Malachi · Chapter 3

V. 1. I-The Messiah. My messenger-John the Baptist. The Lord-The Messiah. Whom ye seek-Whom ye, who truly fear God, long and wait for. Suddenly come-After the coming of his fore-runner. To his temple-That which was the second temple at Jerusalem, lately built by Zerubbabel and Joshua. The messenger-The angel of the covenant, the Messiah, in whose blood the covenant between God and man was confirmed. Whom ye delight in-You Jews, among whom, few there are, who do not please themselves to think of his coming, tho’ from various motives.

Verse 1. Behold, I will send my messenger] ykalm Malachi, the very name of the prophet. But this speaks of John the Baptist. I, the Messiah, the Seed of God, mentioned above, will send my messenger, John the Baptist.

He shall prepare the way] Be as a pioneer before me; a corrector of civil abuses, and a preacher of righteousness.

And the Lord, whom ye seek] The Messiah, whom ye expect, from the account given by the prophet Daniel, in his seventy weeks, Daniel 9:24. Shall suddenly come to his temple] Shall soon be presented before the Lord in his temple; cleanse it from its defilement, and fill it with his teaching and his glory.

The Messenger of the covenant] He that comes to fulfil the great design, in reference to the covenant made with Abram, that in his seed all the families of the earth should be blessed. See the parallel texts in the margin, and the notes on them.

Verse 1. Behold, &c. — To silence the cavils of unbelievers, spoken of in the last verse of the preceding chapter, the prophet here foretels the coming of the Messiah, who should set things in order; and of his harbinger, who should prepare men for his reception. I will send my messenger — It is God who speaks here, for John the Baptist, who is here intended, was God’s messenger, and had his commission from heaven and not of men, Matthew 21:25, 26; being sent by the same divine authority by which the prophets were sent, and for the same purposes, namely, to call men to repentance and reformation; and he shall prepare the way before me — Before Jehovah, the fulness of whose Godhead dwelt in Christ bodily. Whoever compares this verse with Isaiah 40:3, &c., will easily see that both passages speak of the same person. The messenger here spoken of as sent to prepare the way before the Lord, who is described as coming immediately after this his forerunner, is represented in Isaiah as preparing the way of the Lord, who is spoken of as coming, and his glory as just ready to be revealed, verses 5-9. Both passages, according to the evangelists, were intended of John the Baptist, and indeed are applicable to no other person whatever. He is promised under the name of Elias in the following chapter, whom all the Jews, both ancient and modern, expected should come as the forerunner of the Messiah. This messenger, or prophet, (see the note on chap. 2:7,) here represented as the Lord’s harbinger, was to be as much inferior to the Lord himself, as servants are to a great person, of whose arrival they give notice. This John himself often confessed, Matthew 3:11; John 1:26, and 3:28; and so much appears by the following words. Instead of the reading here, which is the literal translation of the Hebrew, we read in three places of the New Testament, (see the margin,) I send my messenger before thy face to prepare thy way before thee, namely, before the Messiah, to prepare his way before him; the Messiah acting in the name of his Father, the Father being in him and he in the Father, John 14:10, 11. John prepared the way of Christ by calling men to the practice of those duties which would qualify them for the reception of the blessings of the Messiah’s kingdom; and by taking them off from all confidence in their relation to Abraham as their father, which they thought would ensure the favour of God to them without a Saviour; and by giving them notice that the Messiah was now at hand, and so raising their expectation of him that they might readily enter into his measures for the setting up of his kingdom in the world. And the Lord, whom ye seek — That promised Lord or Shiloh, of whom you have such great expectations, and whose coming you so much desire; and who, if you obey him, will bring the greatest good to your state, and will also make foreign nations partakers of your blessings; shall suddenly come — That is, soon after the messenger, or unawares, as Christ’s first coming was, and second will be; to his temple — The second temple at Jerusalem, lately built by Zerubbabel and Joshua. All the Jews, before the birth of Christ, firmly believed that the Messiah was to come into that very temple, according to what the Prophet Haggai had expressly declared, Haggai 2:8. The word here rendered Lord, ˆwda, is the same that is used by David, Psalm 110:1, where he calls the Messiah his Lord, and properly means a basis, or foundation, and also a proprietor, and governor. It is a term peculiarly proper to Christ, who is at once the foundation and governor of his church, and was the Lord of that temple in which he was to make his appearance. Even the messenger [or angel] of the covenant — A phrase, says Secker, found nowhere else in Scripture. “It may mean the person by whose intervention the covenant is made, or by whom a covenant proposed by one party is sent to the other.” The same person is meant who is termed the angel of God’s presence, Isaiah 63:9; who delivered the law upon mount Sinai, as St. Stephen speaks, Acts 7:38, and as the apostle’s words imply, Hebrews 12:25, 26. He is both the revealer and mediator of the new covenant, which the prophets foretold would take place under the Messiah, Jeremiah 31:31; Isaiah 42:6, and 55:3; even that blessed one that was sent from heaven to negotiate a peace and settle a correspondence between God and man; commissioned from his Father to bring man home to God by a covenant of grace, who had revolted from him by the violation of the covenant of innocence. By his mediation this covenant is procured and established; and though he is the prince of the covenant, as some read the clause here, yet he condescended to be the messenger of it, that we might, upon his word, have the fullest assurance of God’s goodwill to man. Whom ye delight in — Whose coming ye so much desire, the time of it being the subject of your earnest inquiry and diligent search, and the expectation of it your comfort and delight. Behold, he shall come — The promise is repeated, and that in the name of the Lord of hosts, to give the fullest assurance of its accomplishment. There were few among the Jews who did not please themselves to think of the Messiah’s coming, though from various motives; the pious among them doubtless expecting spiritual blessings, such as a further revelation of God’s will, and larger communications of his grace and Spirit; but the great bulk of the nation looking for mere worldly advantages under a temporal kingdom, which they expected he would set up.

Verse 1. Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me. John the baptist, as our Saviour himself expounds this passage. Matthew 11:7-18.

The Lord whom ye seek, and for whom ye wait, as the Desire of all nations, shall suddenly come to his temple. Here a flood of light broke in upon the prophet’s mind. “He saw the Lord always before him,” even the brightness of the Father’s glory. He saw that the jewish state and temple would subsist for more than four hundred years, and that the city and temple would then be burned, as Daniel had foretold: Daniel 9:26. The Hebrew is, Ha-Adon, he the Lord, by way of eminence, who cannot be confounded with any created intelligence. He the Angel of the covenant declared to Abraham, and confirmed to David, and in both instances with an oath. Luke 1:72, 73. St. Jerome quotes a jewish prayer, on bringing forth the book of the law. “Oh Lord, animate and strengthen us, and send us the Angel, the Redeemer. Let Elias thy prophet surely come in our days, with Messias, the Son of David, thy servant.”

The three words used by our prophet, of this glorious personage—they expected him—they sought him—they delighted in him—mark a Presence expected in the temple more than human; even the Messenger of the covenant. Archbishop Newcome says, “This is the only place where this phrase occurs,” and by consequence it ought not to have much weight. But in what does it differ from Isaiah 63:9. “The angel of his presence,” or literally, the angel of his face, “saved them.” He is indeed the angel of his face, the brightness of the Father’s glory, and the express image of his person. He is the Shiloh, the glory of the mercyseat. He is the Saviour, the Consolation of Israel. In a word, he is the Son, who came to his Father’s house, and cleansed it. He came clothed with all the glory essential to his mission, full of grace and truth. His miracles declared him to be the Lord of universal nature, and the almighty Saviour of men.

V. 2. Abide-Who shall be able to stand under the weight of those crosses which in that day, will fall on all sorts of men? The day-This day was from his preaching, ‘till the utter destruction of Jerusalem, about seventy years after the birth of Christ. A refiner’s fire-Some are like metals, which nothing but a fierce fire can purge, such fire shall the troubles of these days be. Fuller’s soap-As boiling waters, into which, spotted cloaths are thrown, and as the rubbing of them with soap; so that day will prove to all, a day of great trial, to purge and refine.

Verse 2. But who may abide the day of his coming?] Only they who shall believe on his name; for they that will not, shall be blinded, and the unbelieving nations shall be destroyed by the Romans. Like fuller’s soap] tyrbk keborith, from rrb barar, to cleanse, any thing that deterges. Kali, or fern ashes, or such things. I doubt whether the composition which we call soap, was known in ancient times.

