Zephaniah 1:18
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
Study Note
Study Note
The warning that 'neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath' applies the day-of-the-Lord tradition's characteristic reversal to economic security: the very instruments of earthly confidence become useless at the moment of eschatological reckoning. Zephaniah 1:14-18 is arguably the most concentrated day-of-the-Lord passage in the prophets, describing it as bitter, speedy, distress, ruin, desolation, darkness, and thick darkness in rapid succession. The phrase 'the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy' develops Deuteronomy 6:15's 'jealous God' theology into eschatological imagery, connecting covenant jealousy (anger at infidelity) with final judgment. Revelation 6:15-17 echoes this passage: kings and mighty men hide in rocks, crying for the mountains to cover them from 'the great day of his wrath' — confirming Zephaniah's day-of-the-Lord vision as the canonical background of Revelation's judgment scenes.
Other Translations
Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of Jehovah’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he will make an end, yea, a terrible end, of all them that dwell in the land.
Even their silver, even their gold, Is not able to deliver them in a day of the wrath of Jehovah, And in the fire of His jealousy consumed is the whole land, For only a hastened end doth He make Of all the inhabitants of the land!
Even their silver and their gold will not be able to keep them safe in the day of the Lord's wrath; but all the land will be burned up in the fire of his bitter wrath: for he will put an end, even suddenly, to all who are living in the land.
Cross References
The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the …
They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their …
Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide …
And the Lord rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast …
The Lord will not spare him, but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that …
And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which …
That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.
Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.
In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.