Malachi 3:1-6

The Purifier

1 "¹Behold, I am going to send ²My messenger, and he will ³clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the ⁴messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts.

2 "But who can ⁵endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a ⁶refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.

3 "He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will ⁷purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may ⁸present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.

4 "Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be ⁹pleasing to the LORD as in the ¹⁰days of old and as in former years.

5 "Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the ¹¹sorcerers and against the ¹²adulterers and against those who ¹³swear falsely, and against those who oppress the ¹⁴wage earner in his wages, the ¹⁵widow and the orphan, and those who turn aside the ¹⁶alien and do not fear Me," says the LORD of hosts.

6 "For I, the LORD, ¹⁷do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

Malachi 3:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO MALACHI 3

This chapter begins with a prophecy of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ; and of the coming of Christ, and the effects and consequences of it, with respect both to the righteous and the wicked; and it contains accusations and charges of sin against the Jews, intermixed with exhortations to repentance. John the Baptist is promised to be sent, and is described by his office as a messenger, and by his work, to prepare the way of the Lord; and the Messiah is prophesied of, who is described by his characters; with respect to himself, the Lord and Messenger of the covenant; with respect to the truly godly among the Jews, as the object of their desire and delight; whose coming is spoken of as a certain thing, and which would be sudden; and the place is mentioned he should come into, Mal 3:1 and this his coming is represented as terrible to the wicked, and as trying and purifying to the righteous, expressed by the various similes of a refiner's fire, and fuller's soap; and the end answered by it, their offering a righteous offering to the Lord, Mal 3:2-4 but with respect to the wicked, he declares he should be a swift witness against them, whose characters are particularly given, and this assured from his immutability; the consequence of which to the saints is good, being their security from destruction, Mal 3:5,6 and next a charge is commenced against the wicked Jews, as that in general they had for a long time revolted from the Lord, and were guilty of sins of omission and commission, and are therefore exhorted to return to the Lord, with a promise that he will return to them, and yet they refuse, Mal 3:7 and, in particular, that they were guilty of sacrilege, and so accounted, even the whole nation, in withholding tithes and sacrifices, which they are exhorted to bring in; to which they are encouraged with promises of blessings of prosperity and protection, Mal 3:8-12 and that they had spoken impudent and blasphemous words against the Lord; which, though excepted to, is proved by producing their own words, Mal 3:13-15 and by the contrary behaviour of those that feared the Lord, who were taken notice of by him, and were dear unto him, Mal 3:16,17 wherefore it is suggested, that the time would come when there would be a manifest difference made between the one and the other, Mal 3:18.

Cross References

• 1. Matthew 11:10, 14; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:76; Luke 7:27
• 2. Haggai 1:13; John 1:6, 7
• 3. Isaiah 40:3
• 4. Isaiah 63:9
• 5. Isaiah 33:14; Ezekiel 22:14; Revelation 6:17
• 6. Zechariah 13:9; Matthew 3:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:13-15
• 7. Isaiah 1:25; Daniel 12:10
• 8. Psalms 4:5; Psalms 51:19
• 9. Psalms 51:17-19
• 10. 2 Chr 7:1-3, 12
• 11. Deuteronomy 18:10; Jeremiah 27:9, 10
• 12. Ezekiel 22:9-11
• 13. Jeremiah 5:2; Jeremiah 7:9; Zechariah 5:4
• 14. Leviticus 19:13
• 15. Exodus 22:22-24
• 16. Deuteronomy 27:19
• 17. Numbers 23:19; James 1:17

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "angel"
• [b]. Or "prepare"
• [c]. Or "even"
• [d]. Or "angel"
• [e]. Lit "laundrymen's"
• [f]. Or "grain offerings"
• [g]. Or "grain offering"
• [h]. Or "fatherless"
• [i]. Or "sojourner"
• [j]. Or "revere"
• [k]. Or "I am the LORD"; I do not"
• [l]. Or "have not come to an end"