Zephaniah 2:1
Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;
Original Language Analysis
וָק֑וֹשּׁוּ
Gather yourselves together
H7197
וָק֑וֹשּׁוּ
Gather yourselves together
Strong's:
H7197
Word #:
1 of 5
to forage for straw, stubble or wood; figuratively, to assemble
וָק֑וֹשּׁוּ
Gather yourselves together
H7197
וָק֑וֹשּׁוּ
Gather yourselves together
Strong's:
H7197
Word #:
2 of 5
to forage for straw, stubble or wood; figuratively, to assemble
הַגּ֖וֹי
O nation
H1471
הַגּ֖וֹי
O nation
Strong's:
H1471
Word #:
3 of 5
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
Cross References
Joel 1:14Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD,2 Chronicles 20:4And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.Nehemiah 9:1Now in the twenty and fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.Nehemiah 8:1And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.Esther 4:16Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.Jeremiah 3:3Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.Jeremiah 6:15Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.Zechariah 11:8Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul lothed them, and their soul also abhorred me.Matthew 18:20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Historical Context
This call to national repentance resonates with King Josiah's reforms (2 Kings 22-23), when the rediscovered Law sparked widespread repentance. However, Jeremiah reveals the reforms were largely superficial (Jeremiah 3:10), and judgment came a generation later.
Questions for Reflection
- When has God's mercy appeared as a 'window' before judgment—a call to urgent repentance before it's too late?
- What makes a 'nation not desired'—what cultural shamelessness and spiritual complacency do you observe today?
- How should the church respond when it has become indistinguishable from the surrounding culture—'a nation not desired'?
Analysis & Commentary
Gather yourselves together (הִתְקוֹשְׁשׁוּ וָקוֹשּׁוּ hitqosheshu vaqoshu)—The doubled verb intensifies the urgency: 'gather, yes gather!' This unusual Hebrew root may suggest collecting stubble before it's burned, giving the phrase poignant irony.
O nation not desired (הַגּוֹי לֹא נִכְסָף hagoy lo nikhsaf)—'Not desired' or 'having no shame/longing.' Judah had become like the pagan nations (goy), shameless and undesirable. Yet God's call to gather implies a window of opportunity before final judgment—a summons to corporate repentance like Nineveh's response to Jonah (Jonah 3:5-9).