Notes on Malachi
From the Original 1599 Geneva Bible Notes
Mal 1:1
1:1 The {a} burden of the word of the
LORD to Israel by Malachi.
The Argument - This Prophet was one of
the three who God raised up for the comfort of the Church after the captivity,
and after him there was no one else until John the Baptist was sent, which was
either a token of God's wrath, or an admonition that they should with more
fervent desires look for the coming of the Messiah. He confirms the same
doctrine, that the two former do: chiefly he reproves the priests for their
covetousness, and because they served God after their own fantasies, and not
according to the direction of his word. He also notes certain distinct sins,
which were then among them, such as the marrying of idolatrous and many wives,
murmurings against God, impatience, and things such as these. Nonetheless, for
the comfort of the godly he declares that God would not forget his promise
made to their fathers, but would send Christ his messenger, in whom the
covenant would be accomplished, whose coming would be terrible to the wicked,
and bring all consolation and joy to the godly.
(a) See Geneva "Isa 13:1"
Mal 1:2
1:2 I have loved you, saith the LORD.
Yet ye say, {b} Wherein hast thou loved us? [Was] not Esau Jacob's brother?
saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
(b) Which declares their great
ingratitude that did not acknowledge this love, which was so evident, in
that he chose Abraham from out of all the world, and next chose Jacob the
younger brother from whom they came, and left Esau the elder.
Mal 1:3
1:3 And I {c} hated Esau, {1} and laid
his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the
wilderness.
(c) For besides this the signs of my
hatred appeared even when he was made servant to his younger brother, being
yet in his mother's belly, and also afterward in that he was put from his
birthright. Yet even now before your eyes the signs of this are evident, in
that his country lies waste, and he will never return to inhabit it.
(d)
Whereas you my people, whom the enemy hated more than them, are by my grace
and love towards you delivered; read Ro 9:13 .
Mal 1:6
1:6 A son honoureth [his] father, and a
servant his master: if then I [be] a father, where [is] mine honour? and if I
[be] a master, where [is] my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, {d} O
priests, that despise my name. And ye say, {e} Wherein have we despised thy
name?
(d) Besides the rest of the people
he mainly condemns the priests, because they should have reproved others for
their hypocrisy, and for not yielding to God, and should not have hardened
them by their example to do greater evils.
(e) He notes their great
hypocrisy, who would not see their faults, but most impudently covered them,
and so were blind guides.
Mal 1:7
1:7 Ye offer {f} polluted bread upon
mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The
table of the LORD [is] (g) contemptible.
(f) You receive all types of
offerings for your own greediness, and do not examine whether they are
according to my Law or not.
(g) Not that they said this, but by their
doings they declared it.
Mal 1:8
1:8 And if ye offer the blind for
sacrifice, [is it] {h} not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, [is it]
not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or
accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.
(h) You make it no fault: and by
this he condemns them that think it sufficient to serve God partly as he has
commanded, and partly after man's fantasy, and so do not come to the
pureness of religion, which he requires. And therefore in reproach he shows
them that a mortal man would not be content to be served in such a
way.
Mal 1:9
1:9 And now, I pray you, {i} beseech
God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he
regard {k} your persons? saith the LORD of hosts.
(i) He derides the priests who
deceived the people in saying that they prayed for them, and shows that they
were the occasion that these evils came upon the people.
(k) Will God
consider your office and state, seeing you are so covetous and
wicked?
Mal 1:10
1:10 Who [is there] even among you {l}
that would shut the doors [for nought]? neither do ye kindle [fire] on mine
altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither
will I accept an offering at your hand.
(l) Because the Levites who kept the
doors did not test whether the sacrifices that came in were according to the
Law, God wishes that they would rather shut the doors, than to receive such
as were not perfect.
Mal 1:11
1:11 For from the rising of the sun
even unto the going down of the same my name [shall be] {m} great among the
Gentiles; and in every place incense [shall be] offered unto my name, and a
pure offering: for my name [shall be] great among the heathen, saith the LORD
of hosts.
(m) God shows that their ingratitude
and neglect of his true service will be the cause of the calling of the
Gentiles: and here the Prophet that was under the Law, used words that the
people would understand, and by the altar and sacrifice he means the
spiritual service of God, which should be under the Gospel, when an end
would be made to all these legal ceremonies by Christ's sacrifice
alone.
Mal 1:12
1:12 But ye have profaned it, in that
ye say, {n} The table of the LORD [is] polluted; and the fruit thereof, [even]
his meat, [is] contemptible.
(n) Both the priests and the people
were infected with this error, that they did not regard what was offered:
for they thought that God was as well content with the lean, as with the
fat. But in the meantime they did not show the obedience to God which he
required, and so committed impiety, and also showed their contempt of God,
and covetousness.
Mal 1:13
1:13 Ye said also, Behold, what a {o}
weariness [is it]! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye
brought [that which was] torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an
offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the
LORD.
(o) The priests and people were both
weary with serving God, and did not regard what manner of sacrifice and
service they gave to God: for that which was least profitable, was thought
good enough for the Lord.
