Maleachi 3:10 Kommentar

In this chapter we have, I. A promise of the coming of the Messiah, and of his forerunner; and the errand he comes upon is here particularly described, both the comfort which his coming brings to his church and people and the terror which it will bring to the wicked (Mal 3:1-6). II. A reproof of the Jews for their corrupting God's ordinances and sacrilegiously robbing him of his dues, with a charge to them to amend this matter, and a promise that, if they did, God would return in mercy to them (Mal 3:7-12). III. A description of the wickedness of the wicked that speak against God (Mal 3:13-15), and of the righteousness of the righteous that speak for him, with the precious promises made to them (Mal 3:16-18).

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 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 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 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 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 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.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,.... Or "treasury" (e); for there were places in the temple where the tithe was put, and from thence distributed to the priests and Levites, for the support of their families, as they wanted. There were the tithe or tenth part of all eatable things paid to the Levites, and out of this another tithe was paid by the Levites to the priests; and there was another tithe, which some years the owners ate themselves at Jerusalem, and in others gave them to the poor; and these were called the first tithe, the tithe out of the tithe, the second tithe, and the poor's tithe; though they are commonly reduced to three, and are called first, and second, and third, as they are by Maimonides; who says (f), "after they have separated the first tithe every year, they separate the second tithe, as it is said "thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed", &c. Deu 14:22 and in the third year, and in the sixth, they separate the poor's tithe, instead of the second tithe.'' So Tobit says; Tobit 1:7 "the first tithe I gave to the Levites, who stand before the Lord to minister to him, and to bless in his name the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the second tithe I sold (as he might, according to the law in Deu 14:24), and took the money, and went up to Jerusalem, and bought with it what I pleased; and the third tithe I gave to the repair of the temple;'' so Fagius reads: but according to Munster's edition it is, the second and third tithes I gave to the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow; see Deu 26:12. It appears from hence that the sin of the people was, that they did not bring in "all" their tithes; they kept back a part of them: wherefore they are called upon to bring in the whole, and which they did in Nehemiah's time; see Neh 10:38 where mention is made of the treasuries for the tithe, which were certain chambers adjoining to the temple; and besides those that were built by Solomon, there were other chambers prepared by Hezekiah in his times, when the tithes were brought in, in such plenty, that there was not room enough for them, Ch2 31:11 and besides those in the second temple, that were in the court of the priests, there were others in the court of the people, as L'Empereur thinks (g), where what the others could not contain might be put; and into which court the priests might come; and there were also receptacles underground, as well as upper rooms, where much might be laid up; add to all this, that Dr. Lightfoot (h) suggests, that these tithes were treasured up in the chambers by the gates of the temple, and were at least a part of the treasuries of the house of God, which the porters at the gates had the care of, Ch1 9:26 and particularly that the house of Asuppim, at which were four porters, was a large piece of building, containing divers rooms for the treasuring up things for the use of the temple; in the Apocrypha: " And are resolved to spend the firstfruits of the the tenths of wine and oil, which they had sanctified, and reserved for the priests that serve in Jerusalem before the face of our God; the which things it is not lawful for any of the people so much as to touch with their hands.'' Judith 11:13 that there may be food in mine house; in the temple, for the sustenance of the priests and Levites: so the Targum, "the prophet said, bring all the tithes into the treasury, that there may be food for them that minister in the house of my sanctuary:'' and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts; by bringing in all their tithes; when they would find, by making this experiment or trial, that the curse would be removed from them, and blessings be largely and liberally bestowed upon them by him, who is the Lord of hosts, and so able to perform any promise he makes; and here one is implied, and is as follows: if I will not open you the windows of heaven; which had been shut and stopped up, and let down no rain upon their land, which brought a scarcity of provisions among them; but now, upon a change in their conduct it is suggested that these windows or floodgates should be opened, and rain let down plentifully upon them, which only could be done by the Lord himself; for the key of rain is one of the three keys, the Jews say (i), which God has reserved for himself, and never puts into the hands of a minister: and pour you out a blessing: give abundance of rain to make the earth fruitful, and bring forth its increase in great plenty, which is a blessing; and not destroy the earth, and the fruits of it, as in the times of Noah, when the windows of heaven were opened, and a curse was poured out upon the earth: that there shall not be room enough to receive it; and so Kimchi says his father interpreted this clause, that there would not be a sufficiency of vessels (k) and storehouses. Some render the words, as Junius, "so that ye shall not be sufficient"; either to gather in the increase, or to consume it. The Targum is, "until ye say it is enough;'' and so the Syriac version. The phrase, which is very concise in the original text, and may be literally rendered, "unto not enough" (l), denotes great abundance and fulness of good things, so that there should be enough and to spare; and yet, as Gussetius observes, not enough to answer and express the abundance of mercy and goodness in the heart of God. (e) "thesaurum", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "vel in domum thesauri", Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Burkius. (f) Hilchot Maaser Sheni, c. 1. sect. 1. (g) Not. in Misn. Middot, c. 2. sect. 6. No. 14. (h) Prospect of the Temple, c. 5. p. 1058. c. 19. p. 1097. (i) T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 2. 1. Sanhedrin, fol. 113. 1. (k) "adeo ut non sint vobis sufficientia vasa", Pagninus, Vatablus. So Burkius. (l) Eousque ut nunquam sit satis, nempe a parte datoris, Gussetius. So De Dieu.

(Verse 7 and following) Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, 'How shall we return?' Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? And you say: in what way have we deceived you? Because the tithes and first fruits are with you, and you look upon them, and you defraud me ((or: deceive me)): the year is complete, and you have brought in the fruits into the storehouse, and there will be plunder in your houses. Therefore, return to this, says the Lord Almighty: unless I open for you the floodgates of heaven, and pour out my blessing upon you until it is sufficient, and I will divide food for you, and your land will not be destroyed, and your vineyard will not wither in the field, says the Lord Almighty: and all the nations will call you blessed, because you will be a land of delight, says the Lord Almighty. And in the beginning we said that Malachi should be understood as the prophet Ezra; and all the things that are written about him in history, are contained in this book as well: and now we say that during his time and that of Nehemiah (whom it is clear lived together) there was a very severe famine, and because of the famine there was a revolt, and the poor, compelled by the necessity of things, sold their sons and daughters, and all their possessions, and their entire substance. Finally they say: Our sons and daughters are too many, let us take their price in wheat, and eat and live. And there were those who said: Let us sell our fields and vineyards, and our houses, and let us take wheat in hunger. And I was angry, says Ezra, when I heard their outcry according to these words: and my heart thought within me, and I reproached the nobles and magistrates, and the rest. Therefore, during a time of famine, food was so scarce that they were forced to sell their own children, and even those who had little and had stored many crops in barns refused to give tithes out of necessity or due to the magnitude of the price to the Levites, who did not have a share in the inheritance of Judah; but the firstfruits and tithes were their inheritance. Lest it be thought to be ours, let us consider the testimony of Ezra: 'And I realized,' he said, 'that the portions of the Levites had not been given, and each one had fled to his own region from the Levites, from the singers, and from those who served. And I brought a complaint against the officials, and I said, 'Why have we abandoned the house of God?' And I gathered them together and made them stand in their