Zephaniah 3:16 (GNV)

Passage

In that day it shalbe said to Ierusalem, Feare thou not, O Zion: let not thine handes be faint.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 3:14 Reioyce, O daughter Zion: be ye ioyfull, O Israel: be glad and reioyce with all thine heart, O daughter Ierusalem.

Zephaniah 3:15 The Lord hath taken away thy iudgements: hee hath cast out thine enemie: the King of Israel, euen the Lord is in the middes of thee: thou shalt see no more euill.

Zephaniah 3:16 In that day it shalbe said to Ierusalem, Feare thou not, O Zion: let not thine handes be faint.

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord thy God in the middes of thee is mightie: hee will saue, hee will reioyce ouer thee with ioye: he will quiet himselfe in his loue: he will reioyce ouer thee with ioy.

Zephaniah 3:18 After a certaine time will I gather the afflicted that were of thee, and them that bare the reproch for it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shalbe", "said", "ierusalem", "feare", "thou", "zion", "thine", and "handes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shalbe" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "The Lord hath taken away thy iudgements..." into verse 17's "The Lord thy God in the middes...", so "shalbe" and "said" 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 "shalbe" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.