Best Zephaniah Commentaries for Bible Study, Preaching, and Teaching

The best Zephaniah commentaries are listed below. There are exegetical commentaries, scholarly and technical commentaries, as well as commentaries that are easy to understand. The “Top 10” list is based on aggregate reviews.

This list of commentaries is intended to help the reader understand and apply the author’s message in the book of Zephaniah. They are not suggested as a replacement for prayer, the Holy Spirit, and the reader’s own diligent study of Scripture.

It is hoped that these books will aid the Christian pastor, preacher, teacher, student, as well as any Bible reader that wants to understand more about Zephaniah.

May each reader’s aim be to glorify God in Jesus Christ; to strengthen Christ’s bride, the Church; and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost.

Please also see Best Commentary Series: The Top 50. Based on aggregate reviews.

10 Best Zephaniah Commentaries

Please read: The “Top 10” list below is a starting point for learning about Zephaniah commentaries. It is not intended to be the “final word” because of its limitations.

Nevertheless, a list based on aggregate reviews is likely to point many people in the right direction to find the right resource for their purposes.

#1

Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah
New International Commentary on the Old Testament
by O. Palmer Robertson

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Zephaniah commentary Robertson

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: “Robertson excels in theological analysis and pastoral application”

• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “helpful evangelical analysis of the book”

• Keith Mathison: #1 ranked commentary on Zephaniah, “very helpful at explaining the larger theological themes found within these books. Highly recommended.”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “All of the NICOT volumes combine superior scholarship, an evangelical view of Scripture as the Word of God, and concern for the life of faith today.

Each volume features an extensive introduction treating the biblical book’s authorship, date, purpose, structure, and theology.

The author’s own translation of the original Hebrew and verse-by-verse commentary follow.

The commentary itself carefully balances coverage of technical matters with exposition of the biblical text’s theology and implications.” 

See more about the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series.

After browsing the commentaries below, also see the best one-volume bible commentaries, based on aggregate reviews.

#2

Zephaniah
The Minor Prophets:

An Exegetical and Expository Commentary
by J. Alec Motyer

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Micah Prophets commentary McComiskey

Reviews and Accolades:

• Desiring God: #1 commentary on The Minor Prophets

• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “a readable and solid interpretation”

• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “helpful evangelical analysis of the book”

• Keith Mathison: #2 ranked commentary on Zephaniah, “fairly technical and requires some knowledge of Hebrew. It is very helpful.”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “With their messages of doom and judgment, the Minor Prophets have not been popular subjects in the history of biblical interpretation.

Here noted evangelical scholars — such as Bruce Waltke, Tremper Longman III, F. F. Bruce, and J. Alec Motyer — remedy this neglect by offering an authoritative, evangelical treatment of the prophets.

In this edition, which now combines three volumes into one, the authors not only provide meticulous exegesis of the Hebrew text but also relate the message of the ancient prophets to contemporary life in practical and meaningful ways.”

#3

Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah
Tyndale Old Testament Commentary
by David W. Baker

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Zephaniah commentary Baker

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “engaging writing style and an emphasis on theology and historical background”

• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “helpful evangelical analysis of the book”

• Keith Mathison: #3 ranked commentary on Zephaniah, “Although very brief, it does communicate the main ideas very well.”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: This series is “designed to help readers understand what the Bible actually says and what it means… [each commentary] examines the text section by section, drawing out its main themes.

It also comments on individual verses and deals with problems of interpretation. The aim throughout is to get at the true meaning of the Bible and to make its message plain to readers today.”

See more about the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series.

#4

Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah
New American Commentary
by K. Barker and W. Bailey

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Zephaniah commentary

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: “Bailey’s Zephaniah section is a solid commentary”

• Keith Mathison: #4 ranked commentary on Zephaniah, “the volume in the NAC series by Barker and Bailey is also a helpful commentary”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The New American Commentary is introduced to bridge the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.”

This “series has been designed primarily to enable pastors, teachers, and students to read the Bible with clarity and proclaim it with power.”

See more about the New American Commentary series.

#5

Zephaniah (Micah-Malachi)
Word Biblical Commentary
by Ralph L. Smith

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Zephaniah commentary Smith

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: “solid and competent”

• Keith Mathison: #5 ranked commentary on Zephaniah, “worth consulting”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “WBC series delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation.

It emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence.

The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology.” 

See more about the Word Biblical Commentary series.

#6

Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah
The Old Testament Library
by J. J. M. Roberts

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Zephaniah commentary Roberts

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “written in a way that even interested nonspecialists can understand”

• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “helpful evangelical analysis of the book”

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.”

See more about the Old Testament Library commentary series.

#7

Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah
NIV Application Commentary
by James Bruckner

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Zephaniah commentary James Bruckner

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: “Bruckner does a nice job getting to the heart of the message”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the General Editor: The primary goal of the NIV Application Commentary Series is to help you with the difficult but vital task of bringing an ancient message into a modern context.

The series not only focuses on application as a finished product but also helps you think through the process of moving from the original meaning of a passage to its contemporary significance.”

See more about the NIV Application Commentary series.

#8

Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah
An Exegetical Commentary
by Richard D. Patterson

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Zephaniah commentary Patterson

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “[Patterson] is clear, engaging, and profound”

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “An excellent exegetical commentary… This is one of 3 commentaries in a set. Also checkout the commentaries by Finley and Merrill.”

#9

Zephaniah
The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries
by Adele Berlin

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Zephaniah Hermeneia Berlin

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 5 out of 5 stars, “helpfully discusses text, semantics, historical issues, and theological message”

Best for: students, pastors, teachers, professors, and scholars with training in Hebrew who can follow a technical commentary

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Anchor Yale Bible Series, previously the Anchor Bible Series, is a renowned publishing program that for more than 50 years has produced books devoted to the latest scholarship on the Bible and biblical topics.”

The series “vigorously pursues the goal of bringing to a wide audience the most important new ideas, the latest research findings, and the clearest possible analysis of the Bible.” See more about the Anchor Bible Commentary series.

#10

Zephaniah
The Forms of the Old Testament Literature
by Michael Floyd

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Zephaniah commentary Michael Floyd

Reviews and Accolades:

• Tremper Longman: 5 out of 5 stars, “this excellent work will only be helpful to scholars”

Best for: students, pastors, teachers, professors, and scholars with training in Hebrew who can follow a technical commentary

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Forms of the Old Testament Literature (FOTL) is a series of volumes that seeks to present, according to a standard outline and methodology, a form-critical analysis of every book or unit of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible).

Fundamentally exegetical, each volume examines the structure, genre, setting, and intention of the biblical literature in question.

The series also endeavors to study the history behind the form-critical discussion of the material, to bring consistency to the terminology for the genres and formulas of the biblical literature, and to expose the exegetical procedure in such a way as to enable students and pastors to engage in their own analysis and interpretation.”

More Book of Zephaniah Commentaries for Christian Ministry

Please read: Why are the Zephaniah commentaries below not in the “Top 10”? It’s not because they have received poor reviews or because people haven’t found them helpful. The reasons vary:

  • Some are relatively new and haven’t been widely reviewed, read, or used yet.
  • Others haven’t been widely distributed, so it is difficult to get enough information to aggregate.
  • Still others may be outdated in relation to biblical scholarship or out of print and difficult to acquire.

The “Top 10” list is reviewed annually. Readers are encouraged to consider the volumes in this section before making a purchase. These 10 are not in any particular order.


Zephaniah
Expositor’s Bible Commentary Revised
by Larry L. Walker

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Zephaniah commentary Expositor's

Reviews and Accolades:

• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “helpful evangelical analysis of the book”

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Written primarily by expositors for expositors… its stance is that of a scholarly evangelicalism committed to the divine inspiration, complete trustworthiness, and full authority of the Bible… the chief principle followed in this commentary is the grammatico-historical.”

See more about the Expositor’s Bible Commentary series.


Zephaniah, Haggai, and Malachi
Reformed Expositional Commentary
by Iain M. Duguid and Matthew P. Harmon

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Zephaniah commentary

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes

Purpose: The REC series has “four fundamental commitments. First, these commentaries aim to be biblical… Second, these commentaries are unashamedly doctrinal… Third, these commentaries are redemptive-historical… Fourth, these commentaries are practical…” All authors are “pastor-scholars.”

See more about the Reformed Expository Commentary series.


Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Interpretation
by Elizabeth Achtemeier

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Zephaniah commentary Interpretation

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “This series of commentaries offers an interpretation of the books of the Bible. It is designed to meet the need of students, teachers, ministers, and priests for a contemporary expository commentary.

These volumes will not replace the historical critical commentary or homiletical aids to preaching.

The purpose of this series is rather to provide a third kind of resource, a commentary which presents the integrated result of historical and theological work with the biblical text.”

See more about the Interpretation Bible commentary series.


Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah
Focus on the Bible
by John L. Mackay

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Zephaniah commentary Mackay

Approach to Scripture: Evangelical

Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes

Purpose: From the publisher: “These commentaries are popular level commentaries especially useful for pastors and small group leaders. They are useful for personal devotions and spiritual growth.

Many of the authors of the commentaries are leading expositors of God’s Word on their specialty subjects. The series holds to the inerrancy of scripture and the uniqueness of Christ in salvation.”

See more about the Focus on the Bible commentary series.


