CHAPTER 1
1. The Word of YHWH that came to Ts’fanyah, son of Kushi, son of G’dalyah, son of Amaryah, son of Hizqiyah, in the days of Yoshiyahu, son of Amon, king of Yehudah:
Kushi: may indicate that his mother was Ethiopian or Kushite by some other line. This would mean Ts’fanyah was probably rather dark-skinned. Ancient Israelites did not all look alike, just as it is today.
2. “I will [completely] gather away from upon the face of the ground,” declares YHWH,
3. “—I will gather away human being and beast, fowls of the skies, fish of the seas, and whatever causes [anyone] to stumble along with the wicked, and I will cause humanity to be cut off from the face of the ground,” declares YHWH.
Gather away: Aramaic, consume (here; destroy in v. 2). Whatever causes to stumble: Aramaic, “whatever is overthrown, because the snares of the wicked have multiplied.” This list is of those things that people tended to make into idols. For example, the name of the Filistine god Dagon means “the great fish”.
4. “Then I will stretch out My hand over Yehudah and over all those who inhabit Yerushalayim and cut off from this place whatever remains of Ba’al and the name of those who blacken with heat along with the priests,
Who blacken with heat: Heb., khemarim, thought to be idolatrous priests, possibly because they wore black robes. King Yoshiyahu did destroy Ba’al’s priesthood and sacred groves, and threw Ba’al’s vessels out of YHWH’s Temple.
5. “as well as those who bow on the rooftops to the armies of heaven, and those who bow down, swearing oaths to YHWH, yet swearing by their king,
Armies of heaven: the stars. Their king: possibly that of the armies of heaven. Aramaic, their idols. The Hebrew term, malkam, is also the proper name (as Milkom) of the national idol of the Ammonites (descendants of Lot). They were another example of “skipping/limping between two opinions”. (1 Kings 18:20-21)
6. “and those who turn back from following after YHWH, yet have not diligently searched for YHWH or consulted Him.
Consulted Him: or, asked where He was. Diligently searched: compare Yirmeyahu/Jer. 29:13. They stopped searching once they heard He was not nearby, because that way they could go on doing what they wanted to do. Or they prematurely turned from Him, not having waited for the answers they wanted from Him.
7. “Keep quiet because of the presence of the Master YHWH, because the Day of YHWH is near, because YHWH has prepared a slaughter, and has selected those who will be invited by Him.
Selected: literally, set apart, dedicated, separated out. Keep quiet: Those who are not invited are being told it is too late, because they should have repented long ago. Day of YHWH: Amos 5:18-20 tells what it will be like and asks whether we are still looking forward to it once we know that. (Compare Mal. 3:1.)
8. “And on the day of YHWH’s slaughter, what will take place is that I will muster [and pass in review to bring punishment on] the rulers and the sons of the king, and any who clothe themselves with foreign clothing.
Foreign clothing: Reflecting a different tradition and a different covering, and a sign of serving someone else. All the more reason to start dressing like an Israelite now! Aramaic, who go thronging to worship idols. (Apparently an allusion to 2 Kings 10:20-22 which refers to the vestments provided for the worshippers of Ba’al. Y’shua’s authority for the parable of the man at the wedding feast (Mat. 22) with no wedding garment comes from this passage. We see in the account of Shimshon (Samson) that the bridegroom provided his guests with the proper apparel, so there was no excuse not to wear it. Wearing the right clothes also links us to Rev. 3:3ff, where Y’shua tells us those who do not defile their garments will be worthy to walk with Him in white (apparel). Remember that priests are the ones in Israel who wore white. Y’shua is saying that if we overcome, we will be at that level. If we have already defiled our garments, He offers to let us buy from him more white garments. He says those who are lukewarm, merely tipping their hat to YHWH, thinking they are well-dressed, are really naked, for they have the wrong clothing. (3:18) But in this context, He is not so much condemning the clothing as those who wore it. The phrase would have had a similar connotation to “Parisian” today—expensive, and thus affordable only by the privileged class, who usually got to that point by serving something other than YHWH. The salient example was these very “sons of the king”. Remember, too, that he was prophesying this message of judgment to his own cousins.
9. “On that day I will bring punishment on those who leap over the threshold and who fill their masters’ houses with violence and trickery.
Leap over the threshold: a practice begun in honor of Dagon, whose face landed on the threshold when it fell down before the captured Ark of the Covenant and broke. (1 Shmu’el 5:4-5) The Aramaic targum substitutes, “who walk by the laws of the Filistines”, suggesting that this is indeed what is alluded to. This may have later evolved to the custom of carrying a bride over the threshold, because it was believed that an evil spirit lay beneath it. In an ancient chant, Mars is beseeched to leap over the threshold. In pagan sacrifices, the blood was drained into a basin built into the threshold, symbolizing a covenant with whatever elohim they were sacrificing to. But in Y’hezq’el we often see YHWH’s kavod standing at the threshold of the Temple. (9:3; 10:4) Kavod means weightiness or importance. Those who jump over a threshold, then, are refusing to refusing to recognize that they are entering a set-apart place, and denying YHWH’s authority and covenant. No one respects authority, since each is out for self.
10. “Also, on that day,” declares YHWH, “there will be a sound of an outcry from the Fish Gate, and a great wailing from the second, and [the sound of] a great shattering from the hills.
Second: or “new quarter”, also referred to in 2 Kings 22:14; the Aramaic targum substitutes Ofel, since it was near this “second quarter”, and it is mentioned together with the Fish Gate in 2 Chron. 33:14. Hills: stone piles, in some Aramaic versions.
11. “Howl, you who inhabit the place of pounding, because all the whole merchant nation has been brought to silence; all who are laden with silver will be cut off!
Place of pounding: or deep hollow. The imagery is that of a mortar and pestle, for in a place where foreign trade took place within Israel, the gold and silver that had been shaped into idolatrous jewelry would have to be pounded into powder and reshaped into something acceptable. The whole merchant nation: literally, all the people of Kanaan. The targum interprets it this way. Again, royal families were nearly the only ones in pre-exilic times who would hire merchants and traders. The Aramaic targum has “Kidron Valley”
12. “And [what] will take place at that time [is that] I will thoroughly search Yerushalayim with lamps, and visit punishment on the men who are condensing on their dregs, who say in their hearts, ‘YHWH will do nothing, positive or negative.’
Condensing: or curdling, thickening, as wine in the process of fermentation does when it sits too long in one position without being turned. Aramaic, who lie at ease upon their wealth. Having not found YHWH when they sought Him half-heartedly, they went lazily back to what they were doing, thinking there was no reason to repent.
13. “And their riches will serve as spoils, and their houses become a desolation, and they will build houses but not inhabit [them], and plant vineyards, but not drink their wine.
These are some of the curses Moshe gave for those who would not obey YHWH.
14. “The great Day of YHWH is near; the sound of the Day of YHWH is near and it is [coming] in a great hurry! The brave man is making a shrill and bitter shriek there!
The last phrase could read, “The brave man there will cry bitterly.”
15. “That day is a day of overflowing fury, a day of stress and dire straits, a day of devastation and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and heavy darkness,
16. “a day of shofar and battle-alarm on the cities with inaccessible walls and atop the high bulwarks.
Battle-alarm: Heb, t’ruah, the term for the first day of the seventh month (Lev. 23:24), so this may be when the day being described will fall in the annual calendar. Bulwarks: or corner-towers.
17. “And I will bring distress to men, and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against YHWH, and their blood will be spilled like dust and their intestines like balls of dung!
18. “Even their gold and silver will not be able to rescue them on the day of YHWH’s outburst, but the whole earth will be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, because He will accomplish a complete—not to mention speedy—destruction for all who inhabit the earth.”
They have money, but no skills useful to His Kingdom.
CHAPTER 2
1. Assemble yourselves! Yes, gather together, O nation that is not longed for,
Assemble…gather: He repeats the command, emphasizing its importance. Both phrases have the same root word in Hebrew, which actually means to forage for straw, stubble, or wood. It is the same term used of Pharaoh’s making us find our own straw to make bricks. Not longed for: or, having no desire within itself; the Aramaic takes this view: “the generation that does not desire to return to the Torah.” In Yeshayahu 64:6-7, we see that no one is aroused to hold YHWH tightly, but keeps Him at a distance with clothing that tells Him we are off-limits to Him. But the faster we return to Him, the more quickly He will return to us. Here it is the gathering together as a nation that we do not seem eager for, but at the critical time described below, we cannot survive without gathering together. It is through hardship such as that which Pharaoh forced upon us that our desire for community rather than individual inheritance will grow. Since we keep making the same mistakes, we need opposition to make us band together.
2. before the decree is brought forth, a day will pass like chaff. While the fierce anger of YHWH’s nostrils has not yet come upon you, while the day of the anger of YHWH has not yet come upon you,
Before the decree: to allow this fierce wrath to be released. Act while there is still time to act.
3. seek YHWH, all you humble ones of the Land, who have worked out His just rulings! Seek righteousness! Seek humility! It may be that you will be hidden away on the day of YHWH’s anger.
Only those who have already been doing justice will be allowed to survive. But still note the uncertainty, because though they have been ascending, there are flood waters coming (suggested by verse 5), and we have not risen high enough to avoid being overwhelmed by them. (Psalm 124) Keeping Torah is not enough to constitute righteousness; we must do so together (v. 1), where our motives can be proven.
4. Because Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashqelon will become a wasteland; [as for] Ashdod, in broad daylight they will drive her away, and Eqron will be uprooted.
Abandoned: Heb., ‘azuvah, a play on the Hebrew name for Gaza (‘azah). In broad daylight: literally, at the glistening of noon. All the places mentioned here are in the Land of Israel, and already Gaza has been abandoned by none other than the government of Israel itself, and the rest of these cities may be swallowed up by those to whom they are foolishly giving the Land away. The Land will bear the brunt of the wrath mentioned in verse 2, possibly in the battle that will precipitate the fall of “Babylon”. Some strongholds may be left, but it appears that before the Messiah brings us back in, even Yehudah will lose most of the Land. Y’shua warned us of such a time. (Luke 21:21) Eqron’s very name means “emigration”! The gathering together in verse 1 may refer to Yehudah, who is in the Land but broken into many factions. For the Northern Kingdom, this prophecy of what is coming upon the Land is a warning that our gathering together must take place before we can return there. (Compare Zkh. 10:9)
5. “Alas for those who live on the boundary of the sea, nation of the Kerethites; the word of YHWH has come over you, Kanaan, land of the Filistines; I will cause you to be lost due to having no inhabitant.
It almost seems that YHWH will bring a great tidal wave to wipe out this coastal area. Kerethites: or, executioners; Aramaic, those who deserve to be destroyed. All the cities listed in v. 4 were once the territory of the Filistines, and those to whom Israel is giving away YHWH’s Land call their nation Filistine (Palestine) in their own pronunciation.
6. “Then the boundary of the sea will come to serve as resting-places of the meadows of shepherds and sheepfolds of a flock,
Meadows: or, cottages, shanties; Aramaic, camp—as opposed to the cities that were once there. Flock: though this will undoubtedly be literally true since Israelites are known first and foremost as shepherds (Gen. 47:3), the term “flock” suggests the nation of Israel herself as well (as v. 14 seems to bear out), who will again possess the land that was lost:
7. “and the coast will belong to what remains of the House of Yehudah; they will graze upon them. In the evening, they will stretch out in the houses of Ashqelon, because YHWH their Elohim will muster them [for accounting], and their captives will come back.
All of the areas mentioned in v. 4 are in the ancient tribal territory of Yehudah. Muster them: Aramaic, their record will go in for the best before YHWH. Come back: This has taken place once, but did not fulfill the entire prophecy. Therefore, it must occur again.
8. “I have heard the scorn of Moav and the tauntings of the sons of Ammon with which they have defied My people and made themselves expand over their border.
These illegitimate nations which are never to become part of Israel are usurping our territory because of some weakness of ours.
9. “Therefore, [as] I live, YHWH [the Master] of Armies, the Elohim of Israel, declares that Moav will become like S’dom and the sons of Ammon like Ghamorah—a place possessed by weeds and salt pits, and a wasteland into perpetuity; the remnant of My people will seize them, and the rest of My people will inherit them.”
Weeds: Aramaic, salt-plants. These nations did not offer Israel bread and water (Deut. 23:4), so their ability to offer anyone bread and water is removed. They wanted to be more than YHWH had allotted for them (v. 8), so now they will lose everything. Y’hezq’el 47:11 says that part of the Dead Sea will be left for salt when the rest of it becomes fresh water again. That part must affect Moav and Ammon. Moav does have a coast directly on the Dead Sea.
