After dealing with nations to the west, east, and south, the prophet turns finally to Assyria, the enemy to the north. Actually, Assyria was northeast of Judah, but the roads did not run direct between the two places, and so Assyrian invaders always approached from the north along the easiest route. For this reason the Assyrians were considered fit to represent the northern direction.

Assyria had been the major power in the Near East for over a century. Its armies were well known, greatly feared, and bitterly hated by the smaller nations for their savage cruelty. In a sense the Assyrians stand for every enemy of God’s people, and thus it was very appropriate for the prophet to mention them at the climax of his list of enemy nations.

In the first part of the verse, the Hebrew uses a figure of speech which is translated literally in Revised Standard Version as he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria (compare 1.4). The pronoun he refers to the LORD, last mentioned in the Hebrew in verse 11, and so Good News Translation makes this explicit by repeating “The LORD.” The meaning of the metaphor stretch out his hand against is expressed in nonfigurative language in Good News Translation as “use his power.” Some translators will wish to follow Good News Translation‘s example, but many will be able to retain the Hebrew figure of speech in their own language at this point. Another translation model is “The LORD will take action to destroy Assyria.” The terms north and Assyria really both refer to the same place, and to avoid any confusion Good News Translation has translated both terms by the one word “Assyria.” It is quite possible for many translators to keep both terms but avoid ambiguity, by saying “Assyria in the north” or “the people who live in the north, namely, the Assyrians.” It may be helpful also to be more specific and say “the country of Assyria in the north.”

In the second part of the verse, the prophet turns to Assyria’s capital, Nineveh. Good News Translation adds a generic term to identify the name and says “the city of Nineveh.” It was situated on the river Tigris and had been founded by Nimrod, according to the tradition of Genesis 10.8-11. In Zephaniah’s day it was a large and famous city (compare Jonah 1.2; 3.2; 4.11) and the center of a vast empire. Zephaniah proclaims that it will become a desolation (Revised Standard Version), which is expressed more concretely in Good News Translation as “a deserted ruin.” A desolation or “a deserted ruin” may also be expressed as “a ruin where no humans live.” In the days of its greatness, Nineveh was well supplied with water from the river Tigris by a series of canals, but the prophet declares that it will become a dry waste like the desert, or as Good News Translation puts it more briefly, “a waterless desert.”

In point of historical fact, Nineveh was captured by the Medes and Babylonians in 612 B.C., so Zephaniah probably lived to see his prophecy fulfilled. The Book of Nahum records the joy shown by those who had suffered from Assyrian imperialism at the news of the fall of Nineveh. The city was destroyed so completely that, when the Greek traveler Xenophon visited its site in 401 B.C., he could find no trace of it.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Zephaniah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .