Zephaniah

/zef'euh nuy"euh/, n.

1. a Minor Prophet of the 7th century B.C.

2. a book of the Bible bearing his name.

Abbr.: Zeph.

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flourished 7th century BC

One of the 12 Minor Prophets of the Hebrew scriptures, traditional author of the book of Zephaniah.

(The work is part of a larger book, The Twelve, in the Jewish canon.) He prophesied in the reign of Josiah, denouncing the worship of foreign gods, which suggests that he preached before the reforms instituted by Josiah. His dominant theme is the coming "day of the Lord," a time of divine judgment for Judah's sins.

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▪ Hebrew prophet

also spelled  Sophonias  

flourished 7th century BC

      Israelite prophet, said to be the author of one of the shorter Old Testament prophetical books, who proclaimed the approaching divine judgment. The first verse of the Book of Zephaniah makes him a contemporary of Josiah, king of Judah (reigned c. 640–609 BC). The prophet's activity, however, probably occurred during the early part of Josiah's reign, for his criticism of the worship of certain gods in Jerusalem (Baal, Milcom, and the host of the heavens) would have been meaningless after Josiah's reform, which took place about 623/622 BC.

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