Verse 2. But who may abide the day of his coming — The LXX. read, tiv uwomenei hmeran eisodou autou, who shall be able to bear the day of his coming? So also the Chaldee. “Quare hoc?” “Why this?” says Grotius: “Because he himself shall bear the cross, that he may come to the kingdom, and shall show the same way to his followers.” The day of his coming, with respect to the Jews, includes all the time from the beginning of his preaching, to the total destruction of their temple and city by the Romans: and his coming, here and in several other places, comprehends all the effects and consequences of his coming, as well the judgments which arose from it to the disobedient, as the mercy that flowed from it to the obedient. So that the meaning of the question is, Who shall be able to stand under the weight of those trials and tribulations which at that time will fall on all sorts of men? great crosses being to be borne by the believing and pious, and great calamities to be endured by the unbelieving and refractory. In the same light John the Baptist represents the effects of Christ’s coming, Matthew 3:7-12, Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? meaning, primarily, the wrath about to come on that rebellious people: whose fan, he adds, is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. For he is like a refiner’s fire — As if he had said, Some men are like metals, mixed with much dross, which nothing but a fierce fire can purge away. Such a fire shall the troubles of these days be. The divine judgments are often called a fiery trial, such as separates the pure metal from the dross, purifying the former and consuming the latter. See Isaiah 1:25; 4:4; Zechariah 13:9. Our Lord is to be understood in the same sense, Luke 12:49, where he says, I am come to send fire upon the earth, namely, a fire of trial and purgation, to try and purify the hearts and reins of men, and find out and separate the good from the bad; like as the refiner’s fire makes the dross of the metal to appear and fly off. And like fuller’s soap — The word tyrb, here rendered soap, and Jeremiah 2:22, according to St. Jerome, was an herb growing in Palestine, which the fullers used to take spots out of clothes,

Ver. 2. But who may abide the day of his coming. It was once terrible to the jews; what will it be to the infidel and the unitarian world, who will not have this man to reign over them. But how dreadful are his own words. “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth.”

2. However, they will be disappointed when he appears, for he will come to execute a terrible judgment (compare Amos 5:18-20). Who may abide… who shall stand — The moral and spiritual condition of the contemporaries of Malachi was such that it would be difficult for any one to endure the manifestation of Jehovah, for it meant death and destruction to everything impure. Day of his coming… when he appeareth — As announced in verse 1. This is the day of Jehovah (see on Joel 1:15). Refiner’s fire — Which burns up all the impure ingredients that are mixed with the precious metal (compare Zechariah 13:9). Fullers’ soap — The process of fulling “seems to have consisted in washing the material with some preparation of lye, beating or rubbing it, and exposing it to the rays of the sun.” This preparation of lye, which was intended to remove all impurity, is here called soap (compare Jeremiah 2:22). That the day of Jehovah is a day of purging and purification is an idea frequently expressed in the Old Testament (Isaiah 4:2-4; Zechariah 13:9; compare Matthew 3:12).

V. 3. He shall fit-As resolved to attend his work and finish it. He shall purify-The effect of this fiery trial, shall be the thorough cleansing of the persons that are to pass through it. Sons of Levi-Either the Jewish Levites, or all Christians, who are made priests unto God. In righteousness-That they may offer themselves, their souls and bodies to God, in righteousness and true holiness.

Verse 3. He shall sit as a refiner] Alluding to the case of a refiner of metals, sitting at his fire; increasing it when he sees necessary, and watching the process of his work.

The sons of Levi] Those who minister in their stead under the NEW covenant, for the OLD Levitical institutions shall be abolished; yet, under the preaching of our Lord, a great number of the priests became obedient to the faith, Acts 6:7; and, as to the others that did not believe, this great Refiner threw them as dross into the Roman fire, that consumed both Jerusalem and the temple.

Verses 3, 4. And he shall sit as a refiner — He shall be diligently employed in his office, in performing which he shall resemble a refiner and purifier of silver. And he shall purify the sons of Levi — And whereas the misconduct of the sons of Levi has been very great, (particularly of those who have been taken notice of and reproved in the foregoing chapters,) the Messiah when he comes will reform these abuses, and purify the worship of God from such corruptions. And purge them as gold and silver — The effect of this fiery trial, and purifying furnace, shall be the thorough cleansing of the persons that are to pass through it. Not all the sons of Levi, says Houbigant, “for the similitude is taken from gold and silver, which being purified there remains some dross behind. So it happened after the ministration of Jesus Christ: a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith, Acts. 6:7. Of the other sons of Levi, who did not believe in Christ, it is just before said, Who may abide the day of his coming, when, the metal being purified, he will cast the dross into the fire.” But those who should minister in holy things in the Christian Church, instead of the Levitical priests, are chiefly intended: or rather, all real Christians, who are made a holy priesthood, and who, with hearts and minds purified by faith, offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 2:5; yea, who even offer themselves, their souls and bodies, their faculties and members, their time and talents, all they are and have, unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem — The services and duties of the Christian ministry, and of the whole Christian Church; be pleasant unto the Lord — Acceptable and even well pleasing to him. The prophet describes the Christian worship, and the various services of the Christian Church, and of its true members, by expressions taken from the Jewish service, being that with which they were acquainted; as in the days of old — As in the purest ages of the patriarchal or Mosaic dispensation, or, as in the times of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, David.

3, 4. The first task of the Lord will be to purge the priests, that he may have once more (compare Malachi 2:5, 6) a pure priesthood. Here as everywhere in the book the priests stand in the foreground. He shall sit — As a judge upon the judgment seat; and yet his primary purpose is not to condemn, but to sift the good from the worthless, though in the process of sifting the dross will be burned. Sons of Levi — The priests, who were the descendants of Levi (see on Malachi 2:4, 5, and references there). Purge them — From all sins and impurities that have made them unfit to represent the people before Jehovah (compare Malachi 1:9; 2:8, 9). This done, they may again serve before the altar. In righteousness — Not only in outward conformity to the law, but in a right state of heart, mind, and life. Offered by the regenerated priests, sacrifice will again be acceptable to Jehovah, and not, as now, abominable (Malachi 1:9; 2:8). Days of old,… former years — When the faithful Levi (Malachi 2:4-6) ministered in the sanctuary.

V. 4. The offerings-The services and duties of the whole Christian church. Pleasant-Well pleasing to him.

Verses 3, 4. And he shall sit as a refiner — He shall be diligently employed in his office, in performing which he shall resemble a refiner and purifier of silver. And he shall purify the sons of Levi — And whereas the misconduct of the sons of Levi has been very great, (particularly of those who have been taken notice of and reproved in the foregoing chapters,) the Messiah when he comes will reform these abuses, and purify the worship of God from such corruptions. And purge them as gold and silver — The effect of this fiery trial, and purifying furnace, shall be the thorough cleansing of the persons that are to pass through it. Not all the sons of Levi, says Houbigant, “for the similitude is taken from gold and silver, which being purified there remains some dross behind. So it happened after the ministration of Jesus Christ: a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith, Acts. 6:7. Of the other sons of Levi, who did not believe in Christ, it is just before said, Who may abide the day of his coming, when, the metal being purified, he will cast the dross into the fire.” But those who should minister in holy things in the Christian Church, instead of the Levitical priests, are chiefly intended: or rather, all real Christians, who are made a holy priesthood, and who, with hearts and minds purified by faith, offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, 1 Peter 2:5; yea, who even offer themselves, their souls and bodies, their faculties and members, their time and talents, all they are and have, unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem — The services and duties of the Christian ministry, and of the whole Christian Church; be pleasant unto the Lord — Acceptable and even well pleasing to him. The prophet describes the Christian worship, and the various services of the Christian Church, and of its true members, by expressions taken from the Jewish service, being that with which they were acquainted; as in the days of old — As in the purest ages of the patriarchal or Mosaic dispensation, or, as in the times of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Samuel, David.

3, 4. The first task of the Lord will be to purge the priests, that he may have once more (compare Malachi 2:5, 6) a pure priesthood. Here as everywhere in the book the priests stand in the foreground. He shall sit — As a judge upon the judgment seat; and yet his primary purpose is not to condemn, but to sift the good from the worthless, though in the process of sifting the dross will be burned. Sons of Levi — The priests, who were the descendants of Levi (see on Malachi 2:4, 5, and references there). Purge them — From all sins and impurities that have made them unfit to represent the people before Jehovah (compare Malachi 1:9; 2:8, 9). This done, they may again serve before the altar. In righteousness — Not only in outward conformity to the law, but in a right state of heart, mind, and life. Offered by the regenerated priests, sacrifice will again be acceptable to Jehovah, and not, as now, abominable (Malachi 1:9; 2:8). Days of old,… former years — When the faithful Levi (Malachi 2:4-6) ministered in the sanctuary.

V. 5. I will come near-You have spoken as if you thought I was far off, but you shall see I am near. To you-O Jews, not those very persons Malachi preached to, but those who were living when the Messiah came.

Verse 5. I will come near to you to judgment] And what fearful cases does he get to judge! Sorcerers, adulterers, false swearers, defrauders of the wages of the hireling, oppressors of widows and orphans, and perverters of the stranger and such as do not fear the Lord: a horrible crew; and the land at that time was full of them. Several were converted under the preaching of Christ and his apostles, and the rest the Romans destroyed or carried into captivity.

Verse 5. And I will come near to you to judgment — In answer to their demand, Where is the God of judgment? Malachi 2:17, God here tells them that he will hasten the time of judgment, and it shall come speedily upon them, on account of those sins that were general among them: and that if they did not repent, and reform their conduct upon the preaching of the gospel by the forerunner of the Messiah, the Messiah himself, and his apostles and other servants, he would proceed to the utter excision of their nation. And I will be a swift witness, &c. — It belongs to God alone to be both witness and judge; for he alone seeth all the actions of men, and needeth not that any should testify against them, because he can himself convict them of their guilt, as having been present and looking on when their most secret sins were committed. Against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, &c. — The sins enumerated in this verse were very prevalent in Malachi’s time. Diviners, dreamers, and such as consulted oracles at the idols’ temples, are reproved, Zechariah 10:2; as are the false pretenders to prophecy, Nehemiah 6:12-14. False swearing and oppression are complained of, Zechariah 5:4; Nehemiah 5:3, &c. Their marrying strange women, and putting away their former wives to make room for them, was no better than adultery, and a breach of that solemn oath with which they had bound themselves, Nehemiah 10:29,

30. And the same sins seem to have been commonly practised before and at the time of Christ’s appearance, till the destruction of Jerusalem. No nation was more given to charms, divinations, and fortune-telling, than the Jews were about that time, as Dr. Lightfoot has shown out of their own authors. Adulterers were then so common, that the Sanhedrim ordained that the trial of an adulteress, prescribed Numbers 5., should no longer be put in practice, as the same author observes out of the Talmud. Josephus informs us that magicians swarmed in Judea, under the government of Felix, and afterward. The denunciation here, that God would come near to judgment with all these, and be a swift witness against them, was fulfilled by that terrible destruction which was made of them by the Romans when Jerusalem was taken, and such havoc was made of the nation as never happened to any people before.

Ver. 5. I will be a swift witness against the adulterers. They sin in secret, but the Lord will bring their iniquity to light.

5. Jehovah will prove himself a God of judgment (Malachi 2:17) to every evil doer, for the judgment will not be confined to the priests; the whole nation will feel it and all sinners will be swept away. Near to you — To the people at large. To judgment — A direct reference to the closing words of Malachi 2:17. A swift witness — Jehovah is swift because

(1) he will no longer delay but come speedily (3:1; compare Zephaniah 1:14); (2) he knows the facts, and therefore needs to spend no time in securing the evidence; (3) he is both witness and judge (compare Isaiah 3:13-15; Psalm 50:6, 7), and so can execute the judgment promptly. Sorcerers — This is a general term denoting all persons who claimed to possess power over evil spirits, or to reveal secrets, or to consult the dead, etc. (compare Exodus 22:18; in the New Testament, Acts 8:9; 13:6). Adulterers — The low estimate placed upon the marriage relation (Malachi 2:10-16) would in many cases result in the practice of adultery. The laws against this form of vice were very strict (Leviticus 20:10; Exodus 20:14; compare Hosea 4:2). False swearers — See on Zechariah 5:3, 4; Hosea 4:2; compare Leviticus 19:12. Oppress the hireling in his wages — Hebrew usage as well as the context favors the omission of “in his wages,” though the omission does in no wise affect the sense (compare Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14, 15). Widow,… fatherless — Also dependent upon the verb “oppress.” These two classes, in many cases without human defenders, were under the special care of Jehovah and of his people (Exodus 22:22-24; compare Isaiah 1:17), but again and again the unscrupulous nobles forgat their obligations (compare Isaiah 1:23; 10:2). Turn aside the stranger — See on Amos 5:12. The Hebrew ger, translated “stranger,” R.V. “sojourner,” is a technical term, which denotes a foreigner settled temporarily in Israel. W.R. Smith describes him as “a man of another tribe or district who, coming to sojourn in a place where he was not strengthened by the presence of his own kin, put himself under the protection of a clan or of a powerful chief.” Like the widows and orphans, these sojourners were under the special protection of Jehovah (compare Deuteronomy 27:19; Exodus 22:21). Fear not me — See on Malachi 2:5. The lack of this fear was responsible for all other transgressions. In this manner the “God of judgment” will vindicate himself.

V. 6. I change not-I have an unchangeable hatred to sin: and my long suffering also changeth not, therefore you are not consumed in your sins. Not consumed-God is the same in his wisdom to order the rewards of good and bad in the fittest season, therefore neither the one nor the other are consumed, but preserved to the season appointed of God.

Verse 6. I am the Lord, I change not] The new dispensation of grace and goodness, which is now about to be introduced, is not the effect of any change in my counsels; it is, on the contrary, the fulfilment of my everlasting purposes; as is also the throwing aside of the Mosaic ritual, which was only intended to introduce the great and glorious Gospel of my Son.

And because of this ancient covenant, ye Jews are not totally consumed; but ye are now, and shall be still, preserved as a distinct people— monuments both of my justice and mercy.

Verse 6. I am the Lord — Hebrew, Jehovah; I change not — In my nature or perfections there is no change, or shadow of turning, and therefore I have and always must have an unchangeable hatred to all sin: and my long-suffering also changes not, and therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed — Are not destroyed and sent into eternal misery in your sins. God’s wisdom also changes not, but remains the same to dispense rewards to the good, and punishments to the wicked, in the fittest season, and therefore neither the one nor the other are consumed, but preserved to the time appointed of God. Or, the sense may be, Because I am the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever, as my name Jehovah imports, and I am true to my former promises, (see Exodus 6:3-6,) therefore you still continue a people, and are not consumed, as your iniquities deserve. And I will still preserve a remnant of you to fulfil to them the promises I made to your fathers: see Romans 11:29.

Verse 6 is somewhat obscure; therefore it is difficult to trace the exact relation of this section to the one preceding. Some prefer to make verse 6 the conclusion of the preceding paragraph (see below) and to begin anew with verse 7, but the verse is equally suitable as an introduction to what follows. Verses 6-12 as a whole are the continuation of the thought of Malachi 2:17-3:5, since they also are directed against the skeptics of Malachi 2:17; and therefore we can speak of a break between verse 5 and verse 6 only in the sense that in Malachi 3:6-12, the prophet deals with a new phase of the question under consideration; there is continuity of thought in the entire section Malachi 2:17-4:3.

The skeptics have come to doubt that Jehovah is doing anything for them or the nation, and as a result they no longer observe the requirements of the law concerning tithes and offerings (6-8). They have cried out for his manifestations (Malachi 2:17), but, says the prophet, he can return in power and mercy only if the people repent and turn to him (7). When they inquire how they are to return, he informs them, by the bringing of tithes and offerings which they owe to him. If they do this they will soon discover that Jehovah still lives and that he can bless them with abundant prosperity (9-12). In order to rightly understand the spirit of the prophet’s message, the connection of this passage with the one preceding (especially verses 3-5) must not be overlooked. He condemns the neglect of tithes and offerings, not because he considers that in itself the greatest sin in the sight of God, but because he understands that this neglect is due “to a religious cause, unbelief in Jehovah, and that the return to belief in him could not therefore be shown in a more practical way than by the payment of tithes.” Verse 6 declares that the charge brought in Malachi 2:17, is unwarranted. I am the Lord, I change not — R.V., “I, Jehovah, change not.” He is still the “God of judgment.” If there seems to be a change in the character of his manifestations, this must be accounted for by the change in the people’s attitude toward him (compare Numbers 23:19; James 1:17). Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed — This can only mean that because he is an unchangeable God, still recognizing certain covenant obligations (see on Malachi 2:5), the destruction which they fully deserve on account of their rebellion has been withheld thus far. It must be admitted that this thought is not quite suitable in the present context; a thought like “but ye, sons of Jacob, have changed” would be more in accord with the preceding statement. There is no objection against substituting but for therefore, as the Hebrew permits either translation; the difficulty is in the verb. Von Orelli, with a slight change in the vocalization, reads “you have not completed,” that is, your sins. This reading connects verse 6 more closely with verse 5, and the verse becomes the conclusion of Malachi 3:1-5, “I will be a swift witness,… for I change not (I am still the God of judgment)”; on the other hand, “you have not stopped sinning.” The emendation improves the present text, but it does not give the thought one would naturally expect. There remains more or less obscurity and uncertainty.

