Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. New Living Translation I will punish your descendants and splatter your faces with the manure from your festival sacrifices, and I will throw you on the manure pile. English Standard Version Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. Berean Standard Bible Behold, I will rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the waste from your feasts, and you will be carried off with it. Berean Literal Bible Behold, I am giving a rebuke to your⁺ seed, and I will spread dung on your⁺ faces, the dung from your⁺ feasts, and it will carry you⁺ off with it. King James Bible Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. New King James Version “Behold, I will rebuke your descendants And spread refuse on your faces, The refuse of your solemn feasts; And one will take you away with it. New American Standard Bible Behold, I am going to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the dung of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it. NASB 1995 “Behold, I am going to rebuke your offspring, and I will spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it. NASB 1977 “Behold, I am going to rebuke your offspring, and I will spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it. Legacy Standard Bible Behold, I am going to rebuke your seed, and I will spread refuse on your faces, the refuse of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it. Amplified Bible Behold, I am going to rebuke your seed, and I will spread the refuse on your faces, the refuse from the festival offerings; and you will be taken away with it [in disgrace]. Berean Annotated Bible Behold, I will rebuke your⁺ descendants (I will blight your grain), and I will spread dung on your⁺ faces, the waste from your⁺ feasts, and you⁺ will be carried off with it. Christian Standard Bible “Look, I am going to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread animal waste over your faces, the waste from your festival sacrifices, and you will be taken away with it. Holman Christian Standard Bible Look, I am going to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread animal waste over your faces, the waste from your festival sacrifices, and you will be taken away with it. American Standard Version Behold, I will rebuke your seed, and will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your feasts; and ye shall be taken away with it. Contemporary English Version I will punish your descendants and rub your faces in the manure from your animal sacrifices, and then be done with you. English Revised Version Behold, I will rebuke the seed for your sake, and will spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your sacrifices; and ye shall be taken away with it. GOD'S WORD® Translation "I'm going to punish your descendants. I'm going to spread excrement on your faces, the excrement from your festival sacrifices. You will be discarded with it. Good News Translation I will punish your children and rub your faces in the dung of the animals you sacrifice--and you will be taken out to the dung heap. International Standard Version Look! I'm rebuking your descendants because of you, and I'll spread waste on your faces, the waste of your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it. NET Bible I am about to discipline your children and will spread offal on your faces, the very offal produced at your festivals, and you will be carried away along with it. New Heart English Bible Look, I will rebuke your seed, and will spread dung on your faces, even the dung of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it. Webster's Bible Translation Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleBehold, I will rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the waste from your feasts, and you will be carried off with it. World English Bible Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and will spread dung on your faces, even the dung of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionBehold, I am pushing away the seed before you, "" And have scattered dung before your faces, "" Dung of your festivals, "" And it has taken you away with it. Berean Literal Bible Behold, I am giving a rebuke to your⁺ seed, and I will spread dung on your⁺ faces, the dung from your⁺ feasts, and it will carry you⁺ off with it. Young's Literal Translation Lo, I am pushing away before you the seed, And have scattered dung before your faces, Dung of your festivals, And it hath taken you away with it. Smith's Literal Translation Behold me rebuking the seed to you, and I scattered dung upon your faces, the dung of your festivals; and it lifted you up to it. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleBehold, I will cast the shoulder to you, and I will scatter upon your face the dung of your solemnities, and it shall take you away with it. Catholic Public Domain Version Behold, I will cast forth an arm to you, and I will scatter across your face the dung of your solemnities, and it will take you to itself. New American Bible I will rebuke your offspring; I will spread dung on your faces, Dung from your feasts, and will carry you to it. New Revised Standard Version I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and I will put you out of my presence. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleBehold, I will rebuke the seed of the ground, and spread dung upon your faces, even dung upon your solemn feasts; and I will cause you to be taken away with it. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Behold, I rebuke the seed of the land and I shall scatter dung on your faces and dung on your feasts and I shall remove you with it OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Behold, I will rebuke the seed for your hurt, And will spread dung upon your faces, Even the dung of your sacrifices; And ye shall be taken away unto it. Brenton Septuagint Translation Behold, I turn my back upon you, and I will scatter dung upon your faces, the dung of your feasts, and I will carry you away at the same time. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context A Warning to Priests…2If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to honor My name,” says the LORD of Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already begun to curse them, because you are not taking it to heart. 3Behold, I will rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the waste from your feasts, and you will be carried off with it. 4Then you will know that I have sent you this commandment so that My covenant with Levi may continue,” says the LORD of Hosts.… Cross References Behold, I will rebuke your descendants, Deuteronomy 28:18 The fruit of your womb will be cursed, as well as the produce of your land, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks. 1 Samuel 2:31-34 Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no one in it will reach old age. / You will see distress in My dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your house will ever again reach old age. / And every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar, I will cause your eyes to fail and your heart to grieve. All your descendants will die by the sword of men. … Numbers 14:18 ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generation.’ and I will spread dung on your faces, Nahum 3:6 I will pelt you with filth and treat you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you. Ezekiel 4:12-15 And you shall eat the food as you would a barley cake, after you bake it over dried human excrement in the sight of the people.” / Then the LORD said, “This is how the Israelites will eat their defiled bread among the nations to which I will banish them.” / “Ah, Lord GOD,” I said, “I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have not eaten anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts. No unclean meat has ever entered my mouth.” … 2 Kings 10:27 They also demolished the sacred pillar of Baal. Then they tore down the temple of Baal and made it into a latrine, which it is to this day. the waste from your feasts, Leviticus 4:11-12 But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, with its head and legs and its entrails and dung— / all the rest of the bull—he must take outside the camp to a ceremonially clean place where the ashes are poured out, and there he must burn it on a wood fire on the ash heap. Leviticus 16:27 The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; and their hides, flesh, and dung must be burned up. Exodus 29:14 But burn the flesh of the bull and its hide and dung outside the camp; it is a sin offering. and you will be carried off with it. 2 Kings 9:37 And Jezebel’s body will lie like dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel, so that no one can say: This is Jezebel.’” Jeremiah 25:33 Those slain by the LORD on that day will be spread from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned, gathered, or buried. They will be like dung lying on the ground. Job 20:7 he will perish forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’ Deuteronomy 28:15-68 If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: / You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. / Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed. … Leviticus 26:14-39 If, however, you fail to obey Me and to carry out all these commandments, / and if you reject My statutes, despise My ordinances, and neglect to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant, / then this is what I will do to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting disease, and fever that will destroy your sight and drain your life. You will sow your seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. … Isaiah 1:4-9 Alas, O sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him. / Why do you want more beatings? Why do you keep rebelling? Your head has a massive wound, and your whole heart is afflicted. / From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness—only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil. … Jeremiah 6:19-21 Hear, O earth! I am bringing disaster on this people, the fruit of their own schemes, because they have paid no attention to My word and have rejected My instruction. / What use to Me is frankincense from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please Me.” / Therefore this is what the LORD says: “I will lay stumbling blocks before this people; fathers and sons alike will be staggered; friends and neighbors will perish.” Treasury of Scripture Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung on your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it. I will. Joel 1:17 The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. corrupt. Malachi 