and those who turn back from following the LORD, neither seeking the LORD nor inquiring of Him.”
Parallel translations
- WEB those who have turned back from following Yahweh, and those who haven’t sought Yahweh nor inquired after him.
- KJV And them that are turned back from the LORD; and those that have not sought the LORD, nor enquired for him.
- NKJV Those who have turned back from following the Lord, And have not sought the Lord, nor inquired of Him.”
- NASB And those who have turned back from following the Lord, And those who have not sought the Lord nor inquired of Him.”
- NLT And I will destroy those who used to worship me but now no longer do. They no longer ask for the Lord’s guidance or seek my blessings.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God also condemns those who have turned away from Him and those who simply never seek Him. It matters because both active apostasy and spiritual indifference are forms of rebellion.
Overview
Zephaniah broadens the indictment from idolaters to backsliders and the apathetic who neither pursue nor inquire of the Lord. Neglect of God is treated as guilt, not mere neutrality. This exposes the heart's tendency toward complacency and underscores the gospel call to actively seek the Lord while He may be found.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 20
- Jer 2:13“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
- Isa 1:4Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children of depravity! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.
- Jer 15:6You have forsaken Me, declares the LORD. You have turned your back. So I will stretch out My hand against you and I will destroy you; I am weary of showing compassion.
- Jer 2:17Have you not brought this on yourself by forsaking the LORD your God when He led you in the way?
- Heb 10:38–39But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he shrinks back, I will take no pleasure in him.”
- Ezek 3:20Now if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die. If you did not warn him, he will die in his sin, and the righteous acts he did will not be remembered. And I will hold you responsible for his blood.
- Hos 11:7My people are bent on turning from Me. Though they call to the Most High, He will by no means exalt them.
- Isa 9:13But the people did not return to Him who struck them; they did not seek the LORD of Hosts.
- Jer 3:10Yet in spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the LORD.
- 1 Sam 15:11“I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not carried out My instructions.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all that night.
- 2 Pet 2:18–22With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error.
- Heb 2:3how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,
- Ps 10:4In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God.
- Hos 4:15–16Though you prostitute yourself, O Israel, may Judah avoid such guilt! Do not journey to Gilgal, do not go up to Beth-aven, and do not swear on oath, ‘As surely as the LORD lives!’
- Ps 125:5But those who turn to crooked ways the LORD will banish with the evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.
- Ps 36:3The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and well-doing.
- Ps 14:2–3The LORD looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God.
- Hos 7:7All of them are hot as an oven, and they devour their rulers. All their kings fall; not one of them calls upon Me.
- Rom 3:11There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.
- Isa 43:22But you have not called on Me, O Jacob, because you have grown weary of Me, O Israel.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The day of the LORD gives way to the promise that God himself will be in the midst of his people, rejoicing over them with singing — fulfilled in the saving presence of Christ.
How Zephaniah 1:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.