Zephaniah 3:17
English Standard Version (ESV)
The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)
The Yahweh your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will be joyful over you with gladness;
he will be quiet in his love;
he will exult over you with joyful singing.
Why the Versions are Different
LSB is an updated version of the NASB. The translators’ goal for the version was a word-for-word/phrase-for-phrase translation. They also tried to standardize how to translate certain words and phrases.The LSB's choice of translating Zeph. 3:17d as "he will be quiet in his love" instead of "he will quiet you by his love" is an interesting choice. The LSB's choice emphasizes God's steadfast love in his choice of each believer and the ESV's choice highlights that God calms the believers' restless souls. Obviously, the first choice is a viable option and Owen notes the following about the verse.
Owen comments on how God is “quiet in his love”.
The love of God is so. Zephaniah 3:17, “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing.” Both these things are here assigned unto God in his love, — REST and DELIGHT. The words are, “yacharish be’ahavato” — “He shall be silent because of his love.” To rest with contentment is expressed by being silent; that is, without repining, without complaint. This God does upon the account of his own love, so full, so every way complete and absolute, that it will not allow him to complain of any thing in them whom he loves, but he is silent on the account thereof Or, “Rest in his love;” that is, he will not remove it, — he will not seek farther for another object. It shall make its abode upon the soul where it is once fixed, for ever. And COMPLACENCY or DELIGHT: “He rejoiceth with singing;” as one that is fully satisfied in that object he has fixed his love on. Here are two words used to express the delight and joy that God has in his love, — “yasis” and “yagil”. The first denotes the inward affection of the mind, joy of heart; and to set out the intenseness hereof, it is said he shall do it “besimchah”, — in gladness, or with joy. To have joy of heart in gladness, is the highest expression of delight in love.(Communion with God, Chapter 4: How to Commune with the Father in Love)
Summary
Both translations of 17d are viable; however, I like LSB's version better. It fits the context better. Furthermore, I like the message. Remember going into a ice cream shop with dozens of flavors of ice cream? You see little children run up to the counter and study the different flavors. Their eyes flit from flavor to flavor as they walk along the counter trying to decide. Finally, their feet stop, their eyes rest on the tub of their choice, and their fingers point to their chosen flavor. Their choice has been made and they will not waver from it.This verse reads that God's choice rested on every member of his universal church. He doesn't waver between to love or not to love us: He chose to love us from all eternity past and his love will rest on us for all eternity future. God will not retract that choice when we sin. He rests in that choice so that we may rest from our efforts to earn our salvation. In that choice of us, both God and us will exult in loud singing forever and ever.