stations. And all of Judah brought the tithes of grain, wine, and oil into the storehouses, and we appointed Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe (Nehemiah 13:10-11),' and so on. We have heard the story of Ezra, now let us repeat the words of the prophets, carefully considering whether the prophecy and the history agree. When it is said, 'Return to me, and I will return to you,' says the Lord Almighty, it is clear that those whom he exhorts to return have departed from the Lord. And behold the mercy of the Lord, he promises an equal return, so that the measure with which they have measured will be measured back to them (Matt. 7:1). And as it is written in Leviticus: 'If you walk contrary to me, then I will also walk contrary to you in fury' (Lev. 26:27-28). So now he encourages the people to return, so that he himself may also return to them. Those who do not understand that they have fallen away from the Lord impudently ask: Where are we returning to? And they say: When did we fall away, that we should be compelled to return? The Lord answered: If a man opposes God, because you are opposing me? The Hebrew word, which is written 'Hajecba', the LXX translated as 'if he supplants': for which Aquila, and Symmachus, and Theodotio substituted 'if he defrauds', so that the meaning is: If a man defrauds God, because you defraud me? And truly, according to the order of history, because the people did not give the tithes and firstfruits to the Levites, 977 the Lord says that he himself suffered fraud, whose ministers were forced by hunger and shortage to abandon the temple. For if he is visited by others in prison, if he is received as a sick person, and if he receives food and drink when hungry and thirsty, why should he not himself receive tithes from his own ministers, and if they are not given, be deprived of his own portion? What we have said, Hajecba interprets in the language of the Syrians and Chaldeans, if it is affixed: from where also we translated it many years ago, more towards the mystery of the Lord's passion, in which men crucified God, than towards tithes and firstfruits (by which one is visited in prison, and received by the sick, and receives food while hungry and thirsty, and is given to drink), referring to written things. Let the prudent reader inquire how our interpretation agrees with the following: In tithes and firstfruits, and see if we can say this: 'For you to crucify me: for you to lay wicked hands on your God', you have done by meditating upon many things, by withholding tithes and firstfruits, I do not say from my priests and Levites, but from me, who commanded them to be given through Moses (Exodus 23). This has been said to us about one word, leaving the judgment of understanding to the reader; now let us follow the order of prophecy. Because you have not given me tithes and firstfruits, therefore you are cursed with hunger and poverty, and you deceive me, or defraud and deprive me, the whole nation for the nation, which is written in Hebrew as Aggoi, the year Seventy was interpreted as a nation. And this is the meaning. Behold, the year has come to an end, and you have gathered nothing into my treasure, but into your barns: And for tithes and firstfruits, which were small, if given to me, you have lost the abundance of your possessions and all the abundance of crops. But in order for you to know, I, being angry with you, because you have cheated me of what is mine, urge and remind you to bring the tithes into the barns, that is, into the treasury of the temple, and let the priests and Levites, who minister to me, have food: and test me, if I will not pour out such great rains, that the floodgates of the heavens seem to be opened. And I will pour out blessing upon you until abundance. The word 'effusion' shows the name 'generosity'. But it is possible for fertility to exist in the fields that are irrigated by rain, yet locusts or weevils, or rust or caterpillars may destroy them, and the labors of humans perish. Therefore, He joins and says: And I will rebuke for you the devourer, namely the locust, and the rest that we have mentioned; and it shall not corrupt the fruit of your land. And vineyards will fill vine-presses also, and all nations around will marvel at the fertility of your land, to such an extent that everyone will desire to live in it, and the abundance of all things will be an example to all peoples. Understand also concerning tithes and first fruits, which were once given by the people to the priests and Levites, in the same way for the people of the Church, to whom it is commanded not only to give tithes and first fruits, but also to sell all that they have and give to the poor, and to follow the Lord Savior (Matthew 19 and Mark 10). But if we do not want to do this, let us at least imitate the beginnings of the Jews, so that we give a portion to the poor from the whole, and defer the due honor to the priests and Levites. Hence the Apostle says: Honor widows who are truly widows (I Tim. V, 3): and let the presbyter be honored with double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine of God. Whoever does not do this is proved to defraud and supplant God, and is cursed in the lack of all things: as he who sows sparingly, shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows in blessings, shall gather abundant fruits in blessings (II Cor. IX, 6). If at any time hunger and poverty, and the lack of all things oppress the world: let us know that this comes from the anger of God, who speaks of being defrauded and deprived of their portion if the poor do not receive alms. We can interpret tithes and firstfruits in this way: if someone is learned and educated in the Law of God, they can teach others, but they should not attribute their knowledge and abilities to their own wisdom and talent, but rather give thanks first to God, who bestows everything, and then to his priests and teachers, from whom they have learned. For if one does not give thanks, but claims knowledge for oneself, they will be cursed in poverty. But if one, understanding God as the giver, and giving thanks to those through whom they have been taught by God, humbles oneself and brings the food into the storehouse of God, that is, ministers the nourishment of Holy Scripture to the people in the Church, then the floodgates of heaven will immediately open upon them, and a spiritual rain will pour forth, and God will command his clouds to rain upon them, and they will enjoy the abundance of all things, and God will even rebuke the devourer for their sake, bringing forth opposing strengths, and their efforts will bear fruit, and they will attain what is written: Blessed is the one who speaks into the ears of those who listen. He will also lift up his eyes and see the regions, for they are already white for harvesting (John 4); and he will gather fruits for eternal life. The vineyard in his field will not be sterile, as he who says in the Gospel: I am the vine (John 15, 1). And he who speaks through the prophet: I have planted a fruitful vineyard, the whole truth (Jeremiah 2, 21); and through humble confession, gratitude to God, and his teachers in the Church, he will attain such blessedness that all nations will call him blessed, and desire to dwell in his land and teachings, those who have heard him speaking in the Church.

Listen, then, impious one. You know that everything belongs to God; you will not give the Creator of all things something of his own? The Lord God is not in want; he does not demand recompense but honor. He does not require you to pay back something of yours. He asks the firstfruits and tithes, and do you refuse? Avaricious one, what would you do if he had taken nine-tenths for himself and left you the tithes? Surely this already happened when the meager harvest failed because rain was withdrawn or when hail struck your vintage or frost killed it. Why does this happen, greedy calculator? The nine-tenths were taken from you because you refused to pay tithes. The fact remains, of course, that you did not give, but God exacted it. This is our Lord’s exceedingly just practice. If you deny him the tithes, you are brought down to it. As it is written, “Thus speaks the Lord: ‘Tithes of your field and the firstfruits of your land are with you. I see you, and you think you are deceiving me. Within, in your treasure and in your house, there will be plunder.’ ” You will give to a wicked soldier what you are unwilling to give to the priest. “ ‘Be converted even now,’ says the Lord almighty, ‘that I may open to you the floodgates of heaven and pour out my blessing to you; and the fruits of your land shall not be spoiled, nor shall the vine in your field grow weak, and all nations shall call you blessed.’ ” God is always ready to do good, but the wickedness of humanity prevents it, because he wishes that everything can be given him from the Lord God but is unwilling to offer anything of what he seems to possess. Now suppose God should say, “Of course you are mine, man, for I made you. Mine is the earth that you cultivate, mine the seeds you sow. The animals that you work are mine; mine are the rain and showers, the blasts of the winds are mine, mine is the heat of the sun. Since all the elements of life are mine, you who only put your hands to them deserve merely tithes.” Now, although almighty God kindly feeds us and gives an ample reward to man for his little labor, he claims only tithes for himself and gives the whole to us.

