Zephaniah 1:17

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

I will bring distress on mankind, and 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.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַהֲצֵרֹ֣תִי לָאָדָ֗ם וְהָֽלְכוּ֙ כַּֽעִוְרִ֔ים כִּ֥י לַֽיהוָ֖ה חָטָ֑אוּ וְשֻׁפַּ֤ךְ דָּמָם֙ כֶּֽעָפָ֔ר וּלְחֻמָ֖ם כַּגְּלָלִֽים׃

Transliteration

wahăṣērōṯî lāʾāḏām wəhāləḵû kaʿiwrîm, kî la-YHWH ḥāṭāʾû; wəšuppaḵ dāmām keʿāp̄ār ûləḥumām kaggəlālîm.

Grammar Details

• *wahăṣērōṯî*: conjunction + hiphil perfect, 1st person singular - and I will bring distress
• *lāʾāḏām*: preposition + noun, masculine singular with definite article - to mankind
• *wəhāləḵû*: conjunction + qal perfect, 3rd person plural - and they will walk
• *kaʿiwrîm*: preposition + noun, masculine plural - like blind men
• *kî*: conjunction - because
• *la-YHWH*: preposition + divine name - against YHWH
• *ḥāṭāʾû*: qal perfect, 3rd person plural - they have sinned
• *wəšuppaḵ*: conjunction + pual perfect, 3rd person masculine singular - and will be poured out
• *dāmām*: noun, masculine singular with 3rd person masculine plural suffix - their blood
• *keʿāp̄ār*: preposition + noun, masculine singular - like dust
• *ûləḥumām*: conjunction + noun, masculine singular with 3rd person masculine plural suffix - and their flesh
• *kaggəlālîm*: preposition + noun, masculine plural with definite article - like dung

Word Meanings

• *wahăṣērōṯî*: and I will bring distress/cause distress/make narrow
• *kaʿiwrîm*: like blind men/as the blind
• *ḥāṭāʾû*: they have sinned/transgressed/offended
• *wəšuppaḵ*: and will be poured out/spilled
• *keʿāp̄ār*: like dust/dirt/powder
• *ûləḥumām*: and their flesh/internal organs/body
• *kaggəlālîm*: like dung/excrement/refuse

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  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.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  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 like dust, and their flesh like refuse.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  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.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And I will bring distress{H6887} upon men,{H120} that they shall walk{H1980} like blind men,{H5787} because they have sinned{H2398} against Jehovah;{H3068} and their blood{H1818} shall be poured out{H8210} as dust,{H6083} and their flesh{H3894} as dung.{H1561}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And I will bring distress{H6887}{(H8689)} upon men{H120}, that they shall walk{H1980}{(H8804)} like blind men{H5787}, because they have sinned{H2398}{(H8804)} against the LORD{H3068}: and their blood{H1818} shall be poured out{H8210}{(H8795)} as dust{H6083}, and their flesh{H3894} as the dung{H1561}.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  I wil bringe ye people into soch vexacion, that they shal go aboute like blinde me, because they haue synned agaynst the LORDE. Their bloude shalbe shed as the dust, & their bodies as the myre.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And I will bring distresse vpon men, that they shall walke like blind men, because they haue sinned against the Lorde, and their blood shall be powred out as dust, and their flesh as the dongue.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  I will bring the people into such vexation, that they shall go about like blinde men, because they haue sinned against the Lorde, their blood shalbe powred out as dust, & their bodies as the myre.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  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.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  I will bring distress on men, that they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Yahweh, and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And 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.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And 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.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And 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.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And 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.

• World English Bible (2000)

  I will bring distress on men, that they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Yahweh, and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  I will bring distress on the people and they will stumble like blind men, for they have sinned against the LORD. Their blood will be poured out like dirt; their flesh will be scattered like manure.

