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Selected Verse: Zephaniah 3:4 - Strong Concordance
Verse |
Translation |
Text |
Zep 3:4 |
Strong Concordance |
Her prophets [05030] are light [06348] and treacherous [0900] persons [0582]: her priests [03548] have polluted [02490] the sanctuary [06944], they have done violence [02554] to the law [08451]. |
|
King James |
Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
light--in whose life and teaching there is no truth, gravity, or steadiness.
treacherous--false to Jehovah, whose prophets they profess to be (Jer 23:32; Eze 22:28).
polluted . . . sanctuary--by their profane deeds. |
Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
Her prophets are light - , boiling and bubbling, up, like water boiling over , empty boasters claiming the gift of prophecy, which they have not; "boldly and rashly pouring out what they willed as they willed;" promising good things which shall not be. So they are "her" prophets, to whom they "prophesy smooth things" (see Mic 2:11), "the prophets of this people" not the prophets of God; "treacherous persons" (literally, men of treacheries) wholly given to manifold treacheries against God in whose Name they spake and to the people whom they deceived. Jerome: "They spake as if from the mouth of the Lord and uttered everything against the Lord." "The leaders of the people," those who profess to lead it aright, Isaiah says, "are its misleaders" (Isa 9:15 (Isa 9:16 in English)). "Thy prophets," Jeremiah says, "have seen vain and foolish things for thee; they have seen for thee false visions and causes of banishment" Lam 2:14.
Her priests have polluted her sanctuary - Literally, "holiness," and so holy rites, persons Ezr 8:28, things, places (as the sanctuary), sacrifices. All these they polluted, being themselves polluted; they polluted first themselves, then the holy things which they handled, handling them as they ought not; carelessly and irreverently, not as ordained by God; turning them to their own use and self-indulgence, instead of the glory of God; then they polluted them in the eyes of the people, "making them to abhor the offering of the Lord" Sa1 2:17, since, living scandalously, they themselves regarded the Ministry entrusted to them by God so lightly. Their office was to "put difference between holy and unholy and between clean and unclean, and to teach the children all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by Moses" Lev 10:10-11; that they "should sanctify themselves and be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (Lev 11:44; Lev 19:2, etc.). But they on the contrary, God says by Ezekiel, "have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no difference between holy and profane, and have taught none between clean and unclean" Eze 22:26. "Holy" and "unholy" being the contradictory of each other, these changed what God had hallowed into its exact contrary. It was not a mere short-coming, but an annihilation (so to speak), of God's purposes.
Cyril: "The priests of the Church then must keep strict watch, not to profane holy things. There is not one mode only of profaning them, but many and divers. For priests ought to be purified both in soul and body, and to cast aside every form of abominable pleasure. Rather should they be resplendent with zeal in well-doing, remembering what Paul saith, 'walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh' Gal 5:16."
They have oppressed, done violence, to the law - Openly violating it ; or straining it, or secretly wresting and using its forms to wrong and violence, as in the case of Naboth and of Him, of whom Naboth thus far bore the Image. "'We have a law, and by our law He ought to die' Joh 19:7. Law exists to restrain human violence; these reversed God's ordinances; violence and law changed places: first, they did violence to the majesty of the law, which was the very voice of God, and then, through profaning it, did violence to man. Forerunners herein of those, who, when Christ came, "transgressed the commandment of God, and made it of none effect by their traditions" Mat 15:6; omitting also the weightier matters of the law, judgment and mercy and faith; full of extortion and excess!" Mat 23:23, Mat 23:25. |
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
Her prophet - So called, false prophets. Light - Unstable and inconstant. Violence to the law - Wresting it by perverse interpretation. |
Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
Her prophets are light and treacherous persons - They have no seriousness, no deep conviction of the awful nature of their office, no concern for the immortal souls of the people. Treacherous persons - they betray the souls of the people for the sake of worldly honor, pleasure, and profit. Even in our own enlightened country we find prophets who prefer hunting the hare or the fox, and pursuing the partridge and pheasant, to visiting the sick, and going after the strayed, lost sheep of the house of Israel. Poor souls! They know neither God nor themselves; and if they did visit the sick, they could not speak to them to exhortation, edification, or comfort. God never called them to his work; therefore they know nothing of it. But O, what an account have these pleasure-taking false prophets to render to the Shepherd of souls!
They have done violence to the law - They have forced wrong constructions on it in order to excuse themselves, and lull the people into spiritual slumber. So we find that it was an ancient practice for men to wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction. |
28 And her prophets [05030] have daubed [02902] them with untempered [08602] morter, seeing [02374] vanity [07723], and divining [07080] lies [03577] unto them, saying [0559], Thus saith [0559] the Lord [0136] GOD [03069], when the LORD [03068] hath not spoken [01696].
32 Behold, I am against them that prophesy [05012] false [08267] dreams [02472], saith [05002] the LORD [03068], and do tell [05608] them, and cause my people [05971] to err [08582] by their lies [08267], and by their lightness [06350]; yet I sent [07971] them not, nor commanded [06680] them: therefore they shall not profit [03276] this people [05971] at all [03276], saith [05002] the LORD [03068].
25 Woe [3759] unto you [5213], scribes [1122] and [2532] Pharisees [5330], hypocrites [5273]! for [3754] ye make clean [2511] the outside [1855] of the cup [4221] and [2532] of the platter [3953], but [1161] within [2081] they are full [1073] of [1537] extortion [724] and [2532] excess [192].
23 Woe [3759] unto you [5213], scribes [1122] and [2532] Pharisees [5330], hypocrites [5273]! for [3754] ye pay tithe [586] of mint [2238] and [2532] anise [432] and [2532] cummin [2951], and [2532] have omitted [863] the weightier [926] matters of the law [3551], judgment [2920], [2532] mercy [1656], and [2532] faith [4102]: these [5023] ought ye [1163] to have done [4160], and not [3361] to leave [863] the other [2548] undone [863].
6 And [2532] honour [5091] not [3364] his [846] father [3962] or [2228] his [846] mother [3384], he shall be free. Thus [2532] have ye made [208] the commandment [1785] of God [2316] of none effect [208] by [1223] your [5216] tradition [3862].
7 The Jews [2453] answered [611] him [846], We [2249] have [2192] a law [3551], and [2532] by [2596] our [2257] law [3551] he ought [3784] to die [599], because [3754] he made [4160] himself [1438] the Son [5207] of God [2316].
16 This I say [3004] then [1161], Walk [4043] in the Spirit [4151], and [2532] ye shall [5055] not [3364] fulfil [5055] the lust [1939] of the flesh [4561].
26 Her priests [03548] have violated [02554] my law [08451], and have profaned [02490] mine holy things [06944]: they have put no difference [0914] between the holy [06944] and profane [02455], neither have they shewed [03045] difference between the unclean [02931] and the clean [02889], and have hid [05956] their eyes [05869] from my sabbaths [07676], and I am profaned [02490] among [08432] them.
2 Speak [01696] unto all the congregation [05712] of the children [01121] of Israel [03478], and say [0559] unto them, Ye shall be holy [06918]: for I the LORD [03068] your God [0430] am holy [06918].
44 For I am the LORD [03068] your God [0430]: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves [06942], and ye shall be holy [06918]; for I am holy [06918]: neither shall ye defile [02930] yourselves [05315] with any manner of creeping thing [08318] that creepeth [07430] upon the earth [0776].
10 And that ye may put difference [0914] between holy [06944] and unholy [02455], and between unclean [02931] and clean [02889];
11 And that ye may teach [03384] the children [01121] of Israel [03478] all the statutes [02706] which the LORD [03068] hath spoken [01696] unto them by the hand [03027] of Moses [04872].
17 Wherefore the sin [02403] of the young men [05288] was very [03966] great [01419] before [06440] the LORD [03068]: for men [0582] abhorred [05006] the offering [04503] of the LORD [03068].
28 And I said [0559] unto them, Ye are holy [06944] unto the LORD [03068]; the vessels [03627] are holy [06944] also; and the silver [03701] and the gold [02091] are a freewill offering [05071] unto the LORD [03068] God [0430] of your fathers [01].
14 Thy prophets [05030] have seen [02372] vain [07723] and foolish things [08602] for thee: and they have not discovered [01540] thine iniquity [05771], to turn away [07725] thy captivity [07622] [07622]; but have seen [02372] for thee false [07723] burdens [04864] and causes of banishment [04065].
16 For the leaders [0833] of this people [05971] cause them to err [08582]; and they that are led [0833] of them are destroyed [01104].
15 The ancient [02205] and honourable [06440] [05375], he [01931] is the head [07218]; and the prophet [05030] that teacheth [03384] lies [08267], he is the tail [02180].
11 If [03863] a man [0376] walking [01980] in the spirit [07307] and falsehood [08267] do lie [03576], saying, I will prophesy [05197] unto thee of wine [03196] and of strong drink [07941]; he shall even be the prophet [05197] of this people [05971].