Malachi 3:1

Malachi 3:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
• New International Version (NIV)“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.

Context of Malachi 3:1

‘Look! I will send someone to speak my message. He will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord that you are waiting for will quickly return to his temple. The one who brings the message about the covenant will certainly come. He is the one that you really want to see.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says. 2‘But when he comes, he will be like a hot fire that makes metal pure. He will be like strong soap that makes clothes completely clean. Nobody will be able to stand in front of him when he appears. On that day, nobody will remain the same. 3He will work like a man who uses a hot fire to make gold and silver pure. He will make the Levites clean and pure. He will remove their dirt. Then they can offer proper sacrifices to the Lord.

Malachi 3:1 word by word

הִנְנִ֤י שֹׁלֵחַ֙ מַלְאָכִ֔י וּפִנָּה־דֶ֖רֶךְ לְפָנָ֑י וּפִתְאֹם֩ יָב֨וֹא אֶל־הֵיכָל֜וֹ הָאָד֣וֹן׀ אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֣ם מְבַקְשִׁ֗ים וּמַלְאַ֨ךְ הַבְּרִ֜ית אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּ֤ם חֲפֵצִים֙ הִנֵּה־בָ֔א אָמַ֖ר יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Behold, I will sendשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• my messengerמַלְאָךְmal'âk · messengerH4397
• and he shall prepareפָּנָהpânâh · to turnH6437
• the wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: roadH1870
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• me: and the Lordאָדוֹן'âdôn 'âdôn · lordH113
• whom ye seekבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• shall suddenlyפִּתְאֹםpith'ôm pith'ôm · suddenlyH6597
• comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• to his templeהֵיכָלhêykâl · templeH1964
• of the covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
• whom ye delightחָפֵץchâphêts · delightingH2655
• saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635

Cross-references for Malachi 3:1

• Malachi 2:7Priests should help people to know the truth about God. People should ask the priests to teach them, because the Lord Almighty has chosen priests to speak his message.
• Malachi 4:5Look! I will send my prophet Elijah to you. He will come before that great day of the Lord arrives. That will be a day that makes people afraid.
• Matthew 11:10This is what someone wrote about him a long time ago in the Bible. God said: “Listen! I will send someone to go in front of you. He will speak my message. He will prepare a way for you.” ’
• Mark 1:2The prophet Isaiah wrote this message from God in his book: ‘Listen! I will send someone to prepare a way for you. He will tell people my message.
• Luke 1:76Zechariah then spoke to John: ‘You, my child, will be called a prophet of the powerful God who is over all. You will go in front of the Lord to prepare a way for him.
• Luke 7:26So what did you go to see? Did you go to see a prophet sent by God? Yes! But I tell you, John was even more important than a prophet.
• John 1:6God sent a man to bring his message. His name was John.
• Isaiah 40:3Somebody's voice is shouting, ‘Prepare a way in the wilderness for the Lord. Make a straight road in the desert for our God.
• Matthew 3:1While Jesus still lived in Nazareth, a man called John the Baptist was speaking a message from God. He was doing this in the wilderness in Judea.
• Matthew 17:10Then the three disciples said to Jesus, ‘The teachers of God's Law say that God's prophet Elijah must return first, before the Messiah comes. Why do they say this?’
• Luke 1:16He will teach many people in Israel. Then they will turn their lives back to the Lord their God and they will obey God again.
• Luke 3:3John went to many places near the Jordan River and spoke a message from God. ‘You have done many wrong things,’ he taught everybody. ‘You must turn away from them and change how you live. Then God will forgive you and I will baptize you.’
• John 1:15John told people about the Word. He shouted, ‘This is the man that I told you about. He comes after me. But he is greater than I am. He was already there before I was born.’
• John 3:28You yourselves will remember that I said, “I am not the Messiah, but God sent me to prepare things for the Messiah.”
• Acts 13:24Before Jesus began his work in this world, John spoke a message to all the people of Israel. He told people to stop doing wrong things and to turn to God. Then he would baptize them.
• Acts 19:4Then Paul said, ‘John baptized people who knew that they had done wrong things. They wanted to stop doing these things. But John also said to the people, “You must believe in the man who will come soon.” This person is Jesus.’

Commentaries on Malachi 3:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Behold, I will send my messenger - מלאכי Malachi, the very name of the prophet. But this speaks of John the Baptist. I, the Messiah, the Seed of God, mentioned above, will send my messenger, John the Baptist. He shall prepare the way - Be as a pioneer before me; a corrector of civil abuses, and a preacher of righteousness. And the Lord, whom ye seek - The Messiah, whom ye expect, from the account given by the prophet Daniel, in his seventy weeks, Daniel…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1God answers their complaints of the absence of His judgments, that they would come, but would include those also who clamored for them. For no one who knew his own sinfulness would call for the judgment of God, as being himself, chief of sinners. Augustine pictures one saying to God, “Take away the ungodly man,” and that God answers, “Which?” Behold, I send My messenger before My face, and he shall prepare My way before Me - they, then, were not prepared…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Chapter Outline The coming of Christ. (1-6) The Jews reproved for their corruptions. (7-12) God's care of his people; The distinction between the righteous and the wicked. (13-18) Verses 1-6 The first words of this chapter seem an answer to the scoffers of those days. Here is a prophecy of the appearing of John the Baptist. He is Christ's harbinger. He shall prepare the way before him, by calling men to repentance. The Messiah had been long called, "He…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1My messenger (Hebrew mal’aki): This is a play on Malachi’s name. The messenger could be an angel or a human acting as a divine courier. Jesus identified John the Baptist by referring to this passage (see Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:27). Malachi’s audience likely saw the messenger of the covenant as a divine being (compare Exodus 23:20–23). The Christian church views Jesus Christ as the messenger of the new covenant.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-181. 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…Read the comment

Topics related to Malachi 3:1

• Church
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Malachi
• Messenger
• Prophecy
• Quotations and Allusions
• Temple

In the dictionaries

• Lord of Hosts
• Change
• Christ
• John the Baptist
• Malachi
• Mournfully
• Prove
• Rob
• Angel
• Angels of the Seven Churches

Commentaries on Malachi 3

• 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
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings