Discovery BoxZephaniah 1:8-9 
Context1:8 “On the day of the Lord’s sacrificial meal,
I will punish the princes 1 and the king’s sons,
and all who wear foreign styles of clothing. 2
1:9 On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, 3
who fill the house of their master 4 with wealth taken by violence and deceit. 5
1 tn Or “officials” (NRSV, TEV); NLT “leaders.”
2 sn The very dress of the royal court, foreign styles of clothing, revealed the degree to which Judah had assimilated foreign customs.
3 sn The point of the statement all who hop over the threshold is unclear. A ritual or superstition associated with the Philistine god Dagon may be in view (see 1 Sam 5:5).
4 tn The referent of “their master” is unclear. The king or a pagan god may be in view.
5 tn Heb “who fill…with violence and deceit.” The expression “violence and deceit” refers metonymically to the wealth taken by oppressive measures.
