John Calvin Commentary Zephaniah 2:14

"And herds shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the pelican and the porcupine shall lodge in the capitals thereof; [their] voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he hath laid bare the cedar-work." — Zephaniah 2:14 (ASV)

The Prophet describes here the state of the city and the desolation of the country. He says that the habitations of flocks would be in the midst of the city Nineveh. The city, we know, was populous; but while there were so many men, there was no place for flocks, especially in the middle of such a celebrated city.

Therefore, no ordinary change is described here by the Prophet when he says that flocks would lie down in the middle of Nineveh; and he adds, all wild beasts. For beasts, which seek seclusion and shun the sight of men, are accustomed to come out when they find a country desolate and deserted. They then roam freely, as is the case after a slaughter in war; and when any region is emptied of its inhabitants, the wolves, the lions, and other wild beasts roam here and there at full liberty. So the Prophet says that wild beasts would come from other parts and remote places, and find a place where Nineveh once stood.

He adds that the bitterns, or the storks, or the cuckoos, and similar wild birds would be there. As to their various kinds, I make no laborious research, for it is enough to know the Prophet’s intention. Besides, the Jews themselves, who boldly affirm that either the bittern or the stork is meant, yet adduce nothing that is certain. In short, what this description means is—that the place, which a vast multitude of men inhabited before, would become so forsaken that wild beasts and nocturnal birds would be its only inhabitants.

But we must bear in mind what I have stated: that all these things were set before the Jews, so that they might patiently bear their miseries, understanding that God would become their defender. For this is the only support that remains for us under very grievous evils, as Paul reminds us in the first chapter of the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians. For he says that the time will come when the Lord will give us relief and refreshment, and that He will visit our adversaries with punishment (2 Thessalonians 1:6).

The Prophet mentions Nineveh especially, so that the Jews might know that there is nothing so great and splendid in the world that God does not consider less important than the salvation of His Church, as it is said in Isaiah, I will give Egypt as thy ransom.

So God threatens the wealthiest city, so that He might show how much He loved His chosen people. And the Jews could not have attributed this to their own worthiness; but the cause of so great a love depended on their gratuitous adoption.

It afterwards follows—