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Malachi Chapter
One
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO MALACHI 1
In
this chapter the Lord declares his love to the people of Israel
and proves it;
and complains that the honour due unto him was not given him; which he
demonstrates by various instances. The inscription is in Malachi 1:1 showing
the name and nature of the prophecy; the author of it; the people to whom it
was sent; and the name of the person by whom. In Malachi 1:2 the
Lord affirms his love to the people of Israel
which they called in question;
and proves it to be real
special
and distinguishing
by the instance of Jacob
and Esau
two brothers; yet one
their ancestor
was loved
and the other
hated; which latter is proved by the desolations made in his country
and by
the fruitless attempts made to repair and rebuild; which was so clear a proof
of the Lord's indignation against him
that the Israelites could not but see
it
and would be obliged to confess it
to the glory of God
Malachi 1:3 hence
he passes on to observe the honour and fear that were due to him as a Father
and master
which were not shown him; but
instead thereof
he was despised
and even by the priests themselves
with which they are charged
Malachi 1:6 and which
being objected to by them
is proved by offering polluted bread on his altar;
and by polluting him
in saying his table was contemptible; and by sacrificing
the blind
the lame
and the sick
unto him; things which would be justly
resented
if offered to a temporal prince and governor
Malachi 1:7
wherefore they are called upon by the prophet to pray to the Lord for grace and
mercy for the people
seeing it was by their means (the priests) that these
things were done; though it was questionable whether the Lord would have any
regard to them
Malachi 1:9 their
sins being so dreadfully aggravated; and particularly
inasmuch as they did not
serve in the temple
not so much as shut a door
or kindle a fire on the altar
for nothing
without being paid for it; hence the Lord declares he had no
pleasure in them
nor would he accept their offerings; but would call the
Gentiles by his grace
among whom his name would be great from one end of the
earth to the other; and incense and pure offerings would be offered by them to
him
Malachi 1:10 and
then he renews the charge against them
that they had profaned his name
by
saying that his table
and the fruit thereof
were polluted
and his meat
contemptible; by expressing a weariness in his worship
and a contempt of it;
and by bringing the torn
the lame
and sick
as an offering to him
Malachi 1:12 upon
which such sacrificers are declared deceivers
and pronounced accursed
which
they might assure themselves was and would be their case; since he was a great
King
and his name dreadful among the Heathen
Malachi 1:14.
Malachi 1:1 The burden[a] of the
word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi.
YLT
1The burden of a word of
Jehovah unto Israel by the hand of Malachi:
The burden of the word of
the Lord
.... By which is meant the prophecy of this book
so called
not
because heavy
burdensome
and distressing
either for the prophet to carry
or
the people to bear; for some part of it
which respects Christ
and his
forerunner
was matter of joy to the people of God; but because it was a
message sent by the Lord
and carried by the prophet to the people; See Gill on
Zechariah 9:1
Zechariah 12:1 and
this was not the word of man
but of God
a part of Scripture
by divine
inspiration. The Syriac version is
"the vision of the words of the
Lord": and the Arabic version
"the revelation of the word of the
Lord"; and the Septuagint version
"the assumption of the word of the
Lord"; it was what was revealed
made known
and delivered by the Lord to
the prophet
and taken up by him
and carried to Israel
which was the general
name of all the twelve tribes
when under one prince; but when the kingdom was
divided
in Rehoboam's time
it was peculiar to the ten tribes
as Judah was to
the two tribes of Benjamin and Judah; but after the return of these two from
the Babylonish captivity
in which they were joined by some of the other
tribes
it was given unto them as here:
by Malachi; or
"by the hand of Malachi"F13ביד "in manu"
V. L. Cocceius; "per
manum"
Pagninus
Montanus
Piscator. ; he was the instrument the Lord
made use of; the person whom he sent
and by whom he delivered the following
prophecy.
Malachi 1:2 2 “I
have loved you
” says the Lord. “Yet you say
‘In what way have
You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved;
YLT
2I have loved you
said
Jehovah
And ye have said
`In what hast Thou loved us?'
I have loved you
saith
the Lord
.... Which appeared of old
by choosing them
above all people
upon the face of the earth
to be his special and peculiar people; by bestowing
peculiar favours and blessings upon them
both temporal and spiritual; by
continuing them a people
through a variety of changes and revolutions; and by
lately bringing them out of the Babylonish captivity
restoring their land unto
them
and the pure worship of God among them:
Yet ye say
wherein hast thou loved us? the Targum
renders it
"and if ye should say"; and so Kimchi and Ben Melech;
which intimates
that though they might not have expressed themselves in so
many words
yet they seemed disposed to say so; they thought it
if they said
it not; and therefore
to prevent such an objection
as well as to show their
ingratitude
it is put in this form; and an instance of his love is demanded
which is very surprising
when they had so many; and shows great stupidity and
unthankfulness. Abarbinel renders the words
"wherefore hast thou loved
us?" that is
is there not a reason to be given for loving us? which he
supposes was the love of Abraham to God; and therefore his love to them was not
free
but by way of reward to Abraham's love; and consequently they were not so
much obliged to him for it: to which is replied
was not Esau Jacob's brother?
saith the Lord; Jacob and Esau were brethren; they had one and the same father
and mother
Isaac and Rebekah
and equally descended from Abraham; so that if
one was loved for the sake of Abraham
as suggested
according to Abarbinel's
sense
the other had an equal claim to it; they lay in the same womb together;
they were twins; and if any could be thought to have the advantage by birth
Esau had it
being born first: but before they were born
and before they had
done good or evil
what is afterwards said of them was in the heart of God
towards them; which shows that the love of God to his people is free
sovereign
and distinguishing
Genesis 25:23
yet I loved Jacob; personally considered; not only by giving
him the temporal birthright and blessing
and the advantages arising from
thence; but by choosing him to everlasting life
bestowing his grace upon him
revealing Christ unto him
and making him a partaker of eternal happiness; and
also his posterity
as appears by the above instances mentioned; and likewise
mystically considered
for all the elect
redeemed
and called
go by the name
of Jacob and Israel in Scripture frequently; for what is here said of Jacob is
true of all the individuals of God's people; for which purpose the apostle
refers to this passage in Romans 9:13
to
prove the sovereignty and distinction of the love of God in their election and
salvation: and this is indeed a clear proof that the love of God to his people
is entirely free from all motives and conditions in them
being before they had
done either good or evil; and therefore did not arise from any goodness in
them
nor from their love to him nor from any good works done by them: the
choice of persons to everlasting life
the fruit of this love
is denied to be
of works
and is ascribed to grace; it passed before any were wrought; and what
are done by the best of men are the effects of it; and the persons chosen or
passed by were in an equal state when both were done; which appears by this
instance: and by which also it is manifest that the love of God to men is
distinguishing; it is not alike to all men; there is a peculiar favour he bears
to own people; which is evident by the choice of some
and not others; by the
redemption of them out of every kindred
tongue
people
and nation; by the
effectual calling of them out of the world; by the application of the blessings
of grace unto them; and by bestowing eternal life on them: and it may be
further observed
that the objects of God's love have not always the knowledge
of it; indeed they have no knowledge of it before conversion
which is the open
time of love; and after conversion they have not always distinct and
appropriating views of it; only when God is pleased to come and manifest it
unto them.
Malachi 1:3 3 But
Esau I have hated
And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the
jackals of the wilderness.”
YLT
3Is not Esau Jacob's
brother? -- an affirmation of Jehovah
And I love Jacob
and Esau I have hated
And I make his mountains a desolation
And his inheritance for dragons of a
wilderness.
And I hated Esau
.... Or
"rejected" him
as the Targum; did not love him as Jacob: this was a
negative
not positive hatred; it is true of him
personally considered; not
only by taking away the birthright and blessing from him
which he despised;
but by denying him his special grace
leaving him in his sins
and to his
lusts
so that he became a profane person; shared not in the grace of God here
and had no part in the eternal inheritance with the saints in light; and
likewise it is true of his posterity
as the following instances show:
and laid his mountains and his heritage waste; which
according to Grotius
was done by Nebuchadnezzar
five years after the
captivity of the Jews
in fulfilment of the prophecy of Jeremiah
Jeremiah 49:7 but
this was done by the NabatheansF14See Prideanx's Connexion
par. 2.
B. 3. p. 199. : Mount Seir was the famous mountain that Esau dwelt in
Genesis 36:8 there
might be more in his country; or this might have many tops
and therefore
called "mountains"; and to this account of the waste and desolate
state of this country agrees what is at present related of it
by a late
travellerF15Dr. Shaw's Travels
p. 438. Ed. 2. in those parts:
"if
(says he) we leave Palestine and Egypt behind us
and pursue our physical
observations into the land of Edom
we shall be presented with a variety of
prospects
quite different from those we have lately met with in the land of
Canaan
or in the field of Zoan; for we cannot here be entertained with
pastures clothed with flocks
or with valleys standing thick with corn
or with
brooks of water
or fountains
or depths that spring out of valleys and hills
Deuteronomy 8:7
here is no place of seed
or of figs
or of vines
or pomegranates
Numbers 20:5 but
the whole is an "evil place"
a lonesome desolate wilderness; no
otherwise diversified than by plains covered with sand
and by mountains made
up of naked rocks and precipices
Malachi 1:3 neither
is this country ever (unless sometimes at the equinoxes) refreshed with rain;
but the few hardy vegetables it produces are stunted by a perpetual drought;
and the nourishment which the dews contribute to them in the night
is
sufficiently impaired by the powerful heat of the sun in the day:'
Though
this country seems to have been originally more fruitful
and better
cultivated
as may be concluded from Genesis 27:39 but
is become so through the judgments of God upon it:
for the dragons of the wilderness; so called to distinguish
them from sea dragons
or the dragon fish; such as whales and crocodiles
which
are sometimes expressed by the same word here used
Genesis 1:21 and
these land dragons are no other than serpents of an enormous size. In the
Indies they used to be distinguished into three sorts; such as were found in
the mountains; such as were bred in caves
or in the flat country; and such as
were found in fens and marshes. The first is the largest of all
and are covered
with scales as resplendent as polished gold; these have a kind of beard hanging
from their lower jaw; their eyebrows large
and very exactly arched; their
aspect the most frightful that can be imagined; and their cry loud and shrill;
their crest of a bright yellow; and a protuberance on their heads of the colour
of a burning coal. Those of the flat country differ from the former in nothing
but having their scales of a silver colour
and in their frequenting rivers
to
which the former never come. Those that live in marshes and fens are of a dark
colour
approaching to a black
move slowly
have no crest
or any rising on
their headsF16Harris's Voyages and Travels
vol. 1. p. 474. ; these
creatures commonly inhabit desert places. So Diodorus SiculusF17Bibliothec.
