Zephaniah 2:11

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

The Lord will be awesome to them when He destroys all the gods of the earth. People from every shore and nation will bow down to Him, each from their own place.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

נוֹרָ֤א יְהוָה֙ עֲלֵיהֶ֔ם כִּ֣י רָזָ֔ה אֵ֖ת כָּל־אֱלֹהֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ וְיִשְׁתַּֽחֲווּ־לוֹ֙ אִ֣ישׁ מִמְּקוֹמ֔וֹ כֹּ֖ל אִיֵּ֥י הַגּוֹיִֽם׃

Transliteration

nôrāʾ YHWH ʿălêhem kî rāzâ ʾēth kol-ʾĕlōhê hāʾāreṣ wəyištaḥăwû-lô ʾîš mimməqômô kōl ʾiyyê haggôyîm

Grammar Details

• *nôrāʾ*: niphal participle, masculine singular - fearful/terrible
• *ʿălêhem*: preposition + 3rd person masculine plural suffix - against them
• *kî*: conjunction - for/because/when
• *rāzâ*: qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular - he has famished/made lean
• *ʾēth*: direct object marker
• *kol-ʾĕlōhê*: construct chain: noun + masculine plural construct - all gods of
• *hāʾāreṣ*: noun, feminine singular with definite article - the earth/land
• *wəyištaḥăwû-lô*: hishtaphel imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural + preposition + 3rd person masculine singular suffix - and they will bow down to him
• *ʾîš*: noun, masculine singular - man/each one
• *mimməqômô*: preposition + noun, masculine singular with 3rd person masculine singular suffix - from his place
• *kōl*: noun, masculine singular construct - all of
• *ʾiyyê*: noun, masculine plural construct - islands/coastlands of
• *haggôyîm*: noun, masculine plural with definite article - the nations

Word Meanings

• *nôrāʾ*: fearful/terrible/awesome
• *rāzâ*: famished/made lean/brought to nothing
• *ʾĕlōhê*: gods/deities/divine beings
• *wəyištaḥăwû-lô*: they will bow down to him/they will worship him
• *ʾiyyê*: islands/coastlands/distant shores

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  The LORD will be awesome to them: for he will starve all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the nations.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  Jehovah{H3068} will be terrible{H3372} unto them; for he will famish{H7329} all the gods{H430} of the earth;{H776} and men shall worship{H7812} him, every one{H376} from his place,{H4725} even all the isles{H339} of the nations.{H1471}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  The LORD{H3068} will be terrible{H3372}{(H8737)} unto them: for he will famish{H7329}{(H8804)} all the gods{H430} of the earth{H776}; and men shall worship{H7812}{(H8691)} him, every one{H376} from his place{H4725}, even all the isles{H339} of the heathen{H1471}.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  The LORDE shall be grymme vpon them, and destroye all the goddes in the londe. And all the Iles of the Heithen shal worshipe him, euery man in his place.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  The Lord will be terrible vnto them: for he wil consume all the gods of the earth, and euery man shall worship him from his place, euen all the yles of the heathen.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  The Lord shalbe terrible vnto them, and destroy all the gods in the lande: and all the Iles of the Heathen shall worship hym, euery man in his place.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  The LORD [will be] terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and [men] shall worship him, every one from his place, [even] all the isles of the heathen.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Yahweh will be awesome to them, for he will famish all the gods of the land. Men will worship him, everyone from his place, even all the shores of the nations.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  Fearful `is' Jehovah against them, For He made bare all gods of the land, And bow themselves to Him, each from his place, Do all islanders of the nations.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Jehovah will be terrible unto them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the nations.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Jehovah will be terrible unto them; for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the nations.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  The Lord will let himself be seen by them: for he will make all the gods of the earth feeble; and men will go down before him in worship, everyone from his place, even all the sea-lands of the nations.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Yahweh will be awesome to them, for he will famish all the gods of the land. Men will worship him, everyone from his place, even all the shores of the nations.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  The LORD will terrify them, for he will weaken all the gods of the earth. All the distant nations will worship the LORD in their own lands.

