Zephaniah 3:16 (YLT)

Passage

In that day it is said to Jerusalem, `Fear not, O Zion, let not thy hands be feeble.

Nearby Context

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

Zephaniah 3:15 Jehovah hath turned aside thy judgments, He hath faced thine enemy, The king of Israel, Jehovah, <FI>is<Fi> in thy midst, Thou seest evil no more.

Zephaniah 3:16 In that day it is said to Jerusalem, `Fear not, O Zion, let not thy hands be feeble.

Zephaniah 3:17 Jehovah thy God <FI>is<Fi> in thy midst, A mighty one doth save, He rejoiceth over thee with joy, He doth work in His love, He joyeth over thee with singing.'

Zephaniah 3:18 Mine afflicted from the appointed place I have gathered, from thee they have been, Bearing for her sake reproach.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "jerusalem", "fear", "zion", "hands", and "feeble". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "jerusalem", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Jehovah hath turned aside thy judgments He..." into verse 17's "Jehovah thy God FI is Fi in...", so "said" and "jerusalem" 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 "said" and "jerusalem" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.