Zephaniah 3:1 (KJV)

Passage

Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

Nearby Context

Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!

Zephaniah 3:2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God.

Zephaniah 3:3 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they gnaw not the bones till the morrow.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "filthy", "polluted", "oppressing", and "city". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "filthy" and "polluted", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "She obeyed not the voice she received...", so "filthy" and "polluted" should be read forward into that movement. In Zephaniah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "filthy" and "polluted" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.