SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2007 – Page 7

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:7

2:7a

For: The Hebrew connector ki which the Berean Standard Bible translates as For seems to introduce a conclusion for this paragraph. It emphasizes the information about the early descendants of Levi. It also prepares the reader for the next paragraph which contrasts them with the evil priests of Malachi’s time. Some English versions translate it as “for,” and some omit it. Use what would be natural in your language for this context.

the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge: That is, a priest should speak accurately about the LORD so that the people will know the LORD and what is true about him.

preserve knowledge: To preserve knowledge means both to obey it and to cause others to know it.

2:7b

people should seek instruction from his mouth: That is, people should go to a priest to learn what to do to please the LORD.

instruction: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as instruction is the same word that was used in 2:6a. In Malachi it usually refers to teaching about God’s law.

General Comment on 2:6a–7b

In these verses there are parallel ideas that are arranged in a pattern called a “chiasm.”

(A) True instruction was in his mouth, (2:6a)

(B) and nothing false was found on his lips. (2:6b)

(B’) For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, (2:7a)

(A’) and people should seek instruction from his mouth. (2:7b)

Notice that the ideas in phrases A and A’ are parallel, and the ideas in phrases B and B’ are parallel.

2:7c

because: The word because in the Berean Standard Bible translates the same Hebrew connector ki which was used in 2:7a. Here it introduces the reason for 2:7a–b. English versions translate it as because or “for.” Use what would be natural in your language to express this idea.

the messenger: The Hebrew word malak which the Berean Standard Bible translates as messenger is, of course, a key word in the book of Malachi. It is used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible to describe prophets, but only here does it refer to priests.

the LORD of Hosts: See the notes on 1:4d and 1:6e. Translate this term in the same way here.

Paragraph 2:8–9

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:8

2:8a

But you: These words contrast the priests of Malachi’s time with their ancestors. The behavior of these priests, as described in 2:8, was the opposite of the priests described in 2:5–6.

In 2:6 they

walked with me;

in 2:8 they

departed from the way.

Also, in 2:6 they

turned many from iniquity;

in 2:8 they

caused many to stumble.

the way: Here the way refers to the correct way to behave, the way the LORD told them to behave and perform their duties. Here it is described figuratively as if it were a path.

2:8b

your instruction has caused many to stumble: That is, “your teaching has caused many people to go astray” or “you teach people things that cause many to go astray.”

instruction: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as instruction is the same word that was used in 2:6a and 2:7b. In Malachi it usually refers to the priests’ duties in teaching the people about God’s law. However if the priests did not teach the truth about God’s law, the people would not obey him properly.

to stumble: This is a figurative expression which implies, “to depart from my commands.”

2:8c

You have violated the covenant of Levi: That is, you have spoilt/corrupted/broken the covenant that I made with Levi.

the covenant of Levi: This covenant also included Levi’s descendants.

2:8d

says the LORD of Hosts: See the note on 1:6e.

the LORD of Hosts: See the note on 1:4d and 1:6e. Translate this term in the same way here.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:9

2:9a

So: The Hebrew particle w- used here introduces the result of the priests’ disobeying the LORD (2:8).

I in turn have made you despised and humiliated before all the people: This may be translated as, “I will cause all the people ⌊of Israel⌋ to despise you and regard you as being worthless.”

despised: There is an implied passive idea here. This is the same verb used in 1:6f, 1:7c and 1:12c. The priests had despised the LORD and the sacrifices which they should be making to him. In the same way, the LORD would cause them to be despised by other people.

humiliated: This is also an implied passive. The priests would be considered humiliated by other people. That is, people were going to consider the priests to be vile, to have a shameful character.

There are at least two possibilities for translating these two verbs:

• Keep the implied passive. For example:

I…have made you contemptible and vile to the whole people. (New Jerusalem Bible)

• Make the idea active with a subject like “people.” For example:

I…will make the people of Israel despise you. (Good News Translation)

Use an option which is natural in your language to express the meaning.

2:9b

because: The Hebrew expression which the Berean Standard Bible translates as because means “to the extent that.” Here it compares 2:9a with 2:9b. The LORD will cause the priests to be despised to the extent that they have not kept his ways and have shown partiality in their instruction. In this verse, the expression acts like a reason connector.

Use what would be natural in your language in this context.

you have not kept My ways: That is, you have not obeyed my instructions/laws. The same Hebrew word for ways was used in 2:8a.

