Powerful Yahweh (Zeph 2:11-2:11)

“Yahweh will be terrible

Against them.

He will shrivel

All the gods of the earth.

All the coasts,

All the islands,

Shall bow down,

Each in its place.”

Yahweh was all powerful.  He would make all the small idol gods of the earth shrivel up.  All the coasts and islands on earth would remain where they were, but they would bow down to Yahweh.  This seems like an addition here to finish up the destruction of Moab and Ammon.

The devastation of the land (Isa 7:23-7:25)

“On that day,

Every place where

There used to be a thousand vines,

Worth a thousand shekels of silver,

Will become briers.

They will become thorns.

With bow and arrows,

One will go there.

All the land

Will be briers and thorns.

All the hills

That used to be hoed with a hoe,

One will not go there

For fear of the briers,

For fear of the thorns.

But they will become a place

Where cattle are let loose.

They will become a place

Where sheep tread.”

On this faithful day, the vineyards will shrivel up. Thousands of vines worth about $23,000 in silver shekels in today’s money would be abandoned to thorns and briers. Places that were hoed before would now be overrun with briers and thorns. People would be afraid to go there because of these briers and thorns. Only the cattle would roam all over the place. The sheep would also tread on any crops that might be growing. Things would be bad, as the land was devastated.