Zephaniah 1:5 those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom,

◄ Zephaniah 1:5 ►

New International Version
those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the LORD and who also swear by Molek,

New Living Translation
For they go up to their roofs and bow down to the sun, moon, and stars. They claim to follow the LORD, but then they worship Molech, too.

English Standard Version
those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by Milcom,

Berean Standard Bible
those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom,

King James Bible
And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;

New King James Version
Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; Those who worship and swear oaths by the LORD, But who also swear by Milcom;

New American Standard Bible
“And those who bow down on the housetops to the heavenly lights, And those who bow down and swear to the LORD, but also swear by Milcom,

NASB 1995
“And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven, And those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by Milcom,

NASB 1977
“And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven, And those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by Milcom,

Legacy Standard Bible
And those who worship on the housetops the host of heaven, And those who worship and swear to Yahweh and yet swear by Milcom,

Amplified Bible
And those who bow down and worship the host of heaven [the sun, the moon, and the stars] on their housetops And those who bow down and swear [oaths] to [and pretend to worship] the LORD and [yet also] swear by [the pagan god called] Milcom [god of the Ammonites],

Christian Standard Bible
those who bow in worship on the rooftops to the stars in the sky; those who bow and pledge loyalty to the LORD but also pledge loyalty to Milcom;

Holman Christian Standard Bible
those who bow in worship on the rooftops to the heavenly host; those who bow and pledge loyalty to the LORD but also pledge loyalty to Milcom;

American Standard Version
and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship, that swear to Jehovah and swear by Malcam;

Contemporary English Version
Not a trace will be found of those who worship stars from their rooftops, or bow down to the god Milcom, while claiming loyalty to me, the LORD.

English Revised Version
and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship, which swear to the LORD and swear by Malcam;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I will remove those who worship all the stars in the sky on their rooftops and those who worship by swearing loyalty to the LORD while also swearing loyalty to the god Milcom.

Good News Translation
I will destroy anyone who goes up on the roof and worships the sun, the moon, and the stars. I will also destroy those who worship me and swear loyalty to me, but then take oaths in the name of the god Molech.

International Standard Version
I'll wipe out those who worship the stars that they view from their housetops, those who bow down and swear to the LORD and who also swear by Milcom,

Majority Standard Bible
those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom,

NET Bible
I will remove those who worship the stars in the sky from their rooftops, those who swear allegiance to the LORD while taking oaths in the name of their 'king,'

New Heart English Bible
those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops, those who worship and swear by the LORD and also swear by Milcom,

Webster's Bible Translation
And them that worship the host of heaven upon the house-tops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;

World English Bible
those who worship the army of the sky on the housetops, those who worship and swear by Yahweh and also swear by Malcam,

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And those bowing themselves "" On the roofs to the host of the heavens, "" And those bowing themselves, "" Swearing to YHWH, and swearing by Malcham,

Young's Literal Translation
And those bowing themselves On the roofs to the host of the heavens, And those bowing themselves, Swearing to Jehovah, and swearing by Malcham,

Smith's Literal Translation
And those worshiping upon the roofs to the army of the heavens, and worshiping, swearing to Jehovah, and swearing to Malcham;

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And them that worship the host of heaven upon the tops of houses, and them that adore, and swear by the Lord, and swear by Melchom.

Catholic Public Domain Version
and those who adore the military campaign over the ceiling of the sky, both those who adore and swear by the Lord, and those who swear by Melchom,

New American Bible
And those who bow down on the roofs to the host of heaven, And those who bow down to the LORD but swear by Milcom;

New Revised Standard Version
those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens; those who bow down and swear to the LORD, but also swear by Milcom;

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And all of those who worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and all who worship and swear by the LORD and also swear by Malcom;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And all who worship the hosts of Heaven have been on housetops, and all who have been worshiping and swearing by LORD JEHOVAH and swearing by Malcom

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; And them that worship, that swear to the LORD And swear by Malcam;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and them that worship the host of heaven upon the house-tops; and them that worship and swear by the Lord, and them that swear by their king;

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Zephaniah Prophesies Judgment on Judah
…4“I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all who dwell in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place every remnant of Baal, the names of the idolatrous and pagan priests— 5 those who bow on the rooftops to worship the host of heaven, those who bow down and swear by the LORD but also swear by Milcom, 6and those who turn back from following the LORD, neither seeking the LORD nor inquiring of Him.”…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

2 Kings 23:5
Josiah also did away with the idolatrous priests ordained by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem—those who had burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.

2 Kings 23:10
He also desecrated Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.

2 Kings 23:13
The king also desecrated the high places east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Corruption, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

Jeremiah 19:13
The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like that place, Topheth—all the houses on whose rooftops they burned incense to all the host of heaven and poured out drink offerings to other gods.”