2:9 Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law. 1 Samuel 2:29,30 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? … 1 Kings 14:10 Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone. one shall take you away with it. Jump to Previous Arm Carried Corrupt Cut Descendants Dung Faces Feasts Festival Festivals Hurt Offal Offerings Offspring Presence Pushing Rebuke Refuse Sacrifices Scattered Seed Solemn Spread WasteJump to Next Arm Carried Corrupt Cut Descendants Dung Faces Feasts Festival Festivals Hurt Offal Offerings Offspring Presence Pushing Rebuke Refuse Sacrifices Scattered Seed Solemn Spread WasteMalachi 2 1. He sharply reproves the priests for neglecting their covenant;10. and the people for marrying strange wives; 13. and for putting away their former ones, 17. and for infidelity. Behold, I will rebuke your descendants This phrase indicates a divine warning and judgment that extends beyond the immediate audience to their future generations. The concept of God rebuking descendants is consistent with the biblical principle of generational consequences for sin, as seen in Exodus 20:5, where God speaks of visiting "the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation." This highlights the seriousness of the priests' failure to honor God, as their actions have repercussions that affect their lineage. The rebuke is a call to repentance and a reminder of the covenantal relationship between God and His people, where blessings and curses are contingent upon obedience. and I will spread dung on your faces the waste from your feasts and you will be carried off with it Persons / Places / Events 1. MalachiThe last prophet of the Old Testament, Malachi's name means "my messenger." He delivered God's message to the Israelites, calling them to repentance and faithfulness. 2. Priests of Israel The primary audience of Malachi's rebuke. They were responsible for maintaining the temple worship and leading the people in spiritual matters but had become corrupt and negligent. 3. Descendants Refers to the offspring of the priests, indicating that the consequences of their actions would affect future generations. 4. Feasts The religious festivals of Israel, which had become corrupted by the priests' insincere and improper practices. 5. God's Rebuke A divine reprimand indicating God's displeasure with the priests' actions and the serious consequences that would follow. Teaching Points The Seriousness of Spiritual LeadershipSpiritual leaders are held to a high standard. Their actions have significant consequences for themselves and those they lead. The Consequences of Disobedience Disobedience to God's commands, especially by leaders, can lead to severe repercussions, affecting future generations. The Call to Genuine Worship God desires sincere worship from the heart, not mere ritualistic observance. Our worship should reflect our true devotion to Him. Repentance and Restoration Even in rebuke, there is an opportunity for repentance and restoration. God's discipline is meant to bring us back to Him. The Impact of Sin on Community Sin, especially within leadership, can defile the community and hinder its relationship with God. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Malachi 2:3?2. How does Malachi 2:3 emphasize the importance of honoring God's covenant today? 3. What consequences does Malachi 2:3 describe for failing to honor God? 4. How can we apply the warnings in Malachi 2:3 to our spiritual lives? 5. What other scriptures highlight the importance of respecting God's commands and covenants? 6. How does Malachi 2:3 challenge us to examine our faithfulness to God? 7. What does Malachi 2:3 mean by "rebuke your descendants" in the Berean Standard Bible? 8. How does Malachi 2:3 reflect God's attitude towards disobedience? 9. Why does Malachi 2:3 use such harsh imagery to convey its message? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Malachi 2? 11. What was Jesus' purpose in cleansing the temple? 12. Malachi 3:2 - Is the 'refiner's fire' imagery purely symbolic, and does it conflict with any scientific or historical understanding of purification? 13. Malachi 2:7-8 - Where is the historical or archaeological support that the priests actually corrupted God's covenant in this manner? 14. Who is the author of the book of Malachi? What Does Malachi 2:3 Mean Behold, I will rebuke your descendantsGod opens with a personal promise of discipline. The “descendants” (“seed”) are both the priests’ children and their ministerial legacy. When leaders treat the covenant lightly, their offspring suffer—exactly what the Lord warned in Exodus 20:5 and demonstrated in Hosea 4:6 and 1 Samuel 2:30-34. The rebuke is literal and generational, yet it is also corrective, echoing Proverbs 3:12 and Revelation 3:19: God confronts so that blessing can follow repentance. I will spread dung on your faces The entrails and dung of a sacrifice were unclean and burned outside the camp (Exodus 29:14; Leviticus 4:11-12). By smearing that filth on the priests’ faces, God exposes their hidden corruption (Luke 11:39), humiliates them publicly (Isaiah 3:17), and reverses their supposed honor (Psalm 50:16-17). What should have signified holiness now brands them with shame. the waste from your feasts The offal removed during festival sacrifices becomes the emblem of their worship. Instead of enjoying the choicest portions promised to faithful priests (Deuteronomy 18:1-3), they are identified with garbage because their celebrations are self-indulgent (Isaiah 1:13-14). The fragrant offering of Leviticus 1:9 has turned into stench, like the rotting manna of Exodus 16:20. and you will be carried off with it Just as refuse was taken outside the camp (Leviticus 16:27), the priests themselves will be removed, foreshadowing exile for covenant breakers (Leviticus 26:33; Jeremiah 13:18-19). Their fate mirrors Israel’s earlier removal to Assyria (2 Kings 17:6) and anticipates the lampstand’s removal from unrepentant churches (Revelation 2:5). God will not allow defilement to remain before Him. summary Malachi 2:3 delivers a stark, literal warning: God will rebuke corrupt priests by cutting off their posterity, smearing them with the filth of their own sacrifices, branding their worship as garbage, and removing them from His presence. The passage underscores His unwavering holiness and the real, generational consequences of despising His covenant, while still extending an urgent call to repent and return to blessing. (3) I will corrupt your seed.--Better, I will destroy for you the seed--viz., of the crops. It must be remembered that because the people neglected to pay the tithes, the Levites were obliged to go and till the fields (Nehemiah 13:10). The LXX. for "seed" reads "corn."Dung of your solemn feasts.--Or rather, of your festival sacrifices. (Comp. Exodus 23:18; Psalm 118:27.) The dung of the sacrificial animals was to be carried to an unclean place outside the camp, and burnt there. The priests, because they had profaned God's Name by offering unfit animals in sacrifice, were to be treated in the most ignominious manner. And one shall take you away with it--i.e., according to a Hebrew idiom, and ye shall be carried away to it (comp. Isaiah 8:4):--ye shall be treated like it. Verse 3. - I will corrupt your seed. Henderson, "I will rebuke the seed to your hurt." God would mar the promise of their crops; but, as the priests did not concern themselves with agriculture, such a threat would have had no particular application to them. It is best, therefore, to take the pointing of some of the versions, and to translate, I will rebuke your arm; i.e. I will take from you the power of performing, or, I will neutralize your official duties, the arm being the instrument of labour, offering, and blessing. Others consider the threat to be that they should be deprived of their allotted portion of the sacrifice - the breast and shoulder (Leviticus 7:31, 32), or the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the maw (Deuteronomy 18:3). Septuagint, Ἀφορίζω ὑμῖν τὸν ω΅μον, "I take from you the shoulder;" Vulgate, Ego projiciam vobis brachium. Orelli takes "seed" in the sense of posterity, seeing here a reversal of such promises as Jeremiah 33:18, 22. Spread dung upon your faces. God will deliver them over to shameful treatment, which shall cover them with contempt. The idea is derived from the filth left in the courts by the victims (see the following clause). Your solemn feasts (chaggim); ie. the animals slain at the sacrificial feasts. God calls them "your," not "my," because they were not celebrated really in his honor, but after their own self-will and pleasure. The dung of the sacrificial animals was by the Law carried forth and bunted without the camp (Exodus 29:14; Leviticus 4:12; Leviticus 16:27). One shall take you away with it. They shall be treated as filth, and cast away in some foul spot (comp. 1 Kings 14:10).Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Behold,הִנְנִ֨י (hin·nî) Interjection | first person common singular Strong's 2005: Lo! behold! I will rebuke גֹעֵ֤ר (ḡō·‘êr) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 1605: To rebuke your לָכֶם֙ (lā·ḵem) Preposition | second person masculine plural Strong's Hebrew descendants, הַזֶּ֔רַע (haz·ze·ra‘) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 2233: Seed, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity and I will spread וְזֵרִ֤יתִי (wə·zê·rî·ṯî) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular Strong's 2219: To toss about, to diffuse, winnow dung פֶ֙רֶשׁ֙ (p̄e·reš) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 6569: Fecal matter on עַל־ (‘al-) Preposition Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against your faces, פְּנֵיכֶ֔ם (pə·nê·ḵem) Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural Strong's 6440: The face the waste פֶּ֖רֶשׁ (pe·reš) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 6569: Fecal matter from your feasts, חַגֵּיכֶ֑ם (ḥag·gê·ḵem) Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural Strong's 2282: A festival gathering, feast, pilgrim feast and you will be carried off וְנָשָׂ֥א (wə·nā·śā) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take with it.” אֵלָֽיו׃ (’ê·lāw) Preposition | third person masculine singular Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to Links Malachi 2:3 NIVMalachi 2:3 NLT Malachi 2:3 ESV Malachi 2:3 NASB Malachi 2:3 KJV Malachi 2:3 BibleApps.com Malachi 2:3 Biblia Paralela Malachi 2:3 Chinese Bible Malachi 2:3 French Bible Malachi 2:3 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Malachi 2:3 Behold I will rebuke your seed (Malachi Mal Ml) |
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