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Malachi Chapter
Three
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO MALACHI 3
This
chapter begins with a prophecy of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ;
and of the coming of Christ, and the effects and consequences of it, with
respect both to the righteous and the wicked; and it contains accusations and
charges of sin against the Jews, intermixed with exhortations to repentance.
John the Baptist is promised to be sent, and is described by his office as a
messenger, and by his work, to prepare the way of the Lord; and the Messiah is
prophesied of, who is described by his characters; with respect to himself, the
Lord and Messenger of the covenant; with respect to the truly godly among the
Jews, as the object of their desire and delight; whose coming is spoken of as a
certain thing, and which would be sudden; and the place is mentioned he should
come into, Malachi 3:1 and
this his coming is represented as terrible to the wicked, and as trying and
purifying to the righteous, expressed by the various similes of a refiner's
fire, and fuller's soap; and the end answered by it, their offering a righteous
offering to the Lord, Malachi 3:2 but
with respect to the wicked, he declares he should be a swift witness against
them, whose characters are particularly given, and this assured from his
immutability; the consequence of which to the saints is good, being their
security from destruction, Malachi 3:5 and
next a charge is commenced against the wicked Jews, as that in general they had
for a long time revolted from the Lord, and were guilty of sins of omission and
commission, and are therefore exhorted to return to the Lord, with a promise
that he will return to them, and yet they refuse, Malachi 3:7 and, in
particular, that they were guilty of sacrilege, and so accounted, even the
whole nation, in withholding tithes and sacrifices, which they are exhorted to
bring in; to which they are encouraged with promises of blessings of prosperity
and protection, Malachi 3:8 and
that they had spoken impudent and blasphemous words against the Lord; which,
though excepted to, is proved by producing their own words, Malachi 3:13 and by
the contrary behaviour of those that feared the Lord, who were taken notice of
by him, and were dear unto him, Malachi 3:16
wherefore it is suggested, that the time would come when there would be a
manifest difference made between the one and the other, Malachi 3:18.
Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I send
My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you
seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In
whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.
YLT
1Lo, I am sending My
messenger, And he hath prepared a way before Me, And suddenly come in unto his
temple Doth the Lord whom ye are seeking, Even the messenger of the covenant,
Whom ye are desiring, Lo, he is coming, said Jehovah of Hosts.
Behold, I will send my messenger,.... These are the words
of Christ, in answer to the question put in the last verse of the preceding
chapter Malachi 2:17,
"Where is the God of judgment?" intimating that he would
quickly appear, and previous to his coming send his messenger or angel; not the
angel of death to destroy the wicked, as Jarchi thinks; nor an angel from
heaven, as Kimchi; nor Messiah the son of Joseph; as Aben Ezra; nor the Prophet
Malachi himself, as Abarbinel; but the same that is called Elijah the prophet, Malachi 4:5 and is
no other than John the Baptist, as is clear from Matthew 11:10
called a "messenger" or "angel", not by nature, but by
office; and Christ's messenger, because sent by him and on his errand; and
which shows the power and authority of Christ in sending forth ministers; his
superior excellency to John, and his existence before him, or he could not be
sent by him, and so before his incarnation; for John was sent by him before he
was in the flesh, and consequently this is a proof of the proper deity of
Christ: and the word "behold" is prefixed to this, in order to raise
the attention of those that put the above question, and all others; as well as
to show that the message John was sent upon was of the greatest moment and
importance; as that the Messiah was just ready to appear, his kingdom was at
hand, and the Jews ought to believe in him; though it also respects the coming
of the Messiah, spoken of in the latter part of the text:
and he shall prepare the way before me; by declaring
to the Jews that he was born, and was in the midst of them; by pointing him out
unto them; by preaching the doctrine of repentance, and exhorting them to
believe in him; and by administering the ordinance of baptism in general to all
proper subjects, and in particular to Christ, by which he was made manifest to
Israel; See Gill on Mark 1:2 the
allusion is to kings and great men sending persons before them when on a
journey, to give notice of their coming, and provide for them:
and the Lord, whom ye seek; this is the person
himself speaking, the Son of God, and promised Messiah, the Lord of all men,
and particularly of his church and people, in right of marriage, by virtue of
redemption, and by being their Head and King; so Kimchi and Ben Melech
interpret it of him, and even AbarbinelF17Mashmiah Jeshuah, fol. 76.
