Zephaniah the Prophet

(Zeph. 1:1)—the ninth of the Twelve Minor Prophets. He prophesied in the reign of Josiah, king of Judah (640–609 BC), and traces his ancestry through Cushi, Gedaliah, Amariah, and Hezekiah. Because the genealogy is unusually extended, some have identified this Hezekiah with the king of Judah, but the text does not explicitly say so. Later traditions concerning Zephaniah’s tribe, birthplace, and burial are uncertain; the Eastern Church commemorates him on December 3.