Mal 1:14
1:14 But cursed [be] the deceiver,
which hath in his flock {p} a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord
a corrupt thing: for I [am] a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name
[is] dreadful among the heathen.
(p) That is, has ability to serve
the Lord according to his word, and yet will serve him according to his
covetous mind.
Mal 2:1
2:1 And now, O ye {a} priests, this
commandment [is] for you.
(a) He speaks mainly to them, but
under them he includes the people also.
Mal 2:2
2:2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will
not lay [it] to heart, to give glory {b} unto my name, saith the LORD of
hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your {c} blessings:
yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay [it] to
heart.
(b) To serve me according to my
word.
(c) That is, the abundance of God's benefits.
Mal 2:3
2:3 Behold, I will corrupt {d} your
seed, and spread dung upon your faces, [even] the {e} dung of your solemn
feasts; and [one] shall take you away with it.
(d) The seed you sow will come to no
profit.
(e) You boast of your holiness, sacrifices, and feasts, but they
will turn to your shame and be as vile as dung.
Mal 2:4
2:4 And ye shall know that I have {f}
sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the
LORD of hosts.
(f) The Priests objected against the
Prophet that he could not remove them without speaking against the
priesthood, and the office established by God by promise. But he shows that
the office is nothing slandered, when these villains and dung are called by
their own names.
Mal 2:5
2:5 My {g} covenant was with him of
life and peace; and I {h} gave them to him [for] the fear wherewith he feared
me, and was afraid before {i} my name.
(g) He shows what were the two
conditions of the covenant made with the tribe of Levi on God's part, that
he would give them long life and felicity, and on their part, that they
should faithfully serve him according to his word.
(h) I commanded Levi a
certain law to serve me.
(i) He served me and set forth my glory with all
humility and submission.
Mal 2:6
2:6 The law of {k} truth was in his
mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and
equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.
(k) He shows that the priests ought
to have knowledge to instruct others in the word of the Lord.
Mal 2:7
2:7 For the priest's {l} lips should
keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he [is] the {m}
messenger of the LORD of hosts.
(l) He is as the treasure house of
God's word, and ought to give to everyone according to their need, and not
to reserve it for himself.
(m) Showing that whoever does not declare
God's will, is not his messenger, and priest.
Mal 2:10
2:10 Have we not all one {n} father?
hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against
his brother, by profaning the covenant of {o} our
fathers?
(n) The Prophet accuses the
ingratitude of the Jews toward God and man: for seeing they were all born of
one father Abraham, as God had elected them to be his holy people, they
ought neither to offend God nor their brethren.
(o) By which they had
bound themselves to God to be a holy people.
Mal 2:11
2:11 Judah hath dealt treacherously,
and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath
profaned the holiness of the LORD which he loved, and hath married the {p}
daughter of a strange god.
(p) They have united themselves in
marriage with those that are of another religion.
Mal 2:12
2:12 The LORD will cut off the man that
doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and
him that {q} offereth an offering unto the LORD of
hosts.
Mal 2:13
2:13 And this have ye done again, {r}
covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out,
insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth [it] with
good will at your hand.
(r) Yet cause the people to lament,
because God does not regard their sacrifices, so that they seem to sacrifice
in vain.
Mal 2:14
2:14 Yet ye say, {s} Wherefore? Because
the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against
whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet [is] she thy {t} companion, and the
wife of thy {u} covenant.
(s) This is another fault, of which
he accuses them, that is, that they broke the laws of marriage.
(t) As
the one half of yourself.
(u) She that was united to you by a solemn
covenant, and by the invocation of God's name.
Mal 2:15
2:15 And did not {x} he make one? Yet
had he the {y} residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a
godly {z} seed. Therefore take heed to your {a} spirit, and let none deal
treacherously against the wife of his youth.
(x) Did not God make man and woman
as one flesh and not many?
(y) By his power and strength he could have
made many women for one man.
(z) Those who should be born in lawful and
moderate marriage, in which is no excess of lusts.
(a) Contain yourselves
within your bounds, and be sober in mind, and bridle your affections.
Mal 2:16
2:16 For the LORD, the God of Israel,
saith that he {b} hateth putting away: for [one] covereth {c} violence with
his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that
ye deal not treacherously.
(b) Not that he allows divorce, but
of two faults he shows which is the less.
(c) He thinks it sufficient to
keep his wife still, even though he takes others, and so as it were covers
his fault.
Mal 2:17
2:17 Ye have {d} wearied the LORD with
your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied [him]? When ye say, Every one
that doeth {e} evil [is] good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in
them; or, Where [is] the God of {f} judgment?
(d) You murmur against God, because
he did not hear you as soon as you called.
(e) In thinking that God
favoured the wicked, and had no respect for those that serve him.
(f)
Thus they blasphemed God in condemning his power and justice, because he did
not judge according to their imaginings.
Mal 3:1
3:1 Behold, I will send my {a}
messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the {b} Lord, whom ye
seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the {c} messenger of the
covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of
hosts.
