Zephaniah 3:12 (YLT)

Passage

And I have left in thy midst a people humble and poor, And they have trusted in the name of Jehovah.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 3:10 From beyond the rivers of Cush, my supplicants, The daughter of My scattered ones, Do bring My present.

Zephaniah 3:11 In that day thou art not ashamed because of any of thine actions, Wherewith thou hast transgressed against Me, For then do I turn aside from thy midst The exulting ones of thine excellency, And thou dost add no more to be haughty, In My holy mountain.

Zephaniah 3:12 And I have left in thy midst a people humble and poor, And they have trusted in the name of Jehovah.

Zephaniah 3:13 The remnant of Israel do no perversity, nor speak lies, Nor found in their mouth is a deceitful tongue, For they have delight, and have lain down, And there is none troubling.

Zephaniah 3:14 Cry aloud, O daughter of Zion, shout, O Israel, Rejoice and exult with the whole heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "left", "midst", "people", "humble", "poor", "trusted", "name", and "jehovah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "left" and "midst", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "In that day thou art not ashamed..." into verse 13's "The remnant of Israel do no perversity...", so "left" and "midst" 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 "left" and "midst" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.