SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2007 – Page 7

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 1:14

1:14a

But cursed is the deceiver: “Cursing” is the opposite of blessing. The LORD will not only refuse to bless a man who is cursed, but may also take away good things that are in that man’s life. Since the LORD spoke these words, this is a definite statement of what he will do (“I will curse…”), not just a wish.

1:14b

his flock: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as flock refers to the groups of sheep and goats.

1:14d

a defective animal: This refers to an animal which is blemished somehow. This includes animals that were blind, lame or sick. In fact, it includes all the types of defects that the author has mentioned.

the Lord: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord here is ʾadonay, not God’s personal name Yahweh. It means “master, lord.” See the first occurrence of this word in 1:12b.

General Comment on 1:14d

Again, the LORD spoke of himself as though he was talking about someone else. If that is confusing in your language, it may be necessary to indicate that the LORD referred to himself. For example:

by sacrificing a defective animal to me ! (New Jerusalem Bible)

1:14e

For: The Hebrew word ki which the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the reason that the LORD will not accept blemished animals as sacrifices. Most English versions translate it as “for” or “because.” Some versions omit it. Use what would be natural in your language in this context to state the LORD’s reason for cursing such a person.

1:14f

says the LORD of Hosts: See the note on 1:6e.

the LORD of Hosts: See the note on 1:4d and 1:6e. Translate this term in the same way here.

1:14g

My name: In the Hebrew Bible, the phrase “the LORD’s name” or My name refers to God himself or his authority. It was also used in this way in 1:6. See the note on 1:6f. Good News Translation prefers to use “me” instead of My name to make this clear.

feared: The Hebrew verb which the Berean Standard Bible translates as feared can also be translated “respected, honored.”

the nations: The Hebrew word goyim which the Berean Standard Bible translates as nations was the word which the Jews used to refer to the Gentiles, the people of all the other nations. It was also used in this way in 1:11a.

General Comment on 1:14a–g

In some languages it may be helpful to re-order this verse. Good News Translation provides one model for this:

14a A curse on the cheater 14d who sacrifices a worthless animal to me, 14b when he has in his flock a good [male] animal 14c that he promised to give me! 14e For I am a great king, 14g and people of all nations fear me, 14f [says the Lord Almighty]. (Good News Translation)

© 2007 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 3:15

3:15a

So now: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as So now introduces a conclusion. One way to make this connection clearer would be to translate something like this: “Therefore we have concluded that…”

we call the arrogant blessed: The Hebrew verb which the Berean Standard Bible translates as call…blessed is the same one used in 3:12a. See the note on 3:12a. You may be able to translate it here also in a similar way. For example:

As we see it, proud people are the ones who are happy. (Good News Translation)

This statement implied that God was acting unfairly. In the people’s opinion, he was actually blessing arrogant people even more than he blessed the people who were humbly repentant (3:14).

we call: That is, we think/count/consider.

3:15b–c

Not only…even: The Hebrew expression which the Berean Standard Bible translates as Not only…even is gam…gam in Hebrew. The first gam makes the first statement emphatic. The second gam makes the following statement even more emphatic than the first one. Some English versions simply join the two statements with “and” or with a combination like “not only…but” (Revised Standard Version). Others use emphatic words like “indeed,” “even,” or “in fact.” For example:

Not only are evildoers encouraged, they even test God and get away with it. (God’s Word)
-or-

Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape. (New International Version)

Use an option which is natural in your language.

3:15c

they even test God: That means that these people acted wickedly to test God. The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as test is the same word that was translated “test” in 3:10c. There God asked them to test whether he would bless them or not. Here they tested God’s patience, to see if he would punish them or not.

escape: That is, escape punishment. No matter how badly they behaved, God did not seem to punish them as they deserved.

Paragraph 3:16–18

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:11

2:11a

Judah has broken faith: That is, the descendants of Judah had broken their promise to God to obey and serve him only. They had worshipped other gods (idols). The Hebrew verb which the Berean Standard Bible translates as has broken faith is the same verb (bagad) which was used in 2:10 to describe the people’s unfaithfulness to each other.

Judah: Here Judah is another way to refer to people who were descendants of Judah’s father, Israel (who was also called Jacob).

2:11b

an abomination has been committed: That is, a terrible, disgusting thing has been done. If you need to use an active verb you could say: “The people have done a terrible thing.”

in Israel: This refers to the land of Israel.

in Jerusalem: The city of Jerusalem was in the land of Israel. In some languages it may be better to mention it before Israel is mentioned, as, for example:

in ⌊the city of⌋ Jerusalem and in ⌊the whole region⌋ of Israel.

2:11c

For: The Hebrew word ki which the Berean Standard Bible translates as For has many uses. Here it introduces a specific act that was part of the general action which Malachi mentioned in 2:11b. There he said that an abomination had been committed; in this part of the verse he explained what the abomination was. Express this connection in an appropriate way in your language.

