And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be
gracious
unto us
These are the words of the prophet to the priests; and are spoken
either seriously, exhorting them to that part of their office
which lay in interceding for the people that God would be
gracious to them, and forgive their sins; and the rather,
inasmuch as they had been the means of their sin, and accessary
to it, who ought to have reproved them for bringing such
offerings, and should have refused to offer them for them; or
otherwise, if they did not do this, they could not expect that
God would accept their persons, and their offerings: or else
ironically, now you have offered such sacrifices to the Lord, as
the blind, the lame, and sick, go and intercede for the people;
pray that their sins may be forgiven them, and that the curse may
be removed from them, and see how you will succeed: this
hath been by your means;
that such sacrifices were offered up; they indulged the people in
such practices, and encouraged them; the fault was theirs; or
this curse, as Kimchi explains it, from ( Malachi 1:14
) : will he regard your persons? saith the Lord of
hosts;
can you ever imagine that God will have any respect to your
persons or prayers, when you have acted so vile a part, and been
the cause of so much sin and evil? no, he will not, as is
asserted in the following verse ( Malachi 1:10
) .