MESSIAH'S COMING, PRECEDED BY HIS FORERUNNER, TO PUNISH THE GUILTY FOR VARIOUS SINS, AND TO REWARD THOSE WHO FEAR GOD. (Mal. 3:1-18) Behold--Calling especial attention to the momentous truths which follow. Ye unbelievingly ask, Where is the God of judgment (Mal 2:7)? "Behold," therefore, "I send," &c. Your unbelief will not prevent My keeping My covenant, and bringing to pass in due time that which ye say will never be fulfilled. I will send . . . he shall come--The Father sends the Son: the Son comes. Proving the distinctness of personality between the Father and the Son. my messenger--John the Baptist; as Mat 3:3; Mat 11:10; Mar 1:2-3; Luk 1:76; Luk 3:4; Luk 7:26-27; Joh 1:23, prove. This passage of Malachi evidently rests on that of Isaiah his predecessor (Isa 40:3-5). Perhaps also, as HENGSTENBERG thinks, "messenger" includes the long line of prophets headed by Elijah (whence his name is put in Mal 4:5 as a representative name), and terminating in John, the last and greatest of the prophets (Mat 11:9-11). John as the representative prophet (the forerunner of Messiah the representative God-man) gathered in himself all the scattered lineaments of previous prophecy (hence Christ terms him "much more than a prophet," Luk 7:26), reproducing all its awful and yet inspiriting utterances: his coarse garb, like that of the old prophets, being a visible exhortation to repentance; the wilderness in which he preached symbolizing the lifeless, barren state of the Jews at that time, politically and spiritually; his topics sin, repentance, and salvation, presenting for the last time the condensed epitome of all previous teachings of God by His prophets; so that he is called pre-eminently God's "messenger." Hence the oldest and true reading of Mar 1:2 is, "as it is written in Isaiah the prophet"; the difficulty of which is, How can the prophecy of Malachi be referred to Isaiah? The explanation is: the passage in Malachi rests on that in Isa 40:3, and therefore the original source of the prophecy is referred to in order to mark this dependency and connection. the Lord--Ha-Adon in Hebrew. The article marks that it is JEHOVAH (Exo 23:17; Exo 34:23; compare Jos 3:11, Jos 3:13). Compare Dan 9:17, where the Divine Son is meant by "for THE Lord's sake." God the speaker makes "the Lord," the "messenger of the covenant," one with Himself. "I will send . . . before Me," adding, "THE LORD . . . shall . . . come"; so that "the Lord" must be one with the "Me," that is, He must be GOD, "before" whom John was sent. As the divinity of the Son and His oneness with the Father are thus proved, so the distinctness of personality is proved by "I send" and He "shall come," as distinguished from one another. He also comes to the temple as "His temple": marking His divine lordship over it, as contrasted with all creatures, who are but "servants in" it (Hag 2:7; Heb 3:2, Heb 3:5-6). whom ye seek . . . whom ye delight in--(see on Mal 2:17). At His first coming they "sought" and "delighted in" the hope of a temporal Saviour: not in what He then was. In the case of those whom Malachi in his time addresses, "whom ye seek . . . delight in," is ironical. They unbelievingly asked, When will He come at last? Mal 2:17, "Where is the God of judgment" (Isa 5:19; Amo 5:18; Pe2 3:3-4)? In the case of the godly the desire for Messiah was sincere (Luk 2:25, Luk 2:28). He is called "Angel of God's presence" (Isa 63:9), also Angel of Jehovah. Compare His appearances to Abraham (Gen 18:1-2, Gen 18:17, Gen 18:33), to Jacob (Gen 31:11; Gen 48:15-16), to Moses in the bush (Exo 3:2-6); He went before Israel as the Shekinah (Exo 14:19), and delivered the law at Sinai (Act 7:38). suddenly--This epithet marks the second coming, rather than the first; the earnest of that unexpected coming (Luk 12:38-46; Rev 16:15) to judgment was given in the judicial expulsion of the money-changing profaners from the temple by Messiah (Mat 21:12-13), where also as here He calls the temple His temple. Also in the destruction of Jerusalem, most unexpected by the Jews, who to the last deceived themselves with the expectation that Messiah would suddenly appear as a temporal Saviour. Compare the use of "suddenly" in Num 12:4-10, where He appeared in wrath. messenger of the covenant--namely, of the ancient covenant with Israel (Isa 63:9) and Abraham, in which the promise to the Gentiles is ultimately included (Gal 4:16-17). The gospel at the first advent began with Israel, then embraced the Gentile world: so also it shall be at the second advent. All the manifestations of God in the Old Testament, the Shekinah and human appearances, were made in the person of the Divine Son (Exo 23:20-21; Heb 11:26; Heb 12:26). He was the messenger of the old covenant, as well as of the new.