Judah has profaned: The Hebrew verb which the Berean Standard Bible translates as has profaned is the same verb which was used in 1:12a and 2:10d. Here its use is similar to 1:12a, where it means to “dishonor, treat as unholy/common.”

the LORD’s beloved sanctuary: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as sanctuary is the noun qodeš. This literally means “holiness.” Here most English versions agree that it refers to the temple, the sanctuary of the LORD.

the LORD’s beloved: That is, which the LORD loves.

2:11d

by marrying the daughter of a foreign god: Again scholars suggest different meanings for this part of the verse:

(1) It means “you have married women who worship other gods.” For example:

the men of Judah married women who worship foreign gods. (New Century Version)

(2) It means “you have turned to worship a foreign god.” This uses the metaphor of adultery to describe the way the people of Israel were being unfaithful to the LORD. This is a common metaphor in the OT. For example:

For Judah has…turned to a foreign god! (NET Bible)

Many English versions are ambiguous here. However it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This fits well with the context in 2:10–11.

daughter: This word is used in a collective sense here. The meaning is plural, that is, women.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 1:4

1:4a

Edom: This refers to the Edomites, the descendants of Edom. Edom was another name used to refer to Esau (Genesis 25:30, 36:1). In some languages a footnote might be helpful to explain this.

may say: The text does not tell us to whom the Edomites were speaking. It is possible that they were speaking to each other. However it is recommended that you do not specify this unless it is necessary to do so in your language.

1:4b

We have been devastated: That is, our towns have been devastated/destroyed.

1:4c

the ruins: This refers to what remained of Edom’s towns after their enemies had destroyed them.

1:4d

the LORD of Hosts: This special title for the LORD occurs twenty-four times in Malachi. See the discussion of this term in the Key biblical terms in the book of Malachi section in the Introduction.

says: The text does not specify to whom the LORD was speaking here. However it is clear that he was continuing to speak to Israel about Edom. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this explicit.

1:4g

They will be called the Land of Wickedness: This is one way in which people described Edom.

the Land of Wickedness: This is a figure of speech. It is the people who lived in the region who were wicked, not the land itself.

1:4h

a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever: This is the second way in which people described Edom:

a people: This refers to the Edomites.

with whom the LORD is indignant forever: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as is indignant refers both to anger and the action that shows that anger. One way to say this would be:

towards whom the LORD shows his anger forever.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 3:5

3:5

Notice that Good News Translation begins this verse with the phrase:

The Lord Almighty says. (Good News Translation)

In the Hebrew text, these words are at the end of 3:5 (as in the Berean Standard Bible). Good News Translation moved these words to the beginning of 3:5 to make it clear that it was the LORD who was speaking here, not Malachi. Consider whether it may be necessary to do the same in your language.

3:5a

Then: The Hebrew conjunction w- is translated by the Berean Standard Bible as Then. Here it introduces a new paragraph. The events which the LORD described in this paragraph would happen before the events of the preceding paragraph or at the same time. You will need to translate the connection in an appropriate way to avoid confusion in your language. English versions translate it with expressions like “then,” “at that time” or “so.” Some versions omit it. Use what would be natural in your language in this context.

I will draw near to you for judgment: That is, I will come to you, in order to judge you. This judgment would be an answer to the accusation of the people in 2:17, “Where is the God of justice?”

3:5b

And I will be a swift witness: Other ways to express this are:

I will quickly condemn. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I will act as a relentless accuser. (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

Do not use a term which would imply that the LORD was simply a witness, whose testimony would be compared with that of others.

3:5e

perjurers: The Hebrew expression which the Berean Standard Bible translates as perjurers means to swear that a false statement is really true.

3:5f–g

defraud: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as defraud in 3:5g applies to the widow and orphan in 3:5f also. The word means “to wrong, cheat, oppress.”

3:5i

In 3:5c–h the LORD gave a list of the categories of people whom he will judge. 3:5i is not simply a continuation of this list; it applies to each of the groups of people listed in 3:5c–h.

do not fear Me: The Hebrew word moraʾ which the Berean Standard Bible translates as fear can also mean “reverence” or “awe.” It is translated in many English versions as “respect.”

3:5j

says the LORD of Hosts: This speech clause occurs many times throughout the text. The repetition emphasizes the fact that this is a direct message from the LORD. See the note on 3:1f. See also note 1 in “Literary structure and recurring features in Malachi” in the Introduction.

Notice that in the Berean Standard Bible this clause occurs after the speech. This is good English style. You should place it wherever is natural in your language.

the LORD of Hosts: This special title for the LORD occurs twenty-four times in Malachi. See the note on 3:1f. See also the discussion of this term in the Key biblical terms in the book of Malachi section of the Introduction.

General Comment on 3:5b–j

As stated above, 3:5i applies to each of the groups of people listed in 3:5c–h. It is not simply another category of people whom the LORD will judge. In some languages it will be clearer if the verse is re-ordered. The Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures re-orders this verse to show this clearly:

5b and I will act as a relentless accuser 5i against those who have no fear of Me: 5c Who practice sorcery, 5d who commit adultery, 5e who swear falsely, 5g who cheat laborers of their hire, 5f and who subvert [the cause of] the widow, orphan, 5h and stranger, 5j said the Lord of Hosts. (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:1

Paragraph 2:1–4

The LORD continued to rebuke the priests in this paragraph. He warned them that they would be punished if they did not repent.

