Maleachi 3:8

8 Darf ein Mensch Gott berauben, daß ihr mich beraubet? Und ihr sprechet: Worin haben wir dich beraubt? In dem Zehnten und in dem Hebopfer.

Maleachi 3:8 Meaning and Commentary

Malachi 3:8

Will a man rob God?
&c.] Or "the gods"; the false gods, the idols of the Gentiles; the Heathens will not do that, accounting sacrilege a great sin, and yet this the Jews were guilty of: or "the judges" ^F3, as the Targum; civil magistrates; will any dare to defraud them of their due? see ( Malachi 1:8 ) . Yet ye have robbed me;
keeping back from the priests and Levites, his ministers, what was due to them; and which, being no other than a spoiling or robbing of them, might be interpreted a robbing of God: But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee?
as not being conscious of any such evil; or, however, impudently standing in it, that they were not guilty: to which is returned the answer, In tithes and offerings;
that is, they robbed God in not giving the tithes, and not offering sacrifices, according as the law required: but it may be objected, that the Jews in Christ's time did pay tithes, even of all things; yea, of more than the law required, ( Matthew 23:23 ) ( Luke 18:12 ) to which it may be replied, that though they gave tithes, yet it was (her Nyeb) , "with an evil eye", as Aben Ezra says; grudgingly, and not cheerfully, and with an evil intention; not to show their gratitude to God, and their acknowledgment of him as their Lord, from whom they had their all, but in order to merit at his hands; besides, our Lord suggests that they did not give to God the things that were God's, ( Matthew 22:21 ) and the apostle charges them with being guilty of sacrilege, ( Romans 2:22 ) and, moreover, the priests might not give it to the Levites, as they ought; and which is what they are charged with in ( Nehemiah 13:10 ) and Grotius says that they were guilty of this before the destruction by Vespasian, as appears by Josephus.

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 (Myhla) "deos, vel judices", Calvin, Drusius, Grotius.

Maleachi 3:8 In-Context

6 Denn ich, Jehova, ich verändere mich nicht; und ihr, Kinder Jakobs, ihr werdet nicht vernichtet werden.

7 Seit den Tagen eurer Väter seid ihr von meinen Satzungen abgewichen und habt sie nicht bewahrt. Kehret um zu mir, so will ich zu euch umkehren, spricht Jehova der Heerscharen. Und ihr sprechet: Worin sollen wir umkehren?

8 Darf ein Mensch Gott berauben, daß ihr mich beraubet? Und ihr sprechet: Worin haben wir dich beraubt? In dem Zehnten und in dem Hebopfer.

9 Mit dem Fluche seid ihr verflucht, und doch beraubet ihr mich, ihr, die ganze Nation!

10 Bringet den ganzen Zehnten in das Vorratshaus, auf daß Speise in meinem Hause sei; und prüfet mich doch dadurch, spricht Jehova der Heerscharen, ob ich euch nicht die Fenster des Himmels auftun und euch Segen ausgießen werde bis zum Übermaß.