In Zeph 2:3, "Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have carried out his judgment; seek justice, seek meekness, if somehow you may be hidden in the day of the Lord's fury," the prophet addresses the afflicted, the wretched, the humble, and those who are meek and pious toward God, for this is how the Hebrew word עָנָו (meek) must be described, which is usually rendered according to the Vulgate. And although they already devote themselves to the worship of God, fulfill the law, and pursue justice, they are admonished to seek Him with even greater zeal and devotion, to cultivate justice even more earnestly, and to exercise humility, meekness in difficult circumstances, and pious submission of spirit. Compare Esther. At the same time, he instills greater expectation and terror of divine judgment upon the impious, for if he doubts the deliverance of the pious, what must be thought will happen to sinners? What punishment, and how certainly, will await the impious? Saint Jerome, Ribera, Benedict, Cyril at this passage: God is sought by us if, setting aside all indolence, we ardently desire to accomplish what is acceptable to Him. With this most ardent zeal they will achieve what one may hope, that God sometimes granted to His friends, namely that they might remain safe even in the midst of public calamities. But since the prophet speaks of this matter as uncertain, and on the other hand God has so often promised rewards to His virtue, because these rewards are not certainly nor always present in this life, for this reason alone they must necessarily be transferred to the life after death, and from this manner of the prophet's speaking everyone ought to conclude this. For the prophet could not speak about the reward but only about earthly and temporal recompense, with a certain appearance of doubt. Moreover, it is sufficiently clear in itself that the fury of the Lord cannot fall upon the pious except insofar as they, as members of the whole people, labor together with the whole people from the common wound and public affliction. But that they may strive with greater fervor to avert or diminish even temporal affliction by their prayers and the merits of their virtues, he proposes certain examples of divine judgment upon foreign nations, from which among other things they may also learn this: if God is going to punish the Philistines and others who did not know Him so severely, how can you, who are so closely bound to me, hope that irritating me with the same crimes will turn out well for you with impunity? Compare Tyre at Zephaniah 2:4.
Zeph 3:12 "And I will leave in your midst a poor and needy people, and they will hope in the name of the Lord." In Hebrew עָנִי, an afflicted people who undergo affliction with pious and submissive spirit; דל, a weak, feeble people whose entire strength is hope in the Lord. We read already in Isaiah the indication that the poor will be evangelized as a sign of the Messianic time, Isaiah 61:1 in Hebrew. The same is asserted here: that the Messianic kingdom will also arise from small beginnings and its strength will be not in arms but in the name of the Lord. Albert aptly cites 1 Corinthians 1:26: "Consider your calling, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many powerful, not many noble, but God chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise," etc.
Zeph 3:13 But although they are destitute of external appearance and pomp, they will shine with internal beauty, purity, holiness, will abound in spiritual goods, will enjoy peace and the highest security. Verse 13: "The remnant of Israel will not commit iniquity nor speak lies, and a deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouth, because they themselves will pasture and recline and there will be no one to frighten them." Therefore they will be holy in work and word; holiness is implanted deeply in minds and hearts, from which words and deeds proceed. Moreover, such holiness is present is concluded from the fact that the Lord's flock dwells securely in the pastures. For peace and tranquility and abundance of crops, according to the character of the Old Testament promises, is known to be a certain indication of holiness flourishing in the people and of observance of the Lord's laws. Compare Hosea 2:21, Joel 3:18, Amos 9:13. Therefore the prophet also uses the same examples very well for delineating the holiness at the time of restoration. It is added that it is quite customary thus to describe the happiness and security of the Messianic people under God the shepherd. Compare Micah 2:12, 7:14, Ezekiel 34:23 and following. Albert aptly comprehends the argument of the promise proposed from verse 11 onwards and thus touches upon the purification of those gathered and speaks of five things: the amendment of past sin, the removal of occasions of sin, the devotion of those to be consoled, the purity of the devout, and the security of the purified. That it concerns the Messianic time, most readily confess. Compare Jerome, Jansen, Ribera, Sá, Lapide, Menochius, Tyre. Theodoret considers the poor and needy people of verse 12 to be especially the choir of Apostles. Others, however, want these things to be said historically and properly of the time and condition of the return from Babylonian exile. Compare Cyril, Theodoret, Maimonides, Sanctius mystically and spiritually of Christ's kingdom. Compare Cyril, Sanctius. From the words themselves it is plain that the prophet looks to that restoration which will follow the great judgments of God upon the nations and His people. He describes this restoration, but when it will be future he does not touch upon except only in a general way, namely that it will come into effect by divine judgments upon all. From which it is clear that Zephaniah also agrees with the other prophets in this, that he announces such a restoration. Compare Hosea 2:16, Joel 2:28, Amos 9:11, Obadiah 15, 17, Micah 2:12, 4:1, 7:11, just as Isaiah already announced especially Is 1:26, 2:1, 4:2, 9:7, 11:1, 14:1, 40:1, etc. That this is contained in the Messianic time is likewise placed in the open, but that a certain step toward it is made by a preparation which is completed in the time after the release from exile until the coming of the Messiah, no one will call into doubt who considers the history and character of that time. Whence, since a preparation must bear some similarity with that epoch of which it is the preparation, it is no wonder that in that intermediate time there were some things in which those promises seem to be shadowed forth as it were. Compare Sanctius. Although these things are so, it must nevertheless be established that the prophet described only the time of restoration, to which indeed by the gentle plan of divine providence one was to arrive through certain steps as it were. For that the Messianic time is regarded as certain is already clear and undoubted, surely an indication is that which is said about the conversion and harmony of peoples to God in verse 9. Compare Isaiah 2:1, Micah 4:1, Amos 9:12.
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