AKU - An African Journal of Contemporary Research (AAJCR) (Vol. 4 No. 3, 2023)
THE ANAWIM IN THE PROPHECY OF ZEPHANIAH VIS-A-VIS THE POOR IN SPIRIT IN THE BEATITUDES (MATT 5:3)
ABSTRACT
The book of Zephaniah opens with a vision of disaster, involving both Judah (1:4-6) and the outside world (1:2-3). The prophet identifies this disaster as the Day of the Lord (Zeph 1:7-18). He speaks of the Day of the Lord as a day that will shatter the nations (2:4-15) including Jerusalem (3:1-5). The prophet, however, leaves out a prospect of hope to those who repent and return to God. Zephaniah identifies those who will survive the approaching judgment as the 'righteous remnant'. They are the pious Jew, the poor and humble of the Land, who place their trust in the Lord. With the prophet Zephaniah, poverty assumes a spiritual meaning. It is not a social state of being; it is a thing of the spirit which is opposed to pride and the attitude of self-sufficiency. Zephaniah's teaching on the poverty of the spirit reflects Jesus' teaching on the 'poor in spirit' in Matt 5:3. This article studies .... The work employs an exegetical method of biblical analysis. The Bible version employed in this work is the New Revised Standard Version.
