Zephaniah 3:18 (ASV)

Passage

I will gather them that sorrow for the solemn assembly, who were of thee; [to whom] the burden upon her was a reproach.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 3:16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not; O Zion, let not thy hands be slack.

Zephaniah 3:17 Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing.

Zephaniah 3:18 I will gather them that sorrow for the solemn assembly, who were of thee; [to whom] the burden upon her was a reproach.

Zephaniah 3:19 Behold, at that time I will deal with all them that afflict thee; and I will save that which is lame, and gather that which was driven away; and I will make them a praise and a name, whose shame hath been in all the earth.

Zephaniah 3:20 At that time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I bring back your captivity before your eyes, saith Jehovah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gather", "sorrow", "solemn", "assembly", "thee", "burden", "upon", and "reproach". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gather" and "sorrow", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Jehovah thy God is in the midst..." into verse 19's "Behold at that time I will deal...", so "gather" and "sorrow" 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 "gather" and "sorrow" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.