The Commandment to the Priests
The priests, people who should know God’s will par excellence and who should teach the people, are addressed directly [Verse 1]. A commandment comes to them. What the commandment means is written in [Verse 2-3].
The priests are not left in the uncertainty of the consequences if they persist in their unfaithfulness [Verse 2]. They must not only listen, but also take it to heart. Then they will have a contrite heart, confess their sins and really give honor to God’s Name. If they do not do so, He, “the LORD of hosts”, sends the curse among them (cf. [Deut 28:20]).
He will take all their blessings away from them and turn them into a curse. The land will no longer yield food, but weeds. The peaceful society will become a torment by mutual irritation and intolerance. Family life will be disrupted. Instead of love there will be hatred and suspicion. It is not only a prediction, but God has already brought it among them because they are not focused on Him with their hearts. And it will all get much worse if they don’t listen to His call.
The word “offspring” [Verse 3] is literally “seed” and refers both to children and to the sown, which must grow on the land as a blessing and of which again tenths can be given. God will rebuke that. They will not experience any joy in what comes after them, not in children and not in harvest.
He will make them feel His displeasure in the clearest way possible. God expresses His contempt for them here in powerful language. He will treat them as they treat Him. He will spread refuse on their faces, the refuse of their feasts. The sacrifices they bring at those feasts are an abomination to Him. He sees these sacrifices in their entirety as refuse. Those sacrifices are not a soothing aroma for Him, but they stink, they cause disgust in Him.
They may think they are celebrating the feasts of the LORD, but He speaks here of “your feasts”. Under the cover of a feast for the LORD they have made their own feasts. Thus later the Passover of the LORD degenerates into a Passover called “the feast of the Jews” [John 6:4].
God will smear them with the refuse of their feasts. Except that it makes them stink, they will also look repulsive. This extremely deep defamation they have inflicted on themselves will stick to them when they will be taken away to a dung heap, so that there will be nothing left of them in the temple (cf. [1Kgs 14:10]). This is how God cleans His house of the refuse.
The priests are not left in the uncertainty of the consequences if they persist in their unfaithfulness [Verse 2]. They must not only listen, but also take it to heart. Then they will have a contrite heart, confess their sins and really give honor to God’s Name. If they do not do so, He, “the LORD of hosts”, sends the curse among them (cf. [Deut 28:20]).
He will take all their blessings away from them and turn them into a curse. The land will no longer yield food, but weeds. The peaceful society will become a torment by mutual irritation and intolerance. Family life will be disrupted. Instead of love there will be hatred and suspicion. It is not only a prediction, but God has already brought it among them because they are not focused on Him with their hearts. And it will all get much worse if they don’t listen to His call.
The word “offspring” [Verse 3] is literally “seed” and refers both to children and to the sown, which must grow on the land as a blessing and of which again tenths can be given. God will rebuke that. They will not experience any joy in what comes after them, not in children and not in harvest.
He will make them feel His displeasure in the clearest way possible. God expresses His contempt for them here in powerful language. He will treat them as they treat Him. He will spread refuse on their faces, the refuse of their feasts. The sacrifices they bring at those feasts are an abomination to Him. He sees these sacrifices in their entirety as refuse. Those sacrifices are not a soothing aroma for Him, but they stink, they cause disgust in Him.
They may think they are celebrating the feasts of the LORD, but He speaks here of “your feasts”. Under the cover of a feast for the LORD they have made their own feasts. Thus later the Passover of the LORD degenerates into a Passover called “the feast of the Jews” [John 6:4].
God will smear them with the refuse of their feasts. Except that it makes them stink, they will also look repulsive. This extremely deep defamation they have inflicted on themselves will stick to them when they will be taken away to a dung heap, so that there will be nothing left of them in the temple (cf. [1Kgs 14:10]). This is how God cleans His house of the refuse.
