Malachi
by Michelle Johnson (KK)

 



Mal 1:1-14 HNV 

An oracle: the word of YHWH to Yisra'el by

Mal'akhi. 

(2)  "I have loved you," says YHWH. Yet you say, "How

have you loved us?" "Wasn't Esav Ya`akov's brother?" says YHWH "Yet I loved Ya`akov; 

 

(3)  but Esav I hated, and made his mountains
a desolation, and gave his heritage to the jackals of the
wilderness."

(4)  Whereas Edom says, "We are beaten down, but we will return and
build the waste places;" thus says YHWH of Armies, "They shall
build, but I will throw down; and men will call them 'The Wicked
Land
,'
even the people against whom YHWH shows wrath forever." 

 

(5) Your eyes will see, and you will say, " YHWH is great--even beyond the border of Yisra'el!" 

 

(6)  "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, then where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me? Says YHWH of Armies to you, Kohanim, who despise my name. You say, 'How have we despised your name?' 

 

(7)  You offer polluted bread on my altar. You say, 'How
have we polluted you?' In that you say, “YHWH’s table
contemptible.”

 

(8)  When you offer the blind for sacrifice, isn't that evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, isn't that evil? Present
it now to your governor! Will he be pleased with you? Or will he accept your person?" says YHWH of Armies. 

 

(9)  "Now, please entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With this, will he accept any of you?" says YHWH of Armies. 

 

(10)  "Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you," says YHWH of Armies, "neither will I accept an offering at your hand. 

 

(11)  For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering: for my name is great among the nations," says YHWH of Armies. 

 

(12)  "But you profane it, in that you say, ‘YHWH's table is polluted, and its fruit, even its food, is contemptible.' 

 

(13)  You say also, 'Behold, what a weariness it is!' and
you have sniffed at it," says YHWH of Armies; "and you have
brought that which was taken by violence, the lame, and the sick; thus you bring the offering. Should I accept this at your hand?" says YHWH. 

 

(14)  "But the deceiver is cursed, who has in his flock a male,
and vows, and sacrifices to the Lord a blemished thing; for I am a great King," says YHWH of Armies, "and my name is awesome
among the nations."

As we begin Chapter 1 we see that YHWH is upset with Israel, for
though He loves them and has shown it, they have been showing
contempt for Him.  He begins talking to the Kohanim (vs 6 and
onward), the religious leaders of the land, the ones that are supposed to be "righteous" and lead others to righteousness as well.  He is upset with them because they have shown disrespect and dishonor to Him.


As He says in verse 6, they even despise His Name.

Let’s look at this chapter more closely. We see in verse 7 the word "offer".  The same Hebrew word is used throughout this chapter for "offer", "offering(s)", with little deviation from this form.  Where it differs I will discuss that as well.  First let us look at the Hebrew for "offer" in this verse from the BDB:

1:7  "Offer" H5066
na^gash
BDB Definition:
1) to draw near, approach
1a) (Qal) to draw or come near
1a1) of humans
1a1a) of sexual intercourse
1a2) of inanimate subject
1a2a) to approach one another
1b) (Niphal) to draw near
1c) (Hiphil) to cause to approach, bring near, bring
1d) (Hophal) to be brought near
1e) (Hithpael) to draw near
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong's Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1297

We see through this definition that it is talking about the physical act of actually drawing near to the altar, in order to bring something. 

In verse 7, they were bringing a  "polluted" bread offering.

Then, in verse 8, we see the term used for "sacrifice" is the Hebrew word "zebach", as defined by BDB:

1:8 "sacrifice" H2076
za^bach
BDB Definition:
1) to slaughter, kill, sacrifice, slaughter for sacrifice
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to slaughter for sacrifice
1a2) to slaughter for eating
1a3) to slaughter in divine judgment
1b) (Piel) to sacrifice, offer sacrifice
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong's Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 525


Now the picture is becoming clear.  Verse 7 had said that they
offered (physically brought) polluted grain (bread) offerings. 

How were these
offerings "polluted"?  YHWH said it was because they called His table contemptible. The kohanim were also bringing blind, sick, and diseased animals for sacrifices to YHWH.  They had become complacent, lackadaisical, lazy and sloppy in the way they were doing things.  They had forgotten what it says in Devarim 17:1 - "You are not to sacrifice to YHWH your God a cow or sheep that has a defect or anything wrong with it; that would be an abomination to YHWH your God."  They were showing not only contempt for their position, but also and more importantly, they were showing contempt to YHWH.  They had become arrogant and exalted in their own eyes, and had lost the fear, reverence, and awe that is YHWH's rightful due.

Let us look further into verse 8 and see what YHWH says:

"Offer it now to your governor"

1:8 "Offer" H7126
qa^rab
BDB Definition:
1) to come near, approach, enter into, draw near
1a) (Qal) to approach, draw near
1b) (Niphal) to be brought near
1c) (Piel) to cause to approach, bring near, cause to draw near
1d) (Hiphil) to bring near, bring, present
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong's Number: a primitive root
Same Word by TWOT Number: 2065

Though the Hebrew word here for "offer" is different than that which was used before, it still means the same thing.  Here YHWH is telling the kohanim to "Go ahead, bring these same sick, blind, diseased animals to your governor (political leader) and see how he would like it".  The text is basically saying that they had more reverence and consideration for the human political leaders of the land than they had for YHWH.

Verse 9 says something that is rather profound.  It says that they are to "beseech" YHWH to be gracious unto them.  As defined by the BDB, "beseech" means:

H2470
cha^la^h
BDB Definition:
1) to be or become weak, be or become sick, be or become diseased,
be or become grieved, be or become sorry
1a) (Qal) to be weak, be sick
1b) (Piel)
1b1) to be or become weak, feel weak
1b2) to become sick, become ill
1b3) (CLBL) to entreat, pray, beg
1c) (Niphal)
1c1) to make oneself sick
1c2) to be made sick
1c3) to be tired
1d) (Pual) to be made weak, become weak
1e) (Hithpael) to make oneself sick
1f) (Hiphil)
1f1) to make sore
1f2) to make sick
1f3) to show signs of sickness, become sick
1f4) to grieve
1g) (Hophal)
1g1) to be made sick
1g2) to be wounded
Part of Speech: verb
A Related Word by BDB/Strong's Number: a primitive root [compare
H2342, H2470, H2490]
Same Word by TWOT Number: 655

Basically, they had brought YHWH's anger upon themselves, and they were told to make themselves sick with grief over what they had been doing (and repent of it).  YHWH goes on to tell them in verse 10:

"Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that
you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you," says YHWH of Armies, "neither will I accept an offering at your hand."

The word used for "offering" there is "mincha", defined by BDB as

H4503
mincha^h
BDB Definition:
1) gift, tribute, offering, present, oblation, sacrifice, meat
offering
1a) gift, present
1b) tribute
1c) offering (to God)
1d) grain offering
Part of Speech: noun feminine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong's Number: from an unused root
meaning to apportion, i.e. bestow
Same Word by TWOT Number: 1214a

We understand now that YHWH is telling them that nothing that they bring, be it a drink offering, a grain offering, or an animal sacrifice -nothing that they bring will be accepted.  By this time, there is not a single one of the kohanim that has not become arrogant, disobedient and deceitful in the way that they served YHWH.  The text goes on to say that the Gentiles would be worshipping Him in truth, and bringing pure offerings (minchas) because His Name would be great and revered among them, while the kohanim profaned Him with their abominable offerings. 

To paraphrase verse 13, they "sniffed" at their service, or as we
would say, they had grown snobby and looked down their noses at it, and thought that it was a troublesome chore to be done with as little fuss as possible.  They no longer took the time to be sure that it was done right, and accepted anything, whether it was diseased or not, just to "get the job done".  Those that had a diseased animal, vowed and sacrificed (zebach) were bitterly cursed.  His Name is great, even among the Gentiles, and yet His own people thought nothing of Him but contempt.

Moving on to Chapter 2:

Mal 2:1-17 HNV  "Now, you Kohanim, this mitzvah is for you. 

 

(2)  If you will not listen, and if you will not lay it to heart, to give glory to my name," says YHWH of Armies, "then will I send the curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart. 

 

(3)  Behold, I will rebuke your seed, and will spread dung on your faces, even the dung of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it. 

 

(4) You will know that I have sent this mitzvah to you, that my covenant may be with Levi," says YHWH of Armies. 

 

(5)  "My covenant was with him of life and shalom; and I gave them to him who he might be reverent toward me; and he was reverent toward me, and stood in awe of my name. 

 

(6)
The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips. He walked with me in shalom and uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity. 

 

(7)  For the Kohen's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of YHWH of Armies.  (

 

8)  But you have turned aside out of the way. You have caused many to stumble in the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi," says YHWH of Armies. 

 

(9) "Therefore I have also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according to the way you have not kept my ways, but have had respect for persons in the law. 

 

(10)  Don't we all have one father? Hasn't one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers? 

 

(11)
Yehudah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Yisra'el and in Yerushalayim; for Yehudah has profaned the holiness of YHWH which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 

 

(12)  YHWH will cut off, to the man who does this, him who wakes and him who answers, out of the tents of Ya`akov, and him who offers an offering to YHWH of Armies. 

 

(13)  This again you do: you cover the altar of YHWH with tears, with weeping, and with sighing, because he doesn't regard the offering any more, neither receives it with good will at your hand. 

 

(14)  Yet you say, 'Why?' Because YHWH has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion, and the wife of your covenant. 

 

(15)  Did he not make one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? Why one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 

 

(16)  For I hate divorce," says YHWH, the God of Yisra'el, "and him who covers his garment with violence!" says YHWH of Armies. "Therefore take heed to your spirit,that you don't deal treacherously. 

 

(17)  You have wearied YHWH with your words. Yet you say, 'How have we wearied him?' In that you say, 'Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of YHWH and he delights in them;' or 'Where is the God of justice?'

As we begin Chapter 2, we see that this mitzvah is specifically for the kohanim.  Because they have not taken their duties to heart, and have done evil in the sight of YHWH, He says that He has bitterly cursed them and their blessings.  Verse 3 is very, shall we say, lyrical in its vehemence: "Behold, I will rebuke your seed, and will spread dung on your faces, even the dung of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it."  We need to take a closer look at some of the words in this verse. 

The first word that I want to look at is "seed", and here is the BDB definition:

H2233
zera
BDB Definition:
1) seed, sowing, offspring
1a) a sowing
1b) seed
1c) semen virile
1d) offspring, descendants, posterity, children
1e) of moral quality
1e1) a practitioner of righteousness (figuratively)
1f) sowing time (by metonymy)
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong's Number: from H2232
Same Word by TWOT Number: 582a

I believe that this is talking about all of the kohanim, those that were kohens already, and those that were to become kohen.  They were the leaders of righteousness, and they had corrupted their position and their morals with greed, deceitfulness and a lust for power.  Therefore, they brought the bitter curses of YHWH down upon their own heads.

Another word that I wanted to look at was "feasts":

H2282
chag  /  cha^g
BDB Definition:
1) festival, feast, festival-gathering, pilgrim-feast
1a) feast
1b) festival sacrifice
Part of Speech: noun masculine
A Related Word by BDB/Strong's Number: from H2287
Same Word by TWOT Number: 602a

Taken in context with what happened in Chapter 1, I believe that this is talking about the feasts, yes, but more importantly, the sacrifices they were making with the sick and diseased animals, as well as the attitude in which they were brought.

To me, the mitzvah is speaking of a curse that has been brought
against the kohanim by their own doing, and that they, like their
abominable sacrifices, would be swept away.  

Continuing on YHWH says that He has cursed them so that they would know that the covenant was with Levi.  The text contrasts how Levi had been respectful, and stood in awe of Him (actually the meaning is literally "prostrated" not stood - in reverence to YHWH).  It goes on to say that because there was no deceit coming from his mouth, and he walked in uprightness and peace with YHWH, Levi led many people to righteousness.  The kohen should be seeking after knowledge of the Torah and striving to be like Levi, instead of being the deceitful, corrupt individuals that they had become.  Instead of leading the people to righteousness, they were causing them to be led astray and had corrupted the covenant with Levi. 

Therefore, because they no longer held their position of a teacher of righteousness in esteem, they were no longer to be given the respect of the people that they so craved. 

Not only were they leading people astray, they were being partial in how they carried out their duties - showing favor to the rich and slighting the poor.  "Don't we all have one father? Hasn't one God created us?" vs. 10. Everyone was to be equal, no one better than any one else.  Yet, there was a division there - the rich vs. the poor.  It wasn't supposed to be that way.

In verse 11, we see that they have gone so far as to "marry the
daughter of a foreign god" and profaned the holiness of YHWH. 


YHWH
says that the man that does so will be cut off, destroyed, the master as well as the scholar, from the tents of Ya'akov, as well as the one who offers (na'gash) offerings (minchas) to YHWH. 

They cry and moan and go "why me?" because YHWH has rebuked
them and no longer accepts their offerings.  They have not only dealt treacherously with YHWH but they have also been deceitful to their wives. They have become so corrupt by this time that their family life suffers as well.  Taking a closer look at verse 16, I found this very interesting:

16 For I hate divorce," says YHWH, the God of Yisra'el, "and him
who covers his garment with violence!" says YHWH of Armies.
"Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you don't deal
treacherously.”

"Him who covers his garment with violence" can also be translated as "Him who covers (conceals) his garment (by implication,
euphemistically, his wife) with violence (cruelty, injustice)"

In other words, they were, in my opinion, doing their wives wrong by falsely accusing them of things so that they could be divorced, and possibly, being abusive to them as well, and covering it up by the very nature of their position.  Who would question a man in that position, a leader of righteousness, if he says his wife is a liar and a cheat?  Even though he knows she is not.  YHWH cautions them against doing this, as it is evil, and their very being, their ruach, or life, would
suffer.

They had gotten to the point where in their self pity they were even accusing YHWH of being unfair and unjust, saying that YHWH approved more of the unrighteous than of them, the supposed "righteous" ones.

Chapter 3.

Mal 3:1-18 HNV  "Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare
the way before me; and YHWH, whom you seek, will suddenly come
to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes!" says YHWH of Armies. 

 

(2)  "But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like launderer's soap; 

 

(3)  and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer to YHWH offerings in righteousness. 

 

(4)  Then the offering of Yehudah and Yerushalayim will be pleasant to YHWH, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years. 

 

(5)  I will come near to you to judgment; and I
will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the
adulterers, and against the perjurers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who deprive the foreigner of justice, and don't fear me," says YHWH of Armies.  (

 

6)  "For I, YHWH, don't change; therefore you, sons of
Ya`akov, are not consumed. 

 

(7)  From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you," says YHWH of Armies. "But
you say, 'How shall we return?' 

 

(8)  Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In tithes and offerings.

(9)  You are cursed with the curse; for you rob me, even this whole nation. 

 

(10)  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there
may be food in my house, and test me now in this," says YHWH of
Armies, "if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough for. 

 

(11)  I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before its time in the field," says YHWH of Armies. 

 

(12)  "All nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land," says YHWH of Armies.

(13)  "Your words have been stout against me," says YHWH. "Yet you say, 'What have we spoken against you?' 

 

(14)  You have said, 'It is vain to serve God;' and 'What profit is it that we have kept his charge, and that we have walked mournfully before YHWH of Armies? 

 

(15) Now we call the proud happy; yes, those who work
wickedness are built up; yes, they tempt God, and escape.' 

 

(16)  Then those who feared the LORD spoke one with another; and YHWH listened, and heard, and a book of memory was written before him, for those who feared YHWH, and who honored his name. 

 

(17) They shall be mine," says YHWH of Armies, "my own possession in the day that I make, and I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him. 

 

(18)  Then you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who doesn't serve him.

Mal 4:1-6 HNV  "For, behold, the day comes, it burns as a furnace; and all the proud, and all who work wickedness, will be stubble; and the day that comes will burn them up," says YHWH of Armies, "that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 

 

(2)  But to you who fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings. You will go out, and leap like calves of the stall. 

 

(3) You shall tread down the wicked; for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make," says YHWH of Armies. 

 

(4)  "Remember the Torah of Moshe my servant, which I commanded to him in Chorev for all Yisra'el, even statutes and ordinances. 

 

(5)  Behold, I will send you Eliyahu the prophet before the great and terrible day of YHWH comes. 

 

(6) He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse."

Chapters 3 and 4 I will combine together and discuss as one whole
unit.  (Some bibles have only chapter 3 with chapter 4's verses in brackets.)

Whereas Chapters 1 and 2 were specifically aimed at the kohanim and their unrighteous ways, Chapters 3 and 4 speak more of the `olam haba, the world (or time or age) to come.

Chapter 3 begins with YHWH saying that He will send a messenger
(mal'ak, messenger, representative, angel; also teacher or king), who will `prepare the way before me (YHWH)', or in essence, turn the people back to Him, and YHWH will come back and live in His Temple once again. 

Verses 2 and 3 speak of this time, saying in essence, "Who (of the Levites) will be able to stand at his coming?"  For with his coming, they will be purified and cleansed of all their unrighteousness, as silver  and gold are purified with fire, so that they will be able to once more bring (nagash) the offerings (minchas) in righteousness, to YHWH.  Then the offerings of Yehudah and Yerushalayim will once more be pleasant and accepted, as in the days of old.

During this time of purification, they will be judged according as to how they had behaved and fulfilled their duties as the priests of the nation, the leaders of righteousness.  Yet, it will not be only the Kohanim who are judged during this time; it will be the entire nation of Yisrael.
 

There will be swift justice against those who fell into sorcery and adultery, which in my opinion also means those that fell away from the faith of the One True God and followed the false gods of other religions; against those who oppressed the poor, the widows, the fatherless, those that they as it says in chapter 2, "sniffed down their noses at"; also those that deprived the foreigner of justice and those that didn't fear (yare', revere) YHWH anymore. 

Because YHWH does not change, the sons (descendants) of Ya'akov
are not consumed (kahlah, destroyed).  YHWH says that even from the days of their fathers, they turned away and did not keep the
ordinances of YHWH that they had been given. Still YHWH says "Return to me".  When asked "how" they are to return, YHWH answers with a question of his own:  "Will a man rob (qaba, to cover, figuratively to defraud) God (Elohim)? Yet you have robbed me ... in tithes (ma'aser, a tenth part; tithe) and offerings (terumah, a contribution, or any offering to YHWH). 

3:9 says "You are cursed with the curse; for you rob me, even this whole nation."  The word used for `nation' there is "Goy" – which usually means non-Hebrew people, i.e., Gentiles, but which can also mean the descendants of Avraham, the Israelites.  Looking at it in context with the rest of the book, I believe it is talking to the Israelite peoples and not the Gentiles, as many of us have been taught to believe. 

YHWH says to test him and see what happens when the whole tithe is brought into to his house (the Temple).  We are told that the very windows of heaven would be opened and a blessing would be poured out, that there would not be room enough for.  The devourer would be rebuked and would not destroy their crops (be it worms, locusts, etc.) and that their vines (grapes) would not spoil before it was time to harvest them.  He says when this happens all the nations of the world will call Israel a blessed nation and a delightful land.

From this, I believe the text to be saying that once the Temple is restored and we begin bringing our offerings and tithes as we are supposed to do, that the Promised Land would once more be `the land of milk and honey', a veritable paradise in an inhospitable, desert region.

In 3:14-15 YHWH again says to the people, "You have said, 'It is vain to serve God;' and 'What profit is it that we have kept his charge, and that we have walked mournfully before YHWH of Armies?" Now we call the proud happy; yes, those who work wickedness are built up; yes, they tempt God, and escape.'

The verse basically says that they have said that there is nothing to gain (betsa, unjust gain) from keeping the ordinances of YHWH, though they have walked mournfully (qedoranniyth, mournfully, in sackcloth) before YHWH.  In other words, they have not been following YHWH out of love and respect, but out of deceit and greed.  They are still bickering amongst themselves and not listening to YHWH, not taking notice as to what he has said to them, and trying to find ways around it that would benefit them.

In verse 16 and onward, we are told that there are still a few that respect and revere YHWH, and that while they are discussing these things with each other, that YHWH hears them and writes a book of remembrance for those that respect him.  He says that they are his jewels, his own possession, and that he will spare (chamal; pity, have compassion upon) them as a man has compassion for his son who works for him. Then they would return to Him, and be able to discern between those that serve YHWH and those that do not.

3:19-24 (or 4:1-6) speaks of the `great and terrible day of YHWH' to come.  Those that were written in the book of remembrance would be healed, or restored, while the wicked, the proud, vain and arrogant, those that fell away from YHWH, would be burned up like straw in an oven until they became as ash under the soles of their feet.  The people are told to remember the Torah with all of its statutes (choq, conditions, laws, commandments)  and ordinances (mishpat, judgments).  Before this day comes, Eliyahu will be sent to `turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the hearts of the children back to their fathers' (or rulers and the people - i.e., the Kohanim, the leaders of righteousness, would once again honor YHWH and respect the people, and the people would once again respect the Kohanim), lest YHWH come and strike the earth (eretz, land, land and people of Israel), with a curse. 

Looking at the book in context, I believe that this curse being spoken about reflects back to 3:9, where it speaks of the entire land (nation of Israel) being cursed, because of unfaithfulness to YHWH.

The last three verses say basically to remember the Torah and all it contains, and that Eliyahu will come and turn our hearts back to each other,  the fathers to the children and vice versa, and/or the hearts of the religious leaders and the hearts of the people to each other, once again.  I believe this to mean that we will be restored to a rightful worship of YHWH, that we will worship Him once again in righteousness.

May we all heed the words of warning in this book, and worship YHWH in truth and righteousness.

 

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