The Pulpit Commentary — Malachi — Section 24

either led by ouriOBity or introduoed by The sn,me punishnieut shall fnll on one who their profane husbands. But we have no offers even a.n obla.tion of nwnl for men who k1ww le<l!:e that this was the O&BO, It is arc guilty of this sin. This sin would better to take "t.hl' Ranctuary," or that appertain specie.Hy to tho priests. Or we which is holy unto the Lord, to be the tn11y take the clause in " goucml sense, chosen nation itself, the community beloved God will cut off every such tmnsg1·essor, by God, which was holy by election nn<l even if he try to propitiate th<l Lord by proression, ei,en R.S Christian& nre commonly making an <lfl'ering , before him (Eoolus. cnlled saints in th,, Epistles. (For the term xxxv. [xxxii.J 12)1 "Do not think to corrupt "" applied to the Israelil<'s, st-e Exod. xi:s;. with. gifts; for such he will not reoei 1·0: o.nd 6: xxii. 31; Lev. xi. H; xix. 2; comp. trust not to--·nurighteous sacrifices; for thu Ezra ix. 2; Neh. xiii. 29.) The daughter Lord is J udgc, aud with ,him is no respect of a strange god. A woman who is an of persons." , • idolatres&. who 11dhered to a. foreign deity Ver. 13.-Not only did ..they m1my. (,ler. ii. 2i). as tile Israelites a.re called" sons heathen females, but they divorced their of Jeho,·ah," ns joined to him i.n communion own legitimate wives to fe.cilita.te. such (Dent. xiv. l; Prov. xiv. 26). '.!.'he LXX. unholy alliances. T,his have ye done again; omits the point of the charge, rendering, ,cal tld.s again ye do, Here is another and o. J1rer-l,8E=uu.a: "'~ 8foils a.A>..o-rplovs, '' and. fol- further offence. Others take '' ago.in " in lowed after str;mge gods." the sense of "a second time," referring to Yer. 12.-Will cnt oft', The Hebrew is tbo fact that Ezra. had effected a reform in an imprecation, "May the Lord cnt off" this matter, but the people had rela.psed (Dent. vii. 2, 3). It implies that,the trau~• into the so.me sin. But tbe first expla.na- gressor shell be deprived of his position a.s tion is preferable. Septua.gint, ,cal .-av.-a, one of the covenant people, and she.II leave & iµ.ltTou11, .,,..,.,.,.,, " and this whjoh I hated no one to maintain his name and family. ye did." Covering (ye cover) the a.ltar, of The man. Others render,," unto the man," the Lord with tears. The prophet, as before waking the following words the direct ' (yer. l 0), does not at once declare what this object of ihe verb. The master and the fresh (!ntre.ge is, but intimatee.,its n1Lture. scholar; so the V nlgate, magilit""m et dis, The picture be exhibits is that o( a ,multi- cipulum; literally, the wateMr and t,J,e tude . of repudiated wives coming to, the a,,swerer, i.e. the watobma.n a.nd the in- temple with weeping and lamentation, and habi1.ants of the city; the LXX., reading la.ying their oanse before . the Lor,d. Inso- somewhat differently, bus, ,,,,s ,ml .-ci1r,w018fi much that he regardeth not the off'eri.ng ,;,, lTIC'Jl""'l'-'h"'" 'la,c,I,fl, "until he be brought any more. '.l.'his cruel and wicked conduct low from the tents of Jacob." mee.ning,uutil raised a. barrier between ,them and God, so he repent and return humbly to obe<lience. that he reg11,rded with favour no offe1-in.g In this case the term" cut off" must be taken of theirs.. . . ,. in some milder sense than "exterminate." Ver. 14.-Yet Y!l s,ay, Wberefore,l Here The present text, however, seems to be a is the usual sceptical objection, o.s in eh, i. ,kind of alliterative proverbial saying to ex- 6, 7. The people will not o.cknnwledge press totality, ~verybody; though whence it their guiltiuess, and ,ask, "Why ia God dia- arost, and wha.t is its exact signjnce.tion, are plea,;ed with us? why ~re our offerings not matters of great uncertainty. Some take the acceptable?" . '.I.'he pl'Ophet replies; 1'ecaUBe phrase t.o mean," every w&k!ing and speaking the Lord ha.th _b.een witness, etc... The sin person," i.e. every living soul. TheEngli.llh is now di.sciosed. , Their ma.ri-ioges had been 11,uJ Latiu Version6 proceed on the assump· made before God; he who first instituted tion (which Pusey -denies) that the first matrimony, (Gen.' ii. 24) was n, witness of verl., can be ta.ken acti {.ely, .'.' he that the contract and gave it his sanction (comp. awo.keudh," the teacher being 80 ~ailed f\B Gen. xxxi. 50). ,The wife of thy youth. 1,timulating the scholar, who j_s narned "the Whom thou didst marry when thine a.ffec- answerer." The Targum and Syria.c ex- tions w~re pure and fresh1 and.for whom.thy plain it by " son and sou's son."· Of the love wa.s irtrong and ,simple (Prov. v. 18). various suggestions offered, the most pro• .Against whoiji thou hast dealt treachero,usly; bable is that it ie a military phrase derived Septu:i.iint, " whom thou Last deserted," Crow the challenge of the sentinel• and the This wife of thine thou hast betrayed, aruwer tlwreto, which in time came to de- b:r:eaking faith with her by repudiating her. 1wte the whole in.lla.bitants of a camp 01· The wife of thy covenant. With whom city. The te.bema.clea. The dwellings. .Or thou didijt make u solemn vow and covenant, the word, as Dr. Cox supposes, may belong to violate which is a mo1111trous· crime. We to the original saying. and have come down have very little in.formation respecting the from the remote period when the lsraeliLes religiuus ceremonies connected with LL Jewish liv~<l in teJJts. And him that off'ereth an wedding. The previous e~pousal was a gifcri!!.g (miiiehal.) unto the Lord o.f hosts. fun: :I prol·eeiliug, oou<luctcd by fricuda Cl!, II, 1-17.] THE BOOK OF MALACHI. 23