4. himself; the Messiah that had been so long spoken of and so much expected,
and whom the Jews sought after, either in a scoffing manner, expressed in the
above question, or rather seriously; some as a temporal deliverer, to free them
from the Roman yoke, and bring them into a state of liberty, prosperity, and
grandeur; and others as a spiritual Saviour, to deliver from sin, law, hell,
and death, and save them with an everlasting salvation:
shall suddenly come to his temple; meaning not his human
nature, nor his church, sometimes so called; but the material temple at
Jerusalem, the second temple, called "his", because devoted to his
service and worship, which proves him to be God, and because of his frequency
in it; here he was brought and presented by his parents at the proper time, for
the purification of his mother; here he was at twelve years of age disputing
with the doctors; and here Simeon, Anna, and others, were waiting for him, Luke 2:22 and we
often read of his being here, and of his using his authority in it as the Lord
and proprietor of it; and of the Hosannas given him here, Matthew 21:12 the
manner in which he should come, "suddenly", may refer to the
manifestation of it, quickly after John the Baptist had prepared his way by his
doctrine and baptism:
even the messenger of the covenant; not of the covenant of
works with Adam, of which there was no mediator and messenger; nor of the
covenant of circumcision, at which, according to the Jews, Elias presides; nor
of the covenant at Sinai, of which Moses was the mediator; but of the covenant
of grace, of which Christ is not only the Surety and Mediator; but, as here,
"the Messenger"; because it is revealed, made known, and exhibited in
a more glorious manner by him under the Gospel dispensation, through the
ministration of the word and ordinances. De Dieu observes, that the word in the
Ethiopic language signifies a prince as well as a messenger, and so may be
rendered, "the Prince of the covenant", which is a way of speaking
used in Daniel 11:22,
whom ye delight in; either carnally, as they pleased themselves
with the thoughts of a temporal prince, and of great honour and grandeur under
him; and as they would have done, had he submitted to have been made a king by
them in this sense; or rather spiritually, and so is to be understood of such
who had a spiritual knowledge of him, and joy in him; who rejoiced and
delighted in the contemplation of his person, offices, righteousness, and
salvation:
he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts; this
expresses the certainty of his coming, being said by himself, who is the Lord
of hosts, the Lord of armies in heaven and in earth, the King of kings, and
Lord of lords. This passage is, in some Jewish writersF18Bemidbar
Rabba, sect. 16. fol. 219. 4. , interpreted of the world to come, or times of
the Messiah.
Malachi 3:2 2 “But
who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He
is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap.
YLT
2And who is bearing the day
of his coming? And who is standing in his appearing? For he [is] as fire of a
refiner, And as soap of a fuller.
But who may abide the day of his coming?.... When he
should be manifest in Israel, and come preaching the Gospel of the kingdom; who
could bear the doctrines delivered by him, concerning his deity and equality
with God the Father; concerning his character and mission as the Messiah, and
his kingdom not being a temporal, but a spiritual one; concerning his giving
his flesh for the life of the world, and eating that by faith; concerning
distinguishing and efficacious grace; and all such that so severely struck at
the wickedness of the Scribes and Pharisees, and their self-righteous
principles; and especially since for judgment he came, that they might not see?
nor could they bear the light of this glorious Sun of righteousness; and he
came not to send peace and outward prosperity to the Jews, but a sword and
division, John 9:39 very few
indeed could bear his ministry, or the light of that day, it being so directly
contrary to their principles and practices:
and who shall stand when he appeareth? in his
kingdom and glory, to take vengeance on the Jews for their rejection of him and
his Gospel; for this coming and appearance of his include all the time between
his manifestation in the flesh and the destruction of Jerusalem; and so all
those sorrows and distresses which went before it, or attended it, and were
such as had never been from the creation of the world; and unless those times
had been shortened, no flesh could have been saved; see Matthew 24:3,
for he is like a refiner's fire; partly by the
ministry of the word, compared to fire, Jeremiah 23:29
separating pure doctrines from ones of dross; and partly by his fiery
dispensations and judgments on the wicked Jews, when he distinguished and saved
his own people from that untoward generation, and destroyed them:
and like fuller's soap; or "fuller's
herb", as the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render it, and Jarchi
interprets it: and so R. JonahF19Apud Kimchi in Sepher Shorash. rad.
ברר. interprets it of an herb which fullers use: and
in the MisnaF20Niddah. c. 9. sect. 6. this is one of the seven
things used to take out spots, namely, "borith", the word here used;
and which MaimonidesF21In Misn. ib. says is a plant known by the
name of "algasul" and "gazul" in the Arabic language: it
signifies something by which filth is washed away; and so BartenoraF23In
ib. says it is a plant which purifies and cleanses; and JeromF24Comment.
in Jer. ii. 22. relates that this herb grows in Palestine, in moist and green
places, and has the same virtue as nitre to take away filth; agreeably to which
some other versions render it "fuller's weed", or "soap
weed"F25כברית מכבסים
"ut lanaria fullonum", Drusius; "radicula, vel
saponaria", Vatablus. . The Syriac version is,
"as
sulphur that makes white;'
and
fullers, with the Romans, were wont to make use of that along with chalk to
take out spots; and so PlinyF26Nat. Hist. l. 35. c. 15. speaks of a
kind of sulphur which fullers make use of. A metaphor signifying the same thing
as before, the removing of spotted doctrines or spotted persons, the one by the
preaching of the Gospel, the other by awful judgments, as spots in garments are
removed by the fuller's herb or soap.
Malachi 3:3 3 He
will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of
Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness.
YLT
3And he hath sat, a refiner
and purifier of silver, And he hath purified the sons of Levi, And hath refined
them as gold and as silver, And they have been to Jehovah bringing nigh a
present in righteousness.
And he shall sit as a refiner, and purifier of silver,.... Kimchi
interprets this, as he does the latter part of the preceding verse Malachi 3:2, of the
day, and not of the Lord, which he compares to a judge that sits and separates
the guilty from the innocent; see 1 Corinthians 3:13
but it is to be understood of the Lord himself, and expresses his diligence in
sitting and separating good men and principles from bad ones, just as silver is
purified and refined from dross. MaimonidesF1Hilchot Melachim, c.
12. sect. 3. understands the passage of the Messiah; for he says,
"in
the days of the King Messiah, when his kingdom is restored, and all Israel
shall be gathered to him, all will have their genealogies set right by his
mouth, through the Holy Spirit that rests upon him, as it is said, "he
shall sit a refiner and purifier":'
as
a refiner sits and observes his metal while it is melting, and waits the proper
time to pour it out and separate the dross from it; so Christ is here
represented as sitting, while his people are purifying and refining by the
various ways and means he makes use of: it denotes the continued care of Christ
over them; his eye is upon them, that nothing be lost but their dross and
corruption; and his patience in waiting to be gracious to them, and do them
good; and his diligent attention to the proper season of doing it; designing by
all that he does, not their hurt and damage, but their real good, for he saves
them, though it be by fire; and indeed every trial and affliction is for the
purifying of their souls, and the brightening of their graces, and increasing
their spiritual experience, light, and knowledge.
