Zephaniah 2:11 (YLT)

Passage

Fearful <FI>is<Fi> Jehovah against them, For He made bare all gods of the land, And bow themselves to Him, each from his place, Do all islanders of the nations.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 2:9 Therefore, I live, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Surely, Moab is as Sodom, And the sons of Ammon as Gomorrah, An overrunning of nettles and salt-pits, And a desolation--unto the age. A residue of My people do seize them, And a remnant of My nation inherit them.

Zephaniah 2:10 This <FI>is<Fi> to them for their arrogancy, Because they have reproached, And they magnify <FI>themselves<Fi> against the people of Jehovah of Hosts.

Zephaniah 2:11 Fearful <FI>is<Fi> Jehovah against them, For He made bare all gods of the land, And bow themselves to Him, each from his place, Do all islanders of the nations.

Zephaniah 2:12 Also ye, O Cushim, pierced of My sword <FI>are<Fi> they.

Zephaniah 2:13 And He stretcheth His hand against the north, And doth destroy Asshur, And he setteth Nineveh for a desolation, A dry land like a wilderness.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fearful", "jehovah", "against", "bare", "gods", "land", "themselves", and "each". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fearful" and "jehovah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "This FI is Fi to them for..." into verse 12's "Also ye O Cushim pierced of My...", so "fearful" and "jehovah" 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 "fearful" and "jehovah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.