AUTHOR: In the first verse, Zephaniah traces his lineage back to his great-grandfather [ Zeph 1:1 - “The word of the LORD, which came to Zephaniah , the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah.” ], Hezekiah. Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah, king of Judah, and before the destruction of Nineveh in 612 B.C. [ Zeph 2:13 -“He shall stretch out his hand against the north, and shall destroy Assyria; and he will make Nineveh a desolation, a dry land like the desert.” ].

ORIGIN OF THE NAME: The name Zephaniah means “the Lord hid him” or “the Lord hid himself”.

THEMATIC: The great emphasis of Zephaniah is the Day of the Lord, when God will consume and destroy everything on the face of the earth, whether man or animal. God consumes the earth with the fire of his indignation because of the sin and intransigence of men. Like Zephaniah, two more prophets spoke of the “great Day of the Lord": [ Joel 3:31 - “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” ] and [ Mal 4:5 - “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” ], suggesting a message of judgment from the Lord and pointing to the God of Israel as a resting place for the repentant. The prophet Zephaniah concludes his prophecy with words of blessing and promises to the nations and to Israel [ Zeph 3:20 - “At that time I will bring you back, at that time I will gather you; I will surely make you a name and praise among all the peoples of the earth. earth, when I bring back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.” ].

COMPILATION: This brief prophecy is said to be the revelation of Zephaniah who prophesied after the ruin of Israel, during the reign of Josiah. Messages from him were probably spoken before Josiah's reforms, as they describe a desperately evil people who do not seek the Lord, approximately 607 B.C. It consists of 3 chapters and 53 verses.