Zep 1:3 | CPDV | STEP | I will gather man and cattle; I will gather the flying things of the air and the fish of the sea. And the impious will be a catastrophe. And I will disperse men before the face of the earth, says the Lord.

Zephaniah 1:3

3 I will gather man and cattle; I will gather the flying things of the air and the fish of the sea. And the impious will be a catastrophe. And I will disperse men before the face of the earth, says the Lord. ^{▼▼1:3The word ‘disperdam’ usually means ‘to destroy’ or ‘to bring to ruin’ or ‘to do away with’ something. However, the prefix ‘dis’ means to separate or to scatter, and the root of the word, ‘perdo’ means ‘to lose’ something. In the context of all men on the face of the earth, it cannot be taken to mean ‘destroy,’ but rather ‘scatter’ or ‘disperse’ before the face of the earth. Also, ‘disperse’ is contrasted with ‘gather.’(Conte)}