John Calvin Commentary Zephaniah 3:4

"Her prophets are light and treacherous persons; her priests have profaned the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law." — Zephaniah 3:4 (ASV)

The Prophet again returns to the pollution and filth that he spoke about in the first verse. He shows that he had not cried against the polluted city without reason; for though the Jews used their washings, they still could not make themselves clean in this way before God, as their entire religion was corrupted by them.

He says that the Prophets were light. He alone speaks here, and he condemns the many. From this we see that there is no reason why the ungodly should cite their large numbers when God accuses them by His word.

The Papists do this today, denying that it is right for one or two, or a few men, to speak against their impiety, however bad the situation may be. They insist that the consent of the whole world is required, as if the Prophet were not alone and did not have to contend with many.

It is indeed true that he taught at the same time as the Prophet Jeremiah, as we have seen elsewhere; but yet hardly two or three at that time faithfully discharged their office of teaching. From this and other places we learn that the false Prophets, relying on their number, were bolder on that account.

But Zephaniah did not cease for this reason to cry out against them. However much the false Prophets then raged against him and terrified him by their display of numbers, he still exercised his freedom in condemning them.

So today, though the whole world should unite in promoting impiety, there is still no reason why the few should be disheartened when they observe the worship of God being perverted. On the contrary, they ought to encourage themselves by this example and strenuously resist thousands of men if necessary, for no union formed by men can possibly lessen the authority of God.

It now follows that they were men of transgressions. What we translate as light, others translate as empty (vacuous); but the word פוחזים, puchezim, strictly means worthless men, and also the rash, and those who are lacking judgment as well as all moderation.

In short, it is as if the Prophet had said that they were stupid and blind. He says afterwards that they were fraudulent, and nothing is more inconsistent with the Prophetic office than this.

But Zephaniah shows that the whole order had then so degenerated among the people that the deepest darkness prevailed among those very leaders whose office it was to bring out the light of heavenly truth. And he makes a concession by calling them Prophets. We do the same today when we speak of Popish bishops.

It is indeed certain that they are unworthy of such an honorable title, for they are blinder than moles, so that they are far from being overseers. We also know that they are like brute beasts, for they are immersed in their lusts; in short, they are unworthy to be called men. But we concede this title to them so that their depravity may be more apparent.

The Prophet did the same when he said that the Jews did not draw near to their God; he conceded to them what they boasted, for they always wished to be regarded as the holy and special people of God.

But their ingratitude therefore became more evident because they turned back and turned to another object when God was ready to embrace them, as if they intentionally meant to show that they had nothing to do with Him.

It is, then, the same manner of speaking that Zephaniah adopts here when he says that the Prophets were light and men of transgressions.

He then adds, The priests have polluted the holy place. The tribe of Levi, we know, had been chosen by God, and those who descended from him were to be ministers and teachers to others. For this reason, the Lord in the law ordered the Levites to be dispersed throughout the whole country.

He might indeed have given them, like the others, a fixed habitation; but His will was that they should be dispersed among the whole population, so that no part of the land should be without good and faithful ministers. The Prophet now charges them that they had polluted the holy place.

By the word קדש, kodash, the Prophet means whatever is holy; at the same time, he speaks of the sanctuary. Moreover, since the sanctuary was, so to speak, the dwelling-place of God, when the Prophets speak of divine worship and religion, they include the whole under the word Temple, as in this place.

He says then that the sanctuary was polluted by the priests, and then that they took away or subverted the law.

Here we see how boldly the Prophet charges the priests. There is, then, no reason why those who are divinely appointed over the Church should claim for themselves the freedom to do whatever they please, for the priests might have boasted of this privilege: that without dispute everything was lawful for them.

But we see that God not only calls them to order by His Prophets but even blames them more than others because they were less excusable. Now the Papists boast that the clergy, even the very dregs collected from the filthiest filth, cannot err; this is extremely absurd, for they are not better than the successors of Aaron.

But we see what the Prophet now objects to them: that they subverted the law. He not only condemns their life but also says that they were treacherous towards God, for they grievously corrupted the whole truth of religion. The Papists confess that they indeed can sin, but that the sin dwells only in their moral conduct.

Yet they seek to exempt themselves from all the danger of going astray. Though the Levitical priests were indeed chosen by the very voice of God, yet we see that they were apostates.

But God confirms the godly so that they might not abandon themselves to impiety, even though they saw their very leaders going astray and rushing headlong into ruin.

For it was necessary for the faithful to fortify themselves with constancy when the priests not only by their bad conduct withdrew the people from every fear of God but also perverted every sound doctrine; it was necessary, I say, for the faithful to remain invincible then.

Though today those who hold the highest dignity in the Church neglect God and even despise every heavenly truth, and thus rush headlong into ruin, and though they attempt to turn God’s truth into falsehood, yet let our faith continue firm, for John has not declared without reason, that it ought to be victorious against the whole world (1 John 5:4).