In Hebrew this verse consists of two lines parallel with each other in thought but not in structure. The first line in Hebrew is translated as the first two lines of Revised Standard Version; it is itself composed of two parts parallel with each other in both thought and structure. Each part contains an imperative verb and a vocative, as shown in Revised Standard Version‘s literal translation: Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel!
The expression daughter of Zion refers to the community of people faithful to the LORD and is quite common in the Old Testament. It means the same here as Israel, and so Good News Translation combines the two parts of this line into one and says “Sing and shout for joy, people of Israel!” This sentence may also be rendered as “Sing and shout to show that you are joyful…” or “You people of Israel, sing and shout to show your joy.”
The second line of the Hebrew is translated as the last two lines of Revised Standard Version; it expresses the same thought but uses two verbal phrases with only one vocative, Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! Good News Translation combines the two verbs Rejoice and exult and simply says “Rejoice with all your heart.” The heart is here the source of the emotions, the very center of one’s personality, and in situations where some other organ is regarded as having this function, the translator should be free to use some other term, such as liver or throat.
The vocative daughter of Jerusalem refers to the small group of faithful Israelites who live in Jerusalem. Good News Translation translates as “Jerusalem,” since in this context it is already clear that the city stands for its inhabitants. However, in certain languages where one does not normally speak or talk to a city, it will be helpful to say “people of Jerusalem.”
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 .