Malachi 1:1

1 The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel, in the hand of Malachi, the prophet. (The charge, or the heavy burden, of the word of the Lord to Israel, by the prophet Malachi.)

Malachi 1:1 Meaning and Commentary

Malachi 1:1

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) (See Gill on 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" ^F13; he was the instrument the Lord made use of; the person whom he sent, and by whom he delivered the following prophecy.

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 (dyb) "in manu", V. L. Cocceius; "per manum", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator.

Malachi 1:1 In-Context

1 The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel, in the hand of Malachi, the prophet. (The charge, or the heavy burden, of the word of the Lord to Israel, by the prophet Malachi.)

2 I loved you, saith the Lord, and ye said, In what thing lovedest thou us? Whether Esau was not the brother of Jacob, saith the Lord, and I loved Jacob, (I loved you, saith the Lord, and ye said, How hast thou loved us?/How hast thou shown that thou hast loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith the Lord, and I loved Jacob,)

3 but I hated Esau? And I have put Seir, the hills of him, into wilderness, and his heritage into dragons of desert. (but I hated Esau? And I have made Seir, his hill country, into a wilderness, and his inheritance into a wilderness fit only for jackals, or for wild animals.)

4 That if Idumea saith, We be destroyed, but we shall turn again, and build those things that be destroyed; the Lord of hosts saith these things, These men shall build, and I shall destroy; and they shall be called the terms of wickedness, and a people to whom the Lord is wroth, till into without end. (And when Edom saith, We be destroyed, but we shall return, and rebuild those things that be destroyed; the Lord of hosts saith these things, These people can rebuild, but then I shall destroy it again; and they shall be called the land of wickedness, and a people with whom the Lord is angry forevermore.)

5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The Lord be magnified on the term(s) of Israel. (And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The Lord is great even beyond the borders of Israel.)