the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Zephaniah 2:1
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- InternationalParallel Translations
Shameless people, change your lives
Gather yourselves together, yes, join together, You nation without shame,
Gather together, gather, you unwanted people.
Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, O nation that has no shame;
Assemble yourselves, yes, assemble, O nation not desired;
Gather yourselves together [in repentance], yes, gather [in submission], O nation without shame,
Gather together, yes, gather, O shameless nation,
Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, you nation that has no shame,
Come ye togidere, be gaderid, ye folc not worthi to be loued,
Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that hath no shame;
Gather yourselves, gather together, O shameful nation,
You disgraceful nation, gather around,
Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation that hath no shame;
Come together, make everyone come together, O nation without shame;
Gather together, gather yourselves, nation devoid of shame;
Collect yourselves and gather together, O nation without shame,
Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O shameless nation;
Gather your selues together, yea gather together, O nation not desired.
Gather together—yes, gather together, you shameless nation.
Gather together. Gather together, O nation without shame,
Gather together, gather, O shameless nation,
Gather your selues, euen gather you, O nation not worthie to be loued,
GATHER yourselves, bind yourselves together, O people without discipline;
yourselves together, be gathered together, O nation not worthy to be loved:
Come together and hold assembly, O shameless nation,
Gather your selues, eue gather you, O nation not worthy to be loued,
Be ye gathered and closely joined together, O unchastened nation;
Shameless nation, come to your senses
Gather yourselves together;
Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, you nation that has no shame,
Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;
Gather yourselves together! Now gather together, O nation having no shame!
Gather yourselves, even gather, O nation not being longed for;
Bend yourselves, yea, bend ye, O nation not desired,
Come together and gather you, O ye frauwerde people:
So get yourselves together. Shape up! You're a nation without a clue about what it wants. Do it before you're blown away like leaves in a windstorm, Before God 's Judgment-anger sweeps down on you, Before God 's Judgment Day wrath descends with full force.
Bunch yourselves together like straw, you undesirable nation,
Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together,O undesirable [fn] nation,
Gather yourselves together, yes, gather, O nation without shame,
Gather yourselves together, indeed, gather,O nation without shame,
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
gather together: 2 Chronicles 20:4, Nehemiah 8:1, Nehemiah 9:1, Esther 4:16, Joel 1:14, Joel 2:12-18, Matthew 18:20
O nation: Isaiah 1:4-6, Isaiah 1:10-15, Jeremiah 12:7-9, Zechariah 11:8
desired: or, desirous, Isaiah 26:8, Isaiah 26:9
Reciprocal: Joshua 7:13 - sanctify Jeremiah 29:13 - ye shall Ezekiel 36:7 - the heathen Hosea 5:15 - in their Hosea 6:1 - and let Hosea 10:12 - time Zechariah 1:2 - Lord Zechariah 7:7 - cried
Cross-References
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
And God called, the dry-ground, land, but the gathering together of the waters, called he seas. And God saw that it was good.
And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it, - because therein, rested he from all his work which God, by creating, had made.
These are the geneses of the heavens and the earth when they were created, - in the day when Yahweh God made earth and heavens.
Now, no bush of the field, as yet - was in the earth, and, no herb of the field, as yet had sprung up, - because Yahweh God had not sent rain on the earth, and, man, was there none to till the ground;
And Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden, on the east, - and put there the man whom he had formed.
The name of the one, is Pishon, - the same, is that which surroundeth all the land of Havilah, where is gold;
And the name of the second river, is Gihon, - the same, is that which surroundeth all the land of Cush,
For, in six days, did Yahweh make the heavens and the earth, and the sea - and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day, - for this cause, Yahweh blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.
