The Pulpit Commentary — Malachi — Section 6

regarded ne the food of God, and to be be translated, Will he accept any beca11~~ eaten by tho fire (Ezek. xii. 22; xliv. 16). of you? They showed that they desp!Md the o.ltar Ver. 10. - The prophet continues his by fancying tbatnnything wae good enough severe reprobation of the priests. Who is for offering thereon, ae the next verse there even among yon tha.t would shut the explo.ine. doors for naught, etc.? Thus rendered, the Ver. 8.-lf ye oft'er the blind. The Le.w passage rebukes the mercenary spirit of ordered the.t the victims ehou Id be perfect the prieste, ·who would not even shut the 1md without blemish (eee Lev. xxii. 1!1-25). temple door nor kindle the a.lta.r fire unless Is it not evil! It ie more forcible to read they were paid for it; or else it mea.ns that, this without the interrog11,tion, "It is n'o though all the officers of the temple were evil I" and to reg11,rd it as the priests' thought remunerated for their most trivial services, or word, here introduced by the prophet in yet they were remiss in attending to their bitter irony. Their conscience hnd grown so duties, and neglected the Ja;w of sacrifices. dull, 11,nd they h11,<l become eo familiarized '£he Latin Version omits _the negative in with ·constant dereliction of duty, th11,t they the last clause, Quis est in vobis ']'Ui claudat 1aw no wrong in these viol11,tione of the Law, ostia, et i11&ndat altare meum gratuif.o ? and never recalled the people to their duty· The LXX., with some little variation in the in these matters. Offer it now unto thy rea.ding, renders, t,,u/.,., 1<11! ,v ~µ.,v <Tu-y1CA€L6-i,- governor. The word for " governor " is tT011-Tcu fJOpa,, ,ra} ol,,c Q.vd.lf,e'Ta, TO 8uo-,a.u-r1]p,6v pechah, 118 in Hag. i. 1 (where iiee note). µ.ou 1/o,p•&v, "Wherefore also among you the It denotes a ruler set over e. province by e. doors shall be shut, and my a.lta.r shall not Persian king. As Nehemie.h had refused be kindled for nothing," i.e. God threatens to be burdensome to the people (Neh. v. that the temple services sha.11 wholly 14-18), it is thought that Malachi must cease. But it is best to consider the passage have written this when some other person as continuing the sarcastic strain of the we.a acting as governor. But Nehemiah's preceding verse, and saying in effect tha.t generosity was exhibited in hie earlier it would be better to have no pretence of e.dministre.tion, and he may ha'l'e thought worship at all than to he.ve it thua profaned. it right to te.ke the dues under 11, more Translate as in the Revised Version, Oh that prosperous ete.te of affairs. The prophet there were one amang you that would shut may be putting the ce.se generally-Would the doors, that ye might not kindle fire on you dare ofrer suoh things to your governor? mine altar in vain ! The doors are those At auy re.te, the question is not about pro- of the inner court of the temple, where the visions e.nd dues supplied to the governor gree.t altar stood ; e.nd the polluted sacrifice and liable to be exacted by him in his is offered "in vain," because it offends God official cape.city, but a.bout volunte.ry offer- rather than propitiates him. An offering ings and presents, without which no inferior ( minchah). Here not encrifice in general, as would• presume to e.ppee.r before hie prince many commentators suppose, because if. (see Introduction, § II.). To offer to such a would be unnatural to take the word in one whe.t was mean e.nd defective would be one sense in this verse, and in 11, different nothing Iese than an insult: e.nd yet they sense in the following, where it is con- • thought this was good enough for God. fessedly used in its restricted signification. Accept thy person. Regard thee with favour The term is applied technically to the (Gen. xix. 21 ; Job ::r.iii. 10; :xiii. 8). offering of fine fionr combined with oil and Ver. 9.-lleseeoh God; literally, the Jaoe frankincense, burnt on the altar (Lev. ii. l, of Go'd. This is not e. serious call to re- etc.); though it is also occasionally used ernn pentance, but e.n ironica.l appeal. Come of bloody sacrifices; e.g. of Abel's (Gen. iv. now and ask the fa.vour of God with your 4; comp. l Sam. ii. 17). As liturgically polluted so.orifices; intercede, as is your employed, it denotes the unbloody offering. duty, for the people; will he accept you? So in this verse we may note a 1.-ind of will ho be gracious to the people for your olim11x. God would not accept the victinB sakes? This hath been by your means. sacrificed, no, nor even the meat offering, These words form 11, parenthesis, implying which was naturally pure e.nd unpolluted. tho.t it was from the priests that the evil Ver. 11.-My Ne.me shall be great. The custom of offering blemished animals pro- course of thou~ht is this : God does not ceeded, and they were answerable for t_he need the worijhip of the Jews and their consequences; the.t their iutercessions were impious priests; he needs not their maimed vain was the result of their trnnsgressione saoriflces : hie majesty shall be recognized in these matters. Othe1·s interpret, "The throughout the wide world, e.nd pure wor- thmg depends on you," i.e. whether God ship shall be offered to him from every shows favour or uot. Will he regard your nation under heaven. How, then, sho.11 h" persons 1 Will he show favour to any one not punish those wlio, being his elect, ought beo11use ye intercede for him? So it might to have b~£1n e.n example of holiness, and 4 THE BOOK OF MALACHI. [oB, I, 1-14,