Jeremiah 32:29
And the Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will come in, set it on fire, and burn it, along with the houses of those who provoked Me to anger by burning incense to Baal on their rooftops and by pouring out drink offerings to other gods.

1 Kings 11:5-7
Solomon followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. / So Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD; unlike his father David, he did not follow the LORD completely. / At that time on a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites.

1 Kings 11:33
For they have forsaken Me to worship Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in My ways, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept My statutes and judgments, as Solomon’s father David did.

Hosea 2:17
For I will remove from her lips the names of the Baals; no longer will their names be invoked.

Deuteronomy 4:19
When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.

Deuteronomy 17:3
and going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which I have forbidden—

Ezekiel 8:16
So He brought me to the inner court of the house of the LORD, and there at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east; and they were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.

Ezekiel 20:39
And as for you, O house of Israel, this is what the Lord GOD says: Go and serve your idols, every one of you. But afterward, you will surely listen to Me, and you will no longer defile My holy name with your gifts and idols.

Amos 5:26
You have taken along Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your star god, the idols you made for yourselves.

Acts 7:42-43
But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: ‘Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? / You have taken along the tabernacle of Molech and the star of your god Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’

Romans 1:25
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.

Treasury of Scripture

And them that worship the host of heaven on the housetops; and them that worship and that swear by the LORD, and that swear by Malcham;

worship.

2 Kings 23:12
And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, did the king beat down, and brake them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron.

Jeremiah 19:13
And the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses of the kings of Judah, shall be defiled as the place of Tophet, because of all the houses upon whose roofs they have burned incense unto all the host of heaven, and have poured out drink offerings unto other gods.

Jeremiah 32:29
And the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to anger.

and them.

1 Kings 18:21
And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

2 Kings 17:33,41
They feared the LORD, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations whom they carried away from thence…

Matthew 6:24
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

and that.

Deuteronomy 10:20
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name.

Isaiah 48:1
Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.

Jeremiah 4:2
And thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.

by the Lord.

Isaiah 44:5
One shall say, I am the LORD'S; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.

Isaiah 45:23
I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

Romans 14:11
For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

swear by.

Joshua 23:7
That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:

Malcham.

1 Kings 11:33
Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

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Zephaniah 1

1. The time when Zephaniah prophesied.
2. God's severe judgments against Judah.

Berean Study Bible

those who bow on the rooftops
In ancient Near Eastern cultures, rooftops were often used as places of worship and prayer. The Hebrew word for "bow" here is "שָׁחָה" (shachah), which means to prostrate oneself in worship or submission. This phrase indicates a syncretistic practice where people would ascend to their rooftops to engage in idolatrous worship, a direct violation of the first commandment. The rooftops, being elevated, were thought to bring worshippers closer to the celestial bodies they revered, highlighting the people's misguided attempts to reach the divine through their own means rather than through God's ordained ways.

to worship the host of heaven
The "host of heaven" refers to the sun, moon, stars, and other celestial bodies. In the ancient world, these were often deified and worshipped as gods. The Hebrew term "צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם" (tzeva ha-shamayim) underscores the organized and powerful nature of these celestial entities, which were mistakenly revered as divine forces. This practice was strictly forbidden in Israelite religion, as seen in Deuteronomy 4:19, where God warns against being "enticed to bow down to them and worship." The worship of the heavenly host represents a turning away from the Creator to the creation, a fundamental error in understanding God's sovereignty and uniqueness.

those who bow and swear by the LORD
Here, the act of bowing and swearing by the LORD (Yahweh) suggests a superficial allegiance to the God of Israel. The Hebrew word for "swear" is "נִשְׁבָּע" (nishba), which implies making a solemn oath or covenant. This phrase highlights the duplicity of the people who outwardly profess loyalty to Yahweh while their hearts are divided. It reflects a form of religious syncretism where the worship of Yahweh is mixed with pagan practices, diluting the purity of faith that God demands.

