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From beyond the rivers of Cush, my worshipers, even the daughter of my dispersed people, will bring my offering.
Zephaniah 3:10 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.
  • BSB From beyond the rivers of Cush My worshipers, My scattered people, will bring Me an offering.
  • NKJV From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, The daughter of My dispersed ones, Shall bring My offering.
  • NASB “From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, My dispersed ones, Will bring My offerings.
  • NLT My scattered people who live beyond the rivers of Ethiopia will come to present their offerings.

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

Worshipers from distant lands beyond Cush will bring offerings to God. It matters because it shows even far-off peoples included among those who worship the Lord.

Overview

Cush, earlier marked for judgment, now appears as a source of worshipers, showing mercy beyond judgment. The gathering of God's scattered people from remote regions highlights the worldwide scope of His salvation. This anticipates the ingathering of the nations fulfilled through Christ's worldwide mission.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • Ps 68:31Princes shall come out of Egypt. Ethiopia shall hurry to stretch out her hands to God.
  • Isa 11:11It will happen in that day that the Lord will set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
  • Isa 18:1Ah, the land of the rustling of wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia;
  • Rom 15:16that I should be a servant of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, serving as a priest of the Good News of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be made acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
  • 1 Pet 1:1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen ones who are living as foreigners in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
  • Isa 66:18–21“For I know their works and their thoughts. The time comes that I will gather all nations and languages, and they will come, and will see my glory.
  • Acts 8:27He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship.
  • Acts 24:17Now after some years, I came to bring gifts for the needy to my nation, and offerings;
  • Ps 72:8–11He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth.
  • Rom 11:11–12I ask then, did they stumble that they might fall? May it never be! But by their fall salvation has come to the Gentiles, to provoke them to jealousy.
  • Mal 1:11For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering: for my name is great among the nations,” says Yahweh of Armies.
  • Isa 60:4–12“Lift up your eyes all around, and see: they all gather themselves together. They come to you. Your sons will come from far away, and your daughters will be carried in arms.
  • Isa 18:7In that time, a present will be brought to Yahweh of Armies from a people tall and smooth, even from a people awesome from their beginning onward, a nation that measures out and treads down, whose land the rivers divide, to the place of the name of Yahweh of Armies, Mount Zion.
  • Isa 27:12–13It will happen in that day, that Yahweh will thresh from the flowing stream of the Euphrates to the brook of Egypt; and you will be gathered one by one, children of Israel.
  • Isa 49:20–23The children of your bereavement will say in your ears, ‘This place is too small for me. Give me a place to live in.’

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Zephaniah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Zephaniah 3:10YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ZephaniahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 3:10 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.