Zephaniah 1:1 Commentary and Bible Study

Zephaniah was a contemporary of Nahum and of Jeremiah. Many think that ‘Hizikiah’ mentioned here is King Hezekiah, the king whose prayer the Lord heard and answered when Jerusalem was delivered from Sennacherib and the Assyrian forces. It was on that occasion that 185,000 of Sennacherib’s troops were destroyed, and Sennacherib withdrew back to his country where he was murdered by two of his sons. The two names Hizkiah and Hezekiah are spelt the same in Hebrew. It is significant that the lineage of Zephaniah was traced back to his great-great-grandfather and stopped there with Hizkiah. This was evidently a highly significant person, and was sufficient number of generations back to be Hezekiah, the king of Judah. Hezekiah was a godly king, but gave birth to Manasseh who reversed all the reforms of his father during his long reign, and brought judgment on Jerusalem and Judah. In spite of subsequent repentance while in captivity, God would not take away this judgment. His son, Amon, reigned only two years, but he also was a godless king. The king that followed was Amon’s son, Josiah. He was the last godly king of Judah, and it was during his reign that Zephaniah prophesied. If this is King Hezekiah, then Zephaniah is an unusual prophet because, although he is a prophet and he is not functioning as a prince in the land, he is of royal descent.