Malachi 3:1
New International Version
“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.

New Living Translation
“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.

English Standard Version
“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.

Berean Standard Bible
“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.

King James Bible
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 King James Version
“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.

New American Standard Bible
“Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a way before Me. And the Lord, whom you are seeking, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of armies.

NASB 1995
“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear 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.

NASB 1977
“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear 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.

Legacy Standard Bible
“Behold, I am going to 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 Yahweh of hosts.

Amplified Bible
“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will prepare and clear the way before Me. And the Lord [the Messiah], whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts.

Christian Standard Bible
“See, I am going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to his temple, the Messenger of the covenant you delight in—see, he is coming,” says the LORD of Armies.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.

American Standard Version
Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye desire, behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Behold, I am sending my Messenger and he shall clear the road before me, and suddenly he whom you expect shall come to the temple of LORD JEHOVAH, and the Messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he comes, says LORD JEHOVAH of Hosts!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Behold, I send forth my messenger, and he shall survey the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come into his temple, even the angel of the covenant, whom ye take pleasure in: behold, he is coming, saith the Lord Almighty.

Contemporary English Version
I, the LORD All-Powerful, will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then suddenly the Lord you are looking for will appear in his temple. The messenger you desire is coming with my promise, and he is on his way.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold I send my angel, and he shall prepare the way before my face. And presently the Lord, whom you seek, and the angel of the testament, whom you desire, shall come to his temple. Behold he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts.

English Revised Version
Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in, behold, he cometh, saith the LORD of hosts.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"I'm going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way ahead of me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the promise will come. He is the one you want," says the LORD of Armies.

Good News Translation
The LORD Almighty answers, "I will send my messenger to prepare the way for me. Then the Lord you are looking for will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger you long to see will come and proclaim my covenant."

International Standard Version
"Watch out! I'm sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly, the LORD you are looking for will come to his Temple. He is the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Watch out! He is coming!" says the LORD of the Heavenly Armies.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold, I send My messenger, And he shall clear the way before Me; And the Lord, whom ye seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, And the messenger of the covenant, Whom ye delight in, Behold, he cometh, Saith the LORD of hosts.

Literal Standard Version
“Behold, I am sending My messenger, | And he has prepared a way before Me, | And suddenly the Lord whom you are seeking comes into His temple, | Even the Messenger of the Covenant, | Whom you are desiring, | Behold, He is coming,” said YHWH of Hosts.

Majority Standard Bible
“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.

New American Bible
Now I am sending my messenger— he will prepare the way before me; And the lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple; The messenger of the covenant whom you desire— see, he is coming! says the LORD of hosts.

NET Bible
"I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming," says the LORD who rules over all.

New Revised Standard Version
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

New Heart English Bible
"Look, 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, whom you desire, look, he comes." says the LORD of hosts.

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, will suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he will come, saith the LORD of hosts.

World English Bible
“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me! The Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple. Behold, the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, is coming!” says Yahweh of Armies.

Young's Literal Translation
Lo, I am sending My messenger, And he hath prepared a way before Me, And suddenly come in unto his temple Doth the Lord whom ye are seeking, Even the messenger of the covenant, Whom ye are desiring, Lo, he is coming, said Jehovah of Hosts.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Coming Day of Judgment
1“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple— the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight— see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts. 2But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.…

Cross References
Matthew 11:10
This is the one about whom it is written: 'Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.'

Matthew 11:14
And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.

Mark 1:2
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way."

Luke 1:76
And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,

Luke 7:27
This is the one about whom it is written: 'Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.'

John 1:6
There came a man who was sent from God. His name was John.

John 1:7
He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe.


Treasury of Scripture

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom you delight in: behold, he shall come, said the LORD of hosts.

I will.

Malachi 2:7
For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

Malachi 4:5
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Matthew 11:10,11
For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee…

and he.

Isaiah 40:3-5
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God…

Matthew 3:1-3
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, …

Matthew 17:10-13
And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? …

and.

Psalm 110:1
A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

even.

Genesis 48:15,16
And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, …

Exodus 23:20
Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.

Isaiah 63:9
In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.

he shall come.

Haggai 2:7
And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.

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Malachi 3
1. Of the messenger, majesty, and grace of Christ.
7. Of the rebellion,
8. sacrilege,
13. and infidelity of the people.
16. The promise of blessing to those who fear God.














III.

(1) I will send.--Or, I send. It is the participle used as the prophetic present. (Comp. Note on Malachi 1:11.)

