Zephaniah 2:4 (GNV)

Passage

For Azzah shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon desolate: they shall driue out Ashdod at the noone day, and Ekron shalbe rooted vp.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 2:2 Before the decree come foorth, and ye be as chaffe that passeth in a day, and before the fierce wrath of the Lord come vpon you, and before the day of the Lords anger come vpon you.

Zephaniah 2:3 Seeke yee the Lord all the meeke of the earth, which haue wrought his iudgement: seeke righteousnesse, seeke lowlinesse, if so bee that ye may be hid in the day of the Lords wrath.

Zephaniah 2:4 For Azzah shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon desolate: they shall driue out Ashdod at the noone day, and Ekron shalbe rooted vp.

Zephaniah 2:5 Wo vnto the inhabitants of the sea coast. the nation of the Cherethims, the worde of the Lord is against you: O Canaan, the lande of the Philistims, I will euen destroye thee without an inhabitant.

Zephaniah 2:6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cotages for shepheardes and sheepefoldes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "azzah", "shall", "forsaken", "ashkelon", "desolate", "driue", and "ashdod". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "azzah" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Seeke yee the Lord all the meeke..." into verse 5's "Wo vnto the inhabitants of the sea...", so "azzah" 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 "azzah" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.