SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2007 – Page 7

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 4:5

4:5a

Behold: As in 2:3a, 3:1a, 3:1e and 4:1a, the Hebrew word hinneh is again used to emphasize that the things the LORD stated next would definitely happen. This meant that the people of Israel needed to immediately change the way they behaved towards him.

Some ways to signal this urgency in English are:

Listen.

Be alert.

Be watchful.

I will send you Elijah the prophet: Although this mentions Elijah, it is actually a prophecy about John the Baptist (see Matthew 11:13–14). He was the messenger whose coming had already been predicted in Malachi 3:1. He would be like Elijah.

Elijah the prophet: Elijah was a well-known prophet in Israel. He lived a long time before Malachi. He never died but was taken up into heaven in a whirlwind. The people of Israel expected that he would return to the earth one day. See 1 Kings chapters 17–19, 1 Kings chapter 21; 2 Kings chapters 1 and 2, especially 2 Kings 2:1–11.

4:5b

the great and awesome Day of the LORD: This is the day which other prophets referred to simply as “the day of the LORD.” For example, see Amos 5:18, 5:20; Joel 1:15, 2:1, 3:14; Isaiah 13:6, 13:9; Zephaniah 1:7.

Elsewhere in Malachi, this same day has been referred to in other ways. For example: “the day of His coming” (3:2), “the day” (4:1), “the day is coming” (4:1), “the day I am preparing” (4:3).

In this verse the LORD himself is speaking. In some languages it may be necessary to use a first person pronoun to indicate this. For example:

the day when I, the LORD, ⌊will judge⌋.

great: This day is described as great because it is uniquely important. It is the day when the LORD will finally judge all people.

awesome: The day is described as awesome because it will cause terror and intense fear in human beings. Other words which could be used in English are “dreadful,” “terrifying,” or “fearsome.”

© 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 1:1

This is the burden of the word of the LORD: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as burden is the word maśśaʾ. In Scripture, it usually refers to prophetic messages or warnings of judgement. It signifies that what follows is important because it is a direct word from God, which the prophet had a strong obligation to announce.

LORD: The word LORD represents the Hebrew Yahweh, the personal name of God. In the Hebrew text, this is a proper name, not a title or general noun. See the discussion of Yahweh, the LORD in the “Key biblical terms in the book of Malachi” