the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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New Living Translation
Zephaniah 3:9
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Then I will change people from other nations so that they can speak the language clearly and call out the name of the Lord . They will all worship me together, shoulder to shoulder, as one people.
"For then I will restore to the peoples pure lips, So that all of them may call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
"Then I will give the people of all nations pure speech so that all of them will speak the name of the Lord and worship me together.
For then I will turn to the peoples of a pure language, that they may all call on the name of Yahweh, to serve him with one consent.
For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.
"Then I will give to the peoples [clear and pure speech from] purified lips [which reflect their purified hearts], That all of them may call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder (united).
"For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.
For then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that they may all call on the name of Yahweh, to serve him shoulder to shoulder.
For thanne Y schal yelde to puplis a chosun lippe, that alle clepe inwardli in the name of the Lord, and serue to hym with o schuldre.
For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.
For then I will restore pure lips to the peoples, that all may call upon the name of the LORD and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
I will purify each language and make those languages acceptable for praising me. Then, with hearts united, everyone will serve only me, the Lord .
For then will I turn to the peoples of a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one consent.
For then I will give the people a clean language, so that they may all make prayer to the Lord and be his servants with one mind.
For then I will change the peoples, so that they will have pure lips, to call on the name of Adonai , all of them, and serve him with one accord.
For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of Jehovah, to serve him with one consent.
For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one consent.
For then will I turne to the people a pure language, that they may all call vpon the Name of the Lord, to serue him with one consent.
Then I will make the lips of the people pure. And all of them will call on the name of the Lord, to serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
At that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord.
Surely then will I turne to the people a pure language, that they may all call vpon the Name of the Lord, to serue him with one cosent.
For then I will restore to the people a pure speech, that they may call upon the name of the LORD to serve him with one consent.
Surely, then, will I turn unto the peoples a lip made pure, - that they all may call on the name of Yahweh, may serve him with one consent.
Because then I will restore to the people a chosen lip, that all may call upon the name of the Lord, and may serve him with one shoulder.
"Yea, at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord.
And then will I clense the lippes of the people, that they may euery one call vpon the name of the Lorde, and serue him with one consent.
For then will I turn to the peoples a tongue for her generation, that all may call on the name of the Lord, to serve him under one yoke.
"Then I will change the people of the nations, and they will pray to me alone and not to other gods. They will all obey me.
For I will then restorepure speech to the peoplesso that all of them may callon the name of the Lordand serve him with a single purpose.
For then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that they may all call on the name of the LORD, to serve him shoulder to shoulder.
For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord , to serve him with one consent.
Because then I will make the speech of the nations pure; that all of them might call on the name of Yahweh, to serve him in unison.
For then I will give a clear lip to the peoples, to call all of them by the name of Jehovah, to serve Him with one shoulder.
For then do I turn unto peoples a pure lip, To call all of them by the name of Jehovah, To serve Him [with] one shoulder.
And then wil I clense the lippes of the people, that they maye euerychone call vpon the name of the LORDE, and serue him with one shulder.
"In the end I will turn things around for the people. I'll give them a language undistorted, unpolluted, Words to address God in worship and, united, to serve me with their shoulders to the wheel. They'll come from beyond the Ethiopian rivers, they'll come praying— All my scattered, exiled people will come home with offerings for worship. You'll no longer have to be ashamed of all those acts of rebellion. I'll have gotten rid of your arrogant leaders. No more pious strutting on my holy hill! I'll leave a core of people among you who are poor in spirit— What's left of Israel that's really Israel. They'll make their home in God . This core holy people will not do wrong. They won't lie, won't use words to flatter or seduce. Content with who they are and where they are, unanxious, they'll live at peace."
Know for sure that I will then enable the nations to give me acceptable praise. All of them will invoke the Lord 's name when they pray, and will worship him in unison.
"For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, That they all may call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him with one accord.
"For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, That all of them may call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
For then I will change them to peoples with purified lips,That all of them may call on the name of Yahweh,To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
will: Isaiah 19:18, Matthew 12:35, Ephesians 4:29
language: Heb. lip, Genesis 11:1, *marg.
that: 1 Kings 8:41-43, Psalms 22:27, Psalms 86:9, Psalms 86:10, Psalms 113:3, Jeremiah 16:19, Habakkuk 2:14, Zechariah 2:11, Zechariah 8:20-23, Zechariah 14:9, Acts 2:4-13, Romans 15:6-11, Revelation 11:15
consent: Heb. shoulder
Reciprocal: Genesis 4:26 - Enos Genesis 13:4 - called Exodus 36:10 - General Deuteronomy 10:12 - to serve Ezra 3:1 - as one Nehemiah 13:24 - each people Isaiah 1:26 - thou shalt Isaiah 52:8 - see Isaiah 59:19 - shall they Ezekiel 11:19 - I will give Ezekiel 37:17 - General Hosea 2:14 - and speak Micah 4:1 - and people Malachi 1:11 - my name John 17:21 - they all Acts 2:1 - they Acts 11:1 - the Gentiles Acts 13:47 - that thou Ephesians 4:13 - we all 1 Peter 1:17 - call
Cross-References
The man replied, "It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it."
