“Then it will come about on the day of the Lord’s sacrifice That I will punish the princes, the king’s sons, And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments.
Parallel translations
- WEB It will happen in the day of Yahweh’s sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, the king’s sons, and all those who are clothed with foreign clothing.
- 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.
- BSB “On the Day of the LORD’s sacrifice I will punish the princes, the sons of the king, and all who are dressed in foreign apparel.
- NKJV “And it shall be, 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 foreign apparel.
- NLT “On that day of judgment,” says the Lord, “I will punish the leaders and princes of Judah and all those following pagan customs.
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
On the day of judgment God will punish the leaders and those who adopt foreign, idolatrous ways. It matters because leaders bear heightened responsibility for the nation's faithfulness.
Overview
The princes and royal household are singled out, since their compromise corrupted the whole people. 'Foreign clothing' likely signifies adoption of pagan customs and allegiances rather than mere fashion. God's particular reckoning with leaders shows that privilege brings accountability, a principle affirmed throughout Scripture.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Isa 24:21It shall happen in that day that Yahweh will punish the army of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on the earth.
- Jer 39:6–7Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes. The king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah.
- Isa 39:7‘They will take away your sons who will issue from you, whom you shall father, and they will be eunuchs in the king of Babylon’s palace.’”
- Jer 22:11–19For Yahweh says touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went out of this place: “He shall not return there any more.
- Isa 3:18–24In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, the headbands, the crescent necklaces,
- Jer 22:24–30“As I live,” says Yahweh, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet on my right hand, yet would I pluck you from there;
- 2 Kgs 25:19–21and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and five men of those who saw the king’s face, who were found in the city; and the scribe, the captain of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the city.
- 2 Kgs 25:6–7Then they captured the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they passed judgment on him.
- 2 Kgs 23:30–34His servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. The people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place.
- 2 Kgs 10:22He said to him who kept the wardrobe, “Bring out robes for all the worshipers of Baal!” So he brought robes out to them.
- Isa 10:12Therefore it will happen that, when the Lord has performed his whole work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the willful proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the insolence of his haughty looks.
- 2 Kgs 24:12–13and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers; and the king of Babylon captured him in the eighth year of his reign.
- Deut 22:5A woman shall not wear men’s clothing, neither shall a man put on women’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to Yahweh your God.
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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 1:8 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
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