Zephaniah 2:4 (ASV)

Passage

For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation; they shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 2:2 before the decree bring forth, [before] the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Jehovah come upon you, before the day of Jehovah`s anger come upon you.

Zephaniah 2:3 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.

Zephaniah 2:4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation; they shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

Zephaniah 2:5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea-coast, the nation of the Cherethites! The word of Jehovah is against you, O Canaan, the land of the Philistines; I will destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.

Zephaniah 2:6 And the sea-coast shall be pastures, with cottages for shepherds and folds for flocks.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gaza", "shall", "forsaken", "ashkelon", "desolation", "drive", and "ashdod". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gaza" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Seek ye Jehovah all ye meek of..." into verse 5's "Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea-coast...", so "gaza" and "shall" belong inside that flow. In Zephaniah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "gaza" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.