between me and the sons of Israel, a sign it is unto times age-abiding, - for in six days, did Yahweh make the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day, he rested, and was refreshed.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Gather yourselves together,.... This is said to the people of the Jews in general; that whereas the judgments of God were coming upon them, as predicted in the preceding chapter Zephaniah 1:1, it was high time for them to get together, and consider what was to be done at such a juncture; it was right to call a solemn assembly, to gather the people, priests, and elders, together, to some one place, as Joel directs, Joel 1:14 the inhabitants of Jerusalem to the temple, and the people of the land to their respective synagogues, and there humble themselves before the Lord; confess their sins, and declare their repentance for them; and pray that God would show favour to them, and avert his wrath and judgments from them: or, "gather the straw" y; from yourselves, and then gather it from others, as follows: or, "first adorn yourselves", and "then others", as in the Talmud z; and the sense is the same with the words of Christ, "first cast out the beam out of thine own eye", c. Matthew 7:3 and the meaning of both is, first correct and amend yourselves, and then reprove others: this sense is given by the Jewish commentators, and is approved by Gussetius a: or "search yourselves" b as some render the word; and that very diligently, as stubble is searched into, or any thing searched for in it; let the body of the people inquire among themselves what should be the cause of these things; what public sins prevailed among them, for which they were threatened with an utter destruction; and let everyone search into his own heart and ways, and consider how much he has contributed to the bringing down such sad calamities upon the nation: thus it became them to search and inquire into their state and circumstances of affairs, in a way of self-examination; or otherwise the Lord would search them in a way of judgment, as threatened Zephaniah 1:12 or "shake out" c, or "fan yourselves", as others; remove your chaff by repentance and reformation, that you be not blown away like chaff in the day of God's wrath, as afterwards suggested:
yea, gather together; or "search", or "shake out", or "fan", as before: this is repeated, to show the necessity and importance of it, and the vehemency of the prophet in urging it:
O nation not desired; by other nations, but hated by them, as Abarbinel observes; not desirable to God or good men; not amiable or lovely for any excellencies and goodness in them, but the reverse; being a disobedient and rebellious people; a seed of evildoers, laden with iniquity, who, from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet, were full of wounds, bruises, and putrefying sores; or of disorders and irregularities, sins and transgressions, comparable to them; and therefore, instead of being desirable, were loathsome and abominable: or, as some render the word, "O nation void of desire" d; or "not affected" with it; who had no desire after God, and the knowledge of his will; after his word and worship; after a return unto him, and reconciliation with him; after his favour, grace, and mercy; not desirous of good things, nor of doing any. So the Targum,
"gather together, and come, and draw near, this people who desire not to return to the law.''
Joseph Kimchi, from the use of the word in the Misnic language, renders it, "O nation not ashamed": of their evil works, being bold and impudent; and yet, such was the goodness and grace of God to them, that he calls them to repentance, and gives them warning before he strikes the blow.
y התקששו "legite paleas vestras", Gussetius. קשש "proprie est stipulas colligere", Drusius, Piscator, Tarnovius. z T. Bab. Bava Metzia, fol. 107. 2. Bava Bathra, fol. 60. 2. Sanhedrin, fol. 19. 1. a Ebr. Comment. p. 763. b "Scrutamini", Pagninus "disquirite", Munster "examinate", Vatablus; "perscrutamini", Cocceius. c "Excutite vos", Junius Tremellius, Tarnovius so Stockius, p. 975. d לא נכסף "vacua desiderio", Junius Tremellius, Piscator "quae nullo desiderio afficeris", Burkius; "quae nullo tenteris affectu", Munster.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Having set forth the terrors of the Judgment Day, the prophet adds an earnest call to repentance; and then declares how judgments, forerunners of that Day, shall fall, one by one, on those nations around, who know not God, and shall rest upon Nineveh, the great beautiful ancient city of the world. Jerome: “See the mercy of God. It had been enough to have set before the wise the vehemence of the coming evil. But because He willeth not to punish, but to alarm only, Himself calleth to repentance, that He may not do what He threatened.” Cyril: “Having set forth clearly the savageness of the war and the greatness of the suffering to come, he suitably turns his discourse to the duty of calling to repentance, when it was easy to persuade them, being terrified. For sometimes when the mind has been numbed, and exceedingly bent to evil, we do not readily admit even the will to repent, but fear often drives us to it, even against our will. He calls us then to friendship with Himself. For as they revolted, became aliens, serving idols and giving up their mind to their passions, so they would, as it were, retrace their steps, and lay hold of the friendship of God, choosing to serve Him, nay and Him Alone, and obey His commandments. Wherefore, while we have time, while the Lord, in His forbearance as God, gives way, let us enact repentance, supplicate, say weeping, “remember not the sins and offences of my youth” Psalms 25:7; let us unite ourselves with Him by sanctification and sobriety. So shall we be sheltered in the day of wrath, and wash away the stain of our falls, before the Day of the Lord come upon us. For the Judge will come, He will come from heaven at the due season, and will reward each according to his work.”
Gather yourselves together, yea gather together - o, rather, “Sift yourselves, yea sift” . The exact image is from gathering stubble or dry sticks, which are picked up one by one, with search and care.
