Zephaniah 2:5 (ASV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Zephaniah 2:7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed [their flocks] thereupon; in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening; for Jehovah their God will visit them, and bring back their captivity.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "inhabitants", "sea-coast", "nation", "cherethites", "word", "jehovah", "against", and "canaan". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "inhabitants" and "sea-coast", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "For Gaza shall be forsaken and Ashkelon..." into verse 6's "And the sea-coast shall be pastures with...", so "inhabitants" and "sea-coast" 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 "inhabitants" and "sea-coast" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.