“And I will bring distressוַהֲצֵרֹתִיon human beings,לָאָדָםand they will walkוְהָלְכוּlike the blind,כַּעִוְרִיםforכִּיagainst YHWHלַיהוָהthey have sinned;חָטָאוּand their bloodוְ דָּמָםwill be poured outשֻׁפַּךְlike dust,כֶּעָפָרand their fleshוּלְחֻמָםlike dung.”כַּגְּלָלִים
Zephaniah 1:17
Study it in the app““And I will bring distress on human beings, and they will walk like the blind, for against YHWH they have sinned; and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.””
With the Hebrew beneath
Zephaniah 1:17, word by word
- “And I will bring distressהֲצֵרֹתִיhatseroti
distress
To be in a tight spot, or to leave others no way out, like a besieged city.
Where else “hatseroti” appears- on human beingsאָדָםadam
human being
All humankind, men and women, as creatures God formed.
Where else “adam” appears- and they will walkהָלְכוּhalchu
go
To move on foot from place to place; to set out.
Where else “halchu” appears- like the blindעִוְרִיםivrim
blind
Someone who cannot see.
Where else “ivrim” appears- against YHWHיהוָהyhva
YHWH
The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.
Where else “yhva” appears- they have sinnedחָטָאוּchatau
sin
To do wrong, fail God or another.
Where else “chatau” appears- and their bloodדָּמָdama
blood
The red fluid that runs through the body and carries the life of people and animals.
Where else “dama” appears- will be poured outשֻׁפַּךְshupach
spill
To empty out water or blood; "spill blood" is to kill.
Where else “shupach” appears- like dustעָפָרafar
dust
Dry, loose earth, fine as dust; God formed man from it.
Where else “afar” appears- and their fleshלְחֻמָlechuma
flesh, food
Flesh, body; also food. A rare word of uncertain sense.
Where else “lechuma” appears- like dungגְּלָלִיםgelalim
dung
Dung, excrement.
Where else “gelalim” appears
The context
16a day of the horn and of the alarm cry against the fortified cities and against the high corners.
17 · This verse (above)
18Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of YHWH; and by the fire of his jealousy all the earth will be devoured; for an extermination, yes, a terrifying one, he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.