Zephaniah 2:4 (KJV)

Passage

For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 2:2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’s anger come upon you.

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.

Zephaniah 2:4 For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

Zephaniah 2:5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.

Zephaniah 2:6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gaza", "shall", "forsaken", "ashkelon", "desolation", "drive", and "ashdod". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gaza" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Seek ye the LORD all ye meek..." into verse 5's "Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea...", so "gaza" and "shall" 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 "gaza" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.