Zephaniah 1:17

“And I will bring distress upon men, etc.] Not upon men in general, but particularly on the men of Judea, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; and especially those that were in the fenced cities and high towers; and who might think themselves safe and secure; but, being besieged, should be distressed with famine and pestilence, and with the enemy; and more especially when stormed, and a breach made, and the enemy just entering: that they shall walk like blind men; not knowing which way to go, where to turn themselves, what methods to take, or course to steer, no more than a blind man. The phrase is expressive of their being at their wits’ ends, void of all thought and consultation: because they have…”

“like blind men--unable to see whither to turn themselves so as to find an escape from existing evils. flesh--Hebrew, "bread"; so the Arabic term for "bread" is used for "flesh" (Mat 26:26).”

“I will bring distress upon men - I will hem them in, in anguish on all sides. God Himself shall meet them with His terrors, wherever they turn. “I will hem them in, that they may find it so” . That they shall walk like blind men - Utterly bereft of counsel, seeing no more than the blind which way to turn, grasping blindly and franticly at anything, and going on headlong to their own destruction. So God forewarned them in the law; “Thou shalt grope at noon day, as the blind gropeth in darkness” Jer. 10:29; and Job, of the wicked generally, “They meet with the darkness in the day-time, and grope in the noon-day as in the night” Job 5:14; and, “They grope in the dark without light, and He…”

“Like blind men - Not knowing where to go. As dust - As abundantly, and as carelessly as dust in the highway. Zephaniah 1:18”

“1:17 grope around like the blind: An example of God’s justice (see also Rom 1:21-32). Because God’s people were blind ethically and spiritually (see Exod 23:8; Rom 2:19; 1 Jn 2:11) and had sinned against the Lord and his commandments, they would incur the just penalties specified in God’s covenant with them (Deut 28:28-29).”

“they shall: Deu 28:28, Deu 28:29; Psa 79:3; Isa 29:10, Isa 59:9, Isa 59:10; Lam 4:14; Mat 15:14; Joh 9:40, Joh 9:41; Rom 11:7, Rom 11:25; Co2 4:4; Pe2 1:9; Jo1 2:11; Rev 3:17 because: Isa 24:5, Isa 24:6, Isa 50:1, Isa 59:12-15; Jer 2:17, Jer 2:19, Jer 4:18; Lam 1:8, Lam 1:14, Lam 1:18, Lam 4:13-15; Lam 5:16, Lam 5:17; Eze 22:25-31; Dan 9:5-19; Mic 3:9-12, Mic 7:13 and their blood: Kg2 9:33-37; Psa 79:2, Psa 79:3, Psa 83:10; Jer 9:21, Jer 9:22, Jer 15:3, Jer 16:4-6, Jer 18:21; Lam 2:21, Lam 4:14; Amo 4:10 Zephaniah 1:18”

“In the midst of this tribulation the sinners will perish without counsel or help. Zep 1:17. "And I make it strait for men, and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Jehovah; and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Zep 1:18. Even their silver, even their gold, will not be able to save them on the day of Jehovah's fury, and in the fire of His wrath will the whole earth be devoured; for He will make an end, yea a sudden one, to all the inhabitants of the earth." והצרתי reminds of the threat of Moses in Deu 28:52, to which Zephaniah alluded in Zep 1:16. And in הלכוּ כּעורים the allusion to Deu 28:29 is also unmistakeable. To walk like…”