but also swear by Milcom
Milcom, also known as Molech, was the national god of the Ammonites, often associated with child sacrifice and other detestable practices. The Hebrew name "מִלְכֹּם" (Milkom) is derived from the root "מֶלֶךְ" (melech), meaning "king," indicating the high status this deity held among its worshippers. Swearing by Milcom signifies a divided loyalty and a breach of the covenant relationship with Yahweh. This dual allegiance is condemned throughout the Scriptures, as it represents a betrayal of the exclusive worship that God requires. The juxtaposition of swearing by Yahweh and Milcom underscores the spiritual adultery of the people, who fail to recognize the incompatibility of serving both God and idols.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 5. - I will also stretch out mine hand. This expression is used when God is about to do great things or inflict notable punishment (see Exodus 3:20; Exodus 15:12; Deuteronomy 4:34; Isaiah 5:25; Jeremiah 51:25, etc.). Judah. In so far as Judah was rebellious and wicked, it should incur the judicial punishment. Judgment was to begin at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17), the sin of the chosen people being more heinous than that of heathens. Hence it is added, upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, because, having in their very midst the temple of God, with its services and priests, they ought especially to have abhorred idolatry and maintained the true faith. The remnant of Baal; i.e. the last vestige. One cannot argue from this expression that the reform was already carried so far that Baal worship had almost disappeared. The next verse shows that idolatry still flourished; but the term implies merely that God would exterminate it so entirely that no trace of it should remain. The LXX. has, "the names of Baal," τὰ ὀνόματα τῆς Βάαλ (Hosea 2:17). (For Josiah's reform of these iniquities, see 2 Kings 23:4, etc.) The name of the Chemarims (Chemarim). The word means "black-robed," and is applied to the idolatrous priests whom the kings had appointed to conduct worship in high places (2 Kings 23:5; Hosea 10:5). "The name," says Dr. Pussy, "is probably the Syriac name of 'priest,' used in Holy Scripture of idolatrous priests, because the Syrians were idolaters" Not only shall the persons of these priests be cut off, but their very name and memory shall vanish (Zechariah 13:2). With the priests (kohanim). Together with the legitimate priests who had corrupted the worship of Jehovah (Zephaniah 3:4; Jeremiah 2:8; Ezekiel 8:11). Verse 5. - That worship the host of heaven upon the house tops. In this verse two classes of fame worshippers are mentioned, viz. star worshippers, and waverers. The worship of the sun, moon, and stars was a very ancient form of error, the heavenly bodies being regarded as the representatives of the powers of nature and the originators of events on earth (see Deuteronomy 4:19; Deuteronomy 17:3; Job 31:26, 27; 2 Kings 17:16). It was especially prevalent in the time of Manasseh (2 Kings 21:3), On the flat roofs of the houses, which were used as places of meditation, recreation, or conference (comp. Joshua 2:6; 1 Samuel 9:25; 2 Samuel 11:2; Acts 10:9), they erected altars for family worship of the heavenly bodies. Here they both burned incense (Jeremiah 19:13) and offered animal sacrifices (2 Kings 23:12). "In Syrian cities," says Dr. Thomson, "the roofs are a great comfort. The ordinary houses have no other place where the inmates, can either see the sun, smell the air, dry their clothes, set out their flower pots, or do numberless other things essential to their health and comfort. During a large part of the year the roof is the most agreeable place about the establishment, especially in the morning and evening. There multitudes sleep during the summer" ('The Land and the Book,' p. 39). Them that worship and that, etc.; rather, the worshippers who, etc. These were people who endeavoured to blend the worship of God with that of Baal, or halted between two opinions (1 Kings 18:21). Swear by the Lord; rather, swear to the Lord; i.e. bind themselves by oath to him, and at the same time swear by Malcham; swear by their king, Baal, or Moloch; call upon him as god. Septuagint, κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτῶν, "by their king." But it is, perhaps, best to retain the name untranslated, in which ease it would be the appellation of the god Moloch, who could hardly be omitted in enumerating the objects of idolatrous worship (see Jeremiah 49:1, 3; and notes on Amos 1:15; 5:26).

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

those who bow
הַמִּשְׁתַּחֲוִ֥ים (ham·miš·ta·ḥă·wîm)
Article | Verb - Hitpael - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 7812: To depress, prostrate

on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the rooftops
הַגַּגּ֖וֹת (hag·gag·gō·wṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1406: A roof, the top of an altar

to worship the heavenly
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם (haš·šā·mā·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

host,
לִצְבָ֣א (liṣ·ḇā)
Preposition-l | Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 6635: A mass of persons, reg, organized for, war, a campaign

those who bow down
הַמִּֽשְׁתַּחֲוִים֙ (ham·miš·ta·ḥă·wîm)
Article | Verb - Hitpael - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 7812: To depress, prostrate

and swear
הַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֣ים (han·niš·bā·‘îm)
Article | Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 7650: To seven oneself, swear

by the LORD
לַֽיהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

but also swear
וְהַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֖ים (wə·han·niš·bā·‘îm)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 7650: To seven oneself, swear

by Molech,
בְּמַלְכָּֽם׃ (bə·mal·kām)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 4445: Malcham -- a Benjamite

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OT Prophets: Zephaniah 1:5 Those who worship the army (Zeph. Zep Zp)