Zephaniah 3:1
New International Version
Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!

New Living Translation
What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime!

English Standard Version
Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city!

Berean Standard Bible
Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!

King James Bible
Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

New King James Version
Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, To the oppressing city!

New American Standard Bible
Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, The oppressive city!

NASB 1995
Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, The tyrannical city!

NASB 1977
Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, The tyrannical city!

Legacy Standard Bible
Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, The oppressive city!

Amplified Bible
Woe (judgment is coming) to her who is rebellious and defiled, The tyrannical city [Jerusalem]!

Christian Standard Bible
Woe to the city that is rebellious and defiled, the oppressive city!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Woe to the city that is rebellious and defiled, the oppressive city!

American Standard Version
Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted! to the oppressing city!

Contemporary English Version
Too bad for that disgusting, corrupt, and lawless city!

English Revised Version
Woe to her that is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city!

GOD'S WORD® Translation
How horrible it will be for that rebellious and corrupt place, the city of violence.

Good News Translation
Jerusalem is doomed, that corrupt, rebellious city that oppresses its own people.

International Standard Version
Woe to this filthy, polluted, and oppressive city!

Majority Standard Bible
Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!

NET Bible
The filthy, stained city is as good as dead; the city filled with oppressors is finished!

New Heart English Bible
Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, the oppressing city.

Webster's Bible Translation
Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

World English Bible
Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, the oppressing city!
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Woe [to] the rebelling and defiling, "" The oppressing city!

Young's Literal Translation
Woe to the rebellious and polluted, The oppressing city!

Smith's Literal Translation
Wo! to the wonderful and oppressing city being redeemed.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Woe to the provoking, and redeemed city, the dove.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Woe to the provocatrix and the redeemed city, the dove.

New American Bible
Ah! Rebellious and polluted, the tyrannical city!

New Revised Standard Version
Ah, soiled, defiled, oppressing city!
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
OH, the famous city, the saved city; the city of Jonah!

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Oh, famous city and the redeemed city of Yonan!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, To the oppressing city!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Alas the glorious and ransomed city.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Judgment on Jerusalem
1Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! 2She heeded no voice; she accepted no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she has not drawn near to her God.…

Cross References
Isaiah 1:4
Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him.

Jeremiah 6:6-8
For this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Cut down the trees and raise a siege ramp against Jerusalem. This city must be punished; there is nothing but oppression in her midst. / As a well gushes its water, so she pours out her evil. Violence and destruction resound in her; sickness and wounds are ever before Me. / Be forewarned, O Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you; I will make you a desolation, a land without inhabitant.”

Ezekiel 22:2-4
“As for you, son of man, will you judge her? Will you pass judgment on the city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her abominations / and tell her that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘O city who brings her own doom by shedding blood within her walls and making idols to defile herself, / you are guilty of the blood you have shed, and you are defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close and have come to the end of your years. Therefore I have made you a reproach to the nations and a mockery to all the lands.

Micah 3:9-12
Now hear this, O leaders of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and pervert all that is right, / who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity. / Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.” ...

Hosea 7:1-2
When I heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim will be exposed, as well as the crimes of Samaria. For they practice deceit and thieves break in; bandits raid in the streets. / But they fail to consider in their hearts that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds are all around them; they are before My face.

Amos 3:9-10
Proclaim to the citadels of Ashdod and to the citadels of Egypt: “Assemble on the mountains of Samaria; see the great unrest in the city and the acts of oppression in her midst.” / “For they know not how to do right,” declares the LORD. “They store up violence and destruction in their citadels.”

Nahum 3:1-4
Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without prey. / The crack of the whip, the rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot! / Charging horseman, flashing sword, shining spear; heaps of slain, mounds of corpses, dead bodies without end—they stumble over their dead— ...

Lamentations 1:8
Jerusalem has sinned greatly; therefore she has become an object of scorn. All who honored her now despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns away.

Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Luke 13:34
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!

Romans 3:9-18
What then? Are we any better? Not at all. For we have already made the charge that Jews and Greeks alike are all under sin. / As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. / There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. ...

Revelation 18:2-3
And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast. / All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury.”

Isaiah 59:7-8
Their feet run to evil; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are sinful thoughts; ruin and destruction lie in their wake. / The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their tracks. They have turned them into crooked paths; no one who treads on them will know peace.

Jeremiah 5:23-25
But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned aside and gone away. / They have not said in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rains, both autumn and spring, in season, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of harvest.’ / Your iniquities have diverted these from you; your sins have deprived you of My bounty.

Ezekiel 24:6-9
Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now rusted, whose rust will not come off! Empty it piece by piece; cast no lots for its contents. / For the blood she shed is still within her; she poured it out on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground to cover it with dust. / In order to stir up wrath and take vengeance, I have placed her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered.’ ...