Verses that belong to this explanation: 1-3
1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment [is] for you. 2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay [it] to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay [it] to heart. 3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, [even] the dung of your solemn feasts; and [one] shall take you away with it.
 | Author: Ger de Koning Rank: Author Posted on: 2024-10-22 Source: Title: Maleachi Author: Ger de Koning Copyright: kingcomments.com Note General: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author or the publisher. |
Condemnation of the Priests
The priests are solemnly warned of a terrible judgment if they do not repent and change their ways. They are reminded that the priests in earlier times were faithful to God's covenant with Levi; but now the priests had become completely corrupt, so God has made them contemptible and low before all the people.
Verses that belong to this explanation: 1-9
1 And now, O ye priests, this commandment [is] for you. 2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay [it] to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay [it] to heart. 3 Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, [even] the dung of your solemn feasts; and [one] shall take you away with it. 4 And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. 5 My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him [for] the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name. 6 The law of 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. 7 For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he [is] the messenger of the LORD of hosts. 8 But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts. 9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.
 | Author: William MacDonald Rank: Author Posted on: 2024-09-06 Source: Title: Commentary on the Old Testament Title (Original): BBC – Believer’s Bible Commentary – Old Testament Year (original): 1989 Author: William MacDonald Number of pages: 1184 Publisher/Editor: CLV Print: GGP Media GmbH, Pößneck Translation: Christiane Eichler, Hermann Grabe, Sven und Esther Passig, Melanie Reimer, Alois Wagner Cover design: OTTENDESIGN.de, Gummersbach |
Priests. Such, hoarding up riches, dishonour God and his sacraments, as if they were temporal things to be purchased, and so they scandalize the weak. It would be well for them if they were reduced to poverty, [Verse 2] and would repent, as they will otherwise be deprived of eternal goods, having received their wages in this world, like hirelings, [John 10] (Worthington)
 | Author: George Leo Haydock Rank: Author AD: 1849 Source: Title: Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary Year (original): 1859 Number of pages: 571 Print: Edward Dunigan and Brother, New York, New York |
The priests would probably justify their faults, mentioned in the last chapter, by saying that offering the defiled and blemished sacrifices on the altar, is not their fault, but is that of the individual who does not offer the best of what he has to the Lord. The commandment addressed in this chapter to the priests does not concern the offerings and the sacrifices, as much as it concerns the priests’ hearts, intentions, life, and behavior. If the task of the priest, is to intercede on behalf of the people, by offering sacrifices, being a symbol of that of the Lord Christ. It is fitting for the priest himself to be holy. If the priest is not pure, how can his heart cry out for the sake of the purity and the sanctity of the hearts of others?
 | Author: Tadros Yacoub Malaty Rank: Monk Posted on: 2022-10-27 |
In this place, we must consider, dearly beloved brother, for the sake of the faith and religion of the sacerdotal office which we exercise, whether the account of a bishop of God who asserts and approves and considers acceptable the baptism of blasphemers can be satisfactory when the Lord threatens and says, “ ‘And now, O priests, this commandment is for you. If you do not hear and if you do not lay it to heart to give glory to my name,’ says the Lord God omnipotent, ‘I will send a curse upon you, and of your blessing I will make a curse.’ ” Does he who is in communion with the baptism of Marcion give glory to God? Does he who thinks that the remission of sins is granted among those who blaspheme against God give glory to God? Does he who asserts that sons of God are born of an adulterous and fornicating woman give glory to God? Does he who, not holding the unity and truth coming from the divine law, defends heresies against the church give glory to God? Does he who, as a friend of heretics and an enemy of Christians, thinks that bishops of God protecting the truth of Christ and the unity of the Christ ought to be excommunicated give glory to God? If glory is thus given to God, if the fear and discipline of God are thus preserved by his worshipers and bishops, let us cast aside our arms. Let us surrender into captivity. Let us hand over to the devil the ordination of the gospel, the decree of Christ, the majesty of God. Let the sacraments of the divine welfare be cast aside. Let the standards of the heavenly camp be given up. Let the church succumb and yield to heretics, light to darkness, faith to perfidy, hope to despair, reason to error, immortality to death, love to hatred, truth to lying, Christ to antichrist.
 | Author: Cyprian of Carthage Rank: Bishop AD: 258 |
The listed verse explanations of the individual persons have nothing to do with the explanations of the other persons. This also applies to the Bible translations.
