1 The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.

2 I have loved you, said the LORD. Yet you say, Wherein have you loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? said the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,

3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

4 Whereas Edom said, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus said the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD has indignation for ever.

5 And your eyes shall see, and you shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel.

6 A son honors his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is my honor? and if I be a master, where is my fear? said the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, that despise my name. And you say, Wherein have we despised your name?

7 You offer polluted bread on my altar; and you say, Wherein have we polluted you? In that you say, The table of the LORD is contemptible.

8 And if you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now to your governor; will he be pleased with you, or accept your person? said the LORD of hosts.

9 And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious to us: this has been by your means: will he regard your persons? said the LORD of hosts.

10 Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nothing? neither do you kindle fire on my altar for nothing. I have no pleasure in you, said the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.

11 For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered to my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, said the LORD of hosts.

12 But you have profaned it, in that you say, The table of the LORD is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible.

13 You said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and you have snuffed at it, said the LORD of hosts; and you brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus you brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? said the LORD.

14 But cursed be the deceiver, which has in his flock a male, and vows, and sacrifices to the LORD a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, said the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

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Jehovah’s Love and His People’s Ingratitude

1. Burden] RM ’oracle’; properly, ’that which is lifted up,’ hence in this connexion ’utterance’; but with play on other meaning ’burden’ in Jer 23:33 (RM).

2. Wherein hast thou loved us?] i.e. ’Wherein hast thou shewn thy love?’ So in Mal 1:3, I hated Esau means ’I have shewn myself hostile to Esau’ ’Esau’ and ’Jacob’ here stand for the nations Edom and Israel, not for the patriarMalachi

3. The desolation of Edom here referred to had been already adduced by an unknown prophet ( Isaiah 63) as a proof of Jehovah’s care for Israel. Edom was devastated by an invasion of Arabs who for more than a century had been pressing into Palestine: cp. Eze 25:4-5, Eze 25:10. Dragons] RV ’jackals.’

4. We are impoverished] RV ’we are beaten down.’ The text is somewhat uncertain: cp. Isa 9:10. Thus saith the Lord] In Heb. ’to think’ is often represented by the verb ’to say.’ A Hebrew does not hesitate to represent what he believes to be true, and therefore the ’thought’ of Jehovah, as ’spoken’ by Jehovah. In such a phrase there is no idea of a revelation by vision.

5., The Lord will be (RV ’be’) magnified] The Heb. may express either a prayer, as in Psa 40:16, or a statement. Here the meaning is probably that Jehovah habitually manifests His greatness.

From (more literally ’above’) the border] Jehovah’s activity is not confined to Jerusalem.

6. The priests especially stand to Jehovah in the relation of sons and servants.

7. Polluted] i.e. not actually unclean, but worthless, common: cp. Ezr 2:62. Bread] sacrificial offerings generally: cp. Lev 21:6. Table] the altar, not merely the table of shewbread.

8. Cp. Deu 15:21; Deu 17:1; Lev 22:20. Blind.. lame.. sick] i.e. animals unlawful for sacrifice.

It is not evil?] RV ’it is no evil!’

Governor] Heb. Peha. The term is applied to Zerubbabel ( Hag 1:1, Hag 1:4). It is impossible to say whether Malachi has a Jewish or Persian governor in view. Accept thy person] more correctly, ’favour thee.’

9. This hath been, etc.] Translate the latter part of this verse partly corrected from LXX: ’When this hath been done by you, shall I accept,’ etc.

10. RV ’Oh that there were one among you that would shut the doors, that ye might not kindle fire on mine altar in vain!’ i.e. Sacrifices so offered are worthless; better to let the altar fire go out and abstain from sacrifice.

11. Shall be (RV ’is’) great] Jehovah does not need the worthless worship of lip-serving Jews, for even among the Gentiles, who are accounted heathen, He has those who worship Him: cp. Act 10:34, Act 10:35. Incense shall be (RV ’is’) offered] The sacrifices of the Gentiles, when offered with sincere devotion, are offered to Jehovah’s ’name’: cp. Act 17:23.

14. Cp. Lev 22:19, Lev 22:20. The title ’King’ is applied to Jehovah in post-exilic writings composed when the Jews had not an earthly king.

Dreadful] RV ’terrible’; better, ’had in reverence.’