Zephaniah 2:5
“Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →A woe is pronounced against the Philistine coast, whose land will be emptied of all its people.
What Does Zephaniah 2:5 Mean?
A solemn woe falls on the inhabitants of the sea coast, the Cherethites, and the land of the Philistines. The word of the LORD is against them. The verdict is total: the land will be destroyed until there is no inhabitant left. The coastal peoples who had long troubled Israel now hear that their day has come.
When the word of the LORD is against a people, no fortress on the sea can withstand it. Yet there is a deeper truth in this woe. God's word is never merely destructive; it clears the ground for His purposes. The same coastline marked here for emptiness will, in the next verses, become pasture for the remnant of His people. God's judgments make room for His promises, and even the harshest woe stands within His larger work of redemption.
In the Original Language
kerethim (כְּרֵתִים), 'Cherethites' -- a people associated with the Philistine coast, their name evoking the verb to cut off, fitting the judgment pronounced.