This verse deals with a distant nation to the south, called in Hebrew “Cushites” (New American Bible, New English Bible, New International Version). The area occupied by these people was the Upper Nile, which included most of the country now called Sudan as well as part of modern Ethiopia. Good News Translation therefore translates “the people of Sudan” rather than the more traditional Ethiopians (King James Version, Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible). In this verse “Cushites” may stand for Egyptians, since, during the years of the twenty-fifth dynasty (715–663 B.C.), the throne of Egypt had been occupied by Cushites. Their power had ended over thirty years before the time of this prophecy, but it is possible, as mentioned in the comments on 1.1, that Zephaniah himself had some ancestral link with the people of Cush, and perhaps it was this that led him to use that name here, even if he intended to refer to Egypt. See also comments on Nahum 3.9.

Another possibility is that “Cushites” represent a typical large and remote nation on the border of the known world. If this is the correct meaning, the effect is to emphasize the great power of the LORD, which reaches even to the most distant places.

These Ethiopians, or “people of Sudan,” will also undergo the punishment of the LORD. They will be slain by my sword. Mention of the particular weapon sounds very old-fashioned in English, and Good News Translation therefore uses a more general term, “put … to death.” However, this refers to death in warfare, so an alternative translation model is “The LORD will cause enemy soldiers to kill the people of Sudan.” Translators should use whatever expression is natural in their own language.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on the Book of Zephaniah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .