Zephaniah 2:5 (YLT)

Passage

Ho! O inhabitants of the sea-coast, Nation of the Cherethites, A word of Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines, And I have destroyed thee without an inhabitant.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek Jehovah, all ye humble of the land, Who His judgment have done, Seek ye righteousness, seek humility, It may be ye are hidden in a day of the anger of Jehovah.

Zephaniah 2:4 For Gaza is forsaken, And Ashkelon <FI>is<Fi> for a desolation, Ashdod! at noon they do cast her forth, And Ekron is rooted up.

Zephaniah 2:5 Ho! O inhabitants of the sea-coast, Nation of the Cherethites, A word of Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> against you, Canaan, land of the Philistines, And I have destroyed thee without an inhabitant.

Zephaniah 2:6 And the sea-coast hath been habitations, Cottages <FI>for<Fi> shepherds, and folds <FI>for<Fi> a flock.

Zephaniah 2:7 And the coast hath been for the remnant of the house of Judah, By them they have pleasure, In houses of Ashkelon at even they lie down, For inspect them doth Jehovah their God, And He hath turned back <FI>to<Fi> their captivity.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "inhabitants", "sea-coast", "nation", "cherethites", "word", "jehovah", "against", and "canaan". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "inhabitants" and "sea-coast", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "For Gaza is forsaken And Ashkelon FI..." into verse 6's "And the sea-coast hath been habitations Cottages...", so "inhabitants" and "sea-coast" 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 "inhabitants" and "sea-coast" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.