Book Of Zephaniah Overview. King manasseh had led the nation into idolatry and even human sacrifice. The book was written some time between 641 and 612 b.c.
Zephaniah lived during one of the worst times in the history of judah, under the evil reign of king manasseh. Zephaniah is the ninth of the minor prophets, the last 12 books of the old testament. Historically, the book of zephaniah was used in the providence of god to prepare judah for the reforms and revival under king josiah.
We know from zeph 1:1 that zephaniah was of noble birth.
Judah was in rough shape. They are then mercily told to gather themselves around the. Zephaniah is the only prophet to mention four generations of his ancestors. The book of zephaniah was written before 629 bc when josiah found and eagerly read the holy scriptures discovered in the temple.