(Pro 3:9-10). storehouse-- (Ch2 31:11, Margin; compare Ch1 26:20; Neh 10:38; Neh 13:5, Neh 13:12). prove me . . . herewith--with this; by doing so. Test Me whether I will keep My promise of blessing you, on condition of your doing your part (Ch2 31:10). pour . . . out--literally, "empty out": image from a vessel completely emptied of its contents: no blessing being kept back. windows of heaven-- (Kg2 2:7). that . . . not . . . room enough, &c.--literally, "even to not . . . sufficiency," that is, either, as English Version. Or, even so as that there should be "not merely" "sufficiency" but superabundance [JEROME, MAURER]. GESENIUS not so well translates, "Even to a failure of sufficiency," which in the case of God could never arise, and therefore means for ever, perpetually: so Psa 72:5, "as long as the sun and moon endure"; literally, "until a failure of the sun and moon," which is never to be; and therefore means, for ever.

Coming of the Lord to judgment. Mal 3:1. "Behold, I send my messenger, that he may prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to His temple, and the angel of the covenant, whom ye desire; behold he comes, saith Jehovah of hosts." To the question, Where is or remains the God of judgment? the Lord Himself replies that He will suddenly come to His temple, but that before His coming He will send a messenger to prepare the way for Him. The announcement of this messenger rests upon the prophecy in Isa 40:3., as the expression וּפנּה דרך, which is borrowed from that passage, clearly shows. The person whose voice Isaiah heard calling to make the way of Jehovah in the desert, that the glory of the Lord might be revealed to all flesh, is here described as מלאך, whom Jehovah will send before Him, i.e., before His coming. This maleâkh is not a heavenly messenger, or spiritual being (Rashi, Kimchi), nor the angel of Jehovah κατ ̓ ἐξοχήν, who is mentioned afterwards and called maleakh habberı̄th, but an earthly messenger of the Lord, and indeed the same who is called the prophet Elijah in Mal 4:5, and therefore not "an ideal person, viz., the whole choir of divine messengers, who are to prepare the way for the coming of salvation, and open the door for the future grace" (Hengst.), but a concrete personality - a messenger who was really sent to the nation in John the Baptist immediately before the coming of the Lord. The idea view is precluded not only by the historical fact, that not a single prophet arose in Israel during the whole period between Malachi and John, but also by the context of the passage before us, according to which the sending of the messenger was to take place immediately before the coming of the Lord to His temple. It is true that in Mal 2:7 the priest is also called a messenger of Jehovah; but the expression הנני שׁלח (behold I send) prevents our understanding the term maleâkh as referring to the priests, or even as including them, inasmuch as "sending" would not apply to the priests as the standing mediators between the Lord and His people. Moreover, it was because the priests did not fulfil their duty as the ordinary ambassadors of God that the Lord was about to send an extraordinary messenger. Preparing the way (פּנה דרך, an expression peculiar to Isaiah: compare Isa 40:3; also, Isa 57:14 and Isa 62:10), by clearing away the impediments lying in the road, denotes the removal of all that retards the coming of the Lord to His people, i.e., the taking away of enmity to God and of ungodliness by the preaching of repentance and the conversion of sinners. The announcement of this messenger therefore implied, that the nation in its existing moral condition was not yet prepared for the reception of the Lord, and therefore had no ground for murmuring at the delay of the manifestation of the divine glory, but ought rather to murmur at its own sin and estrangement from God. When the way shall have been prepared, the Lord will suddenly come. פּתאם, not statim, immediately (Jerome), but unexpectedly. "This suddenness is repeated in all the acts and judgments of the Lord. The Lord of glory always comes as a thief in the night to those who sleep in their sins" (Schmieder). "The Lord" (hâ'âdōn) is God; this is evident both from the fact that He comes to His temple, i.e., the temple of Jehovah, and also from the relative clause "whom ye seek," which points back to the question, "Where is the God of judgment?" (Mal 2:17). The Lord comes to His temple (hēkhâl, lit., palace) as