And he shall purify the sons of Levi; the priests,
either literally understood, some of these were converted from their evil
principles and practices, and became obedient to the doctrines of the Gospel, Acts 6:7 or
figuratively, the apostles of Christ and ministers of the Gospel, who were made
clean by him; or rather all the people of God, who are made priests as well as
kings, and are a royal priesthood, and are purified by Christ, both by his
blood, and the imputation of his righteousness, by which they become without
spot and blemish, and as white as snow; and by the Spirit in sanctification, he
sprinkling clean water upon them, and purifying their hearts by faith in the
blood of Jesus; and also by afflictive dispensations of Providence sanctified
unto them. Mention is made of the priests and Levites, because these were so
very corrupt in the times of Christ, and as appears from the preceding chapters.
And purge them as gold and silver; are purged in the fire
from their dross: this shows of what worth and value, and in what esteem the
Lord's people are to him; he reckons of them as gold and silver, and as his
peculiar treasure: and it suggests, that before conversion they are joined unto
and mixed with wicked men, comparable to dross; and that they have in them the
dross, corruption, and impurity of sin; which is original and natural to them,
and inherent in them, and which can only be removed by the grace of God and
blood of Christ.
That they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; themselves,
their bodies and souls; the sacrifices of prayer, praise, and alms deeds; to
the offering up of which in righteousness, in sincerity and truth, in an
upright way, it is necessary that a person should be purified by the blood of
Christ, and sanctified by the grace of his Spirit.
Malachi 3:4 4 “Then
the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the Lord, As in the days of old, As in former years.
YLT
4And sweet to Jehovah hath
been the present of Judah and Jerusalem, As in days of old, and as in former
years.
Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto
the Lord,.... Or "sweet"F2ערבה
"dulcescet", Vatablus, Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius;
"dulce", Piscator. ; grateful and well pleasing to him, as all
spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God through Christ, being offered up in
the faith of his atoning sacrifice and righteousness, without which it is impossible
to please God:
as in the days of old, and as in former years: under the
first temple, and when the tabernacle was set up by Moses, and in the times of
the patriarchs; and even before the flood, and as early as Abel, who offered a
more excellent sacrifice than Cain, Hebrews 11:4.
Malachi 3:5 5 And
I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers,
Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners
and widows and orphans, And against those who turn away an alien— Because they
do not fear Me,” Says the Lord of hosts.
YLT
5And I have drawn near to
you for judgment, And I have been a witness, Making haste against sorcerers,
And against adulterers, And against swearers to a falsehood, And against
oppressors of the hire of an hireling, Of a widow, and of a fatherless one, And
those turning aside a sojourner, And who fear Me not, said Jehovah of Hosts.
And I will come near to you to judgment,.... And so
will manifestly appear to be the God of judgment they asked after, Malachi 2:17 this
is not to be understood of Christ's coming to judgment at the last day, but of
his coming to judge and punish the wicked Jews at the time of Jerusalem's
destruction; for the same is here meant, who is spoken of in the third person
before, and who will not be afar off; there will be no need to inquire after
him, when he will come he will be near enough, and too near for them:
and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers; not only a
judge, but a witness; so that there will be no delay of judgment, or
protracting or evading it, for want of witnesses of facts alleged; for the
Judge himself, who is Christ, will be witness of them, he being the omniscient
God, before whom all things are manifest. The Targum is,
"my
Word shall be among you for a swift witness.'
Mention
is made of "sorcerers", because there were many that used the magic
art, enchantments, and sorceries, in the age of Christ and his apostles, and
before the destruction of Jerusalem, even many of their doctors and members of
the sanhedrim; See Gill on Isaiah 8:19,
and against the adulterers; with whom that age also
abounded; hence our Lord calls it an adulterous generation, Matthew 12:39,
and against false swearers; who were guilty of
perjury, and of vain oaths; who swore by the creatures, and not by the Lord,
and to things not true; see Matthew 5:33,
and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages,
the widow, and the fatherless; defrauding of servants of their wages,
devouring widows' houses, and distressing the fatherless, were sins the Jews
were addicted to in those times, as appears from James 1:27 who
wrote to the twelve tribes; and from what our Lord charges them with, Matthew 23:14,
and that turn aside the stranger from his right; and so Kimchi
supplies it,
"that
turn aside the judgment of the stranger;'
that
do not do him justice in civil things; yea, persecuted those that became
proselytes to the Christian religion:
and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts; which was the
root and cause of all their sins; irreverence of Christ, disbelief of him, and
contempt of his Gospel.
Malachi 3:6 6 “For
I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
YLT
6For I [am] Jehovah, I have
not changed, And ye, the sons of Jacob, Ye have not been consumed.
For I am the Lord,.... Or Jehovah; a name
peculiar to the most High, and so a proof of the deity of Christ, who here
speaks; and is expressive of his being; of his self-existence; of his purity
and simplicity; of his immensity and infinity; and of his eternity and
sovereignty:
I change not; being the same today, yesterday, and forever;
he changed not in his divine nature and personality by becoming man; he took
that into union with him he had not before, but remained the same he ever was;
nor did he change in his threatenings of destruction to the Jews, which came
upon them according to his word; nor in his promises of his Spirit, and
presence, and protection to his people; nor will he ever change in his love and
affections to them; nor in the efficacy of his blood, sacrifice, and
righteousness; wherefore, as this is introduced to assure the truth and
certainty of what is said before, concerning his being a swift witness against
the wicked, so also for the comfort of the saints, as follows. The Targum is,
"for
I the Lord have not changed my covenant.'
Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed; such who were
Israelites indeed, true believers in Christ; these were not consumed when the
wicked Jews were, but were directed to leave the city before its destruction,
and go to another place, as they did, whereby they were preserved; and so it
was, that not one Christian perished in it; See Gill on Matthew 24:13 and
so it is owing to the unchangeable love, grace, and power of Christ, that none
of his perish internally or eternally, but have everlasting life.
Malachi 3:7 7 Yet
from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances And have
not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” Says the Lord of hosts. “But you said, ‘In what way shall we return?’
YLT
7Even from the days of your
fathers Ye have turned aside from My statutes, And ye have not taken heed. Turn
back unto Me, and I turn back to you, Said Jehovah of Hosts. And ye have said,
`In what do we turn back?'
Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine
ordinances,.... Here begins an enumeration of the sins of the Jews, which
were the cause of their ruin; and here is first a general charge of apostasy
from the statutes and ordinances of the law, which they made void by the
traditions of the fathers; and therefore this word is used as referring to this
evil, as well as to express their early, long, and continued departure from the
ways of God; which as it was an aggravation of their sin, that they should have
so long ago forsook the ordinances of God,
and have not kept them, but transgressed them by
observing the traditions of men, Matthew 15:3 so it
is an instance of the patience and forbearance of God, that they were not as
yet consumed; and of his grace and goodness, that he should address them as
follows:
Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of
hosts; this message was carried to them by John the Baptist, the
forerunner of Christ, and by Christ himself, who both preached the doctrine of
repentance to this people, Matthew 3:2. The
Targum is,
"return
to my worship, and I will look in my word to do well unto you, saith the Lord
of hosts;'
and
such who returned, and believed in Christ, and submitted to his ordinances, it
was well with them.
But ye said, Wherein shall we return? what have we
to turn from, or repent of? what evils have we done, or can be charged on us?
what need have we of repentance or conversion, or of such an exhortation to it?
do not we keep the law, and all the rituals of it? this is the true language of
the Pharisees in Christ's time, who, touching the righteousness of the law,
were blameless in their own esteem, and were the ninety and nine just persons
that needed not repentance, Luke 15:7.
Malachi 3:8 8 “Will
a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed
You?’ In tithes and offerings.
YLT
8Doth man deceive God? but
ye are deceiving Me, And ye have said: `In what have we deceived Thee?' The
tithe and the heave-offering!
Will a man rob God?.... Or "the gods"; the false
gods, the idols of the Gentiles; the Heathens will not do that, accounting
sacrilege a great sin, and yet this the Jews were guilty of: or "the
judges"F3אלהים "deos, vel judices",
Calvin, Drusius, Grotius. , as the Targum; civil magistrates; will any dare to
defraud them of their due? see Malachi 1:8.
Yet ye have robbed me; keeping back from the
priests and Levites, his ministers, what was due to them; and which, being no
other than a spoiling or robbing of them, might be interpreted a robbing of
God:
But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? as not being
conscious of any such evil; or, however, impudently standing in it, that they
were not guilty: to which is returned the answer,
In tithes and offerings; that is, they robbed God
in not giving the tithes, and not offering sacrifices, according as the law
required: but it may be objected, that the Jews in Christ's time did pay
tithes, even of all things; yea, of more than the law required, Matthew 23:23 to
which it may be replied, that though they gave tithes, yet it was בעין רעה, "with an evil
eye", as Aben Ezra says; grudgingly, and not cheerfully, and with an evil
intention; not to show their gratitude to God, and their acknowledgment of him
as their Lord, from whom they had their all, but in order to merit at his
hands; besides, our Lord suggests that they did not give to God the things that
were God's, Matthew 22:21 and
the apostle charges them with being guilty of sacrilege, Romans 2:22 and,
moreover, the priests might not give it to the Levites, as they ought; and
which is what they are charged with in Nehemiah 13:10 and
Grotius says that they were guilty of this before the destruction by Vespasian,
as appears by Josephus.
Malachi 3:9 9 You
are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.
YLT
9With a curse ye are cursed!
And Me ye are deceiving -- this nation -- all of it.
Ye are cursed with a curse,.... Or "with
penury", as the Vulgate Latin version; which, though not a proper rendering
of the word, is the meaning of the curse they were cursed with; rain was
withheld from them for their sins, and the earth did not bring forth its usual
increase; wherefore there was want of food in all their land; their blessings
were cursed, as in Malachi 2:2 for the
following reason,
for ye have robbed me; because of this their
iniquity, in not bringing their offerings to the Lord, and the tithes to the priests
and Levites, their land was stricken with barrenness, and God gave them
cleanness of teeth, and want of bread in all places: or, "but ye have
robbed me"F4ואתי א־תאם
קבעים "et tamen diripitis me", De Dieu. ;
notwithstanding they were thus chastised of the Lord, yet were not reformed,
but went on in withholding from God and the priests, what belonged to them:
even this whole
nation; the sin was become general, and therefore a general judgment was
inflicted on them: Grotius thinks, that the people seeing the priests withhold
the tithes from the Levites, they refused to pay them to them, and so the sin
became universal. Kimchi observes, that in other sins charged upon the nation,
the people were not all alike guilty, but in this which respected the tithes
and offerings they were.