2:9c

but have shown partiality in matters of the law: This part of the verse indicates that the priests were unfair to certain people in the way that they applied the law of God when they made decisions. For example, as priests, they decided whether an animal was too blemished to be acceptable for sacrifice. When they made such decisions, they treated some people better than others. Some ways to express this in English are:

You have been unfair when ⌊applying⌋ my teachings. (God’s Word)
-or-
you…have shown partiality in your interpretation of the law. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
you…show partiality in your rulings. (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

matters of the law: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as matters of the law is the same word that was translated as “instruction” in 2:6a, 2:7b, 2:8b. Here it refers specifically to the way that the priests interpreted God’s law as they made decisions that affected people’s lives.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:10

Section 2:10–16

Malachi rebuked the people of Israel because they had been unfaithful to the LORD

This section contains the central message of the book. It highlights its main theme: that is, that both the priests and the people had been unfaithful to the LORD. The LORD here called them to repent and to follow him again.

This section lists three specific ways in which the people of Israel as a nation had broken their covenant with the LORD:

(a) They had married wives who worshipped foreign gods.

(b) They had been unfaithful to their wives.

Also the people had been hypocritical. They asked the LORD to help them in order to show that they trusted him. Yet, at the same time, they continued to be unfaithful to him and to disobey him.

The Hebrew word bagad which means “faithless, treacherous” occurs five times in these verses. The repeated use of the word highlights both the unfaithfulness of the people to the LORD and their unfaithfulness to their wives.

This section contains one of the few places in the book in which it was the prophet himself who addressed the people. The prophet rebuked the people of Israel because they had been unfaithful to the LORD. He began his rebuke with a series of rhetorical questions. The first two questions in this section form a doublet, which makes an emphatic beginning, and all the questions indicate strong feeling.

Paragraph 2:10–12

2:10

As stated in the introduction to this section, in this verse and those following, it is the prophet himself who was speaking. The content of 2:10 makes this clear.

However there is no marker in Hebrew to indicate that it is no longer the LORD who was speaking (1:2–2:9) but Malachi. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit in some way. There are at least three possibilities:

• Indicate it in the section heading, as the section heading in these Notes has done:

Malachi rebuked the people of Israel because they had been unfaithful to the LORD.

• Use a footnote to explain that 2:10–15 are the words of Malachi.

• Make it explicit in the text. For example, you could begin 2:10 with a phrase like:

These are the words of Malachi:

I, Malachi, ask you:

Malachi said:

Use the option which is most appropriate in your language.

2:10a

Do we not all have one Father?: Here we refers to the people of Israel, not to human beings in general. Malachi identified himself with the rest of the people of Israel when he used the pronoun we here.

This is the first rhetorical question which Malachi himself used. He wanted to emphasize what he was saying by asserting something that his hearers all knew to be true. The question expects the answer “yes.” If you do not use rhetorical questions like this in your language, you can reword it as a strong positive statement. Here is one example:

⌊ You know⌋ that we all have one Father.

one Father: This refers to God. The Contemporary English Version makes this explicit:

Don’t you know that we all have God as our Father? (Contemporary English Version)

2:10b

Did not one God create us?: This is Malachi’s second rhetorical question and again it expects the answer “yes.” One way to express this as a positive statement would be:

⌊ You know⌋ that the same God created us.

General Comment on 2:10a–b

Notice that 2:10a and 2:10b say almost the same thing. The ideas are also arranged in a special pattern called a “chiasm.”

Do we not all have one Father ?

Did not one God create us ?

The parallelism and the chiasm indicate that these verse parts express an important idea in the text.

2:10c–d

Scholars interpret the connection between 2:10c and 2:10d in at least three ways:

(1) The statement in 2:10d explains the result of the people’s unfaithfulness to each other in 2:10c. They were unfaithful to each other, and, as a result, they profaned the covenant. For example:

Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers? (New American Standard Bible)

(2) The statements in 2:10c and 2:10d are two different ways that the people were displeasing God. For example:

Then why do we break our promises to one another, and why do we despise the covenant that God made with our ancestors? (Good News Translation)

(3) The statement in 2:10d indicates the way that the people had been unfaithful. They had been unfaithful by profaning the covenant. For example:

Then why do you cheat each other by breaking the agreement God made with your ancestors? (Contemporary English Version)

Some English versions are ambiguous about the connection. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

See also the general comment on 2:10c–d for a reordering suggestion.