In accord with his custom to state first a general proposition, and then enlarge upon it, the prophet, in verse 7, points out more fully their inconsistency and fickleness hinted at in verse 6. From the days of your fathers — An indefinite expression pointing to the distant past; from time immemorial they have rebelled against Jehovah. Mine ordinances — Or, statutes. This term comprehends here all expressions of the divine will, written or oral, set forth by priest or prophet; all alike they have disregarded. This disobedience on their part is responsible for the failure of Jehovah to manifest himself as in the days gone by. Return unto me — In obedience and love (see on Hosea 14:1; Amos 4:6; Joel 2:12). I will return — In mercy and loving-kindness. As in other cases (Malachi 1:2, 6; 2:17), the prophet forestalls any excuse or attempt of self-justification. Wherein shall we return? — In what particular? The question is intended to make the impression that they have done all that may be expected of them.

V. 7. From mine ordinances-Which either directed my worship, or your dealings one with another.

Verse 7. Gone away from mine ordinances] Never acting according to their spirit and design.

Return unto me] There is still space to repent.

Wherein shall we return?] Their consciences were seared, and they knew not that they were sinners.

Verse 7. Even from the days of your fathers, &c. — Here the discourse is again addressed to the wicked, and from hence to the end of verse 12 the people are reprehended for slighting the institutions of divine worship, and for withholding the legal tithes and oblations; are assured that they are under a curse for these violations of the law, and that an opposite conduct would bring on them the divine blessing. Ye are gone away from mine ordinances — Those which directed you respecting my worship, or your dealings one with another. Return unto me — Namely, by repentance, and amendment of life; and I will return to you — I will pardon and accept you, and bestow my blessings upon you. But ye said — Or, ye say, Wherein shall we return? — You persist to justify yourselves, and inquire what it is you are to repent of? as if your crimes were not most notorious and shameful. And your words, or at least your actions, show that you have no sense of, nor remorse for, your former sins, nor any purpose of forsaking them.

Ver. 7. Return ye to me, quoting the words of Zechariah: chap. 1:3.

THE WRONGFUL WITHHOLDING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS, 6-12.

Verse 8. Will a man rob God?] Here is one point on which ye are guilty; ye withhold the tithes and offerings from the temple of God, so that the Divine worship is neglected.

Verses 8, 9. Will a man rob God — Grotius reads, “Would any one dare to rob his judges as ye have robbed me?” the word rendered God sometimes meaning judges or magistrates. Some others render the clause, Is it right that God should be robbed (or defrauded) by man? Here God gives them an answer to their question in the foregoing verse, Wherein shall we return; or, repent and amend? But ye have robbed me — Notwithstanding it is so unjust and presumptuous to defraud God, that men in general are afraid to do it, yet ye have done it. Do you ask, wherein you have robbed me? I answer, In tithes and offerings — By this seems to be meant the first-fruits of their ground and cattle, and other offerings which were allotted to the priests, Deuteronomy 18:4, out of which revenue they were to provide the daily sacrifices, and also maintain the Levites, who attended upon the service in the temple. Ye are cursed with a curse — Are greatly cursed, or, you lie under a heavy curse, and are likely still to do so, for the curse shall continue upon you while you continue in this your sinful course. For ye have robbed me, even this whole nation — This has not been the crime of a few only, but ye have in general defrauded me, and evil shall come upon you for it. In a note on Romans 2:22, where the apostle ranks sacrilege with idolatry, Grotius observes, “Non multum distat falsos deos colere et verum spoliare.” There is very little difference between adoring false gods and robbing the true God.

8. The reply is in the form of a question. Will a man rob God? — A better translation of the first two clauses would be, “Will a man rob God, that you rob me?” (Compare Amos 6:12.) A question of astonishment that anyone should think of such a preposterous thing; and yet they have done it and are still doing it. The verb is unquestionably used in the sense of “defraud” — they do not pay their just dues; but there seems to be insufficient reason for substituting a different verb in Hebrew. Again an attempt is made to combat the prophet, and again he meets the objection. In tithes and offerings — These they have withheld, and by doing so they have defrauded Jehovah. The last word means literally peace offering (compare Ezekiel 44:30; Nehemiah 10:39), which belongs to the priests (Ezekiel 44:30); here it includes every offering due to Jehovah. How they are defrauding him is stated in Malachi 1:6-14. The regulation of the tithes is found in Deuteronomy 14:22ff.; Leviticus 27:30ff.; Numbers 18:21ff. (compare Amos 4:4); they also went to those ministering in the sanctuaries. Some portion they may have given, but not the proper percentage (compare Acts 5:1ff.). 9. You are cursed with a curse — Jehovah has already shown his displeasure, and still they continue in the evil ways. Wherein the curse consisted is not stated, but verses 10-12 imply that it came in the form of drought, poor harvests, and perhaps a plague of locusts. The curse has fallen upon the whole nation, because the whole nation has defrauded him.

In verse 10 the prophet returns to the question asked in verse 7; he informs his hearers wherein they should return. Bring ye all the tithes — R.V., “the whole tithe.” The emphasis is upon whole; fraud is to cease, and they are to bring to Jehovah his full share. Storehouse — Connected with the temple and built for the purpose of receiving gifts of this sort (compare 2 Chronicles 31:11, 12; Nehemiah 10:38, 39). Meat — R.V., “food”; both for Jehovah (see on Malachi 1:7) and for the ministering priests and Levites. Prove me — Whether or not he is the God he was in the days when he chose Israel (Malachi 3:6), the God of judgment (Malachi 2:17), who rewards the good. That he punishes the evil they should have discovered long ago (verses 9, 11, 12). Herewith — Giving to Jehovah all his dues. If I will not — May be translated “surely I will.” Open… the windows of heaven — A figure denoting abundance of supply; the blessings will come like pouring rain (Genesis 7:11; Isaiah 24:18; compare 2 Kings 7:2). There shall not be room enough — Literally, until there is no need, which means, in superabundance. While the whole of verse 10 may be understood as a promise of blessings of every sort, in view of verses 11, 12 it is not improbable that the prophet has in mind a specific blessing, abundant rain, the lack of which has caused the harvests to fail (compare Joel 1:16-20; 2:23; Amos 4:7, 8). Rebuke — The rebuke of Jehovah will cause flight or destruction. The devourer — The locust, so called because of his destructiveness (see on Joel 1:7; compare Amos 4:9). For your sakes — Who in those days will deserve the favor of Jehovah. Your vine cast her fruit before the time — Before it ripens and brings benefit to the owner. Field — See on Joel 1:11.

V. 9. Cursed with a curse-Are greatly cursed.

Verse 9. Ye are cursed with a curse] The whole nation is under my displeasure. The curse of God is upon you.

Verses 8, 9. Will a man rob God — Grotius reads, “Would any one dare to rob his judges as ye have robbed me?” the word rendered God sometimes meaning judges or magistrates. Some others render the clause, Is it right that God should be robbed (or defrauded) by man? Here God gives them an answer to their question in the foregoing verse, Wherein shall we return; or, repent and amend? But ye have robbed me — Notwithstanding it is so unjust and presumptuous to defraud God, that men in general are afraid to do it, yet ye have done it. Do you ask, wherein you have robbed me? I answer, In tithes and offerings — By this seems to be meant the first-fruits of their ground and cattle, and other offerings which were allotted to the priests, Deuteronomy 18:4, out of which revenue they were to provide the daily sacrifices, and also maintain the Levites, who attended upon the service in the temple. Ye are cursed with a curse — Are greatly cursed, or, you lie under a heavy curse, and are likely still to do so, for the curse shall continue upon you while you continue in this your sinful course. For ye have robbed me, even this whole nation — This has not been the crime of a few only, but ye have in general defrauded me, and evil shall come upon you for it. In a note on Romans 2:22, where the apostle ranks sacrilege with idolatry, Grotius observes, “Non multum distat falsos deos colere et verum spoliare.” There is very little difference between adoring false gods and robbing the true God.

THE WRONGFUL WITHHOLDING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS, 6-12.

