Malachi 1:8

Malachi 1:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts.
• New International Version (NIV)When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.
• English Standard Version (ESV)When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the Lord of hosts.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, Is it not evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, Is it not evil? Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you favorably?” Says the Lord of hosts.

Context of Malachi 1:8

6The Lord Almighty says this to the priests: ‘A son respects his father. A servant respects his master. If I am really your father and your master, why do you not respect me? You are my priests, but you insult my name. But then you ask, “What have we done to insult your name?” 7You insult my name when you offer unclean sacrifices to me on my altar. But you ask, “How have we offered unclean sacrifices to you?” You have shown that you do not respect the Lord's altar as important. You offer blind animals as a sacrifice to me. You know that is wrong. You offer to me animals that cannot walk or animals that are ill. That is also a wrong thing to do. You would not give gifts like that to your city's ruler. If you did, he would surely not accept them. He would not be happy with your gifts.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says. 9‘Now you ask me to be kind to you. You want me to forgive you. But when you offer unclean animals as gifts to me, I will not be happy with your gifts.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says. 10‘It would be better if one of you shut the temple doors! Then you would not be able to offer useless sacrifices on my altar. I am not happy with you. I will not accept any more gifts from you.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says.

Malachi 1:8 word by word

וְכִֽי־תַגִּשׁ֨וּן עִוֵּ֤ר לִזְבֹּ֙חַ֙ אֵ֣ין רָ֔ע וְכִ֥י תַגִּ֛ישׁוּ פִּסֵּ֥חַ וְחֹלֶ֖ה אֵ֣ין רָ֑ע הַקְרִיבֵ֨הוּ נָ֜א לְפֶחָתֶ֗ךָ הֲיִרְצְךָ֙ א֚וֹ הֲיִשָּׂ֣א פָנֶ֔יךָ אָמַ֖ר יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And if ye offerנָגַשׁnâgash · to approach: bringH5066
• the blindעִוֵּר‛ivvêr · blindH5787
• for sacrificeזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
• not evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
• the lameפִּסֵּחַpissêach · lameH6455
• and sickחָלָהchâlâh · be weak: illH2470
• offerקָרַבqârab · to present: bringH7126
• it now unto thy governorפֶּחָהpechâh · governorH6346
• will he be pleasedרָצָהrâtsâh · to acceptH7521
• with thee, or acceptנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: kindnessH5375
• thy personפָּנֶהpânîym · face: kindnessH6440
• saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635

Cross-references for Malachi 1:8

• Malachi 1:14‘You may promise to offer to me a valuable male animal from among your sheep. But then you change your mind. Instead, you offer to me an animal that has no value. I will surely punish you when you cheat me like that. Remember that I am a great king. People of all nations in the world respect my name with fear.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says.
• Leviticus 22:19he must give a bull, a sheep or a goat. The gift may be for a promise, or to thank God for something or for a friendship offering. The animal must be perfect.
• Deuteronomy 15:21But if a firstborn animal is not perfect, you must not offer it as a sacrifice to the Lord your God. It must not be blind or have weak legs. It must not have anything wrong with it.
• Malachi 1:10‘It would be better if one of you shut the temple doors! Then you would not be able to offer useless sacrifices on my altar. I am not happy with you. I will not accept any more gifts from you.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says.
• Job 42:8You three men must now go to Job. Take seven bulls and seven male sheep with you. Burn them as sacrifices for yourselves. After you have done that, my servant Job will pray for you. I will answer his prayer. Then I will not punish you as you deserve because of your foolish words. My servant Job has spoken the truth about me, but you have not.’
• Psalms 20:3He will remember the gifts that you have offered to him. He will accept your burnt offerings Selah
• Jeremiah 14:10The Lord says this about his people: ‘These people love to go wherever they want. They do not try to stay near to me. So they do not please me. Now I will remember the wrong things that they have done. I will punish them for their sins.’
• Hosea 8:13Israel's people offer sacrifices to me, and they eat the meat from those sacrifices. But their sacrifices do not please me. I know that they are guilty of wicked things. Soon I will punish them for their sins. They will have to return to Egypt.

Commentaries on Malachi 1:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Offer it now unto thy governor - פחת pechath, a word signifying a lieutenant, or viceroy, among the Chaldeans, Syrians, and Persians; for neither at this time, nor ever after, was there a king in Israel.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? - Others, “it is not evil,” as we should say, “there is no harm in it.” Both imply, alike, an utter unconsciousness on the part of the offerer, that it was evil: the one, in irony, that this was always their answer, “there is nothing amiss;” the other is an indignant question, “is there indeed nought amiss?” And this seems the most natural. The sacrifice of the “blind” and “lame” was expressly…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-14Verses 6-14 We may each charge upon ourselves what is here charged upon the priests. Our relation to God, as our Father and Master, strongly obliges us to fear and honour him. But they were so scornful that they derided reproof. Sinners ruin themselves by trying to baffle their convictions. Those who live in careless neglect of holy ordinances, who attend on them without reverence, and go from them under no concern, in effect say, The table of the Lord is…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8The governor was Persia’s appointed overseer of the province of Judah. The comparison between My altar (Malachi 1:7) and your governor (1:8) shows the Levitical priests' mixed loyalties. asks the LORD of Hosts: This phrase is called the messenger formula in prophetic speech and means that God supports the prophet’s message.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. Your earthly ruler would feel insulted, if offered by you the offering with which ye put off God (see Le 22:22, 24). is it not evil?--Maurer translates, "There is no evil," in your opinion, in such an offering; it is quite good enough for such a purpose.Read the comment

Topics related to Malachi 1:8

• Blindness
• Formalism
• Hypocrisy
• Minister, Christian

In the dictionaries

• Lord of Hosts
• Lame
• Malachi
• Person, Personality
• Respect of Persons
• Tithe

Commentaries on Malachi 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings