Zephaniah 1:5 (WEB)

Passage

those who worship the army of the sky on the housetops, those who worship and swear by Yahweh and also swear by Malcam,

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 1:3 I will sweep away man and animal. I will sweep away the birds of the sky, the fish of the sea, and the heaps of rubble with the wicked. I will cut off man from the surface of the earth, says Yahweh.

Zephaniah 1:4 I will stretch out my hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place: the name of the idolatrous and pagan priests,

Zephaniah 1:5 those who worship the army of the sky on the housetops, those who worship and swear by Yahweh and also swear by Malcam,

Zephaniah 1:6 those who have turned back from following Yahweh, and those who haven’t sought Yahweh nor inquired after him.

Zephaniah 1:7 Be silent at the presence of the Lord Yahweh, for the day of Yahweh is at hand. For Yahweh has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated his guests.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "worship", "army", "housetops", "swear", "yahweh", and "malcam". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "worship" and "army", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "I will stretch out my hand against..." into verse 6's "those who have turned back from following...", so "worship" and "army" 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 "worship" and "army" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.