Zephaniah 1:4 (GNV)

Passage

I will also stretch out mine hand vpon Iudah, and vpon all the inhabitants of Ierusalem, and I wil cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with ye Priestes,

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 1:2 I will surely destroy all things from off the land, saith the Lord.

Zephaniah 1:3 I will destroy man and beast: I wil destroy the foules of the heauen, and the fishes of the sea, and ruines shalbe to the wicked, and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the Lord.

Zephaniah 1:4 I will also stretch out mine hand vpon Iudah, and vpon all the inhabitants of Ierusalem, and I wil cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with ye Priestes,

Zephaniah 1:5 And them that worship the hoste of heauen vpon the house tops, and them that worship and sweare by the Lord, and sweare by Malcham,

Zephaniah 1:6 And them that are turned backe from the Lord, and those that haue not sought the Lord, nor inquired for him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stretch", "mine", "hand", "vpon", "iudah", "inhabitants", and "ierusalem". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "stretch" and "mine", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "I will destroy man and beast I..." into verse 5's "And them that worship the hoste of...", so "stretch" and "mine" 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 "stretch" and "mine" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.