So must men deal with the dry and withered leaves of a past evil life. The English rendering however, comes to the same meaning. We use, “collect oneself” for bringing oneself, all one’s thoughts, together, and so, having full possession of oneself. Or “gathering ourselves” might stand in contrast with being “abroad,” as it were, out of ourselves amid the manifoldness of things seen. Jerome: “Thou who, taken up with the business of the world, hurriest to and fro amid divers things, return to the Church of the saints, and join thyself to their life and assembly, whom thou seest to please God, and bring together the dislocated members of thy soul, which now are not knit together, into one frame of wisdom, and cleave to its embrace.” “Gather yourselves” into one, wherein ye have been scattered; to the One God, from whom they had wandered, seeking pleasure from His many creatures; to His one fold and Church, from which they had severed themselves outwardly by joining the worship of Baal, inwardly, by serving him and his abominable rites; joining and joined to the assembly of the faithful, by oneness of faith and life.
In order to repent, a man must know himself thoroughly; and this can only be done by taking act by act, word by word, thought by thought, as far as he can, not in a confused heap or mass, as they lie in any man’s conscience, but one by one, each picked up apart, and examined, and added to the sear unfruitful heap, plucking them as it were, and gathering them out of himself, that so they may, by the Spirit of burning, the fire of God’s Spirit kindling repentance, be burned up, and not the sinner himself be fuel for fire with them. The word too is intensive, “Gather together all which is in you, thoroughly, piece by piece” (for the sinner’s whole self becomes chaff, dry and empty). To use another image, “Sift yourselves thoroughly, so that nothing escape, as far as your diligence can reach, and then - “And gather on,” that is, “glean on;” examine yourselves, “not lightly and after the manner of dissemblers before God,” but repeatedly, gleaning again and again, to see if by any means anything have escaped: continuing on the search and ceasing not.
The first earnest search into the soul must be the beginning, not the end. Our search must be continued, until there be no more to be discovered, that is, when sin is no more, and we see ourselves in the full light of the presence of our Judge. For a first search, however diligent, never thoroughly reaches the whole deep disease of the whole man; the most grievous sins hide other grievous sins, though lighter. Some sins flash on the conscience, at one time, some at another; so that few, even upon a diligent search, come at once to the knowledge of all their heaviest sins. When the mist is less thick, we see more clearly what was before one dark dull mass of imperfection and misery. : “Spiritual sins are also with difficulty sifted, (as they are,) by one who is carnal. Whence it happens, that things in themselves heavier he perceives less or very little, and conscience is not grieved so much by the memory of pride or envy, as of impurities and crimes.”
So having said, “Sift yourselves through and through,” he says, “sift on.” A diligent sifting and search into himself must be the beginning of all true repentance and pardon. : “What remains, but that we give ourselves wholly to this work, so holy, and needful? “Let us search and try our ways and our doings” , and let each think that he has made progress, not if he find not what to blame, but if he blame what he finds. Thou hast not sifted thyself in vain, if thou hast discovered that thou needest a fresh sitting; and so often has thy search not failed thee, as thou judgest that it must be renewed. But if thou ever dost this, when there is need, thou dost it ever. But ever remember that thou needest help from above and the mercy of Jesus Christ our Lord Who is over all, God blessed forever.” The whole course of self-examination then lies in two words of divine Scripture. And withal he warns them, instead of gathering together riches which shall “not be able to deliver them in the day of trouble,” to gather themselves into themselves, and so “judge” themselves “thoroughly , that they be not judged of the Lord” 1 Corinthians 11:31-32.
O nation not desired - o, that is, having nothing in itself to be desired or loved, but rather, for its sin, hateful to God. God yearneth with pity and compassion over His creatures; He “hath a desire to the work of His Hands” . Here Israel is spoken to, as what he had made himself, hateful to God by his sins, although still an object of His tender care, in what yet remained to him of nature or grace which was from Himself.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
CHAPTER II
The prophet, having declared the judgments which were ready to
fall on his people, earnestly exhorts them to repentance, that
these judgments may be averted, 1-3.
He then foretells the fate of other neighbouring and hostile
nations: the Philistines, 4-7;
Moabites and Ammonites, 8-11;
Ethiopians, 12;
and Assyrians, 13.
In the close of the chapter we have a prophecy against Nineveh.
These predictions were accomplished chiefly by the conquests of
Nebuchadnezzar.
NOTES ON CHAP. II
Verse Zephaniah 2:1. Gather yourselves — Others, sift yourselves. Separate the chaff from the wheat, before the judgments of God fall upon you. O nation not desired - unlovely, not delighted in; hated because of your sin. The Israelites are addressed.
