1 Look! I am sending my messenger,*Malachi means “my messenger.” and he will prepare the way for me. The Lord you are seeking†In the light of the previous verses, the idea that God is being sought is surely ironic. will suddenly arrive at his Temple. The messenger of the agreement you say is so happy with you‡“You say is so happy with you”: referring back to 2:17. is coming, says the Lord Almighty. 2 Who can survive the day when he comes? Who can stand before him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing furnace that refines metal, or like the strong alkali that cleanses stains. 3 He will sit down like a refiner who purifies silver; he will purify Levi's descendants and refine them like gold and silver so they can present pure offerings to the Lord. 4 Then the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will please the Lord as they did in the old days, in the former years. 5 I will come and put you on trial. I am ready to be a witness against those who:
8 Should people defraud God? Yet you are defrauding me!†“Defraud”: this is closer to the original meaning than rob. It also continues the theme of the people being descendants of the deceiver Jacob, who defrauded his brother out of his birthright.
13 You have said hard things about me, says the Lord.
16 Then those who truly respected the Lord spoke to each other, and the Lord heard what they said. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence of those who respected the Lord and paid attention to him.*“Paid attention to him”: literally, “pondered his name.” 17 They shall be mine, says the Lord Almighty, my prized possession on the day when I take action. I will treat them kindly, as a father treats an obedient son. 18 Then you will once again be able to distinguish those who do right from those who do wrong, between those who serve him and those who don't.
<- Malachi 2Malachi 4 ->- a Malachi means “my messenger.”
- b In the light of the previous verses, the idea that God is being sought is surely ironic.
- c “You say is so happy with you”: referring back to 2:17.
- d There is debate over the meaning of this second part of the verse. It could be interpreted that it is because of God's unchanging nature that the descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed. However, in context it seems more likely that God is saying “I haven't changed, and you haven't changed either—you are just like your forefather Jacob who was a deceiver too…” The word used can mean either “ended as in destroyed,” or simply “stopped.”
- e The sense seems to be that the people do not see any necessity to return, not recognizing they have done anything wrong.
- f “Defraud”: this is closer to the original meaning than rob. It also continues the theme of the people being descendants of the deceiver Jacob, who defrauded his brother out of his birthright.
- g Literally, “the devourer.”
- h “Long faces”: literally, “as mourners”—however it does not appear that the people were sincerely repentant.
- i “Paid attention to him”: literally, “pondered his name.”