Malachi 1:7

Malachi 1:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible.
• New International Version (NIV)“By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask, ‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible.
• English Standard Version (ESV)By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, 'How have we polluted you?' By saying that the Lord's table may be despised.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“You offer defiled food on My altar, But say, ‘In what way have we defiled You?’ By saying, ‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’

Context of Malachi 1:7

5When you see the destruction for yourselves, you will say, ‘Truly, the Lord’s greatness reaches far beyond Israel’s borders!’” 6The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: “A son honors his father, and a servant respects his master. If I am your father and master, where are the honor and respect I deserve? You have shown contempt for my name! “But you ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’ “You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my altar. “Then you ask, ‘How have we defiled the sacrifices?’ “You defile them by saying the altar of the Lord deserves no respect. 8When you give blind animals as sacrifices, isn’t that wrong? And isn’t it wrong to offer animals that are crippled and diseased? Try giving gifts like that to your governor, and see how pleased he is!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9“Go ahead, beg God to be merciful to you! But when you bring that kind of offering, why should he show you any favor at all?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

Malachi 1:7 word by word

מַגִּישִׁ֤ים עַֽל־מִזְבְּחִי֙ לֶ֣חֶם מְגֹאָ֔ל וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם בַּמֶּ֣ה גֵֽאַלְנ֑וּךָ בֶּאֱמָרְכֶ֕ם שֻׁלְחַ֥ן יְהוָ֖ה נִבְזֶ֥ה הֽוּא׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Ye offerנָגַשׁnâgash · to approach: bringH5066
• pollutedגָּאַלgâ'al · to defileH1351
• breadלֶ֫חֶםlechem · foodH3899
• upon mine altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
• and ye sayאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• The tableשֻׁלְחָןshûlchân · tableH7979
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• contemptibleבָּזָהbâzâh · to despiseH959

Cross-references for Malachi 1:7

• Leviticus 2:11“Do not use yeast in preparing any of the grain offerings you present to the Lord, because no yeast or honey may be burned as a special gift presented to the Lord.
• Leviticus 21:6They must be set apart as holy to their God and must never bring shame on the name of God. They must be holy, for they are the ones who present the special gifts to the Lord, gifts of food for their God.
• Deuteronomy 15:21But if this firstborn animal has any defect, such as lameness or blindness, or if anything else is wrong with it, you must not sacrifice it to the Lord your God.
• Malachi 1:12“But you dishonor my name with your actions. By bringing contemptible food, you are saying it’s all right to defile the Lord’s table.
• 1 Samuel 2:15Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal’s fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting.
• Ezekiel 41:22There was an altar made of wood, 5-1/4 feet high and 3-1/2 feet across. Its corners, base, and sides were all made of wood. “This,” the man told me, “is the table that stands in the Lord’s presence.”
• 1 Corinthians 10:21You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too.
• 1 Corinthians 11:21For some of you hurry to eat your own meal without sharing with others. As a result, some go hungry while others get drunk.

Commentaries on Malachi 1:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Ye offer polluted bread - The priests, probably to ingratiate themselves with the people, took the refuse beasts, etc., and offered them to God; and thus the sacrificial ordinances were rendered contemptible.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Offering polluted bread upon Mine altar - This, continuing on the words, “despisers of My Name,”, is the answer to their question, “Wherein have we despised Thy Name?” “Bread” might stand, in itself, either for the showbread, or for the מנחה minchāh meal-offering, which was the necessary accompaniment of sacrifices and sometimes the whole. But here the “polluted bread” cannot be the showbread, since this was not put upon the altar, but upon its own…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. 7defiled food on my table: Ceremonial uncleanness or contamination made an object or person unfit for worship ceremonies to the Lord. In this case, defilement happened by ignoring the laws about acceptable animal sacrifices (Leviticus 22:17–25; Deuteronomy 15:21).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. ye offer, &c.--God's answer to their challenge (Mal 1:6), "Wherein have we despised?" polluted bread--namely, blemished sacrifices (Mal 1:8, 13, 14; De 15:21). So "the bread of thy God" is used for "sacrifices to God" (Le 21:8). polluted thee--that is, offered to thee "polluted bread." table of the Lord--that is, the altar (Eze 41:22) (not the table of showbread). Just as the sacrificial flesh is called "bread." contemptible--(Mal 1:12, 13). Ye…Read the comment

Topics related to Malachi 1:7

• Hypocrisy
• Infidelity
• Minister, Christian
• Presumption
• Table
• Unbelief

In the dictionaries

• Altar
• Abomination
• Defile; Defilement
• Malachi
• Pollution
• Table
• 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