V. 10. Bring ye-Make a punctual and full payment of all tithes; about this did Nehemiah contend with the rulers, and made them comply, and then all Judah obeyed and did the like, Nehemiah 13:10-13. To the store-house-This was one or more large rooms, built on purpose for this use. That there may be meat-For the priests and Levites to live upon. Prove me-Make the experiment. The windows of heaven-A kind of proverbial speech, to express great abundance. A blessing-First of rain to water the earth, next a blessing of corn, wine and oil, and all other products of the earth.

Verse 10. Bring ye all the tithes] They had so withheld these that the priests had not food enough to support life, and the sacred service was interrupted. See Nehemiah 13:10.

And prove me now herewith] What ye give to God shall never lessen your store. Give as ye should, and see whether I will not so increase your store by opening the windows of heaven—giving you rain and fruitful seasons—that your barns and granaries shall not be able to contain the abundance of your harvests and vintage.

Verses 10-12. Bring ye all the tithes — Make a punctual and full payment of all tithes: and in this instance make good your solemn engagement with Nehemiah, mentioned Nehemiah 10:29. Into the storehouse — This was one or more large rooms built on purpose for this use; that there may be meat — That there may be provision for the daily sacrifices, and for the maintenance of my ministers, the priests and Levites, who attend upon the service of my temple. And prove me now herewith — Make the experiment in this particular. If I will not open you the windows of heaven, &c. — There is now a scarcity of the fruits of the earth, and a dearth, but take the advice which I give you, and try whether your plenty will not be in proportion to the free-will wherewith you bring in your tithes and offerings; and whether I will not immediately send you plentiful showers of rain, whereby the earth shall bring forth its fruit in great abundance. The dearth here spoken of is mentioned Nehemiah 5:3: compare 2 Chronicles 31:10. To open the windows of heaven is a proverbial speech, expressing God’s showering down plenty, or giving great abundance of the fruits of the earth; (see 2 Kings 7:2;) as shutting up heaven denotes scarcity, Deuteronomy 11:17; Haggai 1:10, 11. And pour out a blessing — First of rain to water the earth, next a blessing of corn, wine, and oil, and all other products of the earth. That there shall not be room, &c. — Or, till there be enough; or, till you shall say, There is enough. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes — All kinds of devourers, the locusts, the canker-worms, the caterpillars, and all other destructive insects, which, though they may be in incredible multitudes, yet, by a rebuke from God, they will be checked all at once, as if they were but one insect. Neither shall your vine cast her fruit — Neither shall your vines, or other fruit-trees, be blasted by blighting winds, so as to make their fruit fall off before it comes to maturity, but they shall carry it till it be fully ripe. And all nations — All that are near you; shall call you blessed — Shall style you a happy people. For ye shall be a delightsome land — Your country shall be again known by the name of the pleasant land, as it was formerly called. The revival of religion in a land will make it delightsome both to God and all good men.

Ver. 10. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse. See on Deuteronomy 26:12. Assuredly the men learned in the law of the Lord, who organized this vile and immoral race that returned from Babylon, who daily instructed the people in righteousness, and were fathers and friends of the whole community, deserved bread as much as he who tilled the lands which otherwise had belonged to the priests. Their short harvests demonstrated the displeasure of God against their sin.

THE WRONGFUL WITHHOLDING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS, 6-12.

V. 11. The devourer-All kind of devourers, the locusts, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, which though they are in incredible multitudes, yet a rebuke from God will check them all at once, as if they were but one. For your sakes-For your good. Your vine-Your vine shall carry their fruit ‘till they are fully ripe.

Verse 11. I will rebuke the devourer] The locusts, &c., shall not come on your crops; and those that are in the country I will disperse and destroy. Neither shall your vine cast her fruit] Every blossom shall bear fruit, and every bunch of grapes come to maturity.

Verses 10-12. Bring ye all the tithes — Make a punctual and full payment of all tithes: and in this instance make good your solemn engagement with Nehemiah, mentioned Nehemiah 10:29. Into the storehouse — This was one or more large rooms built on purpose for this use; that there may be meat — That there may be provision for the daily sacrifices, and for the maintenance of my ministers, the priests and Levites, who attend upon the service of my temple. And prove me now herewith — Make the experiment in this particular. If I will not open you the windows of heaven, &c. — There is now a scarcity of the fruits of the earth, and a dearth, but take the advice which I give you, and try whether your plenty will not be in proportion to the free-will wherewith you bring in your tithes and offerings; and whether I will not immediately send you plentiful showers of rain, whereby the earth shall bring forth its fruit in great abundance. The dearth here spoken of is mentioned Nehemiah 5:3: compare 2 Chronicles 31:10. To open the windows of heaven is a proverbial speech, expressing God’s showering down plenty, or giving great abundance of the fruits of the earth; (see 2 Kings 7:2;) as shutting up heaven denotes scarcity, Deuteronomy 11:17; Haggai 1:10, 11. And pour out a blessing — First of rain to water the earth, next a blessing of corn, wine, and oil, and all other products of the earth. That there shall not be room, &c. — Or, till there be enough; or, till you shall say, There is enough. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes — All kinds of devourers, the locusts, the canker-worms, the caterpillars, and all other destructive insects, which, though they may be in incredible multitudes, yet, by a rebuke from God, they will be checked all at once, as if they were but one insect. Neither shall your vine cast her fruit — Neither shall your vines, or other fruit-trees, be blasted by blighting winds, so as to make their fruit fall off before it comes to maturity, but they shall carry it till it be fully ripe. And all nations — All that are near you; shall call you blessed — Shall style you a happy people. For ye shall be a delightsome land — Your country shall be again known by the name of the pleasant land, as it was formerly called. The revival of religion in a land will make it delightsome both to God and all good men.

THE WRONGFUL WITHHOLDING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS, 6-12.

V. 12. All nations-All that are about you. A delightsome land-The revival of religion in a land, will make it delight-some, both to God, and to all good men.

Verse 12. All nations shall call you blessed] They shall see that a peculiar blessing of God rests upon you, and your land shall be delightsome; like Paradise, the garden of the Lord.

Verses 10-12. Bring ye all the tithes — Make a punctual and full payment of all tithes: and in this instance make good your solemn engagement with Nehemiah, mentioned Nehemiah 10:29. Into the storehouse — This was one or more large rooms built on purpose for this use; that there may be meat — That there may be provision for the daily sacrifices, and for the maintenance of my ministers, the priests and Levites, who attend upon the service of my temple. And prove me now herewith — Make the experiment in this particular. If I will not open you the windows of heaven, &c. — There is now a scarcity of the fruits of the earth, and a dearth, but take the advice which I give you, and try whether your plenty will not be in proportion to the free-will wherewith you bring in your tithes and offerings; and whether I will not immediately send you plentiful showers of rain, whereby the earth shall bring forth its fruit in great abundance. The dearth here spoken of is mentioned Nehemiah 5:3: compare 2 Chronicles 31:10. To open the windows of heaven is a proverbial speech, expressing God’s showering down plenty, or giving great abundance of the fruits of the earth; (see 2 Kings 7:2;) as shutting up heaven denotes scarcity, Deuteronomy 11:17; Haggai 1:10, 11. And pour out a blessing — First of rain to water the earth, next a blessing of corn, wine, and oil, and all other products of the earth. That there shall not be room, &c. — Or, till there be enough; or, till you shall say, There is enough. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes — All kinds of devourers, the locusts, the canker-worms, the caterpillars, and all other destructive insects, which, though they may be in incredible multitudes, yet, by a rebuke from God, they will be checked all at once, as if they were but one insect. Neither shall your vine cast her fruit — Neither shall your vines, or other fruit-trees, be blasted by blighting winds, so as to make their fruit fall off before it comes to maturity, but they shall carry it till it be fully ripe. And all nations — All that are near you; shall call you blessed — Shall style you a happy people. For ye shall be a delightsome land — Your country shall be again known by the name of the pleasant land, as it was formerly called. The revival of religion in a land will make it delightsome both to God and all good men.

12. The prosperity of the people will become so marked that all the nations will call them blessed (Zechariah 8:13, 23). A delightsome land — A land where joy and felicity reign (Zechariah 7:14; Isaiah 62:4). In 3:1-5, the prophet states how Jehovah will manifest himself as a God of judgment by destroying the evil doers; in Malachi 3:6-12, how he will do it by rewarding the good.

A NEW DEFENSE OF JEHOVAH’S JUSTICE, 3:13-IV, 3.

