Zephaniah 3:18Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

If we desire to maintain a correct perspective, we must acknowledge that the cross of the Savior, raised for the life and immortality of the world, is genuinely a source of glory for the Church. This truth is supported by Paul, who wrote, “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14). He further points out that the cross represents a stumbling block to the Jews, and to the Gentiles, foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:23); for those poor souls often mock, oblivious to the sanctity of the sacrament. Yet they shall not escape punishment nor shall their laughter endure, for both Christ and His Church will not be objects of scorn for them. Instead, they will become as fuel for unquenchable fire, subjected to an everlasting and consuming flame. Some among the Greeks descended into such madness that they audaciously spoke against the divine and Gospel message, committing their objections to writing, leading their sins to not only bring forth judgment but also to persist beyond their deaths, as if alive in their wake. Therefore, justice rightfully weeps for those who have caused scandal against the holy churches, and woe is rightly assigned to them.

If what was prophesied has yet to come to pass, then our faith in the arrival of the Savior is in vain, and our acknowledgment of the mystery once hidden from eternity, now revealed through the prophetic writings and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, is meaningless (Colossians 1:26).

Let us consider the flow of the passage and observe that the message refers not to the Jews but to the Church of Christ. Following the preceding statements—My judgment in the assembly of the nations to the words: That all may call upon the name of the Lord and serve Him with one accord: and: Because of the rivers of Ethiopia I will accept... and after the remnant of Israel that believes in Christ, to whom it is said, And the remnant of Israel shall fear the name of the Lord, and there shall not be one to terrify them—the Holy Spirit prophesies the universal conclusion of the world, stating: Hail, O daughter of Zion, proclaim, O daughter of Jerusalem! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. For every soul belonging to the Church, remaining vigilant, rejoices and is glad, for all her iniquities are removed and redeemed through Him who offers salvation with His precious blood. ‘For Christ became for us the wisdom of God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption’ (1 Cor. 1:30). The King of Israel, who resides among us, has set us free, declaring, ‘I and my Father will come and make our abode with him’ (John 14:23), and ‘I will dwell and walk in them’ (Lev. 26:12), so that we shall witness no more evil, focusing solely on virtue. In that day—when we behold the world elevated—let not your hands grow weak, says the Lord, who also spoke through Isaiah, ‘Strengthen the hands of the feeble, and let your works be strong’ (Isaiah 35:3). For the Lord is strong, and no one can oppose Him. Your Savior will restore the joy you have lost; once you have shed the old man, He will guide you in the new man, and He will do so in accordance with His love—not due to your merit, but because of His mercy. He will rejoice over you as if He were receiving your most significant offering on a day of celebration, and He will declare, I will gather your broken ones: for ‘The heart of the broken and contrite God will not despise’ (Psalms 50:19), and, ‘He will not break the bruised reed’ (Isaiah 42:3).

This is the understanding if we desire to interpret this passage in relation to the second coming of the Savior. The prophet Zechariah similarly summons Zion and Jerusalem to rejoice, and Matthew asserts that this prophecy was fulfilled during the first coming of Christ (Matt. 21:5). Thus, the necessity and the orderly progression of true events compel us to connect the words of the prophet Zephaniah not to future occurrences but to achievements that have already taken place. Indeed, as recorded by the prophet Zechariah: ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King comes to you, righteous and saved: He is lowly and riding upon a colt’ (Zechariah 9:9). This aligns with the text of the Seventy. According to the Hebrew text, the Church is exhorted to offer praise, and Israel, who spiritually perceives God, is called to rejoice and be glad with all their hearts in the state of peace, of which it is proclaimed, ‘My peace I give unto you, my peace I leave unto you’ (John 14:27). At the ultimate destruction of the world, He no longer executes judgment but acts in salvation, turning away His adversaries, the multitudes of demons. The Lord, the King of Israel, will be in the midst of His people: they shall fear no evil. On that day, Jerusalem—the one that is free, not the one in bondage with her children, but the one that is the mother of saints (Gal. 4:25-26)—will hear, ‘Fear not, O Zion (which includes Jerusalem), and do not let your hands grow weary in your works, nor act in ways you will later regret; for the Lord your God, who will save you, is mighty and steadfast; He will dwell among you, rejoicing over you in joy and gladness, remaining tranquil concerning your sins in the mercy with which He loves you, and He will delight in you with praises, whether because you are deserving or because you will extol His glory.’ The empty lamentations, or as Aquila has rendered, those lost who have strayed from you, I will gather, for they were part of you—that is, those who, through their vices, distanced themselves and succumbed to the power of demons—will return, and you shall no longer endure the shame of your forsaken children. The word nugas (נוגי) is recognized in the Latin from the Hebrew and thus preserved as it is in Hebrew, demonstrating that Hebrew is the root language for all, though this is not the focus of our current discussion. I am surprised by Aquila and the Seventy, who translated the term we use for ‘were’ in the expression: I will gather, as instead of ‘were,’ they chose the translation ‘woe’ (οἵ), which Aquila uses not to signify complaint but as an expression or exclamation. Indeed, for haia (היו), which conveys the idea of being...