Sofonias Prophet

Description

Zephaniah (/zɛfəˈnaɪ.ə/, Hebrew: צְפַנְיָה, Modern: Ṣəfanya, Tiberian: Ṣep̄anyā, “Concealed of/is YHWH”; Greek: Σοφονίας – Sōfənīəs) is the name of several people in the Hebrew Bible; the most prominent being the prophet who prophesied in the days of Josiah, king of Judah (640–609 BCE) and is attributed a book bearing his name among the Twelve Minor Prophets. His name is commonly transliterated Sophonias in Bibles translated from the Vulgate or Septuagint. The name might mean “Yahweh has hidden/protected,” or “Yah lies in wait”. The church father Jerome interpreted the name to mean “the watchman of the Lord”.
The best known Biblical figure bearing the name Zephaniah is the son of Cushi, and great-great grandson of King Hezekiah, ninth in the literary order of the Twelve Minor Prophets. He prophesied in the days of Josiah, ruler of the Kingdom of Judah (640–609 BCE), but before Josiah’s reform in 621 BCE, and was contemporary with Jeremiah, with whom he had much in common. The unique source containing the minimal knowledge of his personality and rhetorical and literary qualities is the short, three chapter book of the Old Testament which bears his name. The scene of his activity was the city of Jerusalem, which he seems to know well. The existence of two Zephaniahs linked to the book is considered purely hypothetical.