Zephaniah 3:4

3:4 Her prophets are proud;

they are deceitful men.

Her priests defile what is holy;

they break God’s laws.


sn Applied to prophets, the word פֹּחֲזִים (pokhazim, “proud”) probably refers to their audacity in passing off their own words as genuine prophecies from the Lord (see Jer 23:32).

tn Or “defile the temple.”

sn These priests defile what is holy by not observing the proper distinctions between what is ritually clean and unclean (see Ezek 22:26).

tn Heb “they treat violently [the] law.”