Who wrote the book of Zephaniah? Who was the author of Zephaniah?

"The word of Jehovah which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah." Thus we have a full and clear account of Zephaniah, as also of the time in which he wrote. It was of no small importance that there should be prophets raised up during the time of Josiah and subsequently. Jeremiah was rather the latest of the three already named. The importance morally of their prophecies then was, that no one either at the time of Josiah or afterwards should be deceived as to the facts of the partial reformation accomplished during the reign of that pious prince. There is nothing that is more apt to deceive and to disappoint than a wave of blessing which passes over a nation so far gone from righteousness as the Jews of that day. Josiah's eminent piety, his remarkable zeal in dealing sternly with what profaned the name of Jehovah, above all the subjection of heart to the word of God which peculiarly characterized himself, in no way set the nation right. Undoubtedly there must have been then, as always, sanguine hopes indulged by the excellent of the earth. It was of great moment therefore that God's mind about the matter should be made known in order that none, if deceived for the moment, should be too bitterly disappointed at last. We ought to appreciate heartily whatever of blessing God gives, and seek to be kept from a passive or insensible spirit.

Zephaniah is the last of the prophets before the captivity, according to the arrangement of the Hebrew Bible. Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi are post-exilic. His name means " Jehovah hides." His genealogy is traced back for four generations. Zephaniah was the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hizkiah. We have therefore more information concerning him than of most of the other minor prophets. There must be a reason why these four generations are given. We believe the reason is to show that he was of royal descent, the great-grandson of the pious king of Judah, Hezekiah. Hizkiah is the same as Hezekiah in the Hebrew. Jewish tradition as well as the reliable rabbinical sources confirm this. The objection that the royal title is not given in connection with Hizkiah is insignificant; at any rate "king of Judah" is mentioned in connection with Josiah in the first verse of this book of Zephaniah, so that it may have been left out in connection with Hizkiah on purpose. As to his personal history we have no further information. It seems as if the Lord has hidden for a good reason these details of His chosen instruments.

The Date of Zephaniah

The date is given in the first verse. He prophesied in the days of Josiah the king of Judah. We are therefore not left in doubt about the time in which he exercised his office as prophet; he was the contemporary of Jeremiah and Micah. As to the exact time during the reign of Josiah in which Zephaniah prophesied, we can be quite sure that it was during the time of the reformation instituted by the king, that is between the twelfth and eighteenth year; yet the reformation was still in process and not yet fully completed. The temple must have been purified from the idol abominations, for Zephaniah presupposes the maintenance of the temple worship.

Son of Cushi, and one of the 'minor prophets.' Zeph. 1:1.

The only personal detail given of this prophet is his ancestry for four generations: he was the son of Cushi, a descendant of Hizkiah. The date to the prophecy is 'the days of Josiah' king of Judah, who reigned B.C. 641-610. The prophecy gives the judgement of God with respect to the testimony that was being borne when there was an outward reformation under a pious king who trembled at God's law. The Spirit of God could read the hearts of the people, and could see what moral corruption was associated with the outward worship of God: cf. Jer. 3:6-10. The prophet proclaims the judgements that must fall upon the land, and upon Judah and Jerusalem, though with grace to the faithful remnant at the end. Within four years of the close of Josiah's reign Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar, the holy vessels carried away, and the captivity of Judah commenced.

Zephaniah (whom the Lord protects). The pedigree of this prophet is carefully given for four generations, as also the period of his prophecy — the reign of the godly Josiah, the last pious king of Judah (Zeph. 1:1). Both Zephaniah and Habakkuk were contemporary with Jeremiah. The time and place of these predictions are thus easily ascertainable. It was in the land of Judea, and about 630 B.C., or a few years later when Zephaniah uttered his "Thus saith the Lord" — the usual formula of the prophets.

The name of Zephaniah means “treasured (protected, hidden) of Jehovah”. Zephaniah is the only prophet to mention four generations of his ancestors. Many scientists think that his forefather Hizkiah is identical with king Hezekiah of Judah of the same name (716 – 687 BC). According to his own indication in chap. 1:1 Zephaniah ministered in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah (640 – 609 BC). The time in between seems rather short for four generations but on the other hand his special royal descent could be a reason for this genealogy. This is also confirmed by Jewish tradition.

Ancestor of Zephaniah the prophet. Zeph. 1:1.

Father of Zephaniah the prophet. Zeph. 1:1.

An ancestor of Zephaniah the prophet. Zeph. 1:1.

Zephaniah lived in the capital of Jerusalem (compare with chap. 1:4.10.11.12) and had admission to the court. The prophets Nahum, Habakkuk and Jeremiah were his contemporaries.

From chap. 2:13 one can conclude that Zephaniah must have prophesied before the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC. Many scientists believe Zephaniah to have prophesied even before king Josiah’s reformation. The reformation started in Josiah’s 18 th year which was around 622 BC. This assumption is supported by references such as Zeph. 1:4-6.8-9.12; 3:1-3.7. It is possible that Zephaniah through his ministry was the author of king Josiah’s and the people’s return to God (compare 2 Kings 22 – 23; 2 Chron. 34 – 35). There had already been a return to Jehovah under king Hezekiah but all good things had been lost again by the godless reigns of Manasseh and Amon.