Malachi 1:4

Malachi 1:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the Lord of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever.
• New International Version (NIV)Edom may say, “Though we have been crushed, we will rebuild the ruins.” But this is what the Lord Almighty says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Wicked Land, a people always under the wrath of the Lord.
• English Standard Version (ESV)If Edom says, "We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins," the Lord of hosts says, "They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called 'the wicked country,' and 'the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.'"
• New Living Translation (NLT)Esau’s descendants in Edom may say, “We have been shattered, but we will rebuild the ruins.” But the Lord of Heaven’s Armies replies, “They may try to rebuild, but I will demolish them again. Their country will be known as ‘The Land of Wickedness,’ and their people will be called ‘The People with Whom the Lord Is Forever Angry.’

Context of Malachi 1:4

2“I have loved you,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved; 3But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness.” Even though Edom has said, “We have been impoverished, But we will return and build the desolate places,” Thus says the Lord of hosts: “They may build, but I will throw down; They shall be called the Territory of Wickedness, And the people against whom the Lord will have indignation forever. 5Your eyes shall see, And you shall say, ‘The Lord is magnified beyond the border of Israel.’ 6“A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name?’

Malachi 1:4 word by word

כִּֽי־תֹאמַ֨ר אֱד֜וֹם רֻשַּׁ֗שְׁנוּ וְנָשׁוּב֙ וְנִבְנֶ֣ה חֳרָב֔וֹת כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת הֵ֥מָּה יִבְנ֖וּ וַאֲנִ֣י אֶהֱר֑וֹס וְקָרְא֤וּ לָהֶם֙ גְּב֣וּל רִשְׁעָ֔ה וְהָעָ֛ם אֲשֶׁר־זָעַ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה עַד־עוֹלָֽם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Whereas Edomאֱדוֹם'ĕdôm 'ĕdôm · EdomH123
• saithאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• We are impoverishedרָשַׁשׁrâshash · to beatH7567
• but we will returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: rescueH7725
• and buildבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
• the desolate placesחׇרְבָּהchorbâh · desolationH2723
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
• but I will throw downהָרַסhâras · to overthrowH2040
• and they shall callקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call byH7121
• them, The borderגְּבוּלgebûl gebûl · border: areaH1366
• of wickednessרִשְׁעָהrish‛âh · wickednessH7564
• and, The peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• hath indignationזָעַםzâ‛am · be indignantH2194
• forעַד‛ad · tillH5704
• everעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769

Cross-references for Malachi 1:4

• Isaiah 9:9All the people will know— Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria— Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
• James 4:13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”;
• Job 9:4God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?
• Job 12:14If He breaks a thing down, it cannot be rebuilt; If He imprisons a man, there can be no release.
• Job 34:29When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?—
• Psalms 127:1Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.
• Proverbs 21:30There is no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against the Lord.
• Isaiah 10:4Without Me they shall bow down among the prisoners, And they shall fall among the slain.” For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is stretched out still.
• Lamentations 3:37Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it?
• Matthew 12:30He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
• Jeremiah 31:17There is hope in your future, says the Lord, That your children shall come back to their own border.
• Ezekiel 11:10You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.
• Amos 6:2Go over to Calneh and see; And from there go to Hamath the great; Then go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms? Or is their territory greater than your territory?
• Malachi 1:3But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness.”
• Psalms 137:7Remember, O Lord, against the sons of Edom The day of Jerusalem, Who said, “Raze it, raze it, To its very foundation!”
• Isaiah 11:14But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; Together they shall plunder the people of the East; They shall lay their hand on Edom and Moab; And the people of Ammon shall obey them.

Commentaries on Malachi 1:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4They shall build, but I will throw down - We have already seen enough of the wickedness of the Edomites to justify the utmost severity of Divine justice against them. The pulling down predicted here was by Judas Maccabeus; see 1 Maccabees 5:65; and by John Hyrcanus; see Joseph Antiq., lib. 13 c. 9. s. 1. They shall call them, The border of wickedness - A wicked land. Among this people scarcely any trace of good could ever be noted.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Whereas Edom saith - oWe are impoverished - oידשׁשׁ .), or, more probably, “we were crushed.” Either gives an adequate sense. Human self-confidence will admit anything, as to the past; nay, will even exaggerate past evil to itself, “Crush us how they may, we will arise and repair our losses.” So Ephraim said of old Isaiah 9:9-10, “in the pride and stoutness of heart, The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn-stones: the sycamores are cut…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4the LORD of Hosts (Hebrew Yahweh tseba’oth): This name for God is important in Old Testament prophetic writings. Hosts are the angelic forces under God's command. This phrase emphasizes God's power, which cannot be defeated. the Land of Wickedness: Esau was selfish and showed disrespect for the Lord’s covenant symbols (see Genesis 25:34). The nation of Edom came to represent the pride of a self-centered life (see Jeremiah 49:16). The Edomites also allied…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Whereas--"But if" Edom say [Maurer]. Edom may strive as she may to recover herself, but it shall be in vain, for I doom her to perpetual desolation, whereas I restore Israel. This Jehovah states, to illustrate His gratuitous love to Israel, rather than to Edom. border of wickedness--a region given over to the curse of reprobation [Calvin]. For a time Judea seemed as desolate as Idumea; but though the latter was once the highway of Eastern commerce, now…Read the comment

Topics related to Malachi 1:4

• Edomites

In the dictionaries

• Edom
• Edom; Edomites
• Edom, Edomite, Idumea
• Lord of Hosts
• Malachi, Prophecies of
• Malachi
• Nabataeans; Nabathaeans
• Obadiah, Book of

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