Some English versions have a section heading at this point. However the main theme is the same as in the previous chapter. It is recommended that you not create a heading here. However, if a Bible in another language that churches use widely in your area has a heading here, you may need to follow that same format.

2:1

In the Hebrew text, the speaker, “the LORD of hosts,” is not identified until 2:2d. If this would cause difficulty in your translation, you can move the speech clause forward from 2:2d to the beginning of the chapter. Good News Translation does this:

The Lord Almighty says to the priests… (Good News Translation)

And now: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as now is a time word. It is preceded by the conjunction w-, usually translated as “and.” The LORD used this expression to introduce the next things he would say. It emphasizes that these things were important. In some languages, it may not be natural to use a time word to express this meaning. Some other ways to say this are:

Listen, you priests; this command is for you! (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
I, the Lord All-Powerful, have something else to say to you priests. (Contemporary English Version)

Some English versions omit this phrase. Use what would be natural in your language to present another important topic as part of the same discourse.

decree: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as decree can also be translated “warning” (God’s Word). That is, it refers to a solemn, unchangeable decree/pronouncement. In this context it refers to the warnings which follow in 2:2–9. The same Hebrew word is translated as “commandment” in 2:4a.

O priests: The LORD was still speaking to the priests. In some languages it may be necessary to put this expression at the start of the speech. For example:

Priests, this command is for you. (New Century Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 3:16

3:16a

At that time: In this context, the Hebrew word ʾaz which the Berean Standard Bible translates as At that time most probably indicates that this verse contrasts with the previous paragraph. In contrast to the people referred to in 3:14–15, this verse refers to people who feared the LORD.

those who feared the LORD: This refers to the people who were faithful to the LORD and respected him. See the note on 1:6c–d.

Scholars differ about exactly who these people were:

(1) They were people who accepted Malachi’s warnings and then spoke respectfully about the LORD.

(2) They were people who already respected the LORD before Malachi’s warning. The verse refers to their reaction when other people accused the LORD.

The Hebrew text allow either interpretation, and English versions are also ambiguous. If possible, you should try to translate so that either view could be understood. If that is not possible in your language, it is recommended that you follow option (1).

spoke with one another: We do not know what these people said to each other. It must have been something which pleased the LORD because he responded favorably to their words (3:16b).

3:16b

This verse part begins with the Hebrew conjunction w-. It introduces the LORD’s response to those who feared him. Most English versions translate it as “and.” Use what is natural in your language in this context to introduce the LORD’s response.

listened and heard them: The Hebrew words which the Berean Standard Bible translates as listened and heard mean almost the same thing in this context. The author used both verbs here to emphasize the action, that is, to mean something like “listened very carefully.” There are at least two possibilities for translation:

• Use two similar verbs. For example:

the Lord paid attention and listened. (God’s Word)

• Use one verb, and emphasize it in some way.

the LORD listened very carefully.

Use an option which will be natural in your language for this context.

3:16c

a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared the LORD: This indicates that a record was written in a book about the people who feared the LORD. The record probably mentioned their names and also may have included their words and deeds which showed their faithfulness to him. Someone wrote this record in the LORD’s presence. Malachi does not tell us who this person was. For example:

In his presence, there was written down in a book a record of those who feared the Lord and respected him. (Good News Translation)

scroll: At the time when Malachi prophesied, books as we know them today did not exist. People wrote on stone tablets, scrolls of leather or other materials. You should choose a general term here which represents a well known substance on which people would keep written records.

regarding those who feared the LORD: The Hebrew word l- which the Berean Standard Bible translates as regarding at this point in the verse can have many meanings. Here the context indicates that the book was written “for the benefit of” those who feared the LORD. The LORD would remember them (and what they had said or done).

those who feared the LORD: See the note on 3:16a.

3:16d

and honored His name: That is, they honored his name, they thought about him with reverence. For example:

those who feared the Lord and respected him. (Good News Translation)

His name: In the Hebrew Bible, the phrase “the LORD’s name” or His name refers to God himself or his authority. It was also used in this way in 1:6. See the note on 1:6f. Good News Translation simply uses “him” instead of His name.

General Comment on 3:16c–d

The Hebrew expressions which the Berean Standard Bible translates as “feared the LORD” in 3:16c and “honored His name” in 3:16d mean almost the same thing. In some languages it may be more natural to express this idea in another way. Some possibilities are:

• Express the idea only once. For example:

those who reverenced the LORD.
-or-
those who esteemed the LORD in their thoughts.

• Change the order of the expressions. For example:

those who meditated about the LORD and revered him.

• Use a compound verb, adverb or other element. For example:

those who honored the LORD with reverence and esteem.