Treasury of Scripture

Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

her that is filthy.

Leviticus 1:16
And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes:

to the.

Isaiah 5:7
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

Isaiah 30:12
Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:

Isaiah 59:13
In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

Jump to Previous
City Corrupted Cruel Defiled Filthy Oppressing Oppressors Polluted Rebellious Sorrow Tyrannical Unclean Uncontrolled Wo Woe
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City Corrupted Cruel Defiled Filthy Oppressing Oppressors Polluted Rebellious Sorrow Tyrannical Unclean Uncontrolled Wo Woe
Zephaniah 3
1. A sharp reproof of Jerusalem for various sins.
8. An exhortation to wait for the restoration of Israel,
14. and to rejoice for their salvation by God.














Woe
The term "woe" is a powerful expression of lamentation and impending judgment. In Hebrew, the word is "הוֹי" (hoy), often used by prophets to announce divine displeasure and the severe consequences that follow. This word sets the tone for the verse, indicating that what follows is a serious indictment from God. It serves as a warning to the people, urging them to recognize their sins and repent. The use of "woe" is a call to attention, emphasizing the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for change.

to the city
The "city" here refers specifically to Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, which was meant to be a beacon of righteousness and a center of worship for Yahweh. Historically, Jerusalem held a significant place as the spiritual heart of the Jewish people, the location of the Temple, and the seat of the Davidic monarchy. However, the city's spiritual and moral decay had led it far from its intended purpose. This phrase highlights the collective responsibility of the inhabitants and their leaders, who have strayed from God's commandments.

of oppressors
The term "oppressors" is derived from the Hebrew word "יוֹנָה" (yonah), which can mean "to oppress" or "to act violently." This word paints a picture of a society where justice is perverted, and the powerful exploit the weak. In the context of ancient Israel, this would have included corrupt leaders, unjust judges, and wealthy individuals who took advantage of the poor. The presence of oppression in Jerusalem is a direct violation of God's laws, which emphasize justice, mercy, and care for the marginalized.

rebellious
"Rebellious" comes from the Hebrew word "מֹרָאָה" (mara), indicating a willful defiance against authority. In the biblical context, rebellion against God is a serious offense, as it signifies a deliberate turning away from His covenant and commandments. This rebellion is not just a passive neglect but an active resistance to God's will. Historically, the people of Jerusalem had repeatedly turned to idolatry and ignored the prophetic warnings, showcasing their stubbornness and pride.

and defiled
The word "defiled" is translated from the Hebrew "נִגְאָה" (nig'ah), meaning to be polluted or unclean. In the Old Testament, defilement often refers to ritual impurity, but here it extends to moral and spiritual corruption. The city's defilement is a result of its idolatry, injustice, and disobedience to God's laws. This term underscores the extent of Jerusalem's fall from grace, as it was meant to be a holy city, set apart for God's purposes. The defilement is both a cause and a consequence of the city's rebellion and oppression, highlighting the interconnectedness of sin and its pervasive impact on society.

Verses 1-5. - § 6. The prophet turns to Jerusalem, and warns her that, if God punishes the heathen, he will not spare the hardened sinners in Judah. Verse 1. - Woe to her! This is addressed to Jerusalem, as is seen by vers. 2-4. Filthy; rather, rebellious, i.e. against God. The LXX., mistaking the word, renders ἐπιφανής, "notable." So the Syriac. Jerome has provocatrix. The true sense is seen by the expansion of the term in ver. 2. polluted by her many sins. Jerome, following the Septuagint ἀπολευτρωμένη, "ransomed," has, redempta, which he explains, "Captivitatibus traditia, et rursum redempta." The oppressing city, that acts unjustly and cruelly to the weak and poor. So the three sins for which she is here denounced are that she is rebellious against God, defiled with sin in herself, and cruel to others. The Septuagiut and Vulgate translate jonah ("oppressing") "dove," which seems singularly inappropriate here, though some try to explain it as applied to Jerusalem in the sense of "silly" or "stupid" (Hosea 7:11)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Woe
ה֥וֹי (hō·w)
Interjection
Strong's 1945: Ah! alas! ha!

to the city
הָעִ֖יר (hā·‘îr)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

of oppressors,
הַיּוֹנָֽה׃ (hay·yō·w·nāh)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 3238: To rage, be violent, to suppress, to maltreat

rebellious
מֹרְאָ֖ה (mō·rə·’āh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 4754: Perhaps to flap (the wings)

and defiled!
וְנִגְאָלָ֑ה (wə·niḡ·’ā·lāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 1351: To soil, desecrate


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OT Prophets: Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to her who is rebellious (Zeph. Zep Zp)
Zephaniah 2:15
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