Malachi 3:10 10 Bring
all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try
Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open
for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there
will not be room enough to receive it.
YLT
10Bring in all the tithe unto
the treasure-house, And there is food in My house; When ye have tried Me, now,
with this, Said Jehovah of Hosts, Do not I open to you the windows of heaven?
Yea, I have emptied on you a blessing till there is no space.
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,.... Or
"treasury"F5אל בית האוצר "thesaurum",
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "vel in domum thesauri",
Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Burkius. ; for there were places in the temple
where the tithe was put, and from thence distributed to the priests and
Levites, for the support of their families, as they wanted. There were the
tithe or tenth part of all eatable things paid to the Levites, and out of this
another tithe was paid by the Levites to the priests; and there was another
tithe, which some years the owners ate themselves at Jerusalem, and in others
gave them to the poor; and these were called the first tithe, the tithe out of
the tithe, the second tithe, and the poor's tithe; though they are commonly
reduced to three, and are called first, and second, and third, as they are by
Maimonides; who saysF6Hilchot Maaser Sheni, c. 1. sect. 1. ,
"after
they have separated the first tithe every year, they separate the second tithe,
as it is said "thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed",
&c. Deuteronomy 14:22
and in the third year, and in the sixth, they separate the poor's tithe,
instead of the second tithe.'
So
Tobit says; Tobit 1:7
"the
first tithe I gave to the Levites, who stand before the Lord to minister to
him, and to bless in his name the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the second tithe I
sold (as he might, according to the law in Deuteronomy 14:24),
and took the money, and went up to Jerusalem, and bought with it what I
pleased; and the third tithe I gave to the repair of the temple;'
so
Fagius reads: but according to Munster's edition it is, the second and third
tithes I gave to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow; see Deuteronomy 26:12.
It appears from hence that the sin of the people was, that they did not bring
in "all" their tithes; they kept back a part of them: wherefore they
are called upon to bring in the whole, and which they did in Nehemiah's time;
see Nehemiah 10:38
where mention is made of the treasuries for the tithe, which were certain
chambers adjoining to the temple; and besides those that were built by Solomon,
there were other chambers prepared by Hezekiah in his times, when the tithes
were brought in, in such plenty, that there was not room enough for them, 2 Chronicles 31:11
and besides those in the second temple, that were in the court of the priests,
there were others in the court of the people, as L'Empereur thinksF7Not.
in Misn. Middot, c. 2. sect. 6. No. 14. , where what the others could not
contain might be put; and into which court the priests might come; and there
were also receptacles underground, as well as upper rooms, where much might be
laid up; add to all this, that Dr. LightfootF8Prospect of the
Temple, c. 5. p. 1058. c. 19. p. 1097. suggests, that these tithes were
treasured up in the chambers by the gates of the temple, and were at least a
part of the treasuries of the house of God, which the porters at the gates had
the care of, 1 Chronicles 9:26
and particularly that the house of Asuppim, at which were four porters, was a
large piece of building, containing divers rooms for the treasuring up things
for the use of the temple; in the Apocrypha:
"
And are resolved to spend the firstfruits of the the tenths of wine and oil,
which they had sanctified, and reserved for the priests that serve in Jerusalem
before the face of our God; the which things it is not lawful for any of the
people so much as to touch with their hands.' Judith 11:13
that there may be food in mine house; in the
temple, for the sustenance of the priests and Levites: so the Targum,
"the
prophet said, bring all the tithes into the treasury, that there may be food
for them that minister in the house of my sanctuary:'
and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts; by bringing
in all their tithes; when they would find, by making this experiment or trial,
that the curse would be removed from them, and blessings be largely and
liberally bestowed upon them by him, who is the Lord of hosts, and so able to
perform any promise he makes; and here one is implied, and is as follows:
if I will not open you the windows of heaven; which had
been shut and stopped up, and let down no rain upon their land, which brought a
scarcity of provisions among them; but now, upon a change in their conduct it
is suggested that these windows or floodgates should be opened, and rain let
down plentifully upon them, which only could be done by the Lord himself; for
the key of rain is one of the three keys, the Jews sayF9T. Bab.
Taanith, fol. 2. 1. Sanhedrin, fol. 113. 1. , which God has reserved for
himself, and never puts into the hands of a minister:
and pour you out a blessing: give abundance of rain
to make the earth fruitful, and bring forth its increase in great plenty, which
is a blessing; and not destroy the earth, and the fruits of it, as in the times
of Noah, when the windows of heaven were opened, and a curse was poured out
upon the earth:
that there shall not be room enough to receive it; and so Kimchi
says his father interpreted this clause, that there would not be a sufficiency
of vesselsF11עד בלי
די "adeo ut non sint vobis sufficientia
vasa", Pagninus, Vatablus. So Burkius. and storehouses. Some render the
words, as Junius, "so that ye shall not be sufficient"; either to
gather in the increase, or to consume it. The Targum is,
"until
ye say it is enough;'
and
so the Syriac version. The phrase, which is very concise in the original text,
and may be literally rendered, "unto not enough"F12Eousque
ut nunquam sit satis, nempe a parte datoris, Gussetius. So De Dieu. , denotes
great abundance and fulness of good things, so that there should be enough and
to spare; and yet, as Gussetius observes, not enough to answer and express the
abundance of mercy and goodness in the heart of God.
