Zephaniah 2:4
New International Version
Gaza will be abandoned and Ashkelon left in ruins. At midday Ashdod will be emptied and Ekron uprooted.

New Living Translation
Gaza and Ashkelon will be abandoned, Ashdod and Ekron torn down.

English Standard Version
For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod’s people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted.

Berean Standard Bible
For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon left in ruins. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted.

King James Bible
For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

New King James Version
For Gaza shall be forsaken, And Ashkelon desolate; They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, And Ekron shall be uprooted.

New American Standard Bible
For Gaza will be abandoned, And Ashkelon will become a desolation; The inhabitants of Ashdod will be driven out at noon, And Ekron will be uprooted.

NASB 1995
For Gaza will be abandoned And Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon And Ekron will be uprooted.

NASB 1977
For Gaza will be abandoned, And Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon, And Ekron will be uprooted.

Legacy Standard Bible
For Gaza will be forsaken And Ashkelon a desolation; Ashdod will be driven out at noon, And Ekron will be uprooted.

Amplified Bible
For [this is the fate of the Philistines:] Gaza will be abandoned And Ashkelon a desolation; [The people of] Ashdod will be driven out at noon [in broad daylight] And Ekron will be uprooted and destroyed.

Christian Standard Bible
For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will become a ruin. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon will become a ruin. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted.

American Standard Version
For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation; they shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

Contemporary English Version
Gaza and Ashkelon will be deserted and left in ruins. Ashdod will be emptied in broad daylight, and Ekron uprooted.

English Revised Version
For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noonday, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Gaza will be deserted, and Ashkelon will be destroyed. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be torn out by the roots.

Good News Translation
No one will be left in the city of Gaza. Ashkelon will be deserted. The people of Ashdod will be driven out in half a day, and the people of Ekron will be driven from their city.

International Standard Version
"For Gaza will be forsaken, and Ashkelon deserted— Ashdod will be emptied at high noon; even Ekron will be uprooted.

Majority Standard Bible
For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon left in ruins. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted.

NET Bible
Indeed, Gaza will be deserted and Ashkelon will become a heap of ruins. Invaders will drive away the people of Ashdod by noon, and Ekron will be overthrown.

New Heart English Bible
For Gaza will be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation. They will drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron will be rooted up.

Webster's Bible Translation
For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

World English Bible
For Gaza will be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation. They will drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron will be rooted up.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For Gaza is forsaken, "" And Ashkelon [is] for a desolation, "" Ashdod! At noon they cast her forth, "" And Ekron is rooted up.

Young's Literal Translation
For Gaza is forsaken, And Ashkelon is for a desolation, Ashdod! at noon they do cast her forth, And Ekron is rooted up.

Smith's Literal Translation
For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon for a desolation: they shall thrust out Ashdod at noon, and Ekron shall be rooted up.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For Gaza shall be destroyed, and Ascalon shall be a desert, they shall cast out Azotus at noonday, and Accaron shall be rooted up.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For Gaza will be destroyed, and Ashkelon will be in the desert; they will expel Ashdod at midday, and Ekron will be eradicated.

New American Bible
For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon shall be a waste, Ashdod they shall drive out at midday, and Ekron shall be uprooted.

New Revised Standard Version
For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod’s people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For Gaza shall be deserted and Ashkelon a desolation; they shall carry captive Ashdod's people at the noon day, and Ekron shall be uprooted.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Because Aza will be abandoned, and Ashqelon will be for destruction; at noonday they shall take Ashdod and Aqron shall be uprooted
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For Gaza shall be forsaken, And Ashkelon a desolation; They shall drive out Ashdod at the noonday, And Ekron shall be rooted up.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For Gaza shall be utterly spoiled, and Ascalon shall be destroyed; and Azotus shall be cast forth at noon-day, and Accaron shall be rooted up.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Judgment on the Philistines
4For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon left in ruins. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted. 5Woe to the dwellers of the seacoast, O nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD is against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines: “I will destroy you, and no one will be left.”…

Cross References
Amos 1:6-8
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Gaza, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they exiled a whole population, delivering them up to Edom. / So I will send fire upon the walls of Gaza, to consume its citadels. / I will cut off the ruler of Ashdod and the one who wields the scepter in Ashkelon. I will turn My hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines will perish,” says the Lord GOD.

