ZEEB

were as headstrong as, and even more foolish than, their predecessors. They were blind to the ludicrous insufficiency of their resources, and determined to play the game of politics against the great nations of the world. The court of Zedekiah was the centre of intrigues against the Babylonian power, and the plotters were led with promises from Egypt. Zedekiah showed him-self a weak man, unable to cope with the situation. In his fourth year ambassadors appeared at Jerusalem from the surrounding nations, to concert common measures against the oppressor. The majority of the prophets encouraged the movement; only Jeremiah saw the madness of the undertaking, and declared against it. His bold declaration of the truth brought upon him the enmity of the courtiers. Zedekiah seems to have been called to account by the great king, to whom he made some explanation which satisfied him, or at least lulled suspicion for a time. The movement itself came to nothing at this time. But in Zedekiah's ninth year renewed promises from Egypt induced the Jerusalemites to revolt, and Zedekiah was too weak to restrain them. Nebuchadrezzar replied promptly by marching in person against the rebels. Jerusalem was a stronghold in which the people had confidence, and they seem also to have believed fanatically that Jahweh would inter-vene to protect His Temple. This faith was raised to a high pitch by the approach of an Egyptian army under Fharaoh-hophra; for Nebuchadrezzar was compelled to raise the siege to meet the new enemy. The expression of the people's confidence that they had got from Jahweh all that they desired is seen in the indecent haste with which they reduced again to slavery the servants whom they had set free in order to obtain His favour (Jer 348fl).

The joy was short-lived. The Egyptians were hardly a serious problem to Nebuchadrezzar, and soon left him free to resume the siege, which he did with energy. The strongly fortified city was defended by its inhabitants with the courage of despair, and held out a year and a halt. During this time they suffered all the horrors of siege, famine, and pestilence. Jeremiah, who still pre-dicted disaster, was arrested, and would have perished in his dungeon had it not been for the compassion of one of the king's slaves (Jer 38). Zedekiah, who believed in him, consulted him by stealth, but could not nerve himself to follow the advice he received. When at last the wall v/as breached, the king attempted to escape to the Jordan valley, hoping thus to gain the eastern desert. But he was overtaken and carried to Nebuchad-rezzar. The victor, considering that forbearance had ceased to be a virtue, slew the captive king's children before his eyes, then blinded the king himself and carried him away in chains to Babylon. The kingdom of Judah had come to an end (2 K 25*'). H. P. Smith.

ZEEB. — See Okeb and Zbeb.

ZELA(H). — A Benjamite city (Jos 18"), where was the family burying-place of Saul (2 S 21" [here RV needlessly confuses by writing Zelaft]). Its site has not been discovered.

ZELEK.— One of David's heroes (2 S 23"= 1 Ch 11").

ZELOPHEHAD.— A Manassite who died during the wilderness journeyings, leaving no male issue. His five daughters successfully asserted their claim to the inheritance of their father (Nu 26» 27'-' 38!"-", Jos 17', 1 Ch 7«).

ZELZAH.— In 1 S lO^ Samuel tells Saul that he will find 'two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zdzah.' No such place is known to us, and the reference is strange after the definite mention of Rachel's sepulchre. The LXX does not regard it as a proper name, and tr. ' leaping furiously ' ; and the Vulgate reads 'in the south.' Neither of these can be correct. Possibly the Greek of the LXX is a transliteration of some Heb. word, which was not

ZEPHANIAH

understood and was then transformed into something significant in Greek. The meaning remains uncertain.

W. F. Boyd.

ZEMARAIM. — A city of Benjamin, apparently in the vicinity of Bethel (Jos IS^^). It prob. gave its name to Mt. Zemaraim, in the hill-country of Ephraira (2 Ch 13<). It is generally identified with es-Sumra to the north of Jericho.

ZEMARITE, THE.— A collective designation of one of the Canaanite communities In Gn 10", named along with the Arvadite, and therefore presumably in Northern Phoenicia. It stands probably for the people of Simirra, an important city in the time of the later Assyrian empire and the seat of an Assyrian province. It seems to be mentioned also in the Amarna letters under the name Sumur. Perhaps we should compare the modern Sumra, between BuwOd (Arvad) and TarabulUs (Tripolis). J. F. McCtrRDT.

ZEMIRAH.— A son of Becher (1 Ch 7»).

ZENAN.— See Zaanan.

ZENAS . — A lawyer (i.e. learned in Jewish law, cf . v.') whom St. Paul asks Titus to send to him from Crete, with Apoilos (Tit 3"). The name is perhaps a con-traction from Zenodorus. A. J. Maclean.

ZEPHANIAH.— 1. The prophet (see next art.). 2. A Kohathite (1 Ch 6'"). 3. Son of Maaseiah the priest in Jerusalem in the time of Zekediah the king and Jeremiah the prophet (Jer 21' 29»- " 37J). As next in rank to Seraiah, grandson of Hiikiah (1 Ch 6"). Zeph. is called second priest (2 K 25'°). On the occasion of the final overthrow of Jerusalem he was put to death at Riblah (Jer 52™). 4. The father of one Josiah in Babylon (Zee 6'»' ").

ZEPHANIAH is the title of the Oth section of the Hebrew collection of prophetic literature, entitled ' The Twelve Prophets,' which was probably compiled in the 3rd cent. B.C. (see Micah (Book of]). Like other sections of this work, it contains both earlier and later materials, though these cannot always be separated from one another with certainty. In the main the Book of Zephaniah consists of a prophecy of judgment delivered by Zephaniah about B.C. 627.

1. The prophet.— According to the title of the book (1'), Zephaniah prophesied in the reign of Josiah (B.C. 639-608). Since the allusions in ch. 1 point to the con-tinuance unchecked of false worships such as those of 'the host of heaven' which had prevailed in Judah under the previous kings Manasseh and Amon, we may infer that Zephaniah prophesied in the earlier part of Josiah's reign, before the Reformation of the year 621, which enforced the laws of Deuteronomy. Two further inferences with regard to Zephaniah are justifiable if, as is probable, the great-great-grandfather of Zephaniah was king Hezekiah (1', cf. Expositor, 1900 (July), pp. 76-80): (1) Zephaniah was of royal descent; (2) like Jere-miah (Jer 1«), Zephaniah when he began to prophesy was a young man — say of some 25 years.

2. The book. — The Book of Zephaniah ought not to be read as a continuous whole. Ch. 3 is separated from chs. 1. 2 by a very marked break. Chs. 1 and 2 form not improbably a single prophecy, which, however, appears to have been more or less amplified by subsequent editors; certainly in some places, especially at the beginning of ch. 2, it has been rendered obscure by textual corruption. In its present form this prophecy predicts as near at hand a judgment that Is to involve the whole world (l^'-; also v.", 11 'land' should rather be translated 'earth'); and it describes in detail how it will affect Judah (1<-" <'»), Phllistia (2''), Moab and Ammon (2«-'«), Ethiopia (2") and Assyria (2"-"). The ground of judgment in the case of Judah is found in the prevalence of false worship (1*- '), of foreign fashions (1") and disregard of Jahweh (l'^); in the case of Moab and Ammon, In the

987