Zephaniah

Zeph·a·ni·ah

noun \ˌze-fə-ˈnī-ə\

Definition of ZEPHANIAH

1

: a Hebrew prophet of the seventh century b.c.

2

: an apocalyptic book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture — see bible table

Origin of ZEPHANIAH

Hebrew Ṣĕphanyāh

First Known Use: 1568

Rhymes with ZEPHANIAH

Hezekiah, jambalaya, Jeremiah, Nehemiah, Obadiah, Surabaya, Zechariah

Zephaniah

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

(flourished 7th century BC) One of the 12 Minor Prophets of the Hebrew scriptures, traditional author of the book of Zephaniah. (The work is part of a larger book, The Twelve, in the Jewish canon.) He prophesied in the reign of Josiah, denouncing the worship of foreign gods, which suggests that he preached before the reforms instituted by Josiah. His dominant theme is the coming “day of the Lord,” a time of divine judgment for Judah's sins.