Zephaniah 3:4
King James Version
11 Jun 2026
“Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law.”
חָלַל
Pierced, wounded, profaned. Chalal. To be fatally pierced through. This is the word used for Jesus being pierced on the cross. He was pierced because of what we did, not because of anything He did.
כֹּהֵן
priests/ its
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כֹּהֵן
Priest. Kohen. One who stands between God and the people. Jesus is our great High Priest. And in Him every believer is part of a royal priesthood with full access to God.
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תּוֹרָה
the law
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תּוֹרָה
Law, teaching, instruction. Torah. Not just rules but God's loving instruction for life. The law of the LORD is perfect restoring the soul.
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קֹדֶשׁ
the sanctuary
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קֹדֶשׁ
Holiness, sacredness. Qodesh. That which belongs to God. Holy holy holy is the LORD of hosts. His holiness fills the whole earth.
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נָבִיא
prophets/ its
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נָבִיא
A prophet, one who speaks forth. Nabi. Not primarily a predictor of the future but one who speaks God's word into the present.
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פָּחַז
are insolent
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פָּחַז
to bubble up or froth (as boiling water), i.e. (figuratively) to be unimportant
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חָמַס
they do violence to
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חָמַס
to be violent; by implication, to maltreat
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