Tree of Life Version
Malachi 3:18
18Then you will return and distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.”
Malachi 3:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
- New International Version (NIV)And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then you shall again discern Between the righteous and the wicked, Between one who serves God And one who does not serve Him.
Context of Malachi 3:18
16Then those who revere Adonai spoke with each other, and Adonai took notice and heard, and a scroll of remembrance was written before Him, for those who revere Adonai, even those who esteem His Name. 17“So they shall be Mine,”—says Adonai-Tzva’ot—“ in the day I make My own special possession. So I will spare them, as one spares his son serving him. Then you will return and distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.” 19“For behold, the day is coming —it will burn like a furnace— when all the proud and every evildoer will become stubble. The day that is coming will set them ablaze” —says Adonai-Tzva’ot— “leaving them neither root nor branch.” 20“But for you who revere My Name, the sun of righteousness will rise, with healing in its wings. Then you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.
Read all of Malachi 3Malachi 3:18 word by word
וְשַׁבְתֶּם֙ וּרְאִיתֶ֔ם בֵּ֥ין צַדִּ֖יק לְרָשָׁ֑ע בֵּ֚ין עֹבֵ֣ד אֱלֹהִ֔ים לַאֲשֶׁ֖ר לֹ֥א עֲבָדֽוֹ׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Malachi 3:18
- Malachi 3:14You say: “Serving God is worthless.” Also: “What good is it that we kept His service or that we walked as mourners before Adonai-Tzva’ot?
- Malachi 1:4For Edom may say, “We have been beaten down, but we will return and rebuild the ruins.” Thus Adonai-Tzva’ot says: “They may rebuild but I will tear down. They will be called a wicked territory, the people Adonai denounced forever.
- Job 6:29Relent, do not be unjust; reconsider, for my righteousness is in it.
- Job 17:10“But turn, all of you, come now! I will not find a wise man among you.
- Jeremiah 12:15Yet it will come to pass, after I have uprooted them, that I will again have compassion on them and I will bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land.
- Joel 2:14Who knows? He may turn and relent, and may leave a blessing behind Him —so there may be a grain offering and a drink offering for Adonai, your God.
- Zechariah 1:6But My words and My decrees, which I commanded My servants the prophets—did they not overtake your fathers? Then they repented and said ‘As He determined, Adonai-Tzva’ot has dealt with us according to our ways and our deeds.’”
- Genesis 18:25Far be it from You to do such a thing—to cause the righteous to die with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked share the same fate! Far be it from You! Shall the Judge of the whole world not exercise justice?”
- Psalms 58:10Even before your pots can feel a thorn —whether alive or ablaze— He will sweep the wicked away.
- Isaiah 3:10Say to the righteous, he will be well, eating the fruit of their deeds.
- Daniel 12:1“At that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has never occurred since the beginning of the nation until then. But at that time your people—everyone who is found written in the book—will be delivered.
- Matthew 25:46These shall go off to everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.”
- Romans 2:5But by your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:5This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. (
- Joshua 24:15If it seems bad to you to worship Adonai, then choose for yourselves today whom you will serve—whether the gods that your fathers worshipped that were beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will worship Adonai!”
- Daniel 3:17If it is so, our God whom we serve is able to save us from the furnace of blazing fire and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
Commentaries on Malachi 3:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18Then shall ye return - To your senses, when perhaps too late; and discern - see the difference which God makes, between the righteous and the wicked, which will be most marked and awful. Between him that serveth God - Your obedience to whom, ye said, would be unprofitable to you. And hits that serveth him not - Of whom ye said, his disobedience would be no prejudice to him. You will find the former received into the kingdom of glory; and the latter, with…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18Then shall ye return, or turn - , not, “return” in the sense of returning to God, for in that day will be the time of judgment, not of repentance; nor yet, “then shall ye again see;” for this is what they denied; and, if they had ceased to deny it, they would have been converted, not in that day, but before, when God gave them grace to see it. They shall turn, so as to have other convictions than before; but, as Judas. The Day of Judgment will make a…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-18Verses 13-18 Among the Jews at this time, some plainly discovered themselves to be children of the wicked one. The yoke of Christ is easy. But those who work wickedness, tempt God by presumptuous sins. Judge of things as they will appear when the doom of these proud sinners comes to be executed. Those that feared the Lord, spake kindly, for preserving and promoting mutual love, when sin thus abounded. They spake one to another, in the language of those…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-18Here, the prophet acts as a recorder. He reports how the people reacted to his final message and how God responded to the conversation among those who feared the Lord. God listened to what they said (see Malachi 3:16). However, there is no sign that Malachi’s message led to real change in most of the people.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1813-18. He notices the complaint of the Jews that it is of no profit to serve Jehovah, for that the ungodly proud are happy; and declares He will soon bring the day when it shall be known that He puts an everlasting distinction between the godly and the ungodly. words ... stout--Hebrew, "hard"; so "the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jude 15) [Henderson]. have we spoken--The Hebrew expresses at once their assiduity and habit…Read the comment
Topics related to Malachi 3:18
In the dictionaries
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
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