the God-king of Israel, to dwell therein for ever (cf. Eze 43:7; Eze 37:26-27). And He comes as the angel of the covenant, for whom the people are longing. The identity of the angel of the covenant with the "Lord" (hâ'âdōn) is placed beyond the reach of doubt by the parallelism of the clauses, and the notion is thereby refuted that the "covenant angel" is identical with the person previously mentioned as מלאכי (Hitzig, Maurer, etc.). This identity does not indeed exclude a distinction of person; but it does exclude a difference between the two, or the opinion that the angel of the covenant is that mediator whom Isaiah had promised (Isa 42:6) as the antitype of Moses, and the mediator of a new, perfect, and eternally-enduring covenant relation between God and Israel (Hofmann, Schriftbeweis, i. p. 183). For it was not for a second Moses that the people were longing, or for a mediator of the new covenant, but for the coming of God to judgment. The coming of the Lord to His temple is represented as a coming of the covenant angel, with reference to the fact that Jehovah had in the olden time revealed His glory in His Maleakh in a manner perceptible to the senses, and that in this mode of revelation He had not only redeemed Israel out of the hand of Egypt (Exo 3:6.), gone before the army of Israel (Exo 14:19), and led Israel through the desert to Canaan (Exo 23:20., Exo 33:14.), but had also filled the temple with His glory. The covenant, in relation to which the Maleakh, who is of one essence with Jehovah, is here called the angel of the covenant, is not the new covenant promised in Jer 31:31., but the covenant of Jehovah with Israel, according to which Jehovah dwells in the midst of Israel, and manifests His gracious presence by blessing the righteous and punishing the ungodly (cf. Exo 25:8; Lev 25:11-12; Deu 4:24; Isa 33:14): (Koehler). The words "Behold he (the covenant angel) cometh" serve to confirm the assurance, and are still further strengthened by אמר יי צ (saith Jehovah of hosts). This promise was fulfilled in the coming of Christ, in whom the angel of the covenant, the Logos, became flesh, and in the sending of John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Him. (See also at Mal 4:6)

Mal 3:10. "Bring ye all the tithe into the treasure-house, that there may be consumption in my house, and prove me now herewith, saith Jehovah of hosts, if I do not open you the sluices of heaven, and pour you out a blessing to superabundance. Mal 3:11. And I will rebuke the devourer for you, that he may not destroy the fruit of your ground; and your vine will not miscarry in the field, saith Jehovah of hosts. Mal 3:12. And all nations will call you blessed; for ye will be a land of good pleasure, saith Jehovah of hosts." In Mal 3:10 the emphasis lies upon kol: the whole of the tithe they are to bring, and not merely a portion of it, and so defraud the Lord; for the tithe was paid to Jehovah for His servants the Levites (Num 18:24). It was delivered, at least after the times of the later kings, at the sanctuary, where store-chambers were built for the purpose (cf. Ch2 31:11.; Neh 10:38-39; Neh 12:44; Neh 13:12). Tereph signifies here food, or consumption, as in Pro 31:15; Psa 111:5. בּזאת, through this, i.e., through their giving to God what they are under obligation to give Him, they are to prove God, whether in His attitude towards them He is no longer the holy and righteous God (Mal 2:17; Mal 3:6). Then will they also learn, that He causes the promised blessing to flow in the richest abundance to those who keep His commandments. אם לא is not a particle of asseveration or oath (Koehler), but an indirect question: whether not. Opening the sluices of heaven is a figure, denoting the most copious supply of blessing, so that it flows down from heaven like a pouring rain (as in Kg2 7:2). עד בּלי די, till there is no more need, i.e., in superabundance. This thought is individualized in Mal 3:11. Everything that could injure the fruits of the land God will take away. גּער, to rebuke practically, i.e., to avert the intention. אכל, the devourer, is here the locust, so called from its insatiable voracity. Shikkēl, to miscarry, is affirmed of the vine, when it has set a good quantity of grapes, which perish and drop off before they ripen. In consequence of this blessing, all nations will call Israel blessed (Mal 3:12), because its land will be an object of pleasure to every one (cf. Zac 7:14; Zac 8:13, Zac 8:23).