Zephaniah 2:3

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Seek ye Jehovah, all ye meek of the earth, that have kept his ordinances; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah's anger.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

בַּקְּשׁ֤וּ אֶת־יְהוָה֙ כָּל־עַנְוֵ֣י הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִשְׁפָּט֖וֹ פָּעָ֑לוּ בַּקְּשׁוּ־צֶ֙דֶק֙ בַּקְּשׁ֣וּ עֲנָוָ֔ה אוּלַי֙ תִּסָּ֣תְר֔וּ בְּי֖וֹם אַף־יְהוָֽה׃

Transliteration

baqqəšû ʾeth-YHWH all-ʿanəwê the-ʾāreṣ who mišpāṭô pāʿālû baqqəšû-ṣedeq baqqəšû ʿănāwâ ʾûlay tissātərû in-yôm ʾap̄-YHWH

Grammar Details

• *baqqəšû*: piel imperative, masculine plural - seek/search for
• *ʾeth-YHWH*: direct object marker + divine name - YHWH
• *ʿanəwê*: adjective, masculine plural construct - humble/meek ones of
• *ʾāreṣ*: noun, feminine singular with definite article - the land/earth
• *mišpāṭô*: noun, masculine singular + 3rd person masculine singular suffix - his judgment/justice
• *pāʿālû*: qal perfect, 3rd person plural - have done/worked/practiced
• *ṣedeq*: noun, masculine singular - righteousness/justice
• *ʿănāwâ*: noun, feminine singular - humility/meekness
• *ʾûlay*: adverb - perhaps/maybe
• *tissātərû*: niphal imperfect, 2nd person masculine plural - you will be hidden/you will be sheltered
• *yôm*: noun, masculine singular with preposition - in day of

Word Meanings

• *baqqəšû*: seek/search for/inquire
• *ʿanəwê*: humble ones/meek ones/poor ones
• *pāʿālû*: have done/performed/practiced
• *ṣedeq*: righteousness/justice/what is right
• *ʿănāwâ*: humility/meekness/gentleness
• *tissātərû*: be hidden/be concealed/find shelter

Referenced Verses

• Amos 5:14-15 : 14 Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be with you, as ye say. 15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
• Ps 57:1 : 1 For the Chief Musician; [set to] Al-tashheth. [A Psalm] of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me; For my soul taketh refuge in thee: Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge, Until [these] calamities be overpast.
• Ps 76:9 : 9 When God arose to judgment, To save all the meek of the earth. {H5542}
• Ps 105:4 : 4 Seek ye Jehovah and his strength; Seek his face evermore.
• Matt 5:5 : 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
• Ps 22:26 : 26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied; They shall praise Jehovah that seek after him: Let your heart live for ever.
• Isa 26:20-21 : 20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21 For, behold, Jehovah cometh forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
• 1 Pet 3:4 : 4 but [let it be] the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible [apparel] of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
• 2 Pet 3:18 : 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] the glory both now and for {G2250} ever. Amen.
• Isa 55:6-7 : 6 Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near: 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
• Isa 61:1 : 1 The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me; because Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening [of the prison] to them that are bound;
• Jer 3:13-14 : 13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against Jehovah thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith Jehovah. 14 Return, O backsliding children, saith Jehovah; for I am a husband unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
• Jer 4:1-2 : 1 If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith Jehovah, if thou wilt return unto me, and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight; then shalt thou not be removed; 2 and thou shalt swear, As Jehovah liveth, in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.
• Jer 22:15-16 : 15 Shalt thou reign, because thou strivest to excel in cedar? Did not thy father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? then it was well with him. 16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Was not this to know me? saith Jehovah.
• Jer 29:12-13 : 12 And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
• Jer 39:18 : 18 For I will surely save thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee; because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith Jehovah.
• Jer 45:5 : 5 And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not; for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith Jehovah; but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.
• Hos 7:10 : 10 And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: yet they have not returned unto Jehovah their God, nor sought him, for all this.
• Hos 10:12 : 12 Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to kindness; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek Jehovah, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
• Joel 2:13-14 : 13 and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God; for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repenteth him of the evil. 14 Who knoweth whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, even a meal-offering and a drink-offering unto Jehovah your God?
• Amos 5:4-6 : 4 For thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live; 5 but seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall come to nought. 6 Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be none to quench it in Beth-el.
• Ps 25:8-9 : 8 Good and upright is Jehovah: Therefore will he instruct sinners in the way. 9 The meek will he guide in justice; And the meek will he teach his way.
• Ps 31:20 : 20 In the covert of thy presence wilt thou hide them from the plottings of man: Thou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
• Ps 32:6-7 : 6 For this let every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: Surely when the great waters overflow they shall not reach unto him. 7 Thou art my hiding-place; Thou wilt preserve me from trouble; Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance. {H5542}
• Gen 7:15-16 : 15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life. 16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him: and Jehovah shut him in.
• Exod 12:27 : 27 that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of Jehovah's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.
• 2 Sam 12:22 : 22 And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knoweth whether Jehovah will not be gracious to me, that the child may live?
• 2 Chr 34:27-28 : 27 because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and hast humbled thyself before me, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith Jehovah. 28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof. And they brought back word to the king.
• Matt 7:7-8 : 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
• Phil 3:13-14 : 13 Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing [I do], forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, 14 I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
• Col 3:2-4 : 2 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. 3 For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, [who is] our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory.
• 1 Thess 4:1 : 1 Finally then, brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that, as ye received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, even as ye do walk, — that ye abound more and more.
• 1 Thess 4:10 : 10 for indeed ye do it toward all the brethren that are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, that ye abound more and more;
• Jas 1:21-22 : 21 Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves.
• 1 Pet 1:22 : 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the {G2513} heart fervently:
• Ps 149:4 : 4 For Jehovah taketh pleasure in his people: He will beautify the meek with salvation.
• Prov 18:10 : 10 The name of Jehovah is a strong tower; The righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
• Isa 11:4 : 4 but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
• Ps 91:1 : 1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
• Jonah 3:9 : 9 Who knoweth whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
• Zech 8:19 : 19 Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The fast of the fourth [month], and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts; therefore love truth and peace.