<strong>ZEPHANIAH</strong> (zĕf'a-nī'a, Heb. <em>tsephanyâh, hidden of the <span class="small-caps">Lord</span></em>)<br /><br />

An ancestor of the prophet Samuel (<bibleref ref="1Chr.6.36">1Chr.6.36</bibleref>).The author of the <span class="auto-link">[[Book of Zephaniah]]</span>. He was very probably related to the kings of Judah as follows (<bibleref ref="Zeph.1.1">Zeph.1.1</bibleref>): Amariah and King Manasseh were brothers, Gedaliah and King Amon were cousins, Cushi and King Josiah were second cousins, and Zephaniah was third cousin of the three kings Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, and Zechariah, thus putting the prophet into familiar relationship with the court, to which his message seems to be specially directed (e.g., <bibleref ref="Zeph.1.8">Zeph.1.8</bibleref>). His principal work seems to have been early in Josiah’s reign, like that of his contemporaries Nahum and Habakkuk, and before the greater prophecies of his other contemporary, Jeremiah.A priest, son of Masseiah, whom Zedekiah sent to inquire of Jeremiah (<bibleref ref="2Kgs.25.18-2Kgs.25.21">2Kgs.25.18-2Kgs.25.21</bibleref>; <bibleref ref="Jer.21.1">Jer.21.1</bibleref>). The Babylonian captain of the guard took him to Riblah where Nebuchadnezzar had him executed.The father of a Josiah in the days of Darius to whom God sent the prophet Zechariah with a message of comfort and encouragement (<bibleref ref="Zech.6.9-Zech.6.15">Zech.6.9-Zech.6.15</bibleref>).<br /><br />

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<strong>ZEPHANIAH</strong> <strong>zĕf’ ə nī’ ə</strong> (<span class="hebrew">צְפַנְיָ֖הוּ</span>, LXX <span class="greek">Σοφονιας</span> (indicating the vocalization of a participial form), meaning <em>Yahweh has treasured</em> or <em>Yahweh has hidden</em>). A cognomen for four individuals. 1. An ancestor of the Kohathites whom David put in charge of the service of song in the house of Yahweh. Included in this ancestry are Heman and Samuel (<bibleref ref="1Chr.6.36">1 Chron 6:36</bibleref>).<br /><br />

2. A prophet during the early part of the reign of Josiah whose prophecy is preserved in the book bearing his name (<bibleref ref="Zeph.1.1">Zeph 1:1</bibleref>; <em>see also</em> [[Book of Zephaniah]]). He is the only prophet whose ancestry is traced back four generations. This unique feature indicates that his great grandfather, Hezekiah, was the famous king bearing that name. If so he was the only prophet of royal blood, a cousin of Josiah, and of the princes to whom he directed much of his prophecy. Apparently he lived in Jerusalem, for he referred to it as “this place” (<bibleref ref="Zeph.1.4">Zeph 1:4</bibleref>) and described its topography with intimate knowledge (<bibleref ref="Zeph.1.10-Zeph.1.13">Zeph 1:10-13</bibleref>).<br /><br />

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4. The father of Josiah II (<bibleref ref="Zech.6.10">Zech 6:10</bibleref>) and of Hen (<bibleref ref="Zech.6.14">Zech 6:14</bibleref>). By emending the text of <bibleref ref="Zech.6.14">Zechariah 6:14</bibleref> to conform with <bibleref ref="Zech.6.10">6:10</bibleref>, the RSV has him as father of only the former.<br /><br />

<h2>International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)</h2>

(tsephanyah, tsephanyahu, "Yah hath treasured"):<br /><br />

(1) The prophet.<br /><br />

See [[Book of Zephaniah]].<br /><br />

(2) A Levite or priest (<bibleref ref="1Chr.6.36">1Ch 6:36</bibleref> (Hebrew 6:21)), called in some genealogies "Uriel" (<bibleref ref="1Chr.6.24">1Ch 6:24</bibleref>; <bibleref ref="1Chr.15.5">15:5</bibleref>,<bibleref ref="1Chr.15.11">11</bibleref>).

(3) Judean father or fathers of various contemporaries of Zechariah, the prophet (<bibleref ref="Zech.6.10">Zec 6:10</bibleref>,<bibleref ref="Zech.6.14">14</bibleref>).<br /><br />

(4) A priest, the second in rank in the days of Jeremiah. He was a leader of the "patriotic" party which opposed Jeremiah. Nevertheless, he was sent to the prophet as a messenger of King Zedekiah when Nebuchadnezzar was about to attack the city (<bibleref ref="Jer.21.1">Jer 21:1</bibleref>) and at other crises (<bibleref ref="Jer.37.3">Jer 37:3</bibleref>; compare 29:25,29; <bibleref ref="2Kgs.25.18">2Ki 25:18</bibleref>). That he continued to adhere to the policy of resistance against Babylonian authority is indicated by the fact that he was among the leaders of Israel taken by Nebuzaradan before the king of Babylon, and killed at Riblah (<bibleref ref="2Kgs.25.18">2Ki 25:18</bibleref> parallel <bibleref ref="Jer.52.24">Jer 52:24</bibleref>).<br /><br />