On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, who fill the house of their master with violence and deceit.
Parallel translations
- WEB In that day, I will punish all those who leap over the threshold, who fill their master’s house with violence and deceit.
- KJV In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
- NKJV In the same day I will punish All those who leap over the threshold, Who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
- NASB “And on that day I will punish all who leap on the temple threshold, Who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit.
- NLT Yes, I will punish those who participate in pagan worship ceremonies, and those who fill their masters’ houses with violence and deceit.
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 will punish those tied to pagan superstition who fill their masters' houses with violence and fraud. It matters because false religion and social injustice go hand in hand.
Overview
'Leaping over the threshold' likely refers to a superstitious pagan practice, linking idolatry with the violence and deceit it breeds. The verse shows that a people unfaithful to God become unjust toward one another. True worship and righteous living are inseparable, a truth the gospel restores by transforming the heart.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Sam 5:5That is why, to this day, the priests of Dagon and all who enter the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on the threshold.
- Amos 3:10“For they know not how to do right,” declares the LORD. “They store up violence and destruction in their citadels.”
- 2 Kgs 5:20–27Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, while not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
- Neh 5:15The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people, but I did not do this because of my fear of God.
- Prov 29:12If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked.
- 1 Sam 2:15–16Even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
- Acts 16:19When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace.
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 1:9 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.