1. Zephaniah 1:15 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What is the function of “wrath” in this verse?

Zephaniah 1:15 (ESV)

15 A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness,

The term wrath serves as the introductory and all-inclusive term describing the day of the Lord. According to van Groningen, when this word is used in relation to God, it “adds the nuance of the fierceness of God’s wrath (Psalm 78:49) expressed in an overwhelming and complete demonstration (Isaiah 13:9). God’s wrath burns, overflows, sweeps away everything before it (Ezekiel 22:21, Ezekiel 22:31)."1