The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917], at sacred-texts.com
Zephaniah Introduction
Book Introduction - Zephaniah
This prophet, a contemporary of Jeremiah, exercised his ministry during the reign of Josiah. It was a time of revival (2 Kings 22), but the captivity was impending, nevertheless, and Zephaniah points out the moral state which, despite the superficial revival under Josiah (Zep 2:11-13), made it inevitable.
Zephaniah is in four parts:
1. The coming invasion of Nebuchadnezzar a figure of the day of the Lord (Zephaniah 1:1 - 2:3).
2. Predictions of judgment on certain peoples (Zephaniah 2:4-15).
3. The moral state of Israel for which the captivity was to come (Zephaniah 3:1-7).
4. The judgment of the nations followed by kingdom blessing under Messiah (Zephaniah 3:8-20).