The Book of Zephaniah presents a variety of challenges for today's readers. Sweeney's insightful analysis of this brief prophetic text offers fresh perspectives for those studying the Hebrew Bible. He places Zephaniah's context in the early sixth century BCE, rather than the late seventh century BCE.

Sweeney carefully examines the subtle differences among the Masoretic Text, Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls, Peshitta, and targums. His approach includes form criticism, tradition history, and social history.

Key Highlights:

• In-depth commentary on this prophetic Hebrew Bible book
• Strong analysis of textual variations
• Contextualizes the book within Israel's history and the Ancient Near East