My messenger.--Heb., Malachi, my angel, or my messenger, with a play on the name of the prophet. In Malachi 2:7, he calls the priest the angel or messenger of the LORD. There can be little doubt that he is influenced in his choice of the term by his own personal name (see Introd.). This "messenger," by the distinct reference to Isaiah 40:3, contained in the words, "and he shall prepare," &c., is evidently the same as he whom [the deutero-] Isaiah prophetically heard crying, "In the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Moreover, from the nature of his mission, he is proved to be identical with the "Elijah" of Malachi 4:3. These words had their first, if not their perfect fulfilment in John the Baptist (Matthew 17:12). . . .

Verse 1. - Behold, I will send (I send) my messenger. God answers that he is coming to show himself the God of judgment and justice. Are they ready to meet him and to bear his sentence? Who this "messenger" is is disputed. That no angel or heavenly visitant is meant is clear from historical considerations, as no such event took place immediately before the Lord came to his temple. Nor can Malachi himself be intended, as his message was delivered nearly four, hundred years before Messiah came. The announcement is doubtless founded upon Isaiah 40:3, and refers to the same person as the older prophet mentions, who is generally allowed to be John the Baptist, the herald of Christ's advent (Matthew 11:10; John 1:6). Prepare the way before me. The expression is borrowed from Isaiah, loc. cit. (comp. also Isaiah 57:14; Isaiah 62:10). He prepares the way by preaching repentance, and thus removing the obstacle of sin which stood between God and his people. Whom ye seek. When ye ask, "Where is the God of judgment?" Shall suddenly come to his temple. The Lord (ha-Adon) is Jehovah, as in Exodus 23:17; Isaiah 1:24; Isaiah 3:1, etc. There is a change of persons here, as frequently. Jehovah shall unexpectedly come to his temple (τὸν ναὸν ἑαυτοῦ) as King and God of Israel (comp. Ezekiel 43:7). There was a literal fulfilment of this prophecy when Christ was presented in the temple as an infant (Luke 2:22, etc.). Even the messenger of the covenant. He is identified with the Lord; and he is the covenant angel who guided the Israelites to the promised land, and who is seen in the various theophanies of the Old Testament. The Divinity of Messiah is thus unequivocally asserted. In him are fulfilled all the promises made under the old covenant, and he is called (Hebrews 9:15) "the Mediator of the new covenant." Some render," and the Messenger," etc., thus distinguishing the Angel of the covenant from the forerunner who prepares the way. But this is already done by the expressions, "My Messenger," and "the Lord." Whom ye delight in. Whose advent ye expect with eager desire.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Behold,
הִנְנִ֤י (hin·nî)
Interjection | first person common singular
Strong's 2005: Lo! behold!

I will send
שֹׁלֵחַ֙ (šō·lê·aḥ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

My messenger,
מַלְאָכִ֔י (mal·’ā·ḵî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 4397: A messenger, of God, an angel

who will prepare
וּפִנָּה־ (ū·p̄in·nāh-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6437: To turn, to face, appear, look

the way
דֶ֖רֶךְ (ḏe·reḵ)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 1870: A road, a course of life, mode of action

before Me.
לְפָנָ֑י (lə·p̄ā·nāy)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6440: The face

Then the Lord
הָאָד֣וֹן ׀ (hā·’ā·ḏō·wn)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 113: Sovereign, controller

whom
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

you
אַתֶּ֣ם (’at·tem)
Pronoun - second person masculine plural
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

seek
מְבַקְשִׁ֗ים (mə·ḇaq·šîm)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 1245: To search out, to strive after

will suddenly
וּפִתְאֹם֩ (ū·p̄iṯ·’ōm)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 6597: Suddenness, suddenly

come
יָב֨וֹא (yā·ḇō·w)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

His temple—
הֵיכָל֜וֹ (hê·ḵā·lōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1964: A large public building, palace, temple

the Messenger
וּמַלְאַ֨ךְ (ū·mal·’aḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4397: A messenger, of God, an angel

of the covenant,
הַבְּרִ֜ית (hab·bə·rîṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1285: A covenant

in whom
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

you delight—
חֲפֵצִים֙ (ḥă·p̄ê·ṣîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2655: Delighting in, having pleasure in

see,
הִנֵּה־ (hin·nêh-)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

He is coming,”
בָ֔א (ḇā)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

says
אָמַ֖ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

the LORD
יְהוָ֥ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

of Hosts.
צְבָאֽוֹת׃ (ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 6635: A mass of persons, reg, organized for, war, a campaign


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OT Prophets: Malachi 3:1 Behold I send my messenger and he (Malachi Mal Ml)
Malachi 2:17
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