l. 3. p. 169.
speaking of Ethiopia
says
it is reported that various kinds
of serpents
and of an incredible size
are seen near the desert
had in places
inhabited by wild beasts; and AelianusF18De Animal. l. 6. c. 63.
describes the dragon as dwelling in woods
and living on poisonous herbs; and
preferring a desolate place to cities
and the habitations of men; and when in
Scripture it is predicted of countries and cities that they shall become
desolate
it is usually observed
that they shall be the dwelling places of
dragons
as in Isaiah 13:22 so
here it is foretold that it should be the case of Edom
as it has been
and
still continues to be
as appears from the above travellerF19Dr.
Shaw Travels
p. 448. Ed. 2. ; who
passing through some part of this country
says of it
"vipers
especially in the wilderness of Sin
which might be very properly called
"the inheritance of dragons"
were very dangerous and troublesome;
not only our camels
but the Arabs who attended them
running every moment the
risk of being bitten;'
so
that
according to the prediction
it is now a place for such creatures. A
learned JewF20Tanchum apud Pocock in loc. is of opinion
that not
serpents
but jackals
are here meant
which are a sort of wild howling beasts
that live abroad in desolate places; See Gill on Micah 1:8 but
whether they be the one
or the other
it makes for the same purpose
to denote
what a desert place Edom would become; since it should be inhabited by such
creatures to dwell in
which denotes the utter desolation made. So the Targum
renders it
"into the wasteness of the desert"; or into a waste
desert
where none but such sort of animals inhabit. The Septuagint and Syriac
versions render it
"into the houses"
or "cottages
of the
desert": and now
though this was the case of Judea
that it was left
desolate
yet it was but for a while; at the end of seventy years the Jews
returned to their own land
and dwelt in it; but so did not the Edomites
as
appears by the following words; which shows the regard God had to the posterity
of Jacob
and not to the posterity of Esau.
Malachi 1:4 4 Even
though Edom has said
“We have been impoverished
But we will return and build
the desolate places
” Thus says the Lord of hosts: “They
may build
but I will throw down; They shall be called the Territory of
Wickedness
And the people against whom the Lord will have
indignation forever.
YLT
4Because Edom saith
`We
have been made poor
And we turn back and we build the wastes
' Thus said
Jehovah of Hosts: They do build
and I do destroy
And [men] have called to
them
`O region of wickedness
' `O people whom Jehovah defied to the age.'
Whereas Edom saith
We are
impoverished
.... Or the Idumeans
as the Targum; the posterity of Esau
who
acknowledge themselves greatly reduced by the desolations made in their
country
cities
towns
and houses
being plundered of all their valuable
things. Kimchi interprets it
if the congregation of Edom should say
though we
are become poor and low
and our land is laid waste:
but we will return; being now become rich
as the Targum adds;
that is
as Jarchi explains it
with the spoils of Jerusalem:
and build the desolate places: as Israel did
as Kimchi
observes
when they returned from their captivity; and so the Edomites hoped to
do the same:
thus saith the Lord of hosts
They shall build
but I will throw
down; they attempted to build again their cities and towns
but could
not succeed
God was against them:
and they shall call them; or
"they shall be
called"F21וקראו להם
"et vocabuntur"
V. L. Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Drusius
Grotius. ; this shall be the name they
shall go by among men
by way of
proverb and reproach:
The border of wickedness; a wicked kingdom and
nation
from one end to the other; this shall be said of them
as the reason of
their utter and perpetual desolation:
and
The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever; not for
seventy years only
as against the Jews
Zechariah 1:12
but
forever; and these are now no more a people; they are utterly extinct; their
name and nation are lost; there is not the least appearance of them; when the
Jews
though they are scattered about in the world
yet they are still a
people
and distinct from all others.
Malachi 1:5 5 Your
eyes shall see
And you shall say
‘The Lord is
magnified beyond the border of Israel.’
YLT
5And your eyes do see
and
ye say
`Magnified is Jehovah beyond the border of Israel
And your eyes shall see
.... The
destruction of the Edomites
and their fruitless attempts to rebuild their
desolate places; and the difference between them and the Israelites
who were
returned to their own land
and inherited it
when they could not; and the love
of God to the one
and his hatred of the other:
and ye shall say
The Lord will be magnified from the border of
Israel; Aben Ezra interprets it
ye that dwelt in the border of Israel
shall say
the Lord shall be magnified
or let him be magnified; let greatness
and glory be ascribed to him for what he has done: or
as Kimchi
give him
praise and greatness because you are dwelling in your border
and their border
is desolate; and your border is called the border of Israel
but theirs the
border of wickedness; and so the Targum
"let
the glory of the Lord be multiplied
because he hath enlarged the border of
Israel;'
and
according to Jarchi
the sense is
he shall show his greatness from our border
to make it known that we are his people: all show and own that God had loved
them more than others
and therefore they ought to have honoured and obeyed
him
in which they were deficient
and so ungrateful.
