Malachi 3:4

Malachi 3:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
• New International Version (NIV)and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the Lord, As in the days of old, As in former years.

Context of Malachi 3:4

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. The Lord will accept the gifts that the people of Judah and Jerusalem offer to him. He will be happy with them as he was in earlier times. 5At that time, I will come among you as your judge. I will speak clearly against those who have done wrong things. I will punish the magicians, the adulterers and those who tell lies against other people. I will punish those people who are cruel to their workers, or they deceive widows or children who have no family. And I will punish those who do not help foreigners who live among them. People who do those things show that they do not respect me.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says. 6‘I am the Lord and I do not change. Because of my promises to my people, I have not destroyed you, descendants of Jacob.

Malachi 3:4 word by word

וְעָֽרְבָה֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה מִנְחַ֥ת יְהוּדָ֖ה וִירֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם כִּימֵ֣י עוֹלָ֔ם וּכְשָׁנִ֖ים קַדְמֹנִיּֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then shall the offeringמִנְחָהminchâh · offeringH4503
• of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
• and Jerusalemיְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵםyerûshâlaim yerûshâlayim · JerusalemH3389
• be pleasantעָרַב‛ârêb · to pleaseH6149
• unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• as in the daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• of oldעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: antiquityH5769
• and as in formerקַדְמֹנִיqadmônîy qadmônîy · eastern: olderH6931
• yearsשָׁנָהshâneh shânâh · yearH8141

Cross-references for Malachi 3:4

• Isaiah 1:26Then I will again give you honest judges, as you had a long time ago. I will also give you wise officers, as you had before. After that, you will be called “The Righteous City” and “The Faithful City”.’
• Isaiah 56:7Then I will bring them to my holy mountain. I will make them happy in my house, where people pray to me. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, when they offer them to me on my altar. People will call my temple, “A house where people from all nations may pray.” ’
• Jeremiah 30:18The Lord says, ‘I will bring back Jacob's descendants to their own land. Enemies have knocked down their houses, but I will repair the homes where they lived. I will be kind to them, so that each family can live safely. The city will stand again in its right place. The palace will also stand where it was before.
• Jeremiah 31:23The Lord Almighty, Israel's God, says this: ‘I will bring my people back from the land where they have been prisoners. Then the people in the towns of Judah will again say, “We pray that the Lord will bless you, Jerusalem. You are the special place where he lives on his holy mountain!”
• Ezekiel 20:40All of Israel's people will serve me on my holy mountain, Israel's great mountain. There I will accept them as my people. That is what the Almighty Lord says. I will receive your offerings, your gifts and all your holy sacrifices.
• Ezekiel 43:26The priests will make the altar clean and pure on each of those seven days. That will make it ready for holy use.
• Zechariah 8:3‘Jerusalem is the city that I have chosen. I will return there and I will live there. Then Jerusalem will be called the city that obeys God. And the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the mountain that God has chosen.’
• Zechariah 14:20On that day, men will write the words, ‘This is for the Lord’ on the bells of the horses. The pots that anyone uses to cook with in the house of the Lord will be special. They will be as special as the dishes in front of the altar.
• 1 Chronicles 15:26The Lord helped the Levites who were carrying his Covenant Box. So they offered seven bulls and seven male sheep as sacrifices to the Lord.
• 1 Chronicles 16:1David had put up a special tent for God's Covenant Box, so they took it there. They put it in its place inside the tent. Then they offered burnt offerings and friendship offerings to God.
• 1 Chronicles 21:26Then he built an altar there to worship the Lord. He offered burnt offerings and friendship offerings on it. He prayed to the Lord and the Lord answered him. The Lord sent fire from the sky to burn up the sacrifice on the altar.
• 1 Chronicles 29:20Then David spoke to all the people who were meeting there together. He told them, ‘Now praise the Lord, your God!’ So all the people praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors. They bent down low to worship the Lord. They gave honour to the Lord and also to the king.
• 2 Chronicles 1:6Solomon went up to the bronze altar which was in front of the Lord's special tent. He offered 1,000 burnt offerings on the altar to the Lord.
• 2 Chronicles 7:1When King Solomon had finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven. It destroyed the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices. The Lord's bright glory filled the temple.
• 2 Chronicles 8:12Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar that he had built. The altar was outside the entrance of the temple.
• 2 Chronicles 29:31Then Hezekiah said, ‘Now you have made yourselves clean to serve the Lord. So come to the Lord's temple and bring sacrifices and offerings to thank the Lord.’ So all the people brought their sacrifices and their offerings to thank the Lord. Everyone who wanted to offer burnt offerings brought animals for that too.

Commentaries on Malachi 3:4

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Then (And) shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem - The “law,” the new revelation of God, was to Isaiah 2:3. “go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Judah and Jerusalem then are here the Christian Church. “They shall be, pleasant (literally sweet) unto the Lord.” It is a reversal (using the self-same word) of what God had said of them in the time of their religious decay Hosea 9:4. “they shall not offer wine-offerings to the Lord…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-5Malachi's fourth message addresses the difference between God's justice and human justice (Malachi 2:17). This section sounds like a courtroom charge against Judah. It presents God’s formal accusation. Malachi condemns religious behavior that follows rules but lacks sincere devotion (see Malachi 3:14). This kind of worship goes against God’s justice. The prophet calls the people to honesty and to real concern for others in their community.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. as in the days of old--(Mal 1:11; 2:5, 6). The "offering" (Mincha, Hebrew) is not expiatory, but prayer, thanksgiving, and self-dedication (Ro 12:1; He 13:15; 1Pe 2:5).Read the comment

Topics related to Malachi 3:4

• Israel, Prophecies Concerning
• Malachi
• Worship

In the dictionaries

• Jerusalem
• Judah
• Judah, kingdom of Judah
• Judea, Judah
• Change
• Mournfully
• Prove
• Rob
• Covenant, the New
• Malachi

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