Then the Lord God asked the woman, "What have you done?" "The serpent deceived me," she replied. "That's why I ate it."
And to the man he said, "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return."
Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.
And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.
Afterward the Lord asked Cain, "Where is your brother? Where is Abel?" "I don't know," Cain responded. "Am I my brother's guardian?"
But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building.
The angel said to her, "Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress, Sarai," she replied.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
For then will I turn to the people a pure language,.... That is, at or about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans; when the Jews, both in their own land, and in the Gentile world, would have the Gospel first preached to them, but would reject it; upon which the apostles and first ministers of the word would turn to the Gentiles, as the Lord commanded them; when he would turn or change his speech and language towards them, and their speech and language towards him would be turned and changed also: for the words may be taken either way; either of God's speech to the Gentiles, which is his Gospel sent unto them; as it was quickly after Christ's resurrection from the dead, and the rejection of it by the Jews; for many hundred years the Lord took no notice of them; winked at the times of their ignorance; sent no prophet to them, nor any message by anyone to instruct them; yea, he spake roughly to them, in a providential way; in the way of his judgments; particularly they raging and imagining vain things against his Messiah, he spake to them in his wrath, and vexed them in his sore displeasure; see Acts 17:30 but now he alters the tone of his voice, changes his language, and sends his Gospel to them; which is a "language" of love, grace, and mercy; of peace, pardon, righteousness, and salvation; encouraging souls to believe in Christ for those things: and this is a "pure" speech or language; a pure doctrine, fetched out of the sacred Scriptures; free from the dross of error; unmixed, consistent, and all of a piece; and which has a tendency to promote purity of heart, life, and conversation: or, is a "choice speech" h; as some render it; it speaks of choice things, more valuable than gold and silver, pearls, and precious stones; the doctrines of it being an inestimable treasure, the unsearchable riches of Christ; and this, by the commission of Christ, upon his resurrection from the dead, was ordered to be spoke unto all nations, Matthew 28:19 or this may respect the different language spoken by the converted Gentiles, when the Gospel should come with power to them; who should speak, as all converted persons do, a different language than they spake before; instead of swearing and cursing, lying, filthy, and frothy speaking, now they speak the language of repentance towards God, confessing their sins, and praying for the pardon of them; the language of faith in Christ, first in a more weak and feeble manner, then with more strength and assurance, believing their interest in him, and in the everlasting love of God, and the covenant of grace; the language of love to Christ, his people, truths, and ordinances; a soul abasing, Christ exalting, and free grace magnifying language; the language of praise and gratitude for mercies received, temporal and spiritual; and especially for Christ, and grace and glory by him: they then speak the language of gracious experience to one another; and in the language of the Scriptures, in the taught words of the Holy Ghost; and, in common conversation, their language is pure, and free from that corruption and vitiosity it was before tainted with: this arises from pureness of heart; from a rich experience of the grace of God; from the teachings of the Spirit of God; and which betrays a man, and shows that he has been with Jesus; this is the language of Canaan, Isaiah 19:18:
that they may all call upon the name of the Lord; which sometimes takes in the whole worship and service of God; but, since that is later expressed, it rather intends, in particular, prayer to God; for which men are fitted and qualified, by having a pure language turned to them; or through the Gospel coming with power on them; and by virtue of efficacious grace converting them, and causing them to speak differently from what they did before; and then it is their voice is heard in prayer to God; and which is delightful and pleasant to him, Acts 9:11 and this is the case of "all" such that have this pure language; there is not a prayerless soul among them: it follows,
to serve him with one consent; or, "with one shoulder" i; the allusion is, either to bearers of burdens, that join together in carrying any burden, who put shoulder to shoulder as they carry it; or else to oxen drawing in a yoke, who are yoked together shoulder by shoulder; hence the Septuagint version renders it "under one yoke": in which it is followed by the Syriac and Arabic versions. The phrase signifies, that the Gentiles having the Gospel brought to them, and they called by it, and all speaking the same language, should join in fellowship with one another, and sing the praises of God together; agree in prayer to ask of God the same things; stand fast in the faith of the Gospel, and strive for it, being of the same mind; meet constantly together to carry on the several branches of religious worship, and promote the Redeemer's interest; all drawing the same way, like a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots; having one heart, and one way given them to fear the Lord; and so, with one mind and one mouth, glorify God; so Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it with one heart and one mind. This passage is applied to the times of the Messiah by the Jews, ancient and modern k.
