Zephaniah 1 · Verse 17

Zephaniah 1:17

And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.
Zephaniah 1:17, King James Version

Zephaniah 1:17 in other translations

BSBI will bring such distress on mankind that they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.
WEBI will bring such distress on men that they will walk like blind men because they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.
ASVAnd I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Jehovah; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung.
YLTAnd I have sent distress to men, And they have walked as the blind, For against Jehovah they have sinned, And poured out is their blood as dust, And their flesh is as dung.
DARBYAnd I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men; for they have sinned against Jehovah; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as dung:
BBEAnd I will send trouble on men so that they will go about like the blind, because they have done evil against the Lord: and their blood will be drained out like dust, and their strength like waste.
WebsterAnd I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

What does Zephaniah 1:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
17. like blind men--unable to see whither to turn themselves so as to find an escape from existing evils. flesh--Hebrew, "bread"; so the Arabic term for "bread" is used for "flesh" (Mt 26:26).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 They shall walk like blind men - Be in the most perplexing doubt and uncertainty; and while in this state, have their blood poured out by the sword of their enemies, and their flesh trodden under foot.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Zephaniah 1:14-18

This warning of approaching destruction, is enough to make the sinners in Zion tremble; it refers to the great day of the Lord, the day in which he will show himself by taking vengeance on them. This day of the Lord is very near; it is a day of God's wrath, wrath to the utmost. It will be a day of trouble and distress to sinners. Let them not be laid asleep by the patience of God. What is a man profited if he gain…

Read the full comment on Zephaniah 1:14-18 →

Zephaniah 1:17 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַהֲצֵרֹ֣תִיva.ha.tze.Ro.tiand I will cause distressH6887
לָאָדָ֗םla.'a.Damto <the> humankindH120
וְהָֽלְכוּ֙ve.ha.le.Khuand they will walkH1980
כַּֽעִוְרִ֔יםka.'iv.Rimlike <the> blind [people]H5787
כִּ֥יkiforH3588
לַֽיהוָ֖הla.Yah.wehto YahwehH3068
חָטָ֑אוּcha.Ta.'uthey have sinnedH2398
וְשֻׁפַּ֤ךְve.shu.Pakhand it will be poured outH8210
דָּמָם֙da.Mamblood theirH1818
כֶּֽעָפָ֔רke.'a.Farlike <the> dustH6083
וּלְחֻמָ֖םu.le.chu.Mamand bowel[s] theirH3894
כַּגְּלָלִֽים\׃ka.ge.la.Limlike <the> dung<s>H1557

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Zephaniah 1:17

  • Revelation 3:17

    Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

  • Psalms 83:10

    Which perished at En–dor: they became as dung for the earth.

  • 2 Peter 1:9

    But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

  • Matthew 15:14

    Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

  • Micah 7:13

    Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.

  • Jeremiah 10:18

    For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so.

  • Jeremiah 2:17

    Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, in that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, when he led thee by the way?

  • Romans 11:7

    What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded

  • Isaiah 29:10

    For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered.

  • Jeremiah 4:18

    Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.

  • Lamentations 5:16-17

    The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned! For this our heart is faint; for these things our eyes are dim.

  • 1 John 2:11

    But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
they shall.
De 28:28,29; Ps 79:3; Isa 29:10; 59:9,10; La 4:14; Mt 15:14
Joh 9:40,41; Ro 11:7,25; 2Co 4:4; 2Pe 1:9; 1Jo 2:11; Re 3:17
because.
Isa 24:5,6; 50:1; 59:12-15; Jer 2:17,19; 4:18; La 1:8,14,18; 4:13-15
La 5:16,17; Eze 22:25-31; Da 9:5-19; Mic 3:9-12; 7:13
and their blood.
2Ki 9:33-37; Ps 79:2,3; 83:10; Jer 9:21,22; 15:3; 16:4-6; 18:21
La 2:21; 4:14; Am 4:10

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Zephaniah 1:16

    A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

  • Zephaniah 1:17

    And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.

  • Zephaniah 1:18

    Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

Read all of Zephaniah 1

Zephaniah 1:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y atribularé los hombres, y andarán como ciegos, porque pecaron contra Jehová: y la sangre de ellos será derramada como polvo, y su carne como estiércol.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et je ferai venir la détresse sur les hommes, et ils marcheront comme des aveugles; car ils ont péché contre l’ Éternel; et leur sang sera répandu comme de la poussière, et leur chair comme de la fiente;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ich werde die Menschen ängstigen, und sie werden einhergehen wie die Blinden, weil sie gegen Jehova gesündigt haben; und ihr Blut wird verschüttet werden wie Staub, und ihr Fleisch wie Kot;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et tribulabo homines, et ambulabunt ut cæci, quia Domino peccaverunt; et effundetur sanguis eorum sicut humus, et corpora eorum sicut stercora.