Malachi 3:11 11 “And
I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the
fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the
field,” Says the Lord of hosts;
YLT
11And I have pushed for you
against the consumer, And He doth not destroy to you the fruit of the ground,
Nor miscarry to you doth the vine in the field, Said Jehovah of Hosts.
And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,.... Or
"eater"F13באכל
"comedentem", Drusius, Cocceius; "eum qui comedit",
Burkius. ; the locust or caterpillar, or any such devouring creature, that eats
up the herbage, corn, and fruits of trees; every such creature is under the
restraint of Providence; and by a nod, a rebuke, they are easily prevented
doing the mischief they otherwise would; these are the Lord's great army, which
he can send and call off as he pleases, Joel 1:4,
and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; as he has
done, by eating all green things, as the locust, caterpillar, and canker worm
do, grass, corn, and trees:
neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the
field; which some understand of the devourer or locust, that that
should not cause the vine to be abortive, or cast its fruit before its time, or
bereave it of it; but it seems best to interpret it of the vine itself not
casting its fruit, as an untimely birth, by blighting and blasting winds:
saith the Lord of hosts; who holds the winds in
his fists, and will not suffer them when he pleases, any more than the locusts,
to hurt the trees of the earth, Revelation 7:1.
Malachi 3:12 12 “And
all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the
Lord of hosts.
YLT
12And declared you happy have
all the nations, For ye are a delightful land, said Jehovah of Hosts.
And all nations shall call you blessed,.... When they
shall see the land freed from the devouring locust, and other hurtful
creatures; the former and the latter rains given in their season, and the earth
yielding a large increase:
for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts; or a
desirableF14ארץ חפץ
"terra desiderabilis", V. L. Pagninus, Drusius; "terra
beneplaciti", Montanus, Vatablus, Burkius; "oblectationis",
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. one; not only pleasant to themselves, being
fruitful, but wished for by others, by their neighbouring nations, who, seeing
their prosperity, could not but desire to dwell with them; or delightsome to
the Lord of hosts: thus Jarchi interprets it, the land that I delight in; and
so Aben Ezra; to which agrees the Targum,
"and
all nations shall praise you, because you dwell in the land of the house of my
Shechinah or majesty, and do my will in it;'
and
the Syriac version renders it, "the land of my delight": see Isaiah 62:4.
Malachi 3:13 13 “Your
words have been harsh against Me,” Says the Lord, “Yet you
say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’
YLT
13Hard against Me have been
your words, Said Jehovah, and ye have said: `What have we spoken against Thee?'
Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord,.... Hard and
strong; they bore very hardly upon him, were exceeding impudent and insolent;
murmuring at his providence; arraigning his justice and goodness; and despising
his word, worship, and ordinances. Aben Ezra says, this is a prophecy
concerning the time to come, that is, the times of the Messiah; and so it
describes the Jews in his times.
Yet ye say, what have we spoken so much against thee? or "what
have we spoken against thee?" as if they were not guilty in any respect,
and as if nothing could be proved against them; and as though the Lord did not
know what they had said in their hearts, seeing they had not spoken it with
their mouths: though the supplement of our translators, "so much", is
confirmed by the Targum, which is,
"and
if ye say, how (or in what) have we multiplied speech before thee?'
and
so Kimchi observes, that the form in which the Hebrew word is denotes much and
frequent speaking: and Abarbinel agrees with him, though he rather thinks it
has this sense, "what are we spoken of to thee?" what calumny is
this? what accusation do they bring against us to thee? what is it that is
reported we say against thee? thus wiping their mouths, as if they were
innocent and harmless.
Malachi 3:14 14 You
have said, ‘It is useless to serve God; What profit is it that we have
kept His ordinance, And that we have walked as mourners Before the Lord of hosts?
YLT
14Ye have said, `A vain thing
to serve God! And what gain when we kept His charge? And when we have gone in
black, Because of Jehovah of Hosts?
Ye have said, it is vain to serve God,.... This they
said in their hearts, if not with their lips, that it was a vain thing for a
man to serve God; he got nothing by it; he had no reward for it; it fared no
better with him than the wicked; nay, the wicked fared better than he; and
therefore who would be a worshipper of God? see Job 21:15.
Abarbinel understands this also with respect to God, who is worshipped; to whom
worship, say these men, is no ways profitable, nor does he regard it; see Job 35:7 and
therefore it is in vain to serve him, since neither he, nor we, are the better
for it:
and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance; or "his
observation"F14משמרתו
"observationem ejus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius;
"observantiam ejus", Cocceius. ; that is, have observed that which he
commanded to be observed; this respects not any single and particular
ordinance, but every ordinance of God: the Sadducees of those times seem
designed, who denied the resurrection of the dead, and a future state of
rewards and punishments, and so might well conclude it in vain to serve God:
and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? or "in
black"F15קדרנית "atrate",
Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so Stockius, p. 926; "pullati",
Tigurine version; "atrati", Cocceius. ; which is the habit of
mourners; see Psalm 38:6 with an
humble spirit, as Jarchi interprets it; or with humiliation (or contrition) of
spirit, as the Targum, which paraphrases the whole verse thus,
"ye
have said, he gains nothing who worships before the Lord; and what mammon (or
riches) do we gain because we have kept the observation of his word, and
because we have walked in contrition of spirit before the Lord of hosts?'
Aben
Ezra and Abarbinel seem to understand this last clause of their being afflicted
and suffering for the sake of religion, and which they endured in vain, seeing
they were not respected and rewarded for it; but the other sense is best, which
represents them as sincere penitents, and humble worshippers of God in their
own account, and yet were not taken notice of by him: it seems to describe the
Pharisees, who disfigured their faces, and affected down looks and sorrowful
countenancesF16The word is used by Josephus ben Gorion for sincere
walking, l. 6. c. 20. p. 612. Vid. Not. Breithaupt. in ib.; it is interpreted
"humbly" by R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 102. 2. .