Malachi 1:6 6 “A
son honors his father
And a servant his master. If then I am the
Father
Where is My honor? And if I am a Master
Where is
My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts To you priests who
despise My name. Yet you say
‘In what way have we despised Your name?’
YLT
6A son honoureth a father
and a servant his master. And if I [am] a father
where [is] Mine honour? And
if I [am] a master
where [is] My fear? Said Jehovah of Hosts to you
O
priests
despising My name! And ye have said: `In what have we despised Thy
name?'
A son honoureth his
father
and a servant his master
.... Or
"will
honour"
or "should honour"; it is their duty to do so
both
according to the laws of God and man; and so the Targum
"lo
concerning a son it is said (or commanded) that be should honour his father;
and of a servant
that he should fear (or show reverence) before his master;'
see
Exodus 20:12
if then I be a Father; as he was the Father of
his divine and eternal Son; the Father of spirits
angels
and the souls of
men; the Father of all men by creation; and the Father of all mercies to them
in providence
as he was to Israel; and
besides
was their Father by national
adoption
as he was not to other people; and to many of them stood in this
relation by special adopting grace:
where is mine honour? there is an honour due
to God on account of this relation; which should be shown by loving him
trusting in him
calling upon him
imitating and obeying him
and by making use
of what he has given for his glory; he is to be honoured in heart and life
by
words and actions
and with our substance. This question suggests
that he had
not the honour given him
which belonged unto him:
and if I be a master; the word is in the
plural number
and may be understood of Jehovah
Father
Son
and Spirit;
though the first Person seems rather designed
who stands in this relation to
Christ
as Mediator; to the angels
his ministering spirits; to the ministers
of the Gospel
and to all the saints; and indeed to all men
and particularly
to the Israelites; as appeared by the special laws and commands he enjoined
them
and by his special government
protection
and care of them:
where is my fear? fear and reverence are
due to the Lord from his people
considered in such a relation to them; not a
slavish fear of wrath and punishment; but a godly filial fear
which is
influenced by the goodness of God
and appears in a carefulness not to offend
him
and by the performance of all religious worship
both private and public;
and in this not only natural men
but professors of religion
and even God's own
people
are wanting; yea
those that should set examples to others
as men in
public office
and of a public character
as follows:
saith the Lord of hosts unto you
O priests
that despise my name; for what is
before said is not only said to the people in general; but to the priests in
particular
who ought to have honoured and feared the Lord; and yet they
despised his name
or made it contemptible; by not paying that regard to his
authority
as a Father and master
they ought; by neglecting his worship
and
not taking that care of offerings and sacrifices as became them:
and ye say
Wherein have we despised thy name? as if they
were entirely innocent and guiltless.
Malachi 1:7 7 “You
offer defiled food on My altar
But say
‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By
saying
‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’
YLT
7Ye are bringing nigh on
Mine altar polluted bread
And ye have said: `In what have we polluted Thee?'
In your saying: `The table of Jehovah -- it [is] despicable
'
Ye offer polluted bread
upon mine altar
.... Which some understand of the shewbread
mention being
afterwards made of a "table"
as Jerom; who observes that it was made
of wheat
which the priests themselves sowed
reaped
ground
and baked
and so
could take what they would out of it: as for their sowing it
it does not seem
likely that they should be employed in such service
whatever may be said for
their reaping; since the sheaf of the first fruits was reaped by persons
deputed from the sanhedrimF23Misn. Menachot
c. 10. sect. 3. ;
though of the reaping of that for the shewbread
I find no mention made; but as
for grinding
sifting
kneading
and making it into loaves
and baking it
and
taking it out of the oven
and putting it upon the table of shewbread
all this
was the work of the priestsF24Maimon. Hilchot Tamidin
c. 5. sect.
6. ; and those of the house of GarmuF25Misn. Shekalim
c. 5. sect.
1. were appointed over that work: now
this bread might be said to be polluted
when they set upon the table such as was not made of fine wheat flour
and had
not pure frankincense put upon or by each row
as the law required
Leviticus 24:5 nor
is it any material objection to this sense
that it is an altar
and not a
table
on which this bread was offered; since
as the altar is called a table
Ezekiel 41:22
as
this is in a following clause
the table may be called an altar; though it may
be observed
that the shewbread is never said to be offered
but to be set
or
put upon the table: indeed the burning of the frankincense set by it is called
an offering made by fire unto the Lord
Leviticus 24:7
wherefore others interpret this of the daily meat offering
which went along
with the daily sacrifice of the lambs
and part of which was burnt on the altar
Exodus 29:40 or
rather this designs sacrifice in general
sometimes called "bread"
Leviticus 3:11 and
so the Targum here
"ye
offer upon my altar an abominable offering;'
such
as had blemishes in them
were blind or lame
as after mentioned; and had not
the requisites of a sacrifice in them; or were offered not in a right manner
or by bad men
and with a wicked mind:
and ye say
Wherein have we polluted thee? thy bread
offering or altar; as if their offerings were pure
and they themselves
and
their consciences pure from sin. The answer is
In that ye say
The table of the Lord is contemptible; either the
shewbread table
which yet was covered with gold
and all the vessels of it
made of gold; or the altar
as in Ezekiel 41:22 their
actions spoke so loud
and declared that the table or altar of the Lord was a
contemptible thing
since they cared not what was offered upon it: or the
reason why it was had in contempt
as some think
was because there was not
that holiness in the second temple as in the first: or
as Abarbinel and Kimchi
say
because of the fat and the blood which were offered on the altar
which
they esteemed contemptible things; not observing the end for which the Lord
commanded them to be offered.
Malachi 1:8 8 And
when you offer the blind as a sacrifice
Is it not evil? And when you
offer the lame and sick
Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor!
Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts.
YLT
8And when ye bring nigh the
blind for sacrifice
`There is no evil
' And when ye bring nigh the lame and
sick
`There is no evil;' Bring it near
I pray thee
to thy governor -- Doth
he accept thee? or doth he lift up thy face? Said Jehovah of Hosts.
And if ye offer the blind
for sacrifice
is it not evil?.... Certainly it is
according to the law in Leviticus 22:22 or
as Kimchi interprets it
when they bring to you a lamb that is blind for
sacrifice to offer it up
ye say
this is not evil; but it is good to offer it
up
because the table is contemptible. The sense is
that
however evil this
may be in itself
according to them it was good enough to be offered up upon
the altar; which proves that they despised the name of the Lord
offered
polluted bread or sacrifice on his altar
and had his table in contempt:
and if ye offer the lame and sick
is it not evil? verily it is
by the law of God
which forbids the offering of such things
Leviticus 22:21
this was always observed
in all sacrifices under the law
that they were
perfect
and without any blemish
whether of the flock
or of the herd; and
this was strictly observed
even by the Heathens themselves: so Achilles
in
HomerF1Iliad. I. 1. 66.
speaks of the perfect lambs and goats they
offered in sacrifice; and particularly they were not to be lame
or to halt; such
were reckoned choice and excellent sacrifices
which were larger and better fed
than others; and which were not lame
nor diseased
nor sickly; for things
future could not be known
they say
but from a sound victimF2Alex.
ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 3. c. 12. ; for they pretended to have knowledge of
them
by the entrails of the sacrifices. So PlinyF3Nat. Hist. l. 8.
c. 45. observes
that this is to be remarked
that calves brought to the altar
on men's shoulders are not to be sacrificed; nor are the gods appeased by one
that halts; in short
it is saidF4Scholia in Aristoph. Acharn. Act
3. Scen. 3. p. 409.
whatever is not perfect and sound is not to be offered to
them; and
besides these here mentioned in the text
there were many others
which the Jews especially observed
which rendered creatures unfit for
sacrifice. MaimonidesF5Hilchot Biath Hamikdash
c. 7. sect. 1.
&c. reckons up no less than fifty blemishes
by reason of which the priests
under the law might not offer a creature for sacrifice: no doubt but the laws
of Moses concerning this matter had a respect to the pure
perfect
and
spotless sacrifice of Christ
which the legal ones were typical of; and teach
us this lesson
that
without a complete sacrifice
no atonement or
satisfaction for sin could be made: or
it is not evil in your eyes
as Aben
Ezra glosses it; which is the same as before:
offer it now unto thy governor; to Zerubbabel
who was
governor of Judea at this time
Haggai 1:1 for they
had no king. The meaning is
offer a lamb or any other creature that is blind
sick
and lame; make a present of it to him that had the government of them;
make trial this way
and see how acceptable it would be to him:
will he be pleased with thee
or accept thy person? saith the Lord
of hosts; will he thank thee for it
or have any respect to thee on
account of it? but
on the contrary
will he not resent it as an affront to
him? and if so it would be with an earthly prince
how can it be thought that
to offer the blind
lame
and sick
should be acceptable to the King of kings
and Lord of lords?
Malachi 1:9 9 “But
now entreat God’s favor
That He may be gracious to us. While this is
being done by your hands
Will He accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts.
YLT
9And now
appease
I pray
thee
the face of God
And He doth favour us; From your own hand hath this
been
Doth He accept of you appearances? Said Jehovah of Hosts.
And now
I pray you
beseech
God that he will be gracious unto us
.... These are the words
of the prophet to the priests; and are spoken either seriously
exhorting them
to that part of their office which lay in interceding for the people that God
would be gracious to them
and forgive their sins; and the rather
inasmuch as
they had been the means of their sin
and accessary to it
who ought to have
reproved them for bringing such offerings
and should have refused to offer
them for them; or otherwise
if they did not do this
they could not expect
that God would accept their persons
and their offerings: or else ironically
now you have offered such sacrifices to the Lord
as the blind
the lame
and
sick
go and intercede for the people; pray that their sins may be forgiven them
and that the curse may be removed from them
and see how you will succeed:
this hath been by your means; that such sacrifices
were offered up; they indulged the people in such practices
and encouraged
them; the fault was theirs; or this curse
as Kimchi explains it
from Malachi 1:14
will he regard your persons? saith the Lord of hosts; can you ever
imagine that God will have any respect to your persons or prayers
when you
have acted so vile a part
and been the cause of so much sin and evil? no
he
will not
as is asserted in the following verse Malachi 1:10.
Malachi 1:10 10 “Who
is there even among you who would shut the doors
So that you would not
kindle fire on My altar in vain? I have no pleasure in you
” Says the Lord of hosts
“Nor will I accept an offering from your hands.
YLT
10Who [is] even among you
And he shutteth the two-leaved doors? Yea
ye do not kindle Mine altar for
nought
I have no pleasure in you
said Jehovah of Hosts
And a present I do
not accept of your hand.
Who is there even
among you that would shut the doors for nought?.... Either of
the temple
as the Targum and Jarchi; for at each of the gates of the temple
there were porters appointed in David's time
1 Chronicles 26:1
and who were paid for their service: or of the court
as Kimchi; the court of
the priests where the offerings were brought. The words "for nought"
are not
in the original text
at the end of this clause
but at the end of the
next; and are by some referred to both; and by others restrained to the latter;
and who give this as the sense of the words
"who is there"
or
"would there were any among you?"F6מי
גם בכם "utinam vestrum
aliquis"
Gataker
Drusius. any good man that would shut the doors of the
temple
that so a man might not bring an abominable offering; intimating
that
the priests or Levites however
who were porters
ought to shut the doors
against such persons; and this way go Jarchi
Kimchi
and Abarbinel; to which
the Chaldee paraphrase inclines; which is
"who
is there among you that will shut the door of the house of my sanctuary
that
ye may not offer on mine altar an abominable sacrifice?'
but
the same writers
out of an ancient book called Torath Cohanim
observe a sense
that agrees with ours
"a
man says to his friend
shut this door for me
he desires nothing for it; light
me this candle
he asks no reward for it; but as for you
who is there among
you that will shut my doors for nought? or kindle a fire on mine altar for
nought? and how much less will ye do freely those things which used to be done
for reward? therefore I have no pleasure in you.'
There
were four and twenty porters to open and shut the doors of the mountain of the
house
or the temple
and the court of women in the daytime; six on the east
side; four on the north; four on the south; at Asuppim two and two
four in
all; four on the west
and two at ParbarF7Kimchi in 1 Chron. xxvi.
1. : here they attended in the daytime
to keep the place pure and peaceable;
and there seems to have been one over all the rest
whose business was to see
that the doors at evening were shut by them: in the MisnahF8Shekalim
c. 5. sect. 1. we are told that Ben Geber was appointed over the shutting of
the gates
i.e. of the temple; and at night there were four and twenty guards
also that kept watch; the priests kept guard in three places; in the room
"abtines"
in the room "nitsots"
and in the fire room; and
one and twenty Levites; five at the five gates of the mountain of the house
or
the compass of the temple; four at the four corners within; five at the five
gates of the court; and four at its four corners without; one at the chamber
"Corban"; one at the chamber over against the vail; and another
behind the most holy place; and there was one that was called the man of the
mountain of the house
who every night went through every ward with torches
burning before him; and he had power to beat those he found asleep in their
watch
and to burn their garmentsF9Misn. Middot
c. 1. sect. 1
2.
to which the allusion is
Revelation 16:15
and these guards
as BartenoraF11In Misn. ib. observes
were not on
account of thieves and robbers
but for the honour of the house; and these
neither the one by day
nor the other by night
did their work for nought
but
had a maintenance allowed them for it:
neither do ye kindle fire upon mine altar for nought: and this was
done every morning
for though
as one of the Jewish writers saysF12Baal
Hatturim in Lev. vi. 13.
fire came down
from heaven
it was ordered that
they should bring of common fire; and there were three piles or rows of fire
made every day upon the altar; the first was a large one
on which they offered
the daily sacrifice
with the rest of the offerings; the second was on the side
of it
a little one
from whence they took fire in the censer to burn incense
every day; the third had no other use for it but to confirm the command
concerning fire; as it is said
"the fire shall ever be burning"
Leviticus 6:13 F13Maimon.
Hilchot Tamidin
c. 2. sect. 4. and this fire was kindled to burn the
sacrifices
the daily sacrifice
and other burnt offerings
for which they were
paid out of the tithes
and other oblations; see 1 Corinthians 9:13
this was an aggravation of their negligence and carelessness about what
offerings were brought and sacrificed; seeing they were so well taken care of
and such a sufficient maintenance provided for them; so that they did not the
least piece of service in the temple but they were fully rewarded for it; even
not so much as to shut a door
or kindle a fire; and therefore it is no wonder
their conduct should be resented
as follows:
I have no pleasure in you
saith the Lord of hosts; neither in
your persons
nor in your offerings:
neither will I accept an offering at your hand: the
"minchah" or meat offering
any meat offering
particularly that
which was offered morning and evening with the daily sacrifice
Exodus 29:40 and it
is sometimes used particularly for the evening meat offering
2 Kings 16:15 or
rather
"a wheat" or "bread offering"; since this offering
was made of fine flour
with oil poured upon it
and frankincense put upon
that
Leviticus 2:1 hence
mention is made of "incense" in the next verse Malachi 1:11; and
it was either baked in an oven
or fried in a pan; and either way
when it was
brought to the priest
it was burnt on the altar
and was an offering by fire
to the Lord
and of a sweet savour to him
when rightly performed; and was a
figure of the sacrifice of Christ
which is of a sweet smelling savour to God;
and this passage respects Gospel times
as appears from the following verse Malachi 1:11
when
Christ's sacrifice would be offered up
and so the oblation or meat offering
made to cease
Daniel 9:27 hence
God would not accept of it any more; or else because not rightly offered
as it
was not when any leaven was mixed with it
or that and honey were burnt with
it; signifying it should be offered with sincerity
and without hypocrisy
and
other carnal lusts; and indeed no legal sacrifices were acceptable to God but
such as were offered up in the faith of Christ
and with a view to his
sacrifice
without trusting to
and depending upon
the outward offering
as
hypocrites and carnal persons did: wherefore to this is opposed a pure
"minchah" or meat offering in the next verse Malachi 1:11; which
designs spiritual sacrifices
such as are now offered up under the Gospel
dispensation; when offering and sacrifice of a ceremonial kind God desires not;
he will have no more offered up; he takes no pleasure in them; they are not
acceptable to him
being superseded by the sacrifice of his Son
they were
types of; see Psalm 40:6 and
agreeably to which passages the words may be understood
as expressing the
Lord's rejection of legal sacrifices in general among the Jews
which he would
have no longer continued than till the Messiah came; by whose sufferings and
death the daily sacrifice was caused to cease
Daniel 9:27 when
sacrifices of another kind should be offered up in the Gentile world
through
every part of it
as in the following verse Malachi 1:11.
Malachi 1:11 11 For
from the rising of the sun
even to its going down
My name shall be
great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My
name
And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations
” Says
the Lord of hosts.
YLT
11For
from the rising of the
sun to its going in
Great [is] My name among nations
And in every place
perfume is brought nigh to My name
and a pure present
For great [is] My name
among nations
Said Jehovah of Hosts.
For from the rising of the
sun even unto the going down of the same
.... From east to west
which is all habitable; not so north and south
as Kimchi observes
the
extremes of which are not habitable. Abarbinel thinks that מ
in ממזרח is causal; and that the sense is
because of
the motion of the sun in rising and setting
the Gentiles acknowledge God to be
the first mover and cause of all things; and who
though they worship the host
of heaven
yet ultimately direct their worship to the supreme Being
the Cause
of causes; and supposes this to be a reproof of the priests
who might have
learnt better even of the very Heathens; but the former is to the true sense
which declares the large extent of true spiritual worship in the Gentile world:
my name shall be great among the Gentiles; through the
preaching of the Gospel
attended with the spirit and power of God to the
conversion of many; whereby he himself is made known
and the perfections of
his nature
and his several names
and particularly that of the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus; who
as such
is called upon
and greatness and glory are
ascribed unto him for the gift of his Son
and the mission of him into the
world
to be the Saviour of Gentiles as well as of Jews:
and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name; some Jewish
writers understand this of Israelites
the disciples of the wise men
studying
in the law
and putting up their evening prayers to God
in every place where
they live among the Gentiles; which are as acceptable to God as if they offered
incense
and a pure offering; this way goes Jarchi
to which agrees the Targum;
and this sense is given in the TalmudF14T. Bab. Menachot
fol. 110.
1. Tanchuma apud Abarbinel in loc.
and other writings of theirs; but Aben
Ezra
Kimchi
and Abarbinel
interpret it of the Gentiles
though in different
ways
and foreign from the sense of the text; which is
that not in Jerusalem
the worship of God should be as formerly
but in all places in the Gentile
world
and where particularly prayer should be made to God; see John 4:20
comparable to incense for its fervency
fragrancy
and gratefulness
Psalm 141:2
and a pure offering; meaning either the
Gentiles themselves
their souls and bodies
Isaiah 66:20 or
their sacrifices of praise
good works
and alms deeds Hebrews 13:15
which
though imperfect
and not free from sin
may be said to be
"pure"
proceeding from a pure heart
sprinkled by the blood of
Christ
and offered in a pure and spiritual manner
and through the pure
incense of Christ's mediation:
for my name shall be great among; the heathen
saith the
Lord of hosts; which is repeated for the certainty of it.
Malachi 1:12 12 “But
you profane it
In that you say
‘The table of the Lord[b] is
defiled; And its fruit
its food
is
contemptible.’
YLT
12And ye are polluting it in
your saying
`The table of Jehovah -- it is polluted
As to its fruit --
despicable is its food.'
But ye have profaned it
.... That is
the name of the Lord
which they are said to despise
Malachi 1:6 and
pollute
Malachi 1:7 and is
a reason why they and their offerings were rejected: and that they profaned the
name of the Lord appears by this
in that ye say
The table of the Lord is polluted: the same with
"contemptible"
Malachi 1:7 as
Kimchi observes; See Gill on Malachi 1:7
and the fruit thereof
even his meat is contemptible; the word for
fruitF15ניבו "et verbum ejus"
Pagninus
Munster; "sermo ejus
vel eorum"
Vatablus; so Ben
Melech. sometimes is used for speech
the fruit of the lips
Isaiah 57:19 and
taken in this sense here
as it is by some
may be understood either of the
word of God
which commanded such and such sacrifices to be offered up upon the
altar
and was despised
so Abarbinel: or the word of the priests
who were
continually saying that what was offered up on the altar was contemptible
even
the food which they ate of; so Jarchi and Kimchi. "Fruit" and
"meat" seem to signify one and the same thing
and design the fruit
and meat of the altar; either that which belonged to the Lord
the fat and the
blood
which were offered to him
and were reckoned contemptible; or that which
fell to the share of the priests
which they thought mean and worthless.
