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 am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 2“But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable 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 2:7“The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
• Malachi 4:5“Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives.
• Matthew 11:10John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.’
• Mark 1:2just as the prophet Isaiah had written: “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way.
• Luke 1:76“And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
• Luke 7:26Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet.
• John 1:6God sent a man, John the Baptist,
• Isaiah 40:3Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
• Matthew 3:1In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was,
• Matthew 17:10Then his disciples asked him, “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?”
• Luke 1:16And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.
• Luke 3:3Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.
• John 1:15John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’”
• John 3:28You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’
• Acts 13:24Before he came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins and turn to God and be baptized.
• Acts 19:4Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning 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