Malachi 3:15 15 So
now we call the proud blessed, For those who do wickedness are raised up; They
even tempt God and go free.’”
YLT
15And now, we are declaring
the proud happy, Yea, built up have been those doing wickedness, Yea they have
tempted God, and escape.'
And now we call the proud happy,.... Or "therefore
now"F17ועתה "ergo nunc", V.
L.; "igitur", Cocceius; "adeoque", Burkius. ; since this is
the case, that the worshippers of God are not regarded, and there is nothing
got by serving him; they that are proud and haughty, that neither fear God nor
regard men, are the happy persons; even presumptuous sinners, as the wordF18זדים "arrogantes", V. L.; "feroces",
Cocceius. signifies, that stretch out their hands against God, and strengthen
themselves against the Almighty; these enjoy all worldly happiness, while they
that serve the Lord are mourning in sackcloth, and are in the utmost distress.
The Targum explains it of the ungodly, and as it is explained in the following
clause:
yea, they that work wickedness are set up: or
"built up"F19נבנו
"aedificati sunt", Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Burkius;
"aedificantur", Vatablus, Tigurine version, Calvin, Junius &
Tremellius. ; or "seeing, because", or "for they that work"F20גם "siquidem", V. L.; "nam", Piscator,
Noldius. , &c.; they are increased with children, by which their houses or
families are built up; they are in a well settled and established condition;
they abound in riches and honours; they are set in high places, and are in
great esteem among men, even such who make it their constant business to commit
sin:
yea, they that tempt God; or "yea, they tempt
God"F21גם בחנו
"etiam probaverunt", Pagninus, Montanus, Burkius. ; by their wicked
words and actions, and try whether he will cause his judgments to fall upon
them, which he has threatened to such sinners; see Isaiah 5:18,
are even delivered; or, "and are delivered"F23וימלטו "et evaserunt", Pagninus, Montanus;
"et effugerunt", Cocceius. ; from the punishment threatened; they
escape it, and go on with impunity; from which observations these persons
reasoned that there was no God of judgment, or that judged in the earth; that
there was no providence concerned about human affairs; and that there was
nothing in religion; and these were the hard and stout words which they spoke
against the Lord.
Malachi 3:16 16 Then
those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written
before Him For those who fear the Lord And who
meditate on His name.
YLT
16Then have those fearing
Jehovah spoken one to another, And Jehovah doth attend and hear, And written is
a book of memorial before Him Of those fearing Jehovah, And of those esteeming
His name.
Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another,.... Abarbinel
thinks this is a continuation of the speech of the wicked; observing, that
while they that work wickedness were set up, and they that tempted God escaped
punishment, they that were religious, and feared God, "were destroyed one
with another", particularly by the plague; so he would have the word נדברו rendered, which we translate, "spake often one
to another"; in which sense he observes that root is used in Hosea 13:14 but
rather this is opposed unto what they said, by such, who, at the time referred
to (which seems to be between the time of Christ's coming, spoken of in the
beginning of the chapter Malachi 3:1, and
the destruction of Jerusalem after mentioned), feared the Lord, and served him;
embraced the Messiah, and professed his name; for the fear of God takes in the
whole of religious worship, both internal and external; and describes such, not
that have a dread of the majesty of God, and of his judgments and wrath, or
distrust his power, providence, grace, and goodness; but who have a filial and
holy fear of God, a fiducial and fearless one, a reverential affection for him,
and are true and sincere worshippers of him: these "spake often one to
another"; of the unbelief, impiety, and profaneness of men, with great
concern and lamentation; and of the great and good things they were led into
the knowledge of; the everlasting love of the Father in the choice of them, and
covenant with them in Christ; of redemption by the Son; of the glories of his
person, and the fulness of his grace; of the work of the Spirit of God upon
their souls; and of the various truths of the everlasting Gospel; and of the
gracious experiences they were indulged with; and all this they said for the
glory of God's grace, and for the comforting and strengthening, and edifying,
of each other's souls: it follows,
and the Lord hearkened, and heard it; what they
said one to another: this is spoken after the manner of men, and does not so
much regard the omniscience of God, who hearkens and hears everything that is
said by wicked men, as by good men; as his special regard unto, peculiar notice
he takes of, and the approbation he has of his people, and of their words and
actions, and even of their thoughts, as is afterwards intimated:
and a book of remembrance was written before him; in allusion
to kings that keep registers, records, annals, and chronicles, as memorials of
matters of moment and importance: see Ezra 4:15 Esther 2:23,
otherwise there is no forgetfulness in God; he bears in his own eternal mind a
remembrance of the persons, thoughts, words, and actions of his people, and
which he will disclose and make mention of another day; even our Lord Jesus
Christ, who is God over all, and who will let the churches and world know that
he is the searcher of hearts, and trier of the reins of the children of men:
for them that feared the Lord, as before,
and that thought upon his name; either the name of the
Father; not any particular name of his, by which he is known, but him himself;
for, as Kimchi observes, his name is himself, and he himself is his name; and
especially as he is in Christ, and proclaimed in him; and this is expressive of
faith in him, love to him, and reverence of him: or the name of Christ; and not
any particular name of his, unless it be Jesus the Saviour: but rather his
person as the Son of God; his office as Mediator; and his blood, righteousness,
and sacrifice: and it is not a bare thinking of him that is here intended, but
such a thought of him as is accompanied with esteem and value for him, because
of the dignity of his person, and the riches of his grace. The Septuagint and
Arabic versions render it, "and that reverence his name"; and the Syriac
version, "that praise his name"; and the Targum is, that think of the
glory of his name.
