Lectionary Calendar
the First Sunday, December 28th, 2025
the Sunday after Christmas
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Zephaniah 1:16

a day filled with the sound of war trumpets and the battle cry of soldiers attacking fortified cities and high towers.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Trumpet;   War;   Wicked (People);   Scofield Reference Index - Day (of Jehovah);   The Topic Concordance - Day of the Lord;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Anger of God, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Day of the lord;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Anger;   Day;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Alarm;   Bulwarks;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Trumpets, Feast of;   Zephaniah, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Day of the Lord;   Zephaniah, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Fortification and Siegecraft;   Zephaniah (1);   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Corner-Stone ;   Day of Judgment;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - War;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Alarm;   Fortification;   Zephaniah, Book of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
a day of trumpet blast and battle cryagainst the fortified cities,and against the high corner towers.
Hebrew Names Version
a day of the shofar and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements.
King James Version (1611)
A day of the trumpet and alarme against the fenced cities, and against the high towres.
King James Version
A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.
English Standard Version
a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.
New American Standard Bible
A day of trumpet and battle cry Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers.
New Century Version
a day of alarms and battle cries. ‘Attack the strong, walled cities! Attack the corner towers!'
Amplified Bible
A day of trumpet and the battle cry [of invaders] Against the fortified cities And against the high corner towers (battlements).
Geneva Bible (1587)
A day of the trumpet and alarme against the strong cities, and against the hie towres.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
A day of trumpet and battle cry Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers.
Legacy Standard Bible
A day of trumpet and loud shoutingAgainst the fortified citiesAnd the high corner towers.
Berean Standard Bible
a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities, and against the high corner towers.
Contemporary English Version
of trumpet calls and battle cries against fortified cities and mighty fortresses.
Complete Jewish Bible
a Day of the shofar and battle-cry against the fortified cities and against the high towers [on the city walls].
Darby Translation
a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fenced cities and against the high battlements.
Easy-to-Read Version
It will be like a time of war when people hear horns and trumpets in the defense towers and protected cities.
George Lamsa Translation
A day of the trumpet and shouting against the fenced cities and against the high towers.
Lexham English Bible
a day of trumpet and trumpet blast against the fortified cities and against the high corner towers.
Literal Translation
a day of the ram's horn and alarm against the fortified cities, and against the high towers.
American Standard Version
a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements.
Bible in Basic English
A day of sounding the horn and the war-cry against the walled towns and the high towers.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
A day of the horn and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high towers.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
A day of the trumpet and alarum against the strong cities, and hie towres.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
a day of the trumpet and cry against the strong cities, and against the high towers.
English Revised Version
a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fenced cities, and against the high battlements.
World English Bible
a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
dai of trumpe and noise on strong citees and on hiye corneris.
Update Bible Version
a day of the trumpet and alarm, against the fortified cities, and against the high battlements.
Webster's Bible Translation
A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities, and against the high towers.
New English Translation
a day of trumpet blasts and battle cries. Judgment will fall on the fortified cities and the high corner towers.
New King James Version
A day of trumpet and alarm Against the fortified cities And against the high towers.
New Living Translation
a day of trumpet calls and battle cries. Down go the walled cities and the strongest battlements!
New Life Bible
It is a day of the sound of a horn and the cry of battle against the strong cities and the high towers.
New Revised Standard
a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
day of horn, and war-shout, - against the fortified cities, and against the high towers.
Douay-Rheims Bible
A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high bulwarks.
Revised Standard Version
a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.
Young's Literal Translation
A day of trumpet and shouting against the fenced cities, And against the high corners.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
a daye of the noyse of trompettes and shawmes, agaynst the stronge cities and hie towres.

Contextual Overview

14 The great day of the Lord is near—very near and coming fast! That day will be bitter, for even the bravest soldiers will cry out in despair! 15 It will be a day of fury, a day of trouble and distress, a day of ruin and destruction, a day of darkness and gloom, a black and cloudy day, 16 a day filled with the sound of war trumpets and the battle cry of soldiers attacking fortified cities and high towers. 17 The Lord says, "I will bring such disasters on the human race that everyone will grope about like someone blind. They have sinned against me, and now their blood will be poured out like water, and their dead bodies will lie rotting on the ground." 18 On the day when the Lord shows his fury, not even all their silver and gold will save them. The whole earth will be destroyed by the fire of his anger. He will put an end—a sudden end—to everyone who lives on earth.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

day: Isaiah 59:10, Jeremiah 4:19, Jeremiah 4:20, Jeremiah 6:1, Jeremiah 8:16, Hosea 5:8, Hosea 8:1, Amos 3:6, Habakkuk 1:6-10, Habakkuk 3:6

and against: Psalms 48:12, Psalms 48:13, Isaiah 2:12-15, Isaiah 32:14

Reciprocal: Numbers 10:9 - then ye shall Isaiah 13:10 - General Jeremiah 18:22 - a cry Jeremiah 20:16 - let him Joel 2:1 - and sound

Cross-References

Genesis 1:8
He named the dome "Sky." Evening passed and morning came—that was the second day.
Genesis 1:9
Then God commanded, "Let the water below the sky come together in one place, so that the land will appear"—and it was done.
Genesis 1:12
So the earth produced all kinds of plants, and God was pleased with what he saw.
Genesis 1:14
Then God commanded, "Let lights appear in the sky to separate day from night and to show the time when days, years, and religious festivals begin;
Deuteronomy 4:19
Do not be tempted to worship and serve what you see in the sky—the sun, the moon, and the stars. The Lord your God has given these to all other peoples for them to worship.
Job 31:26
I have never worshiped the sun in its brightness or the moon in all its beauty.
Job 38:7
In the dawn of that day the stars sang together, and the heavenly beings shouted for joy.
Psalms 8:3
When I look at the sky, which you have made, at the moon and the stars, which you set in their places—
Psalms 19:6
It starts at one end of the sky and goes across to the other. Nothing can hide from its heat.
Psalms 74:16
You created the day and the night; you set the sun and the moon in their places;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities,.... The trumpet of the enemy, sounding the alarm of war against the fenced cities of Judea, which were taken before Jerusalem; calling and gathering the soldiers together, and animating them to the assault of them; and blowing them in a way of triumph; and as expressive of victory, having got possession of them:

and against the high towers; or "corners" x; towers being usually built corner-wise, and full of corners, and on the corners of walls of cities; sometimes these signify princes, magistrates, and great men,

Zechariah 10:4.

x פנות "pinnas", Montanus, Castalio; "angulos", Junius & Tremellius, Burkius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A day of the trumpet and alarm - o that is, of the loud blast of the trumpet, which sounds alarm and causes it. The word is especially the shrill loud noise of the trumpet (for sacred purposes in Israel itself, as ruling all the movements of the tabernacle and accompanying their feasts); then also of the “battle cry.” They had not listened to the voice of the trumpet, as it called them to holy service; now they shall hear “the voice of the Archangel and the trump of God” 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

Against the high towers - Literally, “corners” , and so “corner-towers.” This peculiarity describes Jerusalem, whose walls “were made artificially standing in a line curved inwards, so that the flanks of assailants might be exposed.” By this same name Judges 20:2; 1 Samuel 14:38; Isaiah 19:13; Zechariah 10:4 are called the mighty men and chiefs of the people, who, humanly speaking, hold it together and support it; on these chiefs in rebellion against God, whether devils or evil men, shall punishment greatly fall.


 
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