Referenced Verses

• Ps 83:10 : 10 Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon,
• Isa 24:5-6 : 5 The earth is defiled by its inhabitants, for they have transgressed laws, violated statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants bear the guilt. Therefore, the earth’s inhabitants are burned, and few people are left.
• Isa 29:10 : 10 For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes—the prophets; He has covered your heads—the seers.
• Isa 50:1 : 1 This is what the LORD says: Where is the certificate of divorce for your mother, whom I sent away? Or to which of my creditors did I sell you? Behold, because of your sins, you were sold, and because of your transgressions, your mother was sent away.
• Isa 59:9-9 : 9 Therefore, justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but behold, there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom. 10 We grope along the wall like the blind; we grope as if we had no eyes. At midday, we stumble as if it were twilight; among the strong, we are like the dead.
• Isa 59:12-15 : 12 For our transgressions are multiplied before You, and our sins testify against us. Indeed, our transgressions are with us, and we know our iniquities. 13 We have rebelled and denied the LORD; we have turned away from following our God. We speak of oppression and revolt, conceiving lies and uttering them from the heart. 14 Justice is driven back, and righteousness stands far off, for truth has stumbled in the streets, and honesty cannot enter. 15 Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. The LORD saw this and was displeased, for there was no justice.
• Jer 2:17 : 17 Have you not brought this upon yourself by forsaking the LORD your God when he led you in the way?
• Jer 2:19 : 19 Your own wickedness will discipline you; your backslidings will rebuke you. Consider and see how evil and bitter it is for you to forsake the LORD your God and to have no fear of me,” declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.
• Jer 4:18 : 18 Your own way and your deeds have caused this to you; this is your calamity. How bitter it is! It has reached your very heart.
• Jer 9:21-22 : 21 Speak, this is what the Lord declares: The dead bodies of people will fall like dung on the open field, like bundles left behind by the reaper, with no one to gather them. 22 This is what the Lord says: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man boast in his strength, nor the rich man boast in his riches.
• Jer 10:18 : 18 For this is what the Lord says: 'I am about to sling out the inhabitants of the land at this time and bring distress on them so that they may be found.'
• Jer 15:3 : 3 I will appoint over them four kinds of punishment, declares the LORD: the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth to devour and destroy.
• Jer 16:4-6 : 4 They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will lie like dung on the ground. They will perish by the sword and famine, and their corpses will be food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. 5 For this is what the LORD says: Do not enter a house of mourning. Do not go to lament or console them, for I have withdrawn My peace from this people, declares the LORD, as well as My lovingkindness and compassion. 6 Both great and small will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned; no one will cut themselves or shave their heads for them in mourning.
• Jer 18:21 : 21 So give their children over to famine; hand them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives become childless and widowed, and let their men die by deadly disease; let their young men be struck down in battle.
• Lam 1:8 : 8 Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean. All who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns away.
• Lam 1:14 : 14 My transgressions were bound into a yoke; by his hands they were fastened together. They were laid on my neck; he has made my strength fail. The Lord has given me into the hands of those I cannot withstand.
• Lam 1:18 : 18 The LORD is righteous, for I have rebelled against his word. Listen, all you peoples; look at my suffering. My young women and my young men have gone into captivity.
• Lam 2:21 : 21 Young and old lie together in the dust of the streets; my young women and young men have fallen by the sword. You have slain them in the day of your anger; you have slaughtered them without pity.
• Lam 4:13-15 : 13 It happened because of the sins of her prophets and the iniquities of her priests, who shed the blood of the righteous in her midst. 14 They wandered blindly through the streets, defiled by blood, so that no one dared to touch their garments. 15 “Go away! You are unclean!” people shouted at them. “Away, away! Do not touch us!” When they fled and wandered, the nations said, “They can stay here no longer.”
• Lam 5:16-17 : 16 The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! 17 Because of this, our hearts are faint, and our eyes grow dim with tears.
• Ezek 22:25-31 : 25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets within her, like a roaring lion that tears its prey; they have devoured lives, seized treasure and precious things, and made many widows within her. 26 Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common or teach the difference between the unclean and the clean. They shut their eyes to my Sabbaths, and so I am profaned among them. 27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and destroy lives to make unjust gain. 28 Her prophets plaster false visions for them, prophesying lies and saying, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken. 29 The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice. 30 I searched for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me on behalf of the land so that I would not destroy it, but I found no one. 31 So I have poured out my indignation upon them, consumed them with the fire of my wrath, and brought their own ways down upon their heads, declares the Sovereign LORD.