Zephaniah
International Theological Commentary
by Maria Eszenyei Szeles

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Zephaniah Hermeneia

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Neither Habakkuk nor Zephaniah is very well known or understood by our generation.

These Old Testament prophets, who were contemporary with Jeremiah, interpreted events leading up to the total destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian ‘king of kings and lord of lords,’ in 597 and 587 B.C.”

See more about International Theological Commentaries.


Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Abingdon
by Julia M. O’Brien

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Zephaniah commentary Julia Brown

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries series offers compact, critical commentaries on all the books of the Old Testament.

In addition to providing fundamental information on and insights into Old Testament writings, these commentaries exemplify the tasks and procedures of careful, critical exegesis so as to assist students of the Old Testament in coming to an informed engagement of the biblical texts themselves.

These commentaries are written with special attention to the needs and interests of theology students, but they will also be useful for students in upper-level college or university settings, as well as for pastors and other church leaders.”

See more about Abingdon commentaries.


The Minor Prophets II
Understanding the Bible Commentary Series
by John Goldingay and Pamela J. Scalise

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Zephaniah commentary

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “Each volume in the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series breaks down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers.

They present a careful section-by-section exposition of the biblical books with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated.

Notes at the close of each chapter provide additional textual and technical comments for those who want to dig deeper.”

See more about the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series.


A Commentary on the Book of the Twelve
Kregel Exegetical Library
by Michael Shepherd

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Book of the 12 Michael Shepherd

Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers

Purpose: From the publisher: “The books of the twelve Minor Prophets are some of the least studied by Christians today, but they contain some of the great themes of Scripture, such as God’s mercy and judgment, His covenant with Israel, the day of the Lord, and the coming of the Messiah.

Arguing for a canonical unity that recognizes the Minor Prophets as one cohesive composition, Michael Shepherd explains the historical meaning of each verse of the twelve books and also provides guidance for application and preaching.

Pastors, teachers, and serious students of Scripture will find a wealth of insights for understanding the Minor Prophets.”

See more about the Kregel Exegetical Library series.


Zephaniah
Hermeneia
by Marvin A. Sweeney and Paul D. Hanson

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Zephaniah Hermeneia Sweeney

Best for: students, pastors, teachers, professors, and scholars with training in Hebrew who can follow a technical commentary

Purpose: From the publisher: “The Hermeneia commentary series seeks to offer authoritative interpretation of the earliest texts of the biblical books…

The name Hermeneia, from the Greek, has a rich background in the history of biblical interpretation as a term for the detailed, systematic exposition of a scriptural work. Hermeneia is designed for the serious student of the Bible…

The editors of Hermeneia impose no systematic-theological perspective upon the series (directly, or indirectly by selection of authors).”

See more about the Hermeneia Bible commentary series.


Classic Zephaniah Commentaries

Minor Prophets
Ironside Expository Commentaries
by H.A. Ironside

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Zephaniah commentary H.A. Ironside

Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes

Purpose: H.A. Ironside (1876-1951) was an internationally acclaimed Bible teacher and preacher, as well as the author of more than sixty books.

His writings include addresses or commentaries on the entire New Testament, all of the Old Testament prophetic books, and a great many volumes on other biblical topics.

For eighteen of his fifty years of ministry, Dr. Ironside was pastor of the historic Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, Ill.


Zephaniah
Geneva Series of Commentaries
by John Calvin

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Zephaniah Hermeneia John Calvin

Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes

Purpose: From the publisher: “This is volume 4 of John Calvin’s 5 volume set on the Minor Prophets. C.H. Spurgeon said, ‘Everything that Calvin wrote by way of exposition is priceless.

His expositions are more equal in excellence than those of other men; other men rise and fall, but he is almost uniformly good.’ His great gifts as an interpreter are clearly evident here in his treatment of the oft-neglected Minor Prophets.

In these volumes he opens up their rich contents to our hearts and minds: here is God’s Word concerning false religion, spiritual adultery, injustice, judgment, the remnant, the restoration and sovereign love.”


The Minor Prophets
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
edited by Alberto Ferreiro

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Minor Prophets Ancient Christian commentary

Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes

Purpose: From the publisher: “This is volume 1 of John Calvin’s 5 volume set on the Minor Prophets. C.H. Spurgeon said, ‘Everything that Calvin wrote by way of exposition is priceless.

His expositions are more equal in excellence than those of other men; other men rise and fall, but he is almost uniformly good.’ His great gifts as an interpreter are clearly evident here in his treatment of the oft-neglected Minor Prophets.

In these volumes he opens up their rich contents to our hearts and minds: here is God’s Word concerning false religion, spiritual adultery, injustice, judgment, the remnant, the restoration and sovereign love.”

See more about the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series.


Also see:

Compare 75 different commentary series on the Bible Commentary Series Comparison Chart

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