Jeremiah 47:1-7
This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet about the Philistines before Pharaoh struck down Gaza. / This is what the LORD says: “See how the waters are rising from the north and becoming an overflowing torrent. They will overflow the land and its fullness, the cities and their inhabitants. The people will cry out, and all who dwell in the land will wail / at the sound of the galloping hooves of stallions, the rumbling of chariots, and the clatter of their wheels. The fathers will not turn back for their sons; their hands will hang limp. ...

Ezekiel 25:15-17
This is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Because the Philistines acted in vengeance, taking vengeance with malice of soul to destroy Judah with ancient hostility, / therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I will stretch out My hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the remnant along the coast. / I will execute great vengeance against them with furious reproof. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I lay My vengeance upon them.’”

Isaiah 14:29-31
Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken. For a viper will spring from the root of the snake, and a flying serpent from its egg. / Then the firstborn of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety, but I will kill your root by famine, and your remnant will be slain. / Wail, O gate! Cry out, O city! Melt away, all you Philistines! For a cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there are no stragglers in its ranks.

Joel 3:4-8
Now what do you have against Me, O Tyre, Sidon, and all the regions of Philistia? Are you rendering against Me a recompense? If you retaliate against Me, I will swiftly and speedily return your recompense upon your heads. / For you took My silver and gold and carried off My finest treasures to your temples. / You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, to send them far from their homeland. ...

Zechariah 9:5-7
Ashkelon will see and fear; Gaza will writhe in agony, as will Ekron, for her hope will wither. There will cease to be a king in Gaza, and Ashkelon will be uninhabited. / A mixed race will occupy Ashdod, and I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. / I will remove the blood from their mouths and the abominations from between their teeth. Then they too will become a remnant for our God; they will become like a clan in Judah, and Ekron will be like the Jebusites.

Isaiah 11:14
They will swoop down on the slopes of the Philistines to the west; together they will plunder the sons of the east. They will lay their hands on Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.

Jeremiah 25:20
all the mixed tribes; all the kings of Uz; all the kings of the Philistines: Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod;

Jeremiah 49:1-6
Concerning the Ammonites, this is what the LORD says: “Has Israel no sons? Is he without heir? Why then has Milcom taken possession of Gad? Why have his people settled in their cities? / Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites. It will become a heap of ruins, and its villages will be burned. Then Israel will drive out their dispossessors, says the LORD. / Wail, O Heshbon, for Ai has been destroyed; cry out, O daughters of Rabbah! Put on sackcloth and mourn; run back and forth within your walls, for Milcom will go into exile together with his priests and officials. ...

Obadiah 1:19
Those from the Negev will possess the mountains of Esau; those from the foothills will possess the land of the Philistines. They will occupy the fields of Ephraim and Samaria, and Benjamin will possess Gilead.

Matthew 11:21-24
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. / But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. / And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. ...

Luke 10:13-15
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. / But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. / And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades!

Acts 8:26-40
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” / So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official in charge of the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He had gone to Jerusalem to worship, / and on his return was sitting in his chariot reading Isaiah the prophet. ...

Mark 7:24-30
Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice. / Instead, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit soon heard about Jesus, and she came and fell at His feet. / Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. ...

Matthew 15:21-28
Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. / And a Canaanite woman from that region came to Him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is miserably possessed by a demon.” / But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” ...


Treasury of Scripture

For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.

Gaza.

Jeremiah 25:20
And all the mingled people, and all the kings of the land of Uz, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod,

Jeremiah 47:1-7
The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza…

Ezekiel 25:15-17
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred; …

at.

