Malachi 2:12

12 disperdat Dominus virum qui fecerit hoc magistrum et discipulum de tabernaculis Iacob et offerentem munus Domino exercituum

Malachi 2:12 Meaning and Commentary

Malachi 2:12

The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this
That is guilty of such treachery, wickedness, and idolatry: or "to the man that doeth this" F25; all that belong to him, his children and substance: it denotes the utter destruction, not of a single man and his family only, but of the whole Jewish nation and its polity, civil and ecclesiastical, as follows: the master and the scholar out of the tabernacles of Jacob;
the Targum paraphrases it,

``the son, and son's son, out of the cities of Jacob;''
agreeable to which is Kimchi's note,
``it is as if it was said, there shall not be left in his house one alive; that there shall not be in his house one that answers him, that calls by name.''
In the Hebrew text it is, "him that is awake, and him that answers" {z}; which the Talmudists F1 explain, the former of the wise men or masters, and the latter of the disciples of the wise men; to which sense our version agrees: but by "him that waketh or watcheth", according to Cocceius, is meant the civil magistrate, who watches for the good of the commonwealth, and so may design the elders and rulers of the people; and by him that "answereth", the prophet, who returns answers when he is consulted in things belonging to the law of God, and such were the scribes and lawyers. And him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of hosts;
the priests, that offered sacrifice for the people; so that hereby is threatened an entire destruction, both of the civil and ecclesiastical polity of the Jews, that there should be no prince, prophet, and priest among them; all should be removed out of the tents of Jacob, or cities of Israel; see ( Hosea 3:4 ) .
FOOTNOTES:

F25 (vyal) "viro", Drusius, Cocceius, Burkius, De Dieu; "filius et qui fecerit istud", Piscator.
F26 (hnew re) "vigilantem et respondentem", Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius, Grotius; "vigilantem et responsantem", Junius & Tremellius; "vigilem et respondentem", Burkius.
F1 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 82. 1.

Malachi 2:12 In-Context

10 numquid non pater unus omnium nostrum numquid non Deus unus creavit nos quare ergo despicit unusquisque nostrum fratrem suum violans pactum patrum nostrorum
11 transgressus est Iuda et abominatio facta est in Israhel et in Hierusalem quia contaminavit Iudas sanctificationem Domini quam dilexit et habuit filiam dei alieni
12 disperdat Dominus virum qui fecerit hoc magistrum et discipulum de tabernaculis Iacob et offerentem munus Domino exercituum
13 et hoc rursum fecistis operiebatis lacrimis altare Domini fletu et mugitu ita ut ultra non respiciam ad sacrificium nec accipiam placabile quid de manu vestra
14 et dixistis quam ob causam quia Dominus testificatus est inter te et uxorem pubertatis tuae quam tu despexisti et haec particeps tua et uxor foederis tui
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.