Referenced Verses

• Ps 72:8-9 : 8 He will have dominion from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. 9 Those who dwell in the desert will bow before him, and his enemies will lick the dust. 10 The kings of Tarshish and distant shores will bring tribute; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts. 11 All kings will bow down to him, and all nations will serve him.
• Gen 10:5 : 5 From these, the coastland peoples spread out into their lands, each according to his language, family, and nation.
• Deut 32:38 : 38 The ones who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offerings? Let them rise up and help you; let them be your shelter!
• Ps 2:8-9 : 8 Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession. 9 You will break them with an iron rod; You will shatter them like a potter's vessel. 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your way, for His wrath can flare up quickly. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
• Ps 22:27-30 : 27 The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the LORD will praise him. May your hearts live forever! 28 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before you, 29 for the kingdom belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. 30 All the rich of the earth will feast and bow down; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—those who cannot keep themselves alive.
• Ps 72:17 : 17 May his name endure forever; as long as the sun shines, may his name be continued. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.
• Ps 86:9 : 9 All the nations You have made will come and bow down before You, O Lord, and they will glorify Your name.
• Ps 97:6-8 : 6 The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory. 7 All who serve carved images and boast in idols are put to shame; bow down to Him, all you gods! 8 Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice because of Your judgments, O Lord.
• Ps 117:1-2 : 1 Praise the LORD, all you nations; glorify Him, all you peoples. 2 For His steadfast love has prevailed over us, and the truth of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!
• Ps 138:4 : 4 All the kings of the earth will give you thanks, Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth.
• Isa 2:2-4 : 2 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord's house will be firmly established at the top of the mountains, lifted above the hills, and all nations will flow to it. 3 Many peoples will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.' For instruction will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He will judge between the nations and settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they learn war anymore.
• Isa 11:9-9 : 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on my entire holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a signal for the peoples. The nations will seek him, and his resting place will be glorious.
• Isa 24:14-16 : 14 They raise their voices, they sing for joy; from the west they shout over the majesty of the Lord. 15 Therefore, glorify the Lord in the east, and in the coastlands of the sea glorify the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 16 From the ends of the earth, we hear songs: 'Glory to the Righteous One.' But I said, 'I perish, I perish, woe to me! The treacherous betray, with treachery the treacherous betray.'
• Isa 42:4 : 4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice on the earth, and the coastlands wait for his law.
• Isa 42:10 : 10 Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise from the ends of the earth— you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you coastlands, and their inhabitants.
• Isa 49:1 : 1 Listen to me, you distant islands, and pay attention, you faraway nations: The Lord called me from the womb; even before I was born, He mentioned my name.
• Hos 2:17 : 17 From there I will give her vineyards back to her and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up from the land of Egypt.
• Joel 2:11 : 11 The LORD thunders before his army; his forces are very great. Mighty is the one who executes his word. The day of the LORD is great and very dreadful—who can endure it?
• Mic 4:1-3 : 1 In the last days, the mountain of the house of the LORD will be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. 2 Many nations will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD and to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths.’ For the law will go out from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 3 He will judge between many peoples and settle disputes for strong nations far away. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
• Zeph 1:4 : 4 I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every remnant of Baal from this place, the names of the pagan priests along with the priests.
• Zeph 3:9 : 9 For at that time, I will transform the speech of the peoples to a pure language, so that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.
• Zech 2:11 : 11 Ho! Zion, escape, you who dwell with the Daughter of Babylon.
• Zech 8:20 : 20 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: Again, peoples and inhabitants of many cities will come,
• Zech 8:23 : 23 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: In those days, ten men from every language and nation will take hold of the robe of a Jewish man and say, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.’
• Zech 13:2 : 2 On that day, declares the LORD of hosts, I will remove the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. Moreover, I will eliminate the false prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land.
• Zech 14:9-9 : 9 The Lord will be King over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one, and His name one. 10 The whole land will be transformed like the plain of the Arabah, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its place, from the Benjamin Gate to the place of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. 11 And people will live in it, and there will no longer be any curse of destruction. Jerusalem will dwell in security. 12 This will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. 13 On that day, a great panic from the Lord will come upon them. Each will seize the hand of his neighbor, and they will attack one another. 14 Even Judah will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations—gold, silver, and clothing—will be gathered in great abundance. 15 A similar plague will strike the horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all the animals in the camps. 16 Then all who survive from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 17 If any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, they will have no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt does not go up and come, they too will receive the plague that the Lord will strike on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 20 On that day, the bells of the horses will be inscribed with 'Holy to the Lord,' and the pots in the house of the Lord will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. 21 On that day, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord of Hosts. All who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And there will no longer be any Canaanite in the house of the Lord of Hosts on that day.
• Mal 1:11 : 11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting, my name will be great among the nations. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of Hosts.
• John 4:21-23 : 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But a time is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such people to worship him.
• 1 Tim 2:8 : 8 Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.
• Rev 11:15 : 15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever."