Zep 2:7 | NETfull | STEP | Those who are left from the kingdom of Judah will take possession of it. By the sea they will graze, in the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the evening, for the Lord their God will intervene for them and restore their prosperity.

Zephaniah 2:7

7 Those who are left from the kingdom of Judah ^{▼▼ Heb “the remnant of the house of Judah.”} will take possession of it. ^{▼▼ Or “the coast will belong to the remnant of the house of Judah.”}
By the sea ^{▼▼ Heb “on them,” but the antecedent of the masculine pronoun is unclear. It may refer back to the “pasture lands,” though that noun is feminine. It is preferable to emend the text from עֲלֵיהֶם (’alehem) to עַל־הַיָּם (’al-hayyam, “by the sea”) an emendation that assumes a misdivision and transposition of letters in the MT (cf. NEB “They shall pasture their flocks by the sea”). See J. J. M. Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (OTL), 192.} they ^{▼▼ The referent of the pronominal subject (“they”) is unclear. It may refer (1) to the shepherds (in which case the first verb should be translated, “pasture their sheep,” cf. NEB), or (2) to the Judahites occupying the area, who are being compared to sheep (cf. NIV, “there they will find pasture”).} will graze,
in the houses of Ashkelon they will lie down in the evening,
for the Lord their God will intervene for them ^{▼▼ Or “will care for them.”} and restore their prosperity. ^{▼▼ Traditionally, “restore their captivity,” i.e., bring back their captives, but it is more likely the expression means “restore their fortunes” in a more general sense (cf. NEB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).}