Malachi 2:5
Read Malachi 2:5 Using Other Translations
What does Malachi 2:5 mean?
My covenant was with him of life and peace
Not with Aaron, nor with Phinehas; nor is it to be understood of
a covenant, promising temporal life and outward prosperity to
either of them; Aaron living a hundred and twenty three years, (
Numbers
33:39 ) and Phinehas, according to some Jewish writers, above
three hundred years, which they gather from ( Judges 20:28
) but of the covenant made with Christ from everlasting, called
"a covenant of life", because it was made with Christ the Word of
life, who was with the Father from all eternity, and in time was
made manifest in the flesh; and was made in behalf of persons
ordained to eternal life, and in which that was promised and
given to them in him; and in which it was agreed that he should
become man, and lay down his life as such, that they might enjoy
it: and it is called a "covenant of peace", because the scheme of
peace and reconciliation was drawn in it, and agreed unto; Christ
was appointed in it to be the Peacemaker; and in consequence of
which he was sent to procure peace, and he has made it by the
blood of his cross: and this covenant may be said to have been
and to be "with him"; because it was made with him from all
eternity, as the head and representative of his people, and he
had all the blessings and promises of it put into his hands; and
it stands fast with him, and will do so for evermore. And I
gave them to him;
namely, the blessings of life and peace; eternal life is the gift
of God; and not only the promise of it, but that itself, was
given to Christ in covenant for his people, and a power to give
it to as many as the Father gave to him, ( Psalms 21:4 ) (
2 Timothy
1:1 ) ( 1 John 5:12 ) (
John 17:2 ) he
gave him also peace to make, put this work of peacemaking into
his hand; and he allows it to be made by him, and that it is
rightly effected; and from his blood and righteousness peace
springs to his people; and they enjoy peace in him and through
him, yea, all prosperity and happiness: [for] the fear
wherewith he feared me;
because of his obedience to the precept and penalty of the law;
because of his righteousness, and sufferings, and death, by means
of which life and peace came to his people, and in which he
showed great fear and reverence of God, ( Hebrews 5:7 ) the word
"for" is not in the original text, and may be left out in a
version, or supplied with "and"; and the sense be, besides the
blessings of life and peace, I also gave him the fear with which
he feared me; which must be understood of the grace of fear
bestowed on him as man: so the Septuagint version, "I gave unto
him in fear to fear me"; and the Vulgate Latin version, "and I
gave him fear, and he feared me": and the Arabic version, "I gave
him fear, that he might fear me": the Targum is,
``I gave him the perfect doctrine of the law, or the doctrine of the perfect law (see ( James 1:25 ) ) that he might fear before me.''And was afraid before my name;
frightened, and put into consternation, as he was when in the garden, and he began to be heavy and sore amazed, ( Mark 14:33 ) or he was broken and bruised, as Kimchi interprets the word here used, because of the name of the Lord, to satisfy his justice, fulfil his law, and glorify all his perfections.
