Zephaniah 2:12

"Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword."

Commentators usually point out that for a century prior to the times of Zephaniah, Egypt had been ruled by an Ethiopian dynasty; and, accordingly, they accept the view that this is a reference to the Egyptians. However, God certainly knew the word for the Egyptians, and our view is that if he had meant that, he would have said it. The reference is to the most southern kingdom that was known by the world of that period; and it is Zephaniah's purpose of including the south in this universal montage of judgment which forms the fabric of his prophecy in this chapter.

"Shall be slain by my sword..." "This sword of Jehovah was put in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar for the execution of God's will against Tyre (Ezekiel 29:17-20; 30:24,25)."[28] From this we learn that whenever God's will is to be executed against a sinful nation, the sword of God's wrath is always available in the hands of another wicked and ruthless nation ready to use it. The king of Assyria was called God's razor by Isaiah (Isaiah 7:20).