10. This is what they will have instead of their majesty, because they have blasphemed and magnified themselves over the people of YHWH [the Master] of Armies.
Blasphemed: or, railed; Aramaic, ridiculed.
11. YHWH will be held in awe above them, because He will make all the gods of the earth grow lean, and [each] man will prostrate himself to Him from his place [on] all the coastlands of the nations.
Grow lean: shrivel, starve, dry up. Held in awe: or, dreaded. Coastlands: or islands; compare the one coastal region of Israel being discussed in vv. 4-6.
12. “You too, Kushites! They will be pierced by My sword.”
Kushites: apparently relatives of Ts’fanyah just as Yehudah was. (1:1)
13. Then He will extend His hand over the north, and cause Ashur to vanish and transform Nin’weh into a wasteland, as parched as uninhabited land,
Nin’weh: Ashur’s capital. Though they repented once under Yonah, the city eventually returned to its wicked ways.
14. and flocks will stretch out in her midst, all her animals a nation; both the pelican and the hedgehog will lodge on the capitals of its pillars. A voice will sing in the window; desolation will be on their sills, because He has exposed the cedar panels.
Pelican: or some other bird that regurgitates its food, because the root word means “to vomit”. A voice: Aramaic, sound of the bird that chirps. Capitals: or upper lintels. Aramaic, her gates shall be destroyed, and her ceilings they will tear down. The cedar panels underlay the stone exterior. (Note the construction of the Temple of Shlomo in 1 Kings 6.) The stones of this house have been removed, possibly due to some form of leprosy. (Lev. 14)
15. This is the triumphant city, the one dwelling in [careless] confidence, that says in her heart, “I am, and [that is the] end of [everything] else!” How she has become a [horrifying] wasteland, a resting-place for animals! Everyone who crosses over her will whistle and waggle his hand.
Triumphant city: Assyria apparently passed on its scepter to Babylon when conquered, for it took the same attitude. (Daniel 4:30) “I am…”: i.e., “I am the one!” or, I exist, and (apart from me) there is no other. This is only YHWH’s prerogative to say. (Isaiah 43:10, 11) Waggle his hand: to shake or snap it out as is still done in some nations as a sign of strong recognition of the inappropriateness or regrettable condition of what one sees. The idea is the equivalent of tittering with one’s tongue to express the thought, “What a shame!”
CHAPTER 3
1. Woe to her who is filthy and polluted—the city that mistreats!
Filthy: or defiant. Mistreats: Aramaic, multiplies provocations. City: here, not Rome or Babylon, but Yerushalayim! (vv. 4-5) There has never been a time when Yerushalayim has been oppressing the whole earth. But a treaty was already ratified under the Clinton administration that gives the Vatican jurisdiction over what will be called the first truly international city, and it only remains to be implemented. It would then no longer be considered the capital of Israel, which is one reason many nations have held back from placing their embassies there. A civil war in Israel over the withdrawal from the “settlements” could be the catalyst for the United Nations sending troops in to bring control by enacting this treaty.
2. She did not listen to the voice; she did not receive correction. She did not put her confidence in YHWH; she did not draw near to her Elohim.
3. Her rulers within her are roaring lions; her judges are wolves of the evening. They do not [even] gnaw [the bones] for the break of day.
Gnaw: or leave the bones.
4. Her prophets are frothy—men of treachery! Her priests have profaned what is holy; they have done violence to the Torah.
5. YHWH is righteous in her innermost part; He will not do injustice. Morning by morning He brings His right legal procedures to light. He has not failed, but the one who deviates perversely knows no shame.
In the middle of all this uncleanness, YHWH will still be there, probably because the Temple will be rebuilt right among the churches and mosques that will probably all cover the Temple Mount (suggested by Rev. 11:2.) Do injustice: Aramaic, act deceitfully (in regard to a promise He has made). Brings…to light: YHWH will do something that makes their error obvious (such as restoring the pillar of fire over the Temple?) but they will not have eyes to see it. Failed: Aramaic, been held back.
6. “I have caused nations to be cut off; their corners have been devastated. I have made their streets desolate since no one passes through; their cities are laid waste for lack of a man, from there being no inhabitant.
Corners: or battlements; Aramaic, fortresses.
7. “I said, ‘You must certainly fear Me! You must accept correction, so that her refuge may not be cut off—all that I mustered against her.’ But they got up early; they corrupted all their practices.
Her refuge…cut off: Yerushalayim is known as the gateway between heaven and earth. If you do not stop acting so corruptly—if even it loses its holiness--there will be no hope left for humanity. (Compare Mark 13:20; Z’kharyah 13:8-14:21.) Got up early: an idiom for being quick or eager to do what is described in the next phrase.
8. “So wait for Me,” declares YHWH, “until the day I rise up to the prey; My legal right is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out My rage on them—all the heat of My nostrils, because the whole earth will be consumed by the fire of My jealousy!
Since they rose up to do evil, He will rise up against them. Gather: as the darnel or tares are gathered first to be burned before the wheat is gathered in. (Mat. 13:30) The whole earth: Aramaic, all the wicked of the earth. This verse includes all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, signifying that Hebrew is the language being referred to in the next verse:
9. “Because then I will turn over to the peoples a clarified language, so they can all call on the Name of YHWH, to serve Him [with] one shoulder-blade.
Turn over: change or transform. Clarified language: or purged, purified lip. This is the same terminology used of the time prior to the tower of Bavel. (Gen. 11:1) The names before Bavel all make sense in Hebrew, and Bavel means “confusion”; “clarified” would indicate the reversal of this curse, which was imposed because they were indeed working “with one shoulder-blade” (all working in the same direction; or, as interpreted in Aramaic, with one accord), but they were going in the wrong direction. The learning of this language will probably not be automatic or magical. So get a head start by learning Hebrew now!
10. “From across the rivers of Kush, those who worship Me with incense—the daughter of My dispersed ones—will conduct My tribute.
Compare Yeshayahu 18:1.
11. “On that day you will not be ashamed because of your practices by which you rebelled against Me, because at that time I will remove from your midst those who triumph with haughtiness, and you will never again exalt yourselves on the mountain of My holiness.
You: probably not the Muslims or Catholics, but those who have joined themselves to Israel yet are still self-centered. Self will be put in its place! Rebelled: or, crossed a boundary.
12. “And I will leave a diminished and humbled people in your midst, and they will flee to the Name of YHWH for protection.
13. “What is left of Israel will not practice injustice or speak lies, nor will a fraudulent tongue be found in their mouths, because they [themselves] will graze and stretch out with no one to make them tremble.”
Fraudulent: or deceitful. Graze: Aramaic, maintain themselves. Stretch out: Aram., settle down. There is no excuse for any sin, because we will be nearly as well-provided for as Adam in Eden.
14. Give a ringing cry of joy, O daughter of Tzion! Shout, O Israel! Rejoice and triumph with all [your] heart, O daughter of Yerushalayim!
Daughter: or suburb; Aramaic, congregation.
15. YHWH has retracted your [court] sentences; He has taken away the presence of your enemy! The King of Israel—YHWH—is in your innermost part; you will never again fear any evil.
Here are three reasons not to be afraid. There seem to be several allusions to Psalm 23 here, especially in the pastoral context of v. 13. Fear any evil: or, see disaster.
16. On that day Yerushalayim will be told, “Do not be afraid, O Tzion! Don’t let your hands go slack!
Slack: or limp, in this case not from laziness but from despair.
17. “YHWH your Elohim is a hero in your midst; He will rescue! He will gladly display joy over you; He will be speechless in His love. He will delight over you with a ringing cry of joy.
Be speechless: Aramaic, subdue your sins.
18. “I will gather together from you those who have been grieved because of the appointed time; they have become a burden of scorn [rising] upon her.
Grieved: sorrowful because they cannot believe what is still going on. It is supposed to vex us when those with His Name on them are not gathering. (2:1) He will gather those who are used to gathering. (Heb. 10:25) Aramaic, Those who were delaying among you the times of your festivals, I have removed from your midst. Woe to them, for they were taking up their arms against you and reviling you.
19. “Watch Me deal with all your oppressors at that time, and I will rescue her who is limping, and collect her who was thrust away, and I will transform them into praise and renown in every land [where] they were put to shame.
Limping, thrust away: the Aramaic takes them as idioms for being exiled and scattered. Thrust away: possibly excluded by those in charge because they recognize a different calendar and different feast days (v. 18), based on the actual new moon rather than mathematical estimates.
20. “At that time I will bring you—that is, at the time I collect you—because I will designate you for renown and [songs of] praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I return your captives before your own eyes,” says YHWH.
This will not be accomplished by a political act or backroom dealing to slip people through the borders, but when the time comes, we will have a name. If we are with the Messiah when he comes Home, how can we help but have a “ticket” into the Land? After YHWH takes care of all this business, He will take us in. You do not have to promote yourself if He gives you a name. (Compare Avram with the Tower of Bavel in Gen. 11-12.)
WRITINGS OF THE PROPHET
Ts'fanyah
INTRODUCTION: 
Ts’fanyah’s name means “YHWH has hidden away” or “YHWH has treasured up”. Dr. C.F. Pfeiffer of Gordon Divinity School theorized that his name was a result of having been born during the 55-year reign of Menashe (Manasseh), who would have been his great-great uncle, and was known for his atrocities (2 Chron. 33) leading Israel into sins worse than the Kanaanites whom YHWH had Israel drive out; he “shed much innocent blood” (2 Kings 21:16) might well have attempted to kill any other potential heir to the throne of Hizqiyahu (Hezekiah), apparently Ts’fanyah’s great-great grandfather by a different line. (1:1) Ts'fanyah thus prophesied in the days of his uncle, King Yoshiyahu (Josiah) of the Southern Kingdom, Yehudah, who came to the throne at age 8 and reigned from 639 through 609 B.C.E. This was already approximately a century after the exile of the Northern Kingdom. He had peace in his time in which to carry out his reforms which began ten years into his reign, because the Skythians (who in part consisted of Israelites living in exile) attacked the still-powerful Ashur (Assyria) in 632 B.C.E., keeping them occupied so that they did not interfere in Yehudah at this time. After Yoshiyahu’s death, however, things worsened rapidly, and the destruction of Yerushalayim came a scant 23 years later. Ts’fanyah was probably also a contemporary of Nakhum, and may have lived to see the destruction of Yerushalayim, a foreshadowing of the dark and wrathful “Day of YHWH” about which he prophesied. However, he presents this as a purging of the holy Land, which would prepare the way for Israel to again be a light to all nations and allow the exiles of all Israel to return in peace, and worshippers of YHWH to come from the world over as pilgrims to a city cleansed of all its sins. (Chapter 3)
Ts’fanyah’s name means “YHWH has hidden away” or “YHWH has treasured up”. Dr. C.F. Pfeiffer of Gordon Divinity School theorized that his name was a result of having been born during the 55-year reign of Menashe (Manasseh), who would have been his great-great uncle, and was known for his atrocities (2 Chron. 33) leading Israel into sins worse than the Kanaanites whom YHWH had Israel drive out; he “shed much innocent blood” (2 Kings 21:16) might well have attempted to kill any other potential heir to the throne of Hizqiyahu (Hezekiah), apparently Ts’fanyah’s great-great grandfather by a different line. (1:1) Ts'fanyah thus prophesied in the days of his uncle, King Yoshiyahu (Josiah) of the Southern Kingdom, Yehudah, who came to the throne at age 8 and reigned from 639 through 609 B.C.E. This was already approximately a century after the exile of the Northern Kingdom. He had peace in his time in which to carry out his reforms which began ten years into his reign, because the Skythians (who in part consisted of Israelites living in exile) attacked the still-powerful Ashur (Assyria) in 632 B.C.E., keeping them occupied so that they did not interfere in Yehudah at this time. After Yoshiyahu’s death, however, things worsened rapidly, and the destruction of Yerushalayim came a scant 23 years later. Ts’fanyah was probably also a contemporary of Nakhum, and may have lived to see the destruction of Yerushalayim, a foreshadowing of the dark and wrathful “Day of YHWH” about which he prophesied. However, he presents this as a purging of the holy Land, which would prepare the way for Israel to again be a light to all nations and allow the exiles of all Israel to return in peace, and worshippers of YHWH to come from the world over as pilgrims to a city cleansed of all its sins. (Chapter 3)