John Calvin Commentary Zephaniah 1:5

"and them that worship the host of heaven upon the housetops; and them that worship, that swear to Jehovah and swear by Malcam;" — Zephaniah 1:5 (ASV)

Zephaniah continues with the subject from the verse I explained yesterday. Since the majority of the people still adhered to their superstitions, though the pure worship of the law had been restored by Josiah, the Prophet here threatens that God would punish such ingratitude. Just as he had spoken in the last verse about the worshipers of Baal and their sacrifices, so now he goes further—stating that the Lord would execute vengeance on all the people who prayed to the host of heaven, or bowed down before the host of heaven.

It is well known that in Scripture, this term refers to those stars to which the Gentiles, because of their superior brightness, ascribed some sort of divinity. Therefore, they worshiped the sun as God, called the moon the queen of heaven, and also adored the stars.

The people, then, not only sinned by worshiping Baal but were also addicted to many superstitions, as we see happens whenever people degenerate from the genuine doctrine of true religion. They then seek out various inventions from all sides, so that they observe no limits and keep within no boundaries.

But he says that they worshipped the stars on their roofs. It is probable, as interpreters remind us, that they chose this higher place because they thought they were more visible to the stars the nearer they were to them.

For since people are crude in their ideas, they never think God is favorable to them unless he exhibits some proof or sign of a bodily presence. In short, they always seek God according to their own earthly notions.

Since, then, the Jews thought there were as many gods as there are stars in heaven, it is no wonder they ascended to the roofs of their houses, so that they might be, as it were, in the sight of their gods, and thus not waste their efforts. The superstitious never think that their devotion is observed by God unless they have before their eyes, as we have just said, some sign of his presence.

We now see, then, how this verse connects with the last. God declares that he would punish all idolaters. But since the Jews worshiped Baal, the Prophet first condemned that foreign religion; and now he adds other practices to which the Jews perversely devoted themselves, for they also worshiped all the stars, ascribing some sort of divinity to them. Then he mentions all those who worshipped and swore by their own king, and swore by Jehovah.

By these last words, the Prophet implies that the Jews had not completely rejected the law of God, for they still boasted that they worshiped the God who had adopted them and by whom they had been redeemed—the God who had commanded the temple to be built for him, and an altar on Mount Zion.

They then did not openly reject the worship of the true God, but formed such a mixture for themselves that they joined their own idols to the true God, as we see is the state of things today under the Papacy.

It seems a sufficient excuse to foolish people that they retain the name of God, and they confidently boast that the true God is worshiped by them. Yet we see that they mix many of Satan's delusions with this worship, for under the Papacy there is no end to their inventions.

When anyone devises some peculiar mode of worship, it is then connected with the rest; and thus they form such a mixture that from one God, divided into many parts, they produce a vast troop of deities. Just as today the Papists worship God and idols too, so Zephaniah had to condemn the same wickedness among the Jews.

We learn here that God’s name was not then wholly obliterated, as though the world had openly fallen away from God. For though they worshiped Jupiter, Mercury, Apollo, and other fictitious gods, they still professed to worship the only true and eternal God, the Creator of heaven and earth.

What then did the Prophet condemn? That they were not content with what the law simply and plainly prescribed, but that they devised for themselves various and foreign modes of worship. For when people take such a liberty for themselves, they no longer worship the true God, however much they may pretend to do so, since God rejects all spurious modes of worship, as he testifies especially in Ezekiel 20—he says, Go ye, worship your idols.

He shows that all kinds of worship are abominable to him whenever people depart in any measure from his pure word. For we must hold this as the main principle—that obedience is more valued by God than all sacrifices. Whenever people run after their own inventions, they depart from the true God, for they refuse to render to him what he principally requires: obedience.

But our Prophet speaks according to the common notions of people, for they pretended to be the true worshipers of God while they still adhered to their own inventions. They did not, indeed, properly speaking, worship the true God. But as they thought they did, and openly professed to do so, Zephaniah, making this concession, says: God will not allow his own worship to be profaned in this way. You seek to blend it with that of your idols; this he will not endure.

You worship the true God, and you worship your idols; but he would have himself be worshiped alone, and this he deserves. But the division which you make is nothing less than the mangling of true worship, and God will not have himself be worshiped in part in this way.

We now understand what the Prophet means here. The Jews covered their abominations with the pretext that their purpose was to worship the God of Abraham. The Prophet does not simply deny that they did this, but declares that this worship was useless and disapproved by God.

Indeed, he goes further and says that this worship, made up of various inventions, was an abominable corruption which God would punish. For he can by no means bear such an alliance—that idols should be substituted in his place, and that a part of his glory should be transferred to the inventions of people. This is the true meaning.

We learn from this how greatly deceived the Papists are, who think it is enough, provided they do not depart wholly from the worship of the only true God. For God allows and approves of no worship except when we listen to his voice, and do not turn aside either to the left hand or to the right, but submit only to what he has prescribed.

It is not strange that he connects swearing with worship, for it is a kind of divine worship. Hence the Scripture, stating a part for the whole, often mentions swearing in this sense, as including the service due to God. But the Prophet here generally pronounces a curse on all the superstitious who worshiped fictitious gods; and then he adds one kind of worship, which is swearing.

I will not speak at length here, nor is it necessary, on the subject of swearing. We know that the use of an oath is lawful when God is appealed to as a witness and a judge on important occasions. For God’s name may be invoked when a matter requires proof and is important; but God’s name is not to be introduced thoughtlessly.

Hence, two things are especially required in an oath:

1. All who swear by his name should present themselves with reverence before his tribunal and acknowledge him to be the avenger if they take his name falsely or inconsiderately.
2. The matter itself, on account of which we swear, must be considered. For if people allow themselves to swear by God’s name regarding trifling and frivolous things, it is a shameful profanation and by no means to be tolerated.

For it is a unique favor from God that he allows us to use his name when there is any controversy among us and when confirmation is necessary. Since we thus receive the use of God’s name through his kindness, it is surely a great favor. For how great is the sanctity of that name, though it serves even earthly concerns?

God then accommodates himself to us to such an extent that it is lawful for us to swear by his name. Hence, we ought to observe greater seriousness in oaths, so that no one should dare to use an oath except when necessity requires. And we should also especially be careful that God is not called as a witness to what is false.

For what a great sacrilege it is to cover a falsehood with his name, who is the eternal and immutable truth! Those then who swear falsely by his name change God, as far as they can, into what he is not.

We now sufficiently understand how swearing is a kind of divine worship, because his honor is thereby given to God. For his majesty is, as it were, brought before us; and since it is his unique role to know and discover hidden things, and also to maintain the truth, this his own work is ascribed to him.

Now when anyone swears by a mortal, or by the sun, or by the moon, or by creatures, he deprives God in part of his own honor.

We see from this that in superstitious oaths there was clear proof of idolatry. This is the reason the Prophet here condemns those who did swear by Jehovah and by Malkom; that is, those who joined their idols with the true and eternal God when they swore.

For it is a clear precept of God’s law, By the name of thy God shalt thou swear (Deuteronomy 6:13). And when the Prophets speak of the renewal of the Church, they use this form: Ye shall swear by the name of God; To me shall bend every knee; Every tongue shall swear to me.

What does all this mean? The whole world shall acknowledge me as the true God; and as every knee shall bow to me, so everyone will submit himself to my judgment. We may therefore doubtlessly conclude that God is deprived of his right whenever we swear by the sun, or by the moon, or by the dead, or by any creatures.

This evil has been common in all ages, and it still prevails today under the Papacy. They swear by the Virgin, by angels, and by the dead. They do not think that they thereby take away anything from the sovereignty of the only true God; but we see what he declares concerning them.

The Papists therefore foolishly excuse themselves when they swear by their saints, for they cannot escape the charge of sacrilege, which the Holy Spirit has stamped with perpetual infamy, since he has said that all those are abominable in the sight of God who swear by any other name than his own. And the reason is evident: for the sun, moon, and stars, and also dead or living people, are honored with the name of God when they are set up as judges.

For those who swear by the sun do the same as though they said, 'The sun is my witness and judge'; that is, 'The sun is my God.' Those who swear by the name of a king, or as profane people formerly swore, 'By the genius of their king,' ascribe to a mortal what is unique to the true God alone.

But when anyone swears by heaven or the temple, and does not think that there is any divinity in the heavens or in the temple, it is the same as though he swore by God himself, as it appears from Matthew 23:20-22. And Christ, when he forbade us to swear by heaven or by the earth, did not condemn such modes of swearing as inconsistent with his word, but only as useless and vain.

At the same time, he showed that God’s name is profaned by such expressions: They who swear by heaven, swear also by him who inhabits heaven; they who swear by the temple, swear also by him who is worshipped in the temple, and to whom sacrifices are offered.

When one swears by his head or by his life, it is a protestation, as though he said, 'As my life is dear to me.'

But those who swear by the saints, either living or dead, ascribe to mortals what is due to God. Those who swear by the sun place a dead created thing on the throne of God himself.

As for the term מלכם (melkom), it may be properly translated 'their king.' For מלך (melak), as is well known, means 'a king'; but it is here put in construction, מלכם (melkom), 'their king.' They swear by their own king.

The Prophet, I doubt not, alludes to the word מולך (Molok), which is derived from the verb 'to reign.' For though that word was commonly used by all as a proper name, it is still certain that false god was so called, as though he were a king.

And the Prophet increases the indignity by saying, They swear by Malkom. He might have simply said, 'They swear by Moloch'; but he says, They swear by Malkom. That is, they forget that I am their king and transfer my sovereignty to a dead and empty image.

God then, by an implied contrast, here exaggerates the sin of the Jews, as they sought another king for themselves when they knew that under his protection they always enjoyed sure and real safety.