• Dan 9:5-9 : 5 we have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from Your commandments and judgments. 6 We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our rulers, our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. 7 Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but shame covers our faces today—to the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where You have driven them because of their unfaithfulness to You. 8 O LORD, shame covers us—our kings, our rulers, and our ancestors—because we have sinned against You. 9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by following His instructions, which He gave us through His servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey Your voice. So the curse and oath written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us because we have sinned against Him. 12 He has carried out His words that He spoke against us and our rulers who governed us, bringing on us a great disaster. Nothing like it has ever been done under the entire heaven as what has been done in Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and gaining insight into Your truth. 14 Therefore, the LORD has kept the disaster in store and brought it upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything He does, yet we have not obeyed His voice. 15 Now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and made a name for Yourself that endures to this day, we have sinned and acted wickedly. 16 O Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, let Your anger and wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain. For because of our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and Your people have become an object of scorn to all those around us. 17 Now, our God, hear the prayer and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 Incline Your ear, my God, and hear. Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city that bears Your name. For we are not presenting our pleas before You on account of our righteousness, but because of Your great mercy. 19 Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! Lord, pay attention and act! Do not delay, for Your own sake, my God, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.
• Amos 4:10 : 10 I sent plagues among you like those in Egypt. I killed your young men with the sword, along with your captured horses. The stench of your camps rose into your nostrils, yet you did not return to Me,' declares the LORD.
• Mic 3:9-9 : 9 Hear this, leaders of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, you who despise justice and twist all that is right: 10 You build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with iniquity. 11 Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for silver. Yet they lean on the LORD, saying, 'Is not the LORD among us? No disaster will come upon us.' 12 Therefore because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the temple will become a high place overgrown with thickets.
• Mic 7:13 : 13 The land will become desolate because of its inhabitants, due to the fruit of their deeds.
• Matt 15:14 : 14 Leave them alone; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”
• John 9:40-41 : 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this and asked, 'Are we also blind?' 41 Jesus replied, 'If you were blind, you would have no sin. But now that you claim, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.
• Rom 11:7 : 7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The chosen obtained it, but the rest were hardened.
• Rom 11:25 : 25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not become conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
• 2 Cor 4:4 : 4 In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
• 2 Pet 1:9 : 9 But whoever lacks these qualities is blind and short-sighted, forgetful of the cleansing of their former sins.
• 1 John 2:11 : 11 But the one who hates their brother or sister is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.
• Rev 3:17 : 17 Because you say, 'I am rich, I have become wealthy, and I don’t need anything,' yet you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
• Deut 28:28-29 : 28 The LORD will strike you with madness, blindness, and confusion of heart. 29 At midday, you will grope around like a blind person in the dark. You will not prosper in your ways; you will be continually oppressed and robbed, with no one to save you.
• 2 Kgs 9:33-37 : 33 He said, 'Throw her down!' So they threw her down, and some of her blood splattered on the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot. 34 Jehu went inside, ate and drank, and then said, 'Attend to this cursed woman and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.' 35 But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing of her except the skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands. 36 They went back and told Jehu, who said, 'This is the word of the LORD that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: “In the plot of land at Jezreel, dogs will devour the flesh of Jezebel.”' 37 'Jezebel’s body will be like dung on the field in the plot of land at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, “This is Jezebel.”'
• Ps 79:2-3 : 2 They have given the dead bodies of Your servants as food for the birds of the sky, the flesh of Your faithful ones to the wild animals of the earth. 3 They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there is no one to bury them.