Zephaniah 2:4 (DRB)

Passage

For Gaza shall be destroyed, and Ascalon shall be a desert, they shall cast out Azotus at noonday, and Accaron shall be rooted up.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 2:2 Before the decree bring forth the day as dust passing away, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's indignation come upon you.

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, you that have wrought his judgment: seek the just, seek the meek: if by any means you may be hid in the day of the Lord's indignation.

Zephaniah 2:4 For Gaza shall be destroyed, and Ascalon shall be a desert, they shall cast out Azotus at noonday, and Accaron shall be rooted up.

Zephaniah 2:5 Woe to you that inhabit the sea coast, O nation of reprobates: the word of the Lord upon you, O Chanaan, the land of the Philistines, and I will destroy thee, so that there shall not be an inhabitant.

Zephaniah 2:6 And the sea coast shall be the resting place of shepherds, and folds for cattle:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gaza", "shall", "destroyed", "ascalon", "desert", and "cast". 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 the Lord all ye meek of..." into verse 5's "Woe to you that inhabit the sea...", 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.