“On that day,” declares the LORD, “a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate, a wail from the Second Quarter, a loud crash from the hills.
The Lord ties this announcement to "that day." He then traces its sound across Jerusalem: a cry at one gate, a wail in one district, a crash from the hills. These are real streets in a real city. Why does God name them? And did anyone in Jerusalem stand outside the map?
Every Quarter of the City
These are not three separate disasters. One sound sweeps the whole city, and the next verse carries the wail on to the merchants.
William KellyIt will be universal alarm and chastening from God. "Howl, you inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all who carry silver are cut off." … Not only those who were openly violent — no one would escape, no class or condition.
The Second Quarter: Mishneh
Older English versions read "the second," as if a word were missing. In fact it is the name of a district, and two other passages name it.
The Bible TreasuryZephaniah 1:10, "a howling from the second" — rather "Mishneh," a part of Jerusalem. See 2 Kings 22:14; 2 Chronicles 34:22, in the margin.
That cross-reference is worth following. It shows who lived in this district, and who the king's men went to when they needed a word from God.
C. Knapp"And Hilkiah, and those the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess ... now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter [of the town]; and they spoke with her to that effect" (2 Chronicles 34:22, older translation). Why they did not inquire of Jeremiah, or Zephaniah, who lived at the same time as Josiah, is uncertain.
Why the Cry Starts at the Fish Gate
The cry starts at the Fish Gate, and the gate's place on the wall explains why.
H. L. RossierThis gate stood in the northern part of Jerusalem. Along with "the gate of the old [wall]", it was especially open to enemy attack. The Assyrian armies came from the north to surround the city and lay siege to it.
Beginning With His Own City
It would be easier to read this as a threat against foreign nations. But God starts at home, and no nation escapes what follows.
William KellyThe reign of the last godly king did not stop it or put it off. The general spread of evil revolt would only be surer once that check was gone. God's judgment must clear away every offence, so that righteousness by grace can flourish. … If Jehovah must judge His people, the whole world must bow; no nation can escape. What Nebuchadnezzar did was only the first instalment of a great and complete judgment. Yet Jehovah had to begin with His land, His people, and His city, as in Zephaniah 1.
Zephaniah preached during a national reform. His book passes over it without a word.
Leslie M. GrantZephaniah prophesied in the days of Josiah, a godly king whose faith and energy had produced a marked revival in the outward state of Israel. But this book takes no notice of that revival. Instead it goes straight into a declaration of the sweeping judgment of God — His completely consuming everything from the land. The apparent revival was outward only. The nation's real condition at heart stayed the same as before, and this became clear as soon as Josiah died.
Holding "That Day" Honestly
The verse turns on two words: "that day." We can hold a truth in words and still avoid it in practice.
William KellyIt matters greatly that we hold and testify "that day" — not only the coming of the Lord but His day. … there may be an unwillingness to face the solemn truth of the day of Jehovah. Where there is high truth and low practice, no one can honestly testify to the day of Jehovah. … Yet it is a solemn and necessary truth to hold up before our own eyes and before everyone else's.
Summary
- The day — "That day" is the day of the Lord. The three place names put it on a map: a gate, a district, and the hills.
- The gate — The cry starts at the Fish Gate. It stood on the north side, the part of the wall most open to attack.
- The quarter — "The Second" is a real district, Mishneh. It is the neighbourhood where Huldah the prophetess lived, and where the king's men came to hear from God.
- The reach — The noise covers the whole city because the judgment does. Not only the openly violent are struck; no class or condition escapes.
- The lesson — A king's reform could not put the day off, and Zephaniah does not even mention it. God begins with His own city. What we will not face, we will not testify to.