These verses are parallel in thought to Malachi 2:17-3:12. They also are addressed to a class of doubters (Malachi 2:17) whose confidence in Jehovah is shaken by the apparent inequalities of life; the good suffer while the wicked prosper (13-15). They are informed that their complaint is unwarranted, that Jehovah’s eye is over all, and, though at present the lot of the pious may seem hard, Jehovah keeps a record of those who are faithful, and when he appears in his temple (Malachi 3:1) he will make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked (16-18). The wicked will be destroyed root and branch (Malachi 4:1), while the righteous will be exalted forever (2, 3). In this wise, the prophet argues, Jehovah will prove himself a God of judgment and of justice.

Verse 13. Your words have been stout against me] He speaks here to open infidels and revilers.

What have we spoken] They are ready either to deny the whole, or impudently to maintain and defend what they had spoken!

Verses 13-15. Your words, &c. — “From this verse to the end of Malachi 4:3, the prophet expostulates with the wicked for their hard speeches; and declares that God will make a fearful distinction between them and the righteous.” — Newcome. Have been stout against me — Your words have been blasphemous, and void of all reverence and duty. Ye have spoken injuriously of me, and have uttered such things as dishonour me. Ye have even arraigned my proceedings, and spoken against them. Yet ye say, What have we spoken, &c. — This is to the same purport as their words in verse 8, and some other foregoing verses. They impudently deny the charge, therefore the prophet renews it against them in the following words; Ye have said — If not with your lips, yet at least in your hearts; It is vain to serve God — We receive no advantage from it, it is of no use to us. That they should talk thus impiously in the times of Zerubbabel, when Malachi uttered these reproofs and exhortations, is not probable; but God, who sees into the hearts of men, saw, lurking in their hearts, the seeds of that impiety which broke out in the following age. And what profit is it — What benefit is it of to us; that we have kept his ordinance — That we have attended upon the institutions of his worship, and have governed our lives according to his laws? And that we have walked mournfully before the Lord — Have humbled ourselves before him with fasting and prayer, sackcloth and ashes. Their beholding the prosperity of the wicked made them conclude, that it was to no purpose to walk according to the laws of God, or to confess their offences and express their sorrow for them. And, or rather, but, or therefore, now we call the proud happy — Those who behave themselves arrogantly against God, the proud contemners of his law. We can now do no less than think them happiest who do not concern themselves about the observance of God’s laws, but live according to their pleasure, and do every thing that their inclination or profit prompts them to do, without any fear of God’s calling them to an account for it. Yea, they that work wickedness are set up — Are the flourishing ones; are raised to prosperity, as buildings are to their height. Yea, they that tempt God are even delivered — Yea, they who, one would have supposed, should have wearied out God’s patience with their provocations, who have seemed to act as if they tried to provoke him, even these men escape those dangers and calamities which other men are involved in. Those who spake thus seem to have expected an exact distribution of temporal rewards and punishments to be made to good and bad men in this life.

13. Your words — Who are the persons addressed is made clear in verses 14, 15, a class of people whose faith was shaken. The prophet may have in mind the same persons whose skepticism is met in Malachi 3:1-12. Stout — Literally, are strong. Compare the colloquial “to be hard on a person.” Their words contain a serious accusation, which casts reflections on the character of Jehovah. Again the prophet places the general accusation at the head, to be expanded in the succeeding verses, and again he makes a question raised in self-defense his starting point (see on Malachi 1:2). What have we spoken so much — So much should be omitted; literally, what have we conversed, that is, spoken to one another, against Jehovah. It would seem that the complaint was a subject of conversation.

In verses 14, 15 the prophet answers the question by reminding them of the contents of their conversations. Serve God… have kept his ordinance… have walked mournfully — The first is a general statement that they recognized Jehovah as their Lord and Master, the second affirms ready obedience to his will (Zechariah 3:7), the third refers to acts of penitence and mourning over shortcomings and sins (Joel 2:12). They claim that, so far as they know, they have done all that the law requires. But, they argue, if they have done this they are entitled to the divine blessings. This belief found support in the law (Deuteronomy 28:1-14), and it was the popular idea that a righteous and just God must reward the faithful service with prosperity and punish faithlessness with adversity (see on Amos 4:6-11). When these contemporaries of Malachi found that their expectations were not realized, they were seriously perplexed. So far as they could judge, no special benefits came to those who served Jehovah; on the contrary, pious persons were deeply afflicted, while the wicked lived in ease and prosperity. And now — Introduces the statement of a present fact and experience. We call the proud happy — The proud are not the heathen, but the arrogant persons within the Jewish community, who have no regard for God and who think that they can get along without him and religion, the very opposite of the humble, God-fearing persons mentioned in verse 16 (compare Psalm 19:13, 14). These arrogant persons, who, according to the law (Deuteronomy 27:15-26; 28:15ff.), should have been smitten with the curse of God, were enjoying the greatest prosperity and every one considered them perfectly happy and contented (compare Psalm 37). Are set up — R.V., “built up.” Instead of being destroyed they are built up like a magnificent structure; they flourish in all their undertakings. All this was contrary to the passages quoted from Deuteronomy, as well as to such prophetic utterances as Jeremiah 12:16, 17. Tempt God — The same verb is translated in verse 10 “prove”; here the thought is that they challenge Jehovah through their wickedness (Isaiah 5:18, 19). Persons who do these things surely deserve to be destroyed, but instead, when they do get into difficulties, Jehovah graciously interferes and delivers them. With these experiences in everyday life contradicting the teaching of the past, is it any wonder that the people were perplexed, that grave doubts came into the minds of some? Had they “gone to the sanctuary of God” (Psalm 73:17) they might have found relief.

Not the entire community was carried away by these doubts; there were those who possessed a stronger faith, who passed through the same perplexities, but believed that Jehovah was still in the heavens, and that somehow at some time he would reward the faithful and punish the faithless. To these patient saints the prophet turns in verse 16. Then — When the skeptically inclined had given expression to their misgivings (verses 14, 15). They that feared Jehovah — The God-fearing persons (see on Malachi 2:5) are the truly pious, whose faith in Jehovah is not easily shaken. Spake often one to another — The evidences of skepticism on every hand caused the faithful to join forces and come together frequently for the purpose of strengthening one another’s faith and counteracting the spread of skepticism. What they “spake” is not stated; it is clearly implied, however, that they spoke words of counsel, encouragement, and exhortation, to wait patiently until Jehovah in his own good time would manifest his righteousness. It is not possible to identify the God-fearing persons of verse 16 with the persons who gave expression to their doubts in the language of verses 14, 15; two distinct classes are meant. If so, the LXX. reading this or thus in the place of then cannot be considered an improvement over the present Hebrew text; and if it were original, this could not refer backward to verses 14, 15, but must point forward to the conversations of the pious, which are not stated. It seems best to retain the present Hebrew text. Hearkened,… heard — God paid attention to these conversations, and they were so pleasing to him that he determined to make a record of them and of the names of those who continued to fear him. A book of remembrance — Certainly this is to be understood figuratively; the thought is that Jehovah will remember the conduct of these pious souls until the day of reckoning, when their patience and fidelity will receive suitable reward. The figure may have been suggested by the “book of chronicles” of the Persian court (Esther 2:23; 6:1; 10:2), in which seem to have been recorded the names and deeds of those who merited the royal favor (compare Isaiah 4:3; Daniel 12:1). For them — For the benefit of them. Thought upon his name — Better, highly esteemed (Isaiah 13:17) or honored. For name see on 1:6, and references there.

17a is rendered more literally in R.V., “And they shall be mine, saith Jehovah of hosts, even mine own possession, in the day that I make”; margin, “do this”; literally, And they shall be to me, saith Jehovah of hosts, for the day on which I do, a possession. In the day (R.V.) — Literally, “for the day.” The names of the pious will be preserved (verse 16) for the day of reckoning, so that on that day they may be singled out to receive their reward. Make (R.V.) — Or, do; better, act, that is, in judgment. His inactivity of which the skeptics complain will then cease. A possession (R.V.) — He will acknowledge them as his own, and this acknowledgment will assure them the divine favor and protection (compare Exodus 19:5), in the day of reckoning, and will result in their salvation and glorification. I will spare them — From all suffering and harm, just as a loving father protects his son who has rendered loving and obedient service to him.

