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Zephaniah

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Hebrew prophet who foretold divine judgment on Judah and surrounding nations, emphasizing the Day of the Lord’s wrath.

Detailed Definition
Zephaniah, possibly royal, condemned idolatry and promised remnant restoration. In poetry, Zephaniah embodies apocalyptic urgency, the universality of divine judgment, and the tender hope for a humble, faithful remnant amid total destruction.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Zephaniah 1:12, “men who are complacent” inspires prophetic poetry about spiritual apathy; 19th-century verse uses Zephaniah’s “day of the Lord” imagery to call for repentance; Contemporary poems cite Zephaniah 3:9—“purified lips”—as vision for renewed worship; In poems about hope, Zephaniah 3:17—“The Lord your God is with you”—becomes refrain of comfort; Some liturgical laments echo Zephaniah’s call to “seek righteousness, seek humility”; Educational poems use Zephaniah to teach about judgment and restoration.
Additional Notes
Zephaniah, a prophet during Josiah’s reign, announces “the day of the Lord” with vivid imagery of judgment and eventual restoration; his lineage (great-grandson of Hezekiah) may link him to royal circles; his concise, poetic book blends doom and hope, making it a model for prophetic lyricism and ethical urgency in times of complacency.
Also Known As
Zephaniah the Prophet Zephaniah son of Cushi
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