Malachi 3:17 17 “They
shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I
make them My jewels.[a] And I will
spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.”
YLT
17And they have been to Me,
said Jehovah of Hosts, In the day that I am appointing -- a peculiar treasure,
And I have had pity on them, As one hath pity on his son who is serving him.
And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts,.... That is,
such as fear the Lord, and think of him, hereby they are known to be his; and
hereafter, in the time referred to, it will be manifest that they are his: they
are Christ's already by his Father's gift of them to him; by his own purchase;
by the conquests of his grace; and by the voluntary surrender of themselves:
but, in the last day, they will be claimed and owned by Christ before his Father
and his holy angels; and they will be known to be his, by themselves and
others; and there will be no doubt about it, or questioning of it:
in that day when I make up my jewels; Christ has
some, who are his jewels, or peculiar treasure, as the wordF24סגלה "peculium", Munster, Pagninus, Vatablus,
Tigurine version, Calvin, Drusius, Junius & Tremellius. here used
signifies; who are loved with an everlasting love; chosen in him; redeemed by
him; justified by his righteousness; have the graces of his Spirit in them: and
will be glorified: they are a peculiar people, separate from all others, and
preferred unto them; for whom Christ has the strongest affection, and takes
special care of: and there is a time when he will make them up; the number of
them is already complete in eternal election; and there was a gathering of them
together in Christ at his death; at every conversion there is an addition to
them, as his regenerated and sanctified ones; and at death they are received
into heaven, into his presence and bosom; and at the last day there will be a
collection of them all together. The words may be rendered, even "my
jewels in the day that I shall make"F25ליום
אשר אני עשה
"illa die quam facio", so some in Vatablus; "in diem quem ego
facio peculium", Cocceius, Burkius. ; or "the day I shall make
peculiar": distinct from all others; meaning either the famous Gospel day,
made by him the sun of righteousness, in which so many of his jewels are picked
up, and brought in; or the day of Jerusalem's destruction, when Christ took
care of his jewels, and by the preservation of them showed that they were his,
even all that believed in him; so that not one perished that believed in him,
when he took vengeance on his enemies, that disbelieved and rejected him.
Kimchi refers this to the day of judgment.
And I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth
him; this is a favour not granted to the apostate angels; nor to the
old world; nor to the Jewish nation; nor even to the Son of God; but is
vouchsafed to his special people: the lives of these are spared, until they are
called by grace; and though they are sometimes afflicted and chastised, it is
very gently, and in love; their services are accepted, and the imperfections in
them overlooked; their sins are pardoned, and they will find mercy at the great
day of account; they are used in the most tender manner, not only as a son, an
own son, but as an obedient one, for whom the greatest regard is had, and
affection shown.
Malachi 3:18 18 Then
you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who
serves God And one who does not serve Him.
YLT
18And ye have turned back and
considered, Between the righteous and the wicked, Between the servant of God
and him who is not His servant.
Then shall ye return,.... Either
the wicked, who will be "converted"F26ושב־תאם
"et convertemini", Cocceius, Gussetius, so Pagninus, Montanus;
"conversi", Drusius, Junius & Tremellius. , as some render the
word, and will have a different view of things, and change their minds and
language; or they that feared the Lord, who at the time before spoken of will
have a new turn of thought, and another and clear discerning of persons and
things, and better judge of the dispensations of Providence: some that refer
this to the resurrection of the dead, and the last judgment, understand it, as
Abarbinel does, of the returning of souls to their bodies, when indeed the
difference between persons after described will be very discernible; but it
seems to refer to the time of Christ's first coming, and Jerusalem's
destruction:
and discern between the righteous and the wicked; the
difference between such who are really and truly righteous, who are here meant,
even such who believe in Christ, and are justified by his righteousness; and
those that are wicked, as all by nature are: though sometimes this character
designs the more profane and abandoned, and even professors of religion; the
difference between these is not always easily discerned; as for the righteous,
they are not known and discerned by the world; and by reason of afflictions,
temptations, and sins, they are apt to judge wrong of themselves; and sometimes
are so left to fall into sin, that they look like others: and there are wicked
men under the appearance of righteous men, as were the Scribes and Pharisees in
Christ's time; but by the destruction that came upon them, and the preservation
of such as believed in Christ, it was discernible who were wicked, and who were
righteous; indeed, at the last day, this difference will be more visible; in
the bodies of the righteous, which will be raised glorious, when those of the
wicked will not; in their souls, having on the wedding garment, the robe of
Christ's righteousness, and perfectly holy; and in their situation, being set at
Christ's right hand, and the wicked at his left; and by the characters that
will be given of them by the Judge, and the different sentences passed and
executed on them:
between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not; that is,
between such persons that serve the Lord, and him only, privately and publicly,
in righteousness and true holiness, in spirit and in truth, with faith and
fervency, with reverence and fear, heartily and willingly, seeking his glory,
without any dependence on their services; and those that are ungodly, or only
outwardly serve the Lord, for sinister ends, and with selfish views, and
according to their own inventions, and the traditions of men, and not the will
of God, as the Scribes and Pharisees; between whom, and Christ's sincere
disciples and followers, the awful day, described in the next chapter Malachi 4:1, will
make a manifest difference.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)