Zephaniah 1:15 (YLT)

Passage

A day of wrath <FI>is<Fi> that day, A day of adversity and distress, A day of waste and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of cloud and thick darkness.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 1:13 And their wealth hath been for a spoil, And their houses for desolation, And they have built houses, and do not inhabit, And they have planted vineyards, And they do not drink their wine.

Zephaniah 1:14 Near <FI>is<Fi> the great day of Jehovah, Near, and hasting exceedingly, The noise of the day of Jehovah, Bitterly shriek there doth a mighty one.

Zephaniah 1:15 A day of wrath <FI>is<Fi> that day, A day of adversity and distress, A day of waste and desolation, A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of cloud and thick darkness.

Zephaniah 1:16 A day of trumpet and shouting against the fenced cities, And against the high corners.

Zephaniah 1:17 And I have sent distress to men, And they have walked as the blind, For against Jehovah they have sinned, And poured out is their blood as dust, And their flesh <FI>is<Fi> as dung.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "darkness", "wrath", "adversity", "distress", "waste", "desolation", "gloominess", and "cloud". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "darkness" and "wrath", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "Near FI is Fi the great day..." into verse 16's "A day of trumpet and shouting against...", so "darkness" and "wrath" 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 "darkness" and "wrath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.