2:10c

Why then do we break faith with one another…?: That is, why do we (the people of Israel) not keep our commitments and promises to one another? This rhetorical question introduces the following verses, which describe ways that the people of Israel had been unfaithful to God’s commands. They had also been unfaithful to each other, especially in breaking their marriage vows.

then: The Berean Standard Bible has included the word then to show the relationship between 2:10c and the preceding questions in 2:10a–b. Those questions imply that the people should have been united because God was the father and creator of all of them. However 2:10c states that instead they were unfaithful to each other. Malachi did not expect them to act that way.

In some languages it may be necessary to make the expectation explicit. Languages have different ways to show that something was different from what the speaker expected. Here are some possibilities for translation:

• Use a connector which implies this. For example:

So why do people break their promises to each other…? (New Century Version)

• Refer to the preceding question to show the connection. For example:

Since that is true, why are we unfaithful to each other?

• Make Malachi’s expectation explicit. For example:

⌊ Because of this, you should have been faithful to each other.⌋ Why have you been unfaithful ⌊instead⌋…?

Use the option which is most appropriate in your language.

break faith: The Hebrew word bagad which the Berean Standard Bible translates as break faith is the key word in this section. See the discussion at the beginning of Section 2:10–16. This word describes the way the people of Israel behaved in all their relationships:

(a) they broke their promises to each other (2:10),

(b) they broke their promises to their wives (2:14–15) and

2:10d

so as to profane the covenant of our fathers: This statement explains the result of 2:10c. When the people were unfaithful to each other, they profaned the covenant.

profane: That is, disregard/disobey/violate.

the covenant of our fathers: This refers to the covenant which God made with the ancestors of the people of Israel. It may be necessary to make this explicit in some translations. This has been done in 2:10d in the Display.

General Comment on 2:10c–d

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of these verse parts. Notice that it may be necessary then to use a different connector between 2:10c and 2:10d. For example:

10d Why do we profane the covenant of our fathers 10c by breaking faith with one another? (New International Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:11

2:11a

Judah has broken faith: That is, the descendants of Judah had broken their promise to God to obey and serve him only. They had worshipped other gods (idols). The Hebrew verb which the Berean Standard Bible translates as has broken faith is the same verb (bagad) which was used in 2:10 to describe the people’s unfaithfulness to each other.

Judah: Here Judah is another way to refer to people who were descendants of Judah’s father, Israel (who was also called Jacob).

2:11b

an abomination has been committed: That is, a terrible, disgusting thing has been done. If you need to use an active verb you could say: “The people have done a terrible thing.”

in Israel: This refers to the land of Israel.

in Jerusalem: The city of Jerusalem was in the land of Israel. In some languages it may be better to mention it before Israel is mentioned, as, for example:

in ⌊the city of⌋ Jerusalem and in ⌊the whole region⌋ of Israel.

2:11c

For: The Hebrew word ki which the Berean Standard Bible translates as For has many uses. Here it introduces a specific act that was part of the general action which Malachi mentioned in 2:11b. There he said that an abomination had been committed; in this part of the verse he explained what the abomination was. Express this connection in an appropriate way in your language.

Judah has profaned: The Hebrew verb which the Berean Standard Bible translates as has profaned is the same verb which was used in 1:12a and 2:10d. Here its use is similar to 1:12a, where it means to “dishonor, treat as unholy/common.”

the LORD’s beloved sanctuary: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as sanctuary is the noun qodeš. This literally means “holiness.” Here most English versions agree that it refers to the temple, the sanctuary of the LORD.

the LORD’s beloved: That is, which the LORD loves.

2:11d

by marrying the daughter of a foreign god: Again scholars suggest different meanings for this part of the verse:

(1) It means “you have married women who worship other gods.” For example:

the men of Judah married women who worship foreign gods. (New Century Version)

(2) It means “you have turned to worship a foreign god.” This uses the metaphor of adultery to describe the way the people of Israel were being unfaithful to the LORD. This is a common metaphor in the OT. For example:

For Judah has…turned to a foreign god! (NET Bible)

Many English versions are ambiguous here. However it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This fits well with the context in 2:10–11.

daughter: This word is used in a collective sense here. The meaning is plural, that is, women.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:12

2:12a

In this verse Malachi expressed a strong desire or prayer. He wanted the LORD to punish all Israelite men who married women who worshipped other gods.

As for the man who does this, may the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who is awake and aware: Scholars disagree about the type of punishment that Malachi meant here. The Hebrew text of this verse is hard to understand. There are two main interpretations:

(1) Malachi meant that the LORD should remove all such men from the community of Israel. For example:

As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the Lord cut him off from the tents of Jacob… (New International Version)

(2) Malachi meant that the LORD should not allow such men to have anyone to defend or support them. For example:

May Yahweh deprive such an offender of witness and advocate… (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

the man who does this: This refers to any Israelite man who married a woman who worshipped idols. It includes those who had already done it and those who would do it in the future.

cut off: The expression which the Berean Standard Bible translates as cut off is an idiom in Hebrew. Here it means “remove,” that is, the LORD should remove them from the Israelite community. The Hebrew text does not state how he would remove them: whether he would banish them or kill them. You should also leave this ambiguous. Some ways to say this are:

May the Lord remove from the community of Israel those who did this. (Good News Translation)
-or-
May the Lord banish from the dwellings of Jacob any who do this. (Revised English Bible)
-or-
I pray that the Lord will no longer let those who are guilty belong to his people. (Contemporary English Version)

from the tents of Jacob: This is an idiom which refers to all the people of Israel. They were the people who had a covenant relationship with the LORD and who worshipped him. The reference to tents came from the time when the descendants of Jacob/Israel, the people of Israel, lived in tents and wandered in the desert.

everyone who is awake and aware: The Hebrew phrase which the Berean Standard Bible translates as everyone who is awake and aware is difficult to understand. Scholars make two main suggestions about its meaning in this verse:

(1) The two Hebrew words which the Berean Standard Bible translates as awake and aware function together as a Hebrew idiom, which, means “everyone.” From this interpretation comes “whoever they may be.” So the meaning of 2:12a is:

May the LORD drive away those who ⌊marry foreign wives⌋, whoever they may be, so that they may never again be part of Israel.

(2) The two words have separate meanings and represent two groups of people or two different actions. The English versions that follow this view interpret the individual words differently. For example:

…witness and advocate. (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

2:12b

even if he brings an offering to the LORD of Hosts: Scholars differ about how this phrase relates to the previous one. There are at least three views:

(1) This phrase makes it clear that there is no exception to the punishment in 2:12a. Even offering a sacrifice to the LORD would not enable them to escape this punishment. For example:

[May the LORD banish from the dwellings of Jacob any who do this…] even though they bring offerings to the Lord of Hosts. (Revised English Bible)

(2) This phrase expresses part of the punishment that Malachi spoke about in 2:12a. For example:

and never again let them participate in the offerings our nation brings to the Lord Almighty. (Good News Translation)

(3) This phrase goes with the preceding phrase “any to witness or answer.” It lists another group of people or another action. For example:

[any to witness or answer,] or to bring an offering to the Lord of hosts! (Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

In English this idea is often expressed by using connectors like “even though” or “and yet.” Express it in a natural way in your language.

the LORD of Hosts: See the note on 1:4d and 1:6e. Translate this term in the same way here.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:13

Paragraph 2:13–16

Paragraph 2:10–12 shows that the people were unfaithful to the LORD and unfaithful to his covenant because they had married women who worshipped foreign gods (idols). Paragraph 2:13–16 tells another way that the people of Israel were unfaithful. They were also unfaithful to each other in marriage.

Notice the use of the “Statement, Question, Response” pattern, introducing a new discourse unit. See note 6 in “Literary structure and recurring features in Malachi” in the Introduction.

2:13b

You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and groaning: This is a figure of speech, a hyperbole. The people did not actually cover the altar with their tears. However they had wailed and cried loudly with much noise and emotion.

2:13c

He no longer regards your offerings: The Hebrew expression which the Berean Standard Bible translates as regards literally means “turns to.” Here it indicates that the LORD no longer considered their offerings to be worth anything.

2:13d

from your hands: In this context, from your hands means “from you.” The same Hebrew expression was used in 1:9b, 1:10e and 1:13f.

General Comment on 2:13c–d

Notice that these two verse parts are parallel:

He no longer regards your offerings

or receives them gladly from your hands.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2007

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:7

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:8

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:9

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:10

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:11

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:12

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:13

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