Psalm 91:6
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

Jeremiah 6:4
Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

Jeremiah 15:8
Their widows are increased to me above the sand of the seas: I have brought upon them against the mother of the young men a spoiler at noonday: I have caused him to fall upon it suddenly, and terrors upon the city.

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Abandoned Ashdod Ashkelon Ash'kelon Cast Deserted Desolation Drive Driven Ekron Emptied Forsaken Forth Gaza Midday Noon Noonday Rooted Ruins Uprooted Waste
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Zephaniah 2
1. An exhortation to repentance.
4. The judgment of the Philistines,
8. of Moab and Ammon,
12. of Ethiopia,
13. and of Assyria.














For Gaza will be abandoned
The Hebrew word for "Gaza" is "עַזָּה" (Azzah), one of the five major Philistine cities. Historically, Gaza was a significant trade center due to its strategic location on the coastal route between Egypt and Mesopotamia. The term "abandoned" in Hebrew is "עֲזוּבָה" (azuvah), indicating a complete forsaking or leaving behind. This prophecy foretells a divine judgment where Gaza, once bustling with activity, will be left desolate, symbolizing the futility of relying on worldly power and alliances instead of God.

and Ashkelon will lie in ruins
"Ashkelon" (אַשְׁקְלוֹן, Ashqelon) was another prominent Philistine city known for its fortifications and trade. The phrase "will lie in ruins" translates from the Hebrew "שְׁמָמָה" (shemamah), meaning devastation or desolation. This imagery of destruction serves as a warning of the consequences of sin and rebellion against God. It reflects the broader biblical theme that earthly glory is temporary and subject to divine judgment.

At midday Ashdod will be deserted
"Ashdod" (אַשְׁדּוֹד, Ashdod) was a key Philistine city, often associated with idolatry and opposition to Israel. The mention of "midday" (צָהֳרַיִם, tsohorayim) is significant; it was the time of day when cities were most active and secure. The prophecy that Ashdod will be "deserted" (שָׁמֵם, shamem) at such a time underscores the suddenness and completeness of God's judgment. It serves as a reminder that no human strength or timing can withstand the will of God.

and Ekron will be uprooted
"Ekron" (עֶקְרוֹן, Eqron) was the northernmost of the Philistine cities, often associated with Baal worship. The term "uprooted" (עָקַר, akar) conveys a sense of being torn out by the roots, leaving no chance for regrowth. This reflects the totality of God's judgment against those who persist in idolatry and sin. The imagery of uprooting also serves as a metaphor for divine cleansing, where God removes evil to restore holiness and righteousness.

