Bible Strands
Zephaniah 1:11
Wail, O dwellers of the Hollow, for all your merchants will be silenced; all who weigh out silver will be cut off.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The prophet delivers a declaration from the LORD to the residents of Jerusalem and Judah during a prophetic sequence detailing an approaching day of divine judgment. The announcement follows a warning of cries rising from specific city gates and precedes a description of God searching the city with lamps.
The words — The imperative הֵילִילוּ (hei.Li.lu) commands a loud wail, while הַמַּכְתֵּשׁ (ha.makh.Tesh) literally means "the Mortar," a grinding vessel that functions here as a metonym for the commercial district.
The thread — The command to wail over impending economic ruin aligns with the prophetic pattern in Jeremiah 25:34 and Ezekiel 21:12, and is structurally echoed in James 5:1 regarding the coming misery of the wealthy.
Why it lands — The text states that commercial activity and silver transactions will be abruptly halted by divine action, requiring the reader to acknowledge that economic stability is subordinate to God's judgment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Howl, ye inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the merchant people are cut down; all they that bear silver are cut off.
Cross-references
- James 5:1 Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
- Jeremiah 25:34 Wail, you shepherds, and cry out; roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock. For the days of your slaughter have come; you will fall and be shattered like fine pottery.
- Ezekiel 21:12 Cry out and wail, O son of man, for the sword is wielded against My people; it is against all the princes of Israel! They are tossed to the sword with My people; therefore strike your thigh.
- Hosea 12:7 A merchant loves to defraud with dishonest scales in his hands.
- Nehemiah 3:31 Next to him, Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and the merchants, opposite the Inspection Gate, and as far as the upper room above the corner.
- Jeremiah 4:8 So put on sackcloth, mourn and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us.”
- Hosea 9:6 For even if they flee destruction, Egypt will gather them and Memphis will bury them. Their precious silver will be taken over by thistles, and thorns will overrun their tents.
- Joel 1:5 Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it has been cut off from your mouth.
- Joel 1:13 Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because the grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.
- Zechariah 11:2 Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down!