Cocceius interprets this of Christ the Branch of the Lord
and fruit of the
earth
Isaiah 4:2 whose
meat it was to do the will of him that sent him
and was despised and rejected
by the Jews; and which was the reason of God's casting them off
and taking in
the Gentiles.
Malachi 1:13 13 You
also say
‘Oh
what a weariness!’ And you sneer at it
” Says the Lord of hosts. “And you bring the stolen
the lame
and the sick; Thus
you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?” Says the Lord.
YLT
13And ye have said
`Lo
what
a weariness
' And ye have puffed at it
said Jehovah of Hosts
And ye have
brought in plunder
And the lame and the sick
And ye have brought in the
present! Do I accept it from your hand? said Jehovah.
Ye said also
Behold
what
a weariness is it?.... These are either the words of the priests
saying what a
wearisome and fatiguing business the temple service was to them
for which they
thought they were poorly paid; such as slaying the sacrifices; removing the
ashes from the altar; putting the wood in order; kindling the fire
and laying
the sacrifice on it: or of the people that brought the sacrifice
who
when
they brought a lamb upon their shoulders
and laid it down
said
how weary are
we with bringing it
suggesting it was so fat and fleshy; so Kimchi and
Abarbinel
to which sense the Targum seems to agree; which paraphrases it
"but
if ye say
lo
what we have brought is from our labour;'
and
so the Syriac version
"and ye say
this is from our labour"; and the
Vulgate Latin version
"and ye say
lo
from labour"; and the
Septuagint version
"and ye say
these are from affliction"; meaning
that what they brought was with great toil and labour
out of great poverty
misery
and affliction:
and ye have snuffed at it
saith the Lord of hosts; or
"blown it"F16והפח־תאם אותו "et efflastis illam"
Montanus; "anheli
isto estis"
Tigurine version; "exsufflare possetis"
Junius
& Tremellius
Piscator
"difflatis"
Drusius; "sufflavistis
illud"
Burkius. ; filled it with wind
that it might seem fat and fleshy
when it was poor and lean; so Abarbinel and Abendana: or ye have puffed
and
panted
and blown
as persons weary with bringing such a heavy lamb
when it
was so poor and light
that
if it was blown at
it would fall to the ground;
so R. Joseph Kimchi: or ye have puffed at it
thrown it upon the ground by way
of contempt; so David Kimchi: or
"ye have grieved him"F17"Et
contristastis illum"; so some in Vatablus. ; the owner of the lamb
from
whom they stole it; which sense is mentioned by Kimchi and Ben Melech; taking
the word rendered "torn"
in the next clause
for that which was
"stolen". Jarchi says this is one of the eighteen words corrected by
the scribes; and that instead of אותו
"it"
it should be read אותי
"me": and the whole rendered
"and ye have grieved me"; the
Lord
by bringing such sacrifices
and complaining of weariness
and by their
hypocrisy and deceitfulness. Cocceius renders the words
"ye have made him
to expire"; meaning the Messiah
whom the Jews put to death:
and ye have brought that which was torn
and the lame
and the
sick; See Gill on Malachi 1:8 and if
the first word is rendered "stolen"
as it may
this offering was an
abomination to the Lord
Isaiah 61:8
thus ye brought an offering; such an one as it was:
or a "minchah"
a meat offering
along with these abominable ones:
should I accept this of your hands? saith the Lord; which
when
offered to a civil governor
would not be acceptable
Malachi 1:8 and
when contrary to the express law of God.
Malachi 1:14 14 “But
cursed be the deceiver Who has in his flock a male
And takes a vow
But
sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished— For I am a great King
” Says
the Lord of hosts
“And My name is to be feared among the nations.
YLT
14And cursed [is] a deceiver
who hath in his drove a male
And is vowing
and is sacrificing a marred thing
to the Lord
For a great king [am] I
said Jehovah of Hosts
And My name [is]
revered among nations!
But cursed be the deceiver
.... A
cunning
crafty
subtle man
who thinks and contrives
speaks and acts
in a
very artful and deceiving manner; though some derive the word from יכל
"to be able"; and so the Septuagint and
Arabic versions render it
"who is able"; to bring a proper offering
a perfect lamb
as it follows:
which hath in his flock a male; without spot and
blemish
as the law requires:
and voweth and sacrificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing; that was a
female
or had blemishes in it; for the law required what was perfect and
without a blemish for a vow; what was superfluous or deficient in its parts
might do for a freewill offering
but not for a vow
Leviticus 22:18
wherefore such a man must be accursed
and such conduct must be highly resented
by the Lord; had he it not in his power to do better
it might be excusable;
but then it would be better not to have vowed at all; but to vow a sacrifice to
the Lord
and deal deceitfully with him
when he could have brought an offering
agreeable to his vow
and to the law
this is aggravated wickedness:
for I am a great King
saith the Lord of hosts; the King of
the whole world
the King of kings
and Lord of lords; and therefore to be honoured
and reverenced suitable to his dignity and greatness:
and my name is dreadful among the heathen; because of
his judgments executed among them; or rather because of his Gospel preached
unto them; for this may be considered as a prophecy of what would be when the
Gospel should be spread in the Gentile world; and therefore if they
when he
was made known to them
would fear and reverence him; then the Israelites
to
whom he had given such instances and proofs of his love
ought to have shown a
greater regard unto him.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)