athe remnant of the house of Judah;
They shall feed their flocks there;
In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening.
For the Lord their God will ^bintervene for them,
And ^creturn their captives.

8 “I^a have heard the reproach of Moab,
And ^bthe insults of the people of Ammon,
With which they have reproached My people,
And ^cmade arrogant threats against their borders.

9 Therefore, as I live,”
Says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,
“Surely ^aMoab shall be like Sodom,
And ^bthe people of Ammon like Gomorrah—
^cOverrun¹ with weeds and saltpits,
And a¹ perpetual desolation.
The residue of My people shall plunder them,
And the remnant of My people shall possess them.”

Commentaries:

Barnes' Notes

<< Zephaniah 2:5

Zephaniah 2:7 >>

Zephaniah 2:6

The seacoast shall be dwellings and cottages - o , literally, cuttings or diggings. This is the central meaning of the word; the place of the Cherethites (the cutters off) shall be "cheroth" of shepherds, places which they dug up that their flocks might be enclosed therein. The tracts once full of fighting men, the scourge of Judah, should be so desolate of its former people, as to become a sheep-walk. Men of peace should take the place of its warriors.

So the shepherds of the Gospel with their flocks have entered into possession of war-like nations, turning them to the Gospel. They are shepherds, the chief of whom is that Good Shepherd, who laid down His Life for the sheep. And these are the sheep of whom He speaks, "Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My Voice; and there shall be one fold and One Shepherd" John 10:16.

**Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Zephaniah 2:6:**

2 Kings 23:4-20
Joel 3:8
Zephaniah 2:4

<< Zephaniah 2:5

Zephaniah 2:7 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.