Malachi 3:9

9 So you are under my curse. In fact, your whole nation is under it. That is because you are robbing me.

Malachi 3:9 Meaning and Commentary

Malachi 3:9

Ye [are] cursed with a curse
Or "with penury", as the Vulgate Latin version; which, though not a proper rendering of the word, is the meaning of the curse they were cursed with; rain was withheld from them for their sins, and the earth did not bring forth its usual increase; wherefore there was want of food in all their land; their blessings were cursed, as in ( Malachi 2:2 ) for the following reason,

for ye have robbed me;
because of this their iniquity, in not bringing their offerings to the Lord, and the tithes to the priests and Levites, their land was stricken with barrenness, and God gave them cleanness of teeth, and want of bread in all places: or, "but ye have robbed me" ^F4; notwithstanding they were thus chastised of the Lord, yet were not reformed, but went on in withholding from God and the priests, what belonged to them:

[even] this whole nation;
the sin was become general, and therefore a general judgment was inflicted on them: Grotius thinks, that the people seeing the priests withhold the tithes from the Levites, they refused to pay them to them, and so the sin became universal. Kimchi observes, that in other sins charged upon the nation, the people were not all alike guilty, but in this which respected the tithes and offerings they were.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 (Myebq Mta ytaw) "et tamen diripitis me", De Dieu.

Malachi 3:9 In-Context

7 You have turned away from my rules. You have not obeyed them. You have lived that way ever since the days of your people long ago. Return to me. Then I will return to you," says the LORD who rules over all. "But you ask, 'How can we return?'

8 "Will a man dare to steal from me? But you rob me! "You ask, 'How do we rob you?' "By holding back your offerings. You also steal from me when you do not bring me a tenth of everything you produce.

9 So you are under my curse. In fact, your whole nation is under it. That is because you are robbing me.

10 "Bring the entire tenth to the storerooms in my temple. Then there will be plenty of food. Put me to the test," says the Lord. "Then you will see that I will throw open the windows of heaven. I will pour out so many blessings that you will not have enough room for them.

11 I will keep bugs from eating up your crops. And your grapes will not drop from the vines before they are ripe," says the Lord.