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 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. Then once more the Lord will accept the offerings brought to him by the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as he did in the past. 5“At that time I will put you on trial. I am eager to witness against all sorcerers and adulterers and liars. I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 6“I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.

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 give you good judges again and wise counselors like you used to have. Then Jerusalem will again be called the Home of Justice and the Faithful City.”
• Isaiah 56:7I will bring them to my holy mountain of Jerusalem and will fill them with joy in my house of prayer. I will accept their burnt offerings and sacrifices, because my Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
• Jeremiah 30:18This is what the Lord says: “When I bring Israel home again from captivity and restore their fortunes, Jerusalem will be rebuilt on its ruins, and the palace reconstructed as before.
• Jeremiah 31:23This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “When I bring them back from captivity, the people of Judah and its towns will again say, ‘The Lord bless you, O righteous home, O holy mountain!’
• Ezekiel 20:40For on my holy mountain, the great mountain of Israel, says the Sovereign Lord, the people of Israel will someday worship me, and I will accept them. There I will require that you bring me all your offerings and choice gifts and sacrifices.
• Ezekiel 43:26Do this each day for seven days to cleanse and make atonement for the altar, thus setting it apart for holy use.
• Zechariah 8:3“And now the Lord says: I am returning to Mount Zion, and I will live in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City; the mountain of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will be called the Holy Mountain.
• Zechariah 14:20On that day even the harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with these words: Holy to the Lord. And the cooking pots in the Temple of the Lord will be as sacred as the basins used beside the altar.
• 1 Chronicles 15:26And because God was clearly helping the Levites as they carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
• 1 Chronicles 16:1They brought the Ark of God and placed it inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to God.
• 1 Chronicles 21:26David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And when David prayed, the Lord answered him by sending fire from heaven to burn up the offering on the altar.
• 1 Chronicles 29:20Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.
• 2 Chronicles 1:6There in front of the Tabernacle, Solomon went up to the bronze altar in the Lord’s presence and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings on it.
• 2 Chronicles 7:1When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple.
• 2 Chronicles 8:12Then Solomon presented burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar he had built for him in front of the entry room of the Temple.
• 2 Chronicles 29:31Then Hezekiah declared, “Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the Lord, bring your sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings to the Temple of the Lord.” So the people brought their sacrifices and thanksgiving offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings, 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