Verses 4-7. - § 2. The admonition is enforced by the announcement of the punishment that is about to fall on various nations, which shall prepare the way for the general acceptance of true religion; and first the sentence shall reach the Philistines. Verse 4. - There is reason enough why Judah should tremble when the nations around her, such as the powerful and turbulent Philistines, fall before the invading host. Four of the five cities of the Philistines are mentioned, as denoting the whole territory, which again is the representative of the heathen world more definitely particularized later on. Thus the four quarters of the world are virtually specified: the Philistines representing the west,, the Moabites and Ammonites (vers. 8-10) the east, the Cushites (vers. 11, 12) the south, and the Assyrians (vers. 13-15) the north. Gaza (see note on Amos 1:6) shall be forsaken; depopulated and desolate. There is a paronomasia in the Hebrew: Azzah will be azubhah. Some of the other localities are treated in the same manner (comp. Micah 1:10-15, and notes there). Ashkelon a desolation (see note on Amos 1:8). They shall drive out Ashdod. The inhabitants shall be expelled. (For Ashdod, see note on Amos, loc. cit.) At the noon day. The hottest part of the day, the most unlikely time for a hostile attack, hence the expression is equivalent to "unexpectedly and suddenly" (comp. Jeremiah 15:8). Ekron shall be rooted up. In the Hebrew paronomasia, Ekron ("the Deep-rooted") shall be teaker. (For Ekron, see note on Amos, loc. cit., where the fulfilment of prophecy concerning that town is noted.) Gaza (see note on Amos 1:7), after being depopulated and again re-peopled by Alexander the Great, fell into the hands of Ptolemy, and was destroyed by Antiochus, B.C. 198 (Polybius, 'Reliq.,' 16:40; Pusey, p. 457). Often rebuilt, it was as often razed to the ground; and the present representative of the ancient town, Ghuzzeh, stands upon a hill composed of the accumulated ruins of successive cities. Of the condition of Ashkelon, Dr. Thomson writes, "There are no buildings of the ancient city now standing, but broken columns are mixed up with the soil .... Let us climb to the top of these tall fragments at the southeast angle of the wall, and we shell have the whole scene of desolation before us, stretching terrace after terrace, quite down to the sea on the northwest .... No site in this country has so deeply impressed my mind with sadness. They have stretched out upon Ashkelon the line of confusion and the stones of emptiness. Thorns have come up in her palaces, and brambles in the fortresses thereof, and it is a habitation of dragons and a court for owls (Isaiah 34:11-13)" ('The Land and the Book,' p. 546). "It was for ages," says Dr. Porter, "a great and strong city. Under the Philistines, the Hebrews, the Greeks, the Romans, the Saracens, the Crusaders, it was a place of note. The shattered walls that still surround the site were built by Richard Coeur de Lion. When I first clambered to the top of a broken bastion, a scene of desolation burst suddenly upon my view for which I was not prepared, though I had seen Baal-bec and Palmyra, Heliopolis and Memphis. The whole site was before me, and not a fragment of a house standing. One small section was covered with little gardens; but over the rest of the site lay smooth rounded hillocks of drifting sand. The sand is fast advancing - so fast, that probably ere the close of the century the site of Ascalon will have been blotted out forever" ('Illust. of Bible Proph.,' p. 21). As for Ekron, hod. Akir, travellers note that it is now a little village, consisting of about fifty mud houses, without a remnant of antiquity except two large walls; its very ruins have vanished. The omission of Gath, a town at this time of small importance (see note on Amos 1:6), is probably owing to a feeling of the symbolism of numbers, four denoting completion, or the whole, like "the four winds, the four ends of the earth," etc.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּ֤י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

Gaza
עַזָּה֙ (‘az·zāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 5804: A Philistine city

will be
תִֽהְיֶ֔ה (ṯih·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

abandoned,
עֲזוּבָ֣ה (‘ă·zū·ḇāh)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine singular
Strong's 5800: To loosen, relinquish, permit

and Ashkelon
וְאַשְׁקְל֖וֹן (wə·’aš·qə·lō·wn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 831: Ashkelon -- a city of the Philistines

left in ruins.
לִשְׁמָמָ֑ה (liš·mā·māh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8077: Devastation, astonishment

Ashdod
אַשְׁדּ֗וֹד (’aš·dō·wḏ)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 795: Ashdod -- a city of the Philistines

will be driven out
יְגָ֣רְשׁ֔וּהָ (yə·ḡā·rə·šū·hā)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person feminine singular
Strong's 1644: To drive out from a, possession, to expatriate, divorce

at noon,
בַּֽצָּהֳרַ֙יִם֙ (baṣ·ṣā·ho·ra·yim)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6672: A light, double light, noon

and Ekron
וְעֶקְר֖וֹן (wə·‘eq·rō·wn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 6138: Ekron -- a Philistine city

will be uprooted.
תֵּעָקֵֽר׃ (tê·‘ā·qêr)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 6131: To pluck up, to hamstring, to exterminate


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OT Prophets: Zephaniah 2:4 For Gaza will be forsaken and Ashkelon (Zeph. Zep Zp)
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