Zephaniah 2:14

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

And herds shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the capitals thereof; [their] voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he hath laid bare the cedar-work.

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְרָבְצ֨וּ בְתוֹכָ֤הּ עֲדָרִים֙ כָּל־חַיְתוֹ־ג֔וֹי גַּם־קָאַת֙ גַּם־קִפֹּ֔ד בְּכַפְתֹּרֶ֖יהָ יָלִ֑ינוּ ק֠וֹל יְשׁוֹרֵ֤ר בַּֽחַלּוֹן֙ חֹ֣רֶב בַּסַּ֔ף כִּ֥י אַרְזָ֖ה עֵרָֽה׃

Transliteration

And-rāḇəṣû ḇəthôḵāh ʿădārîm kol-ḥayəthô-ḡôy gam-qāʾath gam-qippōd bəḵap̄tōrêhā yālînû qôl yəšôrēr baḥallôn ḥōreḇ bassap̄ kî ʾarzâ ʿērâ

Grammar Details

*rāḇəṣû*: qal perfect, 3rd person plural with waw consecutive - and they will lie down
*ḇəthôḵāh*: preposition + noun, masculine singular with 3rd person feminine singular suffix - in her midst
*ʿădārîm*: noun, masculine plural - flocks/herds
*kol-ḥayəthô-ḡôy*: noun construct chain: all + living thing of + nation
*gam-qāʾath*: adverb + noun, feminine singular - also pelican
*gam-qippōd*: adverb + noun, masculine singular - also hedgehog/porcupine
*bəḵap̄tōrêhā*: preposition + noun, masculine plural with 3rd person feminine singular suffix - in her capitals (of columns)
*yālînû*: qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural - they will lodge
*qôl*: noun, masculine singular - voice/sound
*yəšôrēr*: polel participle, masculine singular - singing/one who sings
*baḥallôn*: preposition + noun, masculine singular with definite article - in the window
*ḥōreḇ*: noun, masculine singular - desolation/waste
*bassap̄*: preposition + noun, masculine singular with definite article - in the threshold
*kî*: conjunction - for/because
*ʾarzâ*: noun, masculine singular with directional he - cedar work
*ʿērâ*: piel perfect, 3rd person masculine singular - he has laid bare/exposed

Word Meanings

*rāḇəṣû*: lie down/rest/make their lair
*ʿădārîm*: flocks/herds
*ḥayəthô-ḡôy*: beasts of the nation/wild animals
*qāʾath*: pelican/desert owl
*qippōd*: hedgehog/porcupine/bittern
*kap̄tōrêhā*: capitals (of columns)/tops of pillars
*yəšôrēr*: singing/will sing
*ḥōreḇ*: desolation/waste/ruin
*ʾarzâ*: cedar work/cedar paneling
*ʿērâ*: laid bare/exposed/uncovered

ℹ️

About this Translation

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: American Standard VersionBest for: Word studies and original-language research

🎯 Translation Approach

A highly literal, word-for-word translation (ASV, 1901) augmented with Strong's numbering to connect English words to underlying Hebrew and Greek terms for study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Links English terms to underlying Hebrew and Greek words for deeper lexical study.
Formal equivalence: Prioritizes close alignment with source-language forms and structures.
Divine name rendering: Frequently renders the Tetragrammaton as Jehovah in the Old Testament, following ASV tradition.
Study-focused formatting: Optimized for reference and research rather than casual reading.

✅ Strengths

High fidelity to original languages
Includes Strong's numbers for precise word study
Consistent lexical choices aid exegesis
Stable, longstanding scholarly text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language reduces readability
Older textual basis compared to some modern translations
Strong's numbers are a concordance index, not full lexical definitions

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Pastors and teachers
Seminary students
Serious Bible students
Readers conducting word studies
Those referencing Hebrew/Greek tools

Consider alternatives for

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

Jer 22:14 : 14 that saith, I will build me a wide house and spacious chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.
Amos 9:1 : 1 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar: and he said, Smite the capitals, that the thresholds may shake; and break them in pieces on the head of all of them; and I will slay the last of them with the sword: there shall not one of them flee away, and there shall not one of them escape.
Isa 13:19-22 : 19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there. 21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and ostriches shall dwell there, and wild goats shall dance there. 22 And wolves shall cry in their castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
Isa 14:23 : 23 I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith Jehovah of hosts.
Isa 34:11-17 : 11 But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein: and he will stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness. 12 They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there; and all its princes shall be nothing. 13 And thorns shall come up in its palaces, nettles and thistles in the fortresses thereof; and it shall be a habitation of jackals, a court for ostriches. 14 And the wild beasts of the desert shall meet with the wolves, and the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; yea, the night-monster shall settle there, and shall find her a place of rest. 15 There shall the dart-snake make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shade; yea, there shall the kites be gathered, every one with her mate. 16 Seek ye out of the book of Jehovah, and read: no one of these shall be missing, none shall want her mate; for my mouth, it hath commanded, and his Spirit, it hath gathered them. 17 And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever; from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.
Rev 18:2 : 2 And he cried {G2479} with a mighty voice, saying, Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, and is become a habitation of demons, and a hold of every unclean spirit, and a hold of every unclean and hateful bird.
Zeph 2:6 : 6 And the sea - coast shall be pastures, with cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

Zeph 2:13
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Zeph 2:15
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Isa 34:11-15
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11But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein: and he will stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness.
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13And thorns shall come up in its palaces, nettles and thistles in the fortresses thereof; and it shall be a habitation of jackals, a court for ostriches.
14And the wild beasts of the desert shall meet with the wolves, and the wild goat shall cry to his fellow; yea, the night-monster shall settle there, and shall find her a place of rest.
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Jer 50:3
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Jer 50:39
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Nah 3:7-8
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Isa 27:10
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Isa 13:20-22
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20It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there.
21But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and ostriches shall dwell there, and wild goats shall dance there.
22And wolves shall cry in their castles, and jackals in the pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
Nah 2:7-8
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7And it is decreed: she is uncovered, she is carried away; and her handmaids moan as with the voice of doves, beating upon their breasts.
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Isa 32:13-14
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13Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city.
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Ezek 31:13
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Isa 18:6
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Jer 4:7
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Isa 14:23
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23I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith Jehovah of hosts.
Jer 9:10
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Ezek 26:12
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12And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise; and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses; and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the waters.
Jer 4:29
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29Every city fleeth for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they go into the thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city is forsaken, and not a man dwelleth therein.
Isa 7:19
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19And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the clefts of the rocks, and upon all thorn-hedges, and upon all pastures.
Mic 1:8
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Jer 51:37
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Isa 3:26
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Jer 22:8
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Joel 2:9
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Zech 11:2
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2Wail, O fir-tree, for the cedar is fallen, because the goodly ones are destroyed: wail, O ye oaks of Bashan, for the strong forest is come down.
Nah 3:18
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Jer 7:33
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Zeph 1:10
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Jer 19:8
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Nah 2:13
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Lam 2:9
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Hos 9:6
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Ezek 31:6
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6All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; and under its branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young; and under its shadow dwelt all great nations.
Isa 32:19
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19But it shall hail in the downfall of the forest; and the city shall be utterly laid low.
Hab 2:17
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Jer 33:12
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Jer 22:23
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Isa 14:8
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Isa 23:13
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