Zephaniah 1:4
“I will also stretch out mine hand upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place, and the name of the Chemarims with the priests;”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God turns His outstretched hand against His own people to cut off idolatry and the idol-priests from Jerusalem.
What Does Zephaniah 1:4 Mean?
The judgment narrows from all the earth to God's own people. The LORD will stretch out His hand against Judah and Jerusalem, the very place where His name dwelt. He targets the remnant of Baal still clinging on, and the Chemarims, the priests who served false gods. Even the corrupt clergy who lent idolatry an air of legitimacy are named.
It is a solemn truth that nearness to holy things is no shield for an unholy heart. The temple stood in Jerusalem, yet Baal was worshiped there too, and God will not share His glory with idols. He purifies first within His own house. That same searching love still works among His people, exposing the false things we keep beside our devotion, so that worship may be made whole and undivided.
In the Original Language
kemarim (כְּמָרִים), 'Chemarims' -- a term for idolatrous priests, distinct from the legitimate priests of the LORD also named in this verse.