Zephaniah 3:16 (LSB)

Passage

In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 3:14 Sing for joy, O daughter of Zion! Make a loud shout, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!

Zephaniah 3:15 Yahweh has taken away His judgments against you; He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, Yahweh, is in your midst; You will fear evil no more.

Zephaniah 3:16 In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp.

Zephaniah 3:17 Yahweh your God is in your midst, A mighty one who will save. He will be joyful over you with gladness; He will be quiet in His love; He will rejoice over you with joyful singing.

Zephaniah 3:18 I will assemble those who grieve about the appointed feasts— They were from you, O Zion; The reproach of exile is a burden on them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "jerusalem", "fear", "zion", "hands", "fall", and "limp". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "jerusalem", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Yahweh has taken away His judgments against..." into verse 17's "Yahweh your God is in your midst...", so "said" and "jerusalem" 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 "said" and "jerusalem" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.