Verse 14. Ye have said, It is vain to serve God] They strove to destroy the Divine worship; they asserted that it was vanity; that, if they performed acts of worship, they should be nothing the better; and if they abstained, they should be nothing the worse. This was their teaching to the people. Walked mournfully] Even repentance they have declared to be useless. This was a high pitch of ungodliness; but see what follows; behold the general conclusions of these reprobates-

Verses 13-15. Your words, &c. — “From this verse to the end of Malachi 4:3, the prophet expostulates with the wicked for their hard speeches; and declares that God will make a fearful distinction between them and the righteous.” — Newcome. Have been stout against me — Your words have been blasphemous, and void of all reverence and duty. Ye have spoken injuriously of me, and have uttered such things as dishonour me. Ye have even arraigned my proceedings, and spoken against them. Yet ye say, What have we spoken, &c. — This is to the same purport as their words in verse 8, and some other foregoing verses. They impudently deny the charge, therefore the prophet renews it against them in the following words; Ye have said — If not with your lips, yet at least in your hearts; It is vain to serve God — We receive no advantage from it, it is of no use to us. That they should talk thus impiously in the times of Zerubbabel, when Malachi uttered these reproofs and exhortations, is not probable; but God, who sees into the hearts of men, saw, lurking in their hearts, the seeds of that impiety which broke out in the following age. And what profit is it — What benefit is it of to us; that we have kept his ordinance — That we have attended upon the institutions of his worship, and have governed our lives according to his laws? And that we have walked mournfully before the Lord — Have humbled ourselves before him with fasting and prayer, sackcloth and ashes. Their beholding the prosperity of the wicked made them conclude, that it was to no purpose to walk according to the laws of God, or to confess their offences and express their sorrow for them. And, or rather, but, or therefore, now we call the proud happy — Those who behave themselves arrogantly against God, the proud contemners of his law. We can now do no less than think them happiest who do not concern themselves about the observance of God’s laws, but live according to their pleasure, and do every thing that their inclination or profit prompts them to do, without any fear of God’s calling them to an account for it. Yea, they that work wickedness are set up — Are the flourishing ones; are raised to prosperity, as buildings are to their height. Yea, they that tempt God are even delivered — Yea, they who, one would have supposed, should have wearied out God’s patience with their provocations, who have seemed to act as if they tried to provoke him, even these men escape those dangers and calamities which other men are involved in. Those who spake thus seem to have expected an exact distribution of temporal rewards and punishments to be made to good and bad men in this life.

Ver. 14. Ye have said, it is vain to serve God. The prophet reproves sadducean principles, which ever existed since Cain disputed against Abel. Simon, the just, succeeded Ezra as president of the school in Jerusalem. Antigonus was a pupil of Simon, and Zadok, who founded the sect of the Sadducees, was a disciple of Antigonus. Thus colleges foster error as well as truth. See on Matthew 3:7.

V. 15. And now-You say, we see before our eyes, that the proud contemners of God and his law, are the flourishing ones. Delivered-Escape all punishment.

Verse 15. And now we call the proud happy] Proud and insolent men are the only happy people, for they domineer everywhere, and none dares to resist them.

They that work wickedness are set up] The humble and holy are depressed and miserable; the proud and wicked are in places of trust and profit. Too often it is so.

They that tempt God are even delivered.] Even those who despise God, and insult his justice and providence, are preserved in and from dangers; while the righteous fall by them.

Verses 13-15. Your words, &c. — “From this verse to the end of Malachi 4:3, the prophet expostulates with the wicked for their hard speeches; and declares that God will make a fearful distinction between them and the righteous.” — Newcome. Have been stout against me — Your words have been blasphemous, and void of all reverence and duty. Ye have spoken injuriously of me, and have uttered such things as dishonour me. Ye have even arraigned my proceedings, and spoken against them. Yet ye say, What have we spoken, &c. — This is to the same purport as their words in verse 8, and some other foregoing verses. They impudently deny the charge, therefore the prophet renews it against them in the following words; Ye have said — If not with your lips, yet at least in your hearts; It is vain to serve God — We receive no advantage from it, it is of no use to us. That they should talk thus impiously in the times of Zerubbabel, when Malachi uttered these reproofs and exhortations, is not probable; but God, who sees into the hearts of men, saw, lurking in their hearts, the seeds of that impiety which broke out in the following age. And what profit is it — What benefit is it of to us; that we have kept his ordinance — That we have attended upon the institutions of his worship, and have governed our lives according to his laws? And that we have walked mournfully before the Lord — Have humbled ourselves before him with fasting and prayer, sackcloth and ashes. Their beholding the prosperity of the wicked made them conclude, that it was to no purpose to walk according to the laws of God, or to confess their offences and express their sorrow for them. And, or rather, but, or therefore, now we call the proud happy — Those who behave themselves arrogantly against God, the proud contemners of his law. We can now do no less than think them happiest who do not concern themselves about the observance of God’s laws, but live according to their pleasure, and do every thing that their inclination or profit prompts them to do, without any fear of God’s calling them to an account for it. Yea, they that work wickedness are set up — Are the flourishing ones; are raised to prosperity, as buildings are to their height. Yea, they that tempt God are even delivered — Yea, they who, one would have supposed, should have wearied out God’s patience with their provocations, who have seemed to act as if they tried to provoke him, even these men escape those dangers and calamities which other men are involved in. Those who spake thus seem to have expected an exact distribution of temporal rewards and punishments to be made to good and bad men in this life.

V. 16. Then-When contempt of God was grown so high. That feared the Lord-Those that were truly religious. Spake often-Conversed together the more frequently. And a book-All this is spoken after the manner of men. For them-On their behalf.

Verse 16. They that feared the Lord] There were a few godly in the land, who, hearing the language and seeing the profligacy of the rebels above, concluded that some signal mark of God’s vengeance must fall upon them; they, therefore, as the corruption increased, cleaved the closer to their Maker. There are three characteristics given of this people, viz.:—

1. They feared the Lord. They had that reverence for Jehovah that caused them to depart from evil, and to keep his ordinances.

2. They spake often one to another. They kept up the communion of saints. By mutual exhortation they strengthened each other’s hands in the Lord.

3. They thought on his name. His name was sacred to them; it was a fruitful source of profound and edifying meditation. The name of God is God himself in the plenitude of his power, omniscience, justice, goodness, mercy, and truth. What a source for thinking and contemplation! See how God treats such persons: The Lord hearkened to their conversation, heard the meditations of their hearts; and so approved of the whole that a book of remembrance was written before the Lord-all their names were carefully registered in heaven. Here is an allusion to records kept by kings, Esther 6:1, of such as had performed signal services, and who should be the first to be rewarded.

Verses 16, 17. Then — When contempt of God was grown to such a height; they that feared the Lord — Those that were truly religious, that knew God’s judgments to be a great deep, and that his ways are as high above our ways as heaven is above the earth; spake often one to another — Conversed together about spiritual things the more frequently: for though it is not said what was the subject of their conversation with each other, yet we have reason to believe it was as good concerning God and his providence as the discourse of the wicked was evil. They spake what was right concerning God’s justice and mercy, his holiness, forbearance, and long-suffering, his wisdom and equity in his government of the world in general, and of his church and the members of it in particular. And by their pious discourse they endeavoured to arm each other against the impressions which such wicked suggestions as those above mentioned might otherwise have made upon their minds; and to confirm one another in piety and virtue. And the Lord hearkened and heard — Took a special notice of what these pious persons did and said. And a book of remembrance was written — It was as safely laid up in his memory as if it had been entered into a register, in order to be produced at the day of judgment to their praise and honour: see the margin. The words are a beautiful allusion to the records kept by kings, Esther 6:1. And they shall be mine — It shall appear how dear they are to me, when the time comes in which I shall separate the precious from the vile, the vessels of honour from those of dishonour, 2 Timothy 2:20. In the day of the execution of my judgments they shall be distinguished and preserved safe, as choice jewels are wont to be. And I will spare them as a man spareth his own son, &c. — They shall be spared, pitied, and loved, and I will preserve them from those calamities which shall fall upon the wicked and unbelieving, with the same tenderness which a father shows to a dutiful son. The period especially referred to may be the Roman war under Titus. When God should utterly cut off the Jewish Church and nation for their infidelity, the remnant among them, that should be found to believe his word, and having waited for the Messiah, the consolation of Israel, should welcome him when he came; these, being admitted into the Christian Church, should become a peculiar people to God, and God would take care of them, that they should not perish with the unbelievers, but that they should be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger against that nation. These pious ones should have all the glorious privileges of God’s Israel appropriated to them, and centring in them. They should be a peculiar treasure unto him, when the rest were rejected; should be vessels of mercy and honour when the rest should be made vessels of wrath and dishonour. This, however, is very applicable to all the faithful people of God, and the distinction he will put between them and others, in the great day of final accounts.

Ver. 16. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another. The righteous in synagogues, as St. Paul states in meetings of church-fellowship, “might all prophesy one by one,” and declare what God had done for their souls. What is this but the body edifying itself in love, building up one another in our most holy faith, and strengthening each others hands in the Lord. The catechumens in the primitive church were put under tutors and deaconesses for this purpose. The Roman catholics have long had their spiritual guides; the pietists, among the Lutherans, have had in the vestries their social meetings, as the Methodists have had their class meetings.

V. 17. Make up my jewels-This shall be fully made good in the last great day, and in heaven to eternal ages. I will spare them-In the mean time they shall be spared, pitied, preserved, and loved.

Verse 17. They shall be mine] I will acknowledge them as my subjects and followers; in the day, especially, when I come to punish the wicked and reward the righteous.

When I make up my jewels] hlgs segullah, my peculium, my proper treasure; that which is a man’s own, and most prized by him. Not jewels; for in no part of the Bible does the word mean a gem or precious stone of any kind. The interpretations frequently given of the word in this verse, comparing saints to jewels, are forced and false.

I will spare them] When I come to visit the wicked, I will take care of them. I will act towards them as a tender father would act towards his most loving and obedient son.

Verses 16, 17. Then — When contempt of God was grown to such a height; they that feared the Lord — Those that were truly religious, that knew God’s judgments to be a great deep, and that his ways are as high above our ways as heaven is above the earth; spake often one to another — Conversed together about spiritual things the more frequently: for though it is not said what was the subject of their conversation with each other, yet we have reason to believe it was as good concerning God and his providence as the discourse of the wicked was evil. They spake what was right concerning God’s justice and mercy, his holiness, forbearance, and long-suffering, his wisdom and equity in his government of the world in general, and of his church and the members of it in particular. And by their pious discourse they endeavoured to arm each other against the impressions which such wicked suggestions as those above mentioned might otherwise have made upon their minds; and to confirm one another in piety and virtue. And the Lord hearkened and heard — Took a special notice of what these pious persons did and said. And a book of remembrance was written — It was as safely laid up in his memory as if it had been entered into a register, in order to be produced at the day of judgment to their praise and honour: see the margin. The words are a beautiful allusion to the records kept by kings, Esther 6:1. And they shall be mine — It shall appear how dear they are to me, when the time comes in which I shall separate the precious from the vile, the vessels of honour from those of dishonour, 2 Timothy 2:20. In the day of the execution of my judgments they shall be distinguished and preserved safe, as choice jewels are wont to be. And I will spare them as a man spareth his own son, &c. — They shall be spared, pitied, and loved, and I will preserve them from those calamities which shall fall upon the wicked and unbelieving, with the same tenderness which a father shows to a dutiful son. The period especially referred to may be the Roman war under Titus. When God should utterly cut off the Jewish Church and nation for their infidelity, the remnant among them, that should be found to believe his word, and having waited for the Messiah, the consolation of Israel, should welcome him when he came; these, being admitted into the Christian Church, should become a peculiar people to God, and God would take care of them, that they should not perish with the unbelievers, but that they should be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger against that nation. These pious ones should have all the glorious privileges of God’s Israel appropriated to them, and centring in them. They should be a peculiar treasure unto him, when the rest were rejected; should be vessels of mercy and honour when the rest should be made vessels of wrath and dishonour. This, however, is very applicable to all the faithful people of God, and the distinction he will put between them and others, in the great day of final accounts.

Ver. 17. They shall be mine—in that day when I make up my jewels. God records the name of holy men in his book, seals them by his Spirit before the day of visitation, and accounts them his most precious jewels. The term is also applied to illustrious men. Livy reports that when the mother of the two Grachuses paid a visit to a Roman lady, she was shown all her jewels; and when the visit was repaid, the lady asked the same favour in return. The mother made some excuse for a time; and when her boys came home from school, she took one under each arm, and presented them to the lady with eclât. Here, madam, said she, are my jewels. A faint emblem of the value which the Lord sets upon his redeemed, and of the proof he will give of that endearment another day, when nothing will be saved but what is most valuable or indestructible. Cities, nations, the earth with all its works shall be burnt up; but the Lord will gather up his jewels, as the only treasure to be saved out of the wreck and ruin of an expiring world.

V. 18. Ye-Ye contemners of God and religion, return to your reason, forced by the convincing power of God’s judgments. Discern-Clearly see the happiness of the righteous, and your own misery, who perish in your wickedness.

Verse 18. Then shall ye return] To your senses, when perhaps too late; and discern-see the difference which God makes, between the righteous and the wicked, which will be most marked and awful.

Between him that serveth God] Your obedience to whom, ye said, would be unprofitable to you.

And him that serveth him not.] Of whom ye said, his disobedience would be no prejudice to him. You will find the former received into the kingdom of glory; and the latter, with yourselves, thrust down into the bitter pains of an eternal death. Reader, ponder these things. In the great day of the Lord, at least, if not long before, it will be fully discovered who have been the truly wise people; those who took up their cross and followed Christ; or those who satisfied the flesh, with its affections and desires, following a multitude to do evil. MALACHI

Verse 18. Then shall ye — Ye contemners of God and religion; return and discern — See clearly, and distinguish perfectly; between the righteous and the wicked — Between the characters and the portion of the truly righteous, and of those who are not so. How different the lot is, and to all eternity will be, between the former and the latter; between him that serveth God — And makes conscience of his duty to him, and him that serveth him not — But puts contempt upon his service. You that now speak against God, as making no difference between the good and bad, and therefore say, It is vain to serve him, verse 14, you shall be made to see your error: and you that speak for God, but know not what to say to this, that there seems to be one event to the righteous and the wicked, and that all things come alike to all, will then have the matter set in a true light, and will see to your everlasting satisfaction the difference between the holy and the profane, the godly and the ungodly. Then shall ye return — That is, change your minds, and come to a right understanding of this most important matter. For then every man’s character will be both perfected and perfectly discovered; and every man appear in his true colours; and every man’s condition, likewise, will be both perfectly happy or miserable, without mixture or alloy, and everlastingly determined.

Ver. 18. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked. There are but two classes of men in the world, those which are here mentioned; all other distinctions are lost and swallowed up in this, which alone has reference to an eternal world. Yet essential as this difference is, it is not always apparent, or clearly to be discerned in the present state. Amidst a number of prominent characters, there still are many more who appear to have no character at all. Some indeed are manifestly righteous; we see them uniformly devoted to God, habitually just and kind, and living for the good of others, and it is easy to discern to what class they belong. Others are as manifestly wicked, and notorious for their impiety and enmity to all religion. But there is a still larger number of undecided characters, who seem to inhabit the confines of both these provinces; they are neither for Christ nor against him, neither cold nor hot; too good as it were to be classed directly with the wicked, yet not good enough to be considered as truly righteous; such in short, of whom an apostle might stand in doubt. Galatians 4:20. But amidst the darkness that covered the earth, and the corruption which overwhelmed the church in Malachi’s time, it is probable that the prophet more especially refers to the mysteries of providence, which seemed to overlook all difference of character, and to leave it doubtful whether any or what advantages attached to true religion. Judging from present appearances, the wicked would seem to have the better portion. Egypt and Babylon triumph while Israel is oppressed. Jezebel is rioting in luxury, while a hundred prophets of the Lord are fed with bread and water. Cæsar is on a throne, and Paul in a dungeon. The mercenary priests in Malachi’s time lived on the fat of the land, while those who feared the Lord were driven into holes and corners.—But wait awhile: the day is coming when all these difficulties will be cleared up. The righteous will then be more eminently righteous, the wicked more eminently wicked; the difference of character will be more strongly marked than it has ever been in the present state. Here we only see the bud and the leaf, but then the full corn in the ear. Wide also will be the distinction which marks the divine conduct at that awful period. The Lord will no longer treat his enemies as if they had been his friends, though here he had indulged them with a profusion of goodness, and exercised towards them all longsuffering and mercy. Some of them also he had suffered to abide in his house, as if they had been his sons; yet now that the day is come for a final distinction and separation, he will for ever disown the hypocrite and the unrighteous. Nor shall those that fear his name be any longer overlooked, or go unrewarded; they shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father, and as the firmament for ever and ever.

18. In that day the skeptics will see that Jehovah does distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, and that he does reward all according to their deeds, whether they be good or evil (2 Corinthians 5:10). Then — In the day mentioned in verse 17. Ye — The skeptics addressed in verses 13ff. Return, and discern — Better, ye shall discern again. Accounts had been handed down from ancient times telling how Jehovah rewarded the good and punished the wicked; in their own days these divine manifestations seemed to have ceased, hence the skepticism; but in the day of Jehovah’s coming his fairness and justice will be recognized once more.