Zephaniah 2:10
“This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The downfall of Moab and Ammon is named as the wage of their pride against God's people.
What Does Zephaniah 2:10 Mean?
The prophet names the root cause directly: this shall they have for their pride. Moab and Ammon are judged because they reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts. Their arrogance, not merely their armies, sealed their fate. Pride lifted itself against God by attacking those He calls His own.
Pride is the sin that stands beneath so many others, and Scripture warns again and again that God resists the proud. To exalt oneself against God's people is to set oneself against God. The verse strips away every excuse and points to the heart attitude that invited ruin. The way of safety runs in the opposite direction, the way of humility, for God gives grace to the lowly. What pride loses, humility receives at the hand of a gracious God.
In the Original Language
gaon (גָּאוֹן), 'pride' -- haughty self-exaltation, a swelling arrogance that lifts itself up against others and against God.