Zephaniah 3:3 (DRB)

Passage

Her princes are in the midst of her as roaring lions: her judges are evening wolves, they left nothing for the morning.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to the provoking and redeemed city, the dove.

Zephaniah 3:2 She hath not hearkened to the voice, neither hath she received discipline: she hath not trusted in the Lord, she drew not near to her God.

Zephaniah 3:3 Her princes are in the midst of her as roaring lions: her judges are evening wolves, they left nothing for the morning.

Zephaniah 3:4 Her prophets are senseless, men without faith: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have acted unjustly against the law.

Zephaniah 3:5 The just Lord is in the midst thereof, he will not do iniquity: in the morning, in the morning he will bring his judgment to light, and it shall not be hid: but the wicked man hath not known shame.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "princes", "midst", "roaring", "lions", "judges", "evening", "wolves", and "left". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "princes" and "midst", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "She hath not hearkened to the voice..." into verse 4's "Her prophets are senseless men without faith...", so "princes" and "midst" 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 "princes" and "midst" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.