20

21

And the punishment of all the nations
Who go not up

To keep the feast of tabernacles.

In that day shall there be

On the bells of the horses, HOLINESS TO JEHOVAH.
And it shall come to pass that the pots in the
House of Jehovah

Shall be as the bowls before the altar.

And it shall come to pass that every pot, in Je-
rusalem and in Judah,

Shall be holy to Jehovah God of hosts:
And all who sacrifice shall come,

And shall take of them, and prepare food therein:
And there shall be no more a trafficker

In the House of Jehovah God of hosts, in that day.

§ Hebr. holiness.

20. On the bells] God's name shall be honoured in every circumstance. "War horses not being wanted, their ornaments shall be converted to sacred uses. Vitr. in Isai. Ix. 21."

Secker.

-the pots] The meanest utensil in the House of God, see Neh. x. 39. shall be as the vessels of silver and gold used in solemn sacrifice.

21. And it shall come to pass] The utensils of the Jews shall be treated as holy: and the worshippers shall use them reverently. (The idea of preparing food in them is taken from the custom of feasting after a sacrifice.) And no trafficker, see Ezek. xvii. 4. shall pollute the House of God; as was the custom when the Messiah cleansed the temple. "Every thing shall be equally holy, and therefore the ceremonial law abolished. Michaelis. There shall be no tradesman to sell vessels: the liberality of all nations shall make them so plentiful. Grot." Secker.

1 THE Prophecy of the word of Jehovah to Israel,

2

3

4

by

* Malachi.

I have loved you, saith Jehovah,

But ye have said, Wherein hast thou loved us?
Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith Jehovah?.
Yet I loved Jacob,

And Esau I hated;

And have made his mountains a desolation,
And his inheritance to be for the serpents of the
desert.

Although Edom say, We are impoverished,

But we will build again the waste places;
Thus saith Jehovah God of hosts,

They shall build, but I will throw down,

Hebr. by the hand of.

+ return and build.

1. by Malachi] He lived after Zechariah, because in his time the temple was built. C. iii. 10. It is probable that he was contemporary with Nehemiah. Comp. c. ii. 11. Neh. xiii. 23 -27. c. iii. 8. Neh. xiii. 10. We may also conclude, from c. iv. 4, 5, 6, that he was the last of the Hebrew prophets till John the Baptist appeared. Usher places him before Christ 416; and Blair, 436.

In v. 2-5. the prophet shews how much Jacob and the Israelites were favoured by Jehovah beyond Esau and the Edomites.

2. Jacob] In giving him great external privileges.

3. Esau I hated] I shewed him less love. Gen. xxix. 30, 31. I comparatively hated him, by giving him an inferior lot. And now I have not only laid waste the dwelling place of the Edomites, by the incursions of their enemies; but v. 4, they shall remain the perpetual monument of my vengeance.

-serpents] Serpentes fæminæ. From the Hebrew, or the Arab. nn, to double, to fold.

4. thrown down] By Judas Maccabeus: 1 Macc. v. 65: and by John Hyrcanus. Jos. Ant. xiii. ix. 1,

5

6

17

8

And men shall call them, The border of wickedness,
And, The people against whom Jehovah hath in-
dignation for ever.

And your eyes shall see it; and ye shall say,
Jehovah is magnified beyond the border of Israel.
A son honoureth a father, and a servant his master.
If then I be a father, where is mine honour?
And if I be a master, where is my fear?
Saith Jehovah God of hosts unto you,

O priests, that despise my name.

But ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?
Ye bring polluted food to mine altar.

Yet ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee?
In that ye say, The table of Jehovah, it is despicable.
Now ifye bring the blind § for sacrifice, is it not evil?
And if ye bring the lame and the sick, is it not evil?
§ Or, to sacrifice it.

Or. they shall be called.

5. your eyes] The eyes of the Jews in succeeding ages. -beyond the border] Even-vega 6. He sheweth his great power in other countries besides Israel.

6.-honoureth a father] Syr. Ar. read his father. 6. MS. Pachom. render a dog TV KUELOV AUTY GoßenJetas: and & pußnonseraL is found in ed. Ald. as if the clause were to be read interrogatively, and " had stood in the text. The reading of the Pachomian MS. occurs in Chald. and is confirmed by the con

text:

A son honoureth a father,

And a servant feareth his master.

If then &c.

And if &c.

From this v. to c. ii. 9, the prophet reproves the priests and the people for sacrificing the refuse of beasts; and denounces punishment against the priests for not teaching the people their duty in this respect.

7. the table] The altar. Ezek. xli. 22. xliv. 15, 16. They said in effect that the altar of Jehovah was vile and contemptible; by offering on it torn, blind, lame, and sick victims.

8. Now if-] Two MSS. read, to which is equivalent. Comp. Isai. xxxvi. 19. 2 Kings xviii. 34.

Mactant lectas de more bidentes. Virg. See Lev. xxii. 20.

9

Present it, I pray you, unto thy Governor; will

he be pleased with thee,

Or will he favourably accept thee?
||

Saith Jehovah God of hosts.

And now, I pray you, entreat the face of Jehovah that he would be gracious unto us.

From your hand hath this been;

Shall I favourably accept any of you?
Would Jehovah God of hosts say.

10 Surely the doors shall be closed against you: Neither shall ye kindle the fire of mine altar in vain. I have no pleasure in you,

11

12

Saith Jehovah God of hosts;

*

Neither will I accept an offering at your hand. For, from the rising of the sun even unto the going down thereof,

My name shall be great among the nations;

And in every place shall incense be brought unto my name,

And a pure offering:

For great shall my name be among the nations,
Saith Jehovah God of hosts.

But ye profane it, in that ye say,

The table of Jehovah, it is polluted;

Hebr. accept thy face.

* an offering of flour.

-unto thy governors] Gifts of this nature were customarily made in the east: and are to this day. Harmer ii. 25.

9. Shall I-] 6. Ar. Syr. read NUN:

ing is on a rasure in two MSS.

Would-say] See Judges viii. 8.

and the present read

10. Surely] ó. and one MS. read for : which Houbigant approves of.

-shall be closed] 6. and Houbigant read 10. One MS. reads: claudet quis: i. e. claudentur.

-in vain] To no purpose as to propitiating me. Prov. i. 17.

ינם See

11. incense] Seven MSS. read op suffumigatum. We have here a prophecy of the conversion of the gentiles; and as usual, under Jewish images. See Zech. xiv. 16.

12. polluted) Ye treat it as if it were impure, and unworthy of the choicest offerings.

And what is offered thereon, even its food, is des

picable:

Ye say also, Behold, it is of weariness:
And ye snuff at it:

Saith Jehovah God of hosts.

And ye have brought that which was torn, and
the lame, and the sick :

And ye have also brought an offering of flour:
Shall I accept it from your hand,

Saith Jehovah God of hosts?

But cursed be the deceiver, who hath a male in

his flock,

And voweth and sacrificeth unto Jehovah that

which is marred.

For I am a great King,

Saith Jehovah God of hosts:

And my name shall be † had in reverence among the nations.

† Or, dreadful, or, fearful.

-what is offered thereon] Called 2 proventus, because the priest had a portion of it. We may render this verse:

And as to what is offered thereon, its food is despicable. 13. ye snuff at it] See Haggai i. 9. Ye say: Attendance on the altar, and partaking of its sacrifices, are a burthensome task and ye turn from them with disgust. Two MSS. read

: and Jarchi says (see Capellus) that this is one of the eleven places which the scribes have corrected. According to this various lection we must render, "And ye snuff at me." The and are often confounded. Great beauty would be restored to Ps. xcv. if at v. 7. we read for ; and suppose that God speaks from these words, "To day if ye shall hear my voice."

-torn] By wild beasts. What had been violently taken by them as their prey; and rescued from them, or left by them. And ye have also brought-] The rendering in ó. MS. Pachom. is goopegeze auta eis Ovav, which leads us to read nns ,"Ye have even brought it for a sacrifice."

14. -a male] See Lev. xxii. 19.

-unto Jehovah] Chald. many MSS. and six ed. read m

.לאדני for

-God of hosts] V. 6. Ar. Syr. and three MSS. supply.