1. Zephaniah 3:9–20 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

How does the theme of the day of the Lord surface in Zephaniah 3:9–20?

Zephaniah 3:9–20 (ESV)

9 “For at that time I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the LORD and serve him with one accord.

It is not as though we come to the end of the prophecy’s second section (Zephaniah 2:4 – 3:8) saying, The day of the Lord is over; what now? Zephaniah 3:9–20 continues the study of what will happen in the day of the Lord (Zephaniah 3:11, Zephaniah 3:16, Zephaniah 3:19–20); the prophet turns from speaking about the furiousness of the day of the Lord (e.g., as described in Zephaniah 1:2–17) to answering the question raised by the call of Zephaniah 3:8 to wait for the Lord in confident expectation. Because the Lord so wills, the day is double-sided—and hope has the last word.1