Zephaniah 1 · Verse 4

Zephaniah 1:4

I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;
Zephaniah 1:4, King James Version

Zephaniah 1:4 in other translations

BSB“I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all who dwell in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the idolatrous and pagan priests—
WEBI will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place—the name of the idolatrous and pagan priests,
ASVAnd I will stretch out my hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarim with the priests;
YLTAnd stretched out My hand against Judah, And against all inhabiting Jerusalem, And cut off from this place the remnant of Baal, The name of the idolatrous priests, with the priests,
DARBYAnd I will stretch forth my hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, the name of the Chemarim with the priests;
BBEAnd my hand will be stretched out on Judah and on all the people of Jerusalem, cutting off the name of the Baal from this place, and the name of the false priests,
WebsterI will also stretch out my hand upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;

What does Zephaniah 1:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. stretch out mine hand--indicating some remarkable and unusual work of vengeance (Is 5:25; 9:12, 17, 21). Judah--including Benjamin. These two tribes are to suffer, which thought themselves perpetually secure, because they escaped the captivity in which the ten tribes were involved. Jerusalem--the fountainhead of the evil. God begins with His sanctuary (Eze 9:6), and those who are nigh Him (Le 10:3). the remnant of Baal--the remains of Baal worship, which as yet Josiah was unable utterly to eradicate in remote places. Baal was the Phoenician tutelary god. From the time of the Judges (Jud 2:13), Israel had fallen into this idolatry; and Manasseh lately had set up this idol within Jehovah's temple itself (2Ki 21:3, 5, 7). Josiah began his reformation in the twelfth year of his reign (2Ch 34:4, 8), and in the eighteenth had as far as possible completed it. Chemarims--idol priests, who had not reached the age of puberty; meaning "ministers of the gods" [Servius on Æneid, 11], the same name as the Tyrian Camilli, r and l being interchangeable (compare Ho 10:5, Margin). Josiah is expressly said (2Ki 23:5, Margin) to have "put down the Chemarim." The Hebrew root means "black" (from the black garments which they wore or the marks which they branded on their foreheads); or "zealous," from their idolatrous fanaticism. The very "name," as well as themselves, shall be forgotten. the priests--of Jehovah, of Aaronic descent, who ought to have used all their power to eradicate, but who secretly abetted, idolatry (compare Zep 3:4; Eze 8:1-18; 22:26; 44:10). From the priests Zephaniah passes to the people.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 I will cut off the remnant of Baal - I think he refers here, partly at least, to the reformation which Josiah was to bring about. See the account, 2Kgs 23:5 (note). The Chemarims - The black-robed priests of different idols. See the note on 2Kgs 23:6. These were put down by Josiah.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Zephaniah 1:1-6

Ruin is coming, utter ruin; destruction from the Almighty. The servants of God all proclaim, There is no peace for the wicked. The expressions are figurative, speaking every where desolation; the land shall be left without inhabitants. The sinners to be consumed are, the professed idolaters, and those that worship Jehovah and idols, or swear to the Lord, and to Malcham. Those that think to divide their affections…

Read the full comment on Zephaniah 1:1-6 →

Zephaniah 1:4 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.

וְנָטִ֤יתִיve.na.Ti.tiand I will stretch outH5186
יָדִי֙ya.Dihand myH3027
עַל\־'al-onH5921
יְהוּדָ֔הye.hu.DahJudahH3063
וְעַ֖לve.'Aland onH5921
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
יוֹשְׁבֵ֣יyo.she.Vei[the] inhabitants ofH3427
יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑םye.ru.sha.LimJerusalemH3389
וְהִכְרַתִּ֞יve.hikh.ra.Tiand I will cut offH3772
מִן\־min-fromH4480
הַמָּק֤וֹםha.ma.Komthe placeH4725
הַזֶּה֙ha.Zeh<the> thisH2088
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
שְׁאָ֣רshe.'Ar[the] remnant ofH7605
הַבַּ֔עַלha.Ba.'al<the> BaalH1168
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
שֵׁ֥םshem[the] name ofH8034
הַכְּמָרִ֖יםha.ke.ma.Rimthe pagan priestsH3649
עִם\־'im-withH5973
הַכֹּהֲנִֽים\׃ha.ko.ha.Nimthe priestsH3548

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

Cross references for Zephaniah 1:4

  • Hosea 10:5

    The inhabitants of Samaria shall fear because of the calves of Beth–aven: for the people thereof shall mourn over it, and the priests thereof that rejoiced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it.

  • 2 Kings 23:4-5

    And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Beth–el. And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.

  • Micah 5:13

    Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

  • 2 Kings 21:13

    And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.

  • Isaiah 14:26-27

    This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?

  • Jeremiah 6:12

    And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the Lord.

  • 2 Chronicles 34:4

    And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.

  • Exodus 15:12

    Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
stretch.
Ex 15:12; 2Ki 21:13; Isa 14:26,27
the remnant. "Fulfilled."
2Ki 23:4,5; 2Ch 34:4
the Chemarims.
Ho 10:5; *marg:

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

Context

  • Zephaniah 1:3

    I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord.

  • Zephaniah 1:4

    I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;

  • Zephaniah 1:5

    And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the Lord, and that swear by Malcham;

Read all of Zephaniah 1

Zephaniah 1:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y extenderé mi mano sobre Judá, y sobre todos los moradores de Jerusalem, y exterminaré de este lugar el remanente de Baal, y el nombre de los Chemarim con los sacerdotes;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et j’étendrai ma main sur Juda et sur tous les habitants de Jérusalem; et je retrancherai de ce lieu le reste de Baal et le nom des Camarim avec les sacrificateurs;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ich werde meine Hand ausstrecken wider Juda und wider alle Bewohner von Jerusalem. Und ich werde aus diesem Orte den Überrest des Baal, den Namen der Götzenpriester samt den Priestern ausrotten;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et extendam manum meam super Judam et super omnes habitantes Jerusalem: et disperdam de loco hoc reliquias Baal, et nomina ædituorum cum sacerdotibus;