(a) This is meant of John the
Baptist, as Christ interprets it; Lu 7:27 .
(b) Meaning, the Messiah, as
in Ps 40:17 Da 9:17,25 .
(c) That is, Christ, by whom the covenant was
made and ratified, who is called the angel or messenger of the covenant,
because he reconciles us to his Father, and is Lord or King, because he has
the rule of his Church.
Mal 3:2
3:2 But who {d} may abide the day of
his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he [is] like a
refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:
(d) He shows that the hypocrites who
wish so much for the Lord's coming will not remain when he draws near: for
he will consume them, and purge his own and make them clean.
Mal 3:3
3:3 And he shall sit [as] a refiner and
purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of {e} Levi, and purge them
as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in
righteousness.
(e) He begins at the priests, that
they might be lights, and shine unto others.
Mal 3:6
3:6 For I [am] the LORD, I change not;
therefore ye sons of Jacob {f} are not consumed.
(f) They murmured against God,
because they did not see his help which was ever present to defend them: and
therefore he accuses them of ingratitude, and shows that in that they are
not daily consumed, it is a sign that he still defends them, and so his
mercy towards them never changes.
Mal 3:7
3:7 Even from the days of your fathers
ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept [them]. {g} Return
unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said,
Wherein shall we return?
Mal 3:8
3:8 Will a {h} man rob God? Yet ye have
robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In {i} tithes and
offerings.
(h) There are none of the heathen so
barbarous, that will defraud their gods of their honour, or deal deceitfully
with them.
(i) By which the service of God should have been maintained,
and the priests and the poor relieved.
Mal 3:10
3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the
storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith,
saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and
pour you out a blessing, {k} that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to
receive it].
(k) Not having respect how much you
need, but I will give you in all abundance, so that you will lack place to
put my blessings in.
Mal 3:11
3:11 And I will rebuke the {l} devourer
for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither
shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of
hosts.
(l) Meaning the caterpillar, and
whatever destroys corn and fruits.
Mal 3:13
3:13 Your words have been stout {m}
against me, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, What have we spoken [so much] against
thee?
(m) The Prophet condemns them of
double blasphemy against God: first, in that they said that God had no
respect for those that served him, and next, that the wicked were more in
his favour than the godly.
Mal 3:15
3:15 And now we call the proud happy;
yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, [they that] tempt God are even
{n} delivered.
(n) They are not only preferred to
honour, but also delivered from dangers.
Mal 3:16
3:16 {o} Then they that feared the LORD
spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard [it], and a {p}
book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and
that thought upon his name.
(o) After these admonitions of the
Prophet, some were strongly touched, and encouraged others to fear
God.
(p) Both because the thing was strange that some turned to God in
that great and universal corruption, and also that this might be an example
of God's mercies to all repentant sinners.
Mal 3:17
3:17 And they shall be mine, saith the
LORD of hosts, in that day {q} when I make up my jewels; and I will {r} spare
them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
(q) When I will restore my Church
according to my promise, they will be as my own proper goods.
(r) That
is, forgive their sins, and govern them with my Spirit.
Mal 4:1
4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that
shall {a} burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly,
shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD
of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor
branch.
(a) He prophesies of God's judgments
against the wicked, who would not receive Christ, when God would send him
for the restoration of his Church.
Mal 4:2
4:2 But unto you that fear my name
shall the {b} Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye
shall go {c} forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
(b) Meaning, Christ, who with his
wings or beams of his grace would enlighten and comfort his Church; Eph 5:14
. And he is called the "Sun of righteousness", because in himself he has all
perfection, and also the justice of the Father dwells in him: by which he
regenerates us to righteousness, cleanses us from the filth of this world,
and reforms us to the image of God.
(c) You will be set at liberty, and
increase in the joy of the Spirit; 2Co 3:17 .
Mal 4:4
4:4 {d} Remember ye the law of Moses my
servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, [with] the
statutes and judgments.
(d) Because the time had come that
the Jews would be destitute of Prophets until the time of Christ, because
they should with more fervent minds desire his coming, the Prophet exhorts
them to exercise themselves diligently in studying the Law of Moses in the
meantime, by which they might continue in the true religion, and also be
armed against all temptations.
Mal 4:5
4:5 Behold, I will send you {e} Elijah
the prophet before the coming of the great and {f} dreadful day of the
LORD:
(e) This Christ interprets of John
the Baptist, who both for his zeal, and restoring or religion, is aptly
compared to Elijah; Mt 11:13,14 .
(f) Which as it is true for the wicked,
so does it waken the godly, and call them to repentance.
Mal 4:6
4:6 And he shall {g} turn the heart of
the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers,
lest I come and {h} smite the earth with a curse.
(g) He shows in what John's office
would consist: in the turning of men to God, and uniting the father and
children in one voice of faith: so that the father will turn to the religion
of his son who is converted to Christ, and the son will embrace the faith of
the true fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
(h) The second point of his
office was to give notice of God's judgment against those that would not
receive Christ.
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