צפניה, פרק א׳, פסוק ו׳

The prophecy maps out the different ways people distance themselves from God, drawing a sharp line between active rebellion and spiritual apathy. Ultimately, both paths lead to the same consequence.

The primary approach among commentators identifies the first group as people who were once close to God. They believed in Him and followed His ways, but at some point, they retreated and abandoned His path completely [מצודת ציון, רד״ק]. Some note that this departure is not a private struggle but a public and open abandonment [אבן עזרא]. These individuals may have even been righteous in their past. However, they turned away because they adopted the false belief that God does not intervene in the world, assuming He does neither good nor harm [אברבנאל].

In stark contrast, the second group consists of people who never looked for God in the first place. From the very beginning of their lives, He simply did not interest them [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Yet, this does not mean they are actively worshipping other gods. Rather, they exist in a state of complete spiritual indifference, neither seeking God nor practicing idolatry [אברבנאל]. Their failure comes from a deep denial of divine providence. They convince themselves that there is no point in looking for God or praying to Him, believing such efforts are entirely useless [רד״ק].

In the end, the coming disaster will reach anyone who is not fully committed to serving God. The punishment will fall equally on those who knew Him and later rejected Him, as well as those who ignored His existence entirely [רד״ק, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].