h שפה ברורה "labium electum", Pagninus, Drusius. i שכם אחד "humero uno", V. L. Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius. k Zohar in Gen. fol. 74. 1. Maimon. Hilchot Melachim, c. 11. sect. 5. Aben Ezra in Psal. cxlix. 7.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
For then - In the order of God’s mercies. The deliverance from Babylon was the forerunner of that of the Gospel, which was its object. The spread of the Gospel then is spoken of in the connection of God’s Providence and plan, and time is overlooked. Its blessings are spoken of, as “then” given when the earnest was given, and the people, from whom according to the flesh Christ was to be born, were placed anew in the land where He was to be born. Lap.: “The prophet springs, as is his wont, to Christ and the time of the new law.” And in Christ, the End of the Law, the prophet ends.
I will turn - Contrary to what they had before, “to the people,” literally, “peoples,” the nations of the earth, “a pure language,” literally, “a purified lip.” It is a real conversion, as was said of Saul at the beginning 1 Samuel 10:9; “God” (literally) “turned to him another heart.” Before the dispersion of Babel the world was “of one lip,” but that, impure, for it was in rebellion against God. Now it shall be again of “one lip;” and that, “purified.” The purity is of faith and of life, “that they way call upon the Name of the Lord,” not as heretofore on idols, but that every tongue should confess the one true God, Father Son and Holy Spirit, in Whose Name they are baptized. This is purity of faith. To “call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus” Acts 22:16; Romans 10:13 is the very title of Christian worship; “all that called upon the Name” of Jesus, the very title of Christians Acts 9:14, Act 9:21; 1 Corinthians 1:2. “To serve Him with one consent,” literally, “with one shoulder,” evenly, steadfastly, “not unequally yoked,” but all with united strength, bearing Christ’s “easy yoke” and “one another’s burdens, fulfilling the law of Christ.” This is purity of life. The fruit of the lips is the “sacrifice of praise” Hebrews 13:15.
God gave back one pure language, when, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, the Author of purity, came down in fiery tongues upon the Apostles, teaching them and guiding them “into the whole truth” John 16:13, and to “speak to every one in his own tongue, wherein he was born, the wonderful works of God” Acts 2:8, Acts 2:11. Thenceforth there was to be a higher unity than that of outward language. For speech is not the outer sound, but the thoughts which it conveys and embodies. The inward thought is the soul of the words. The outward confusion of Babel was to hinder oneness in evil and a worse confusion. At Pentecost, the unity restored was oneness of soul and heart, wrought by One Spirit, whose gift is the one Faith and the one Hope of our calling, in the One Lord, in whom we are one, grafted into the one body, by our baptism Ephesians 4:3-6. The Church, then created, is the One Holy Universal Church diffused throughout all the world, everywhere with one rule of Faith, “the Faith once for all delivered unto the saints,” confessing one God, the Trinity in Unity, and serving Him in the one law of the Gospel with one consent.
Christians, as Christians, speak the same language of Faith, and from all quarters of the world, one language of praise goes up to the One God and Father of all. : “God divided the tongues at Babel, lest, understanding one another, they should form a destructive unity. Through proud men tongues were divided; through humble Apostles tongues were gathered in one. The spirit of pride dispersed tongues; the Holy Spirit gathered tongues in one. For when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples, they spake with the tongues of all, were understood by all; the dispersed tongues were gathered into one. So then, if they are yet angry and Gentiles, it is better for them to have their tongues divided. If they wish for one tongue, let them come to the Church, for in diversity of the tongues of the flesh, there is one tongue in the Faith of the heart.” In whatever degree the oneness is impaired within the Church, while there is yet one faith of the creeds, He alone can restore it and ‘turn to her a purified language,’ who first gave it to those who waited for Him. Both praise and service are perfected above, where the Blessed, with one loud voice, ‘shall cry, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb; blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be unto our God forever and ever’ Revelation 7:10, Revelation 7:12. And they who ‘have come out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb,” shall be ‘before the Throne of God and serve Him day and night in His Temple’ Revelation 7:14-15.”
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 9. Will I turn to the people — This promise must refer to the conversion of the Jews under the Gospel.
That they may all call — That the whole nation may invoke God by Christ, and serve him with one consent; not one unbeliever being found among them.
The pure language, שפה ברורה saphah berurah, may here mean the form of religious worship. They had been before idolaters: now God promises to restore his pure worship among them. The word has certainly this meaning in Psalms 81:5; where, as God is the speaker, the words should not be rendered, "I heard a language which I understood not," but, "I heard a religious confession, which I approved not." See Isaiah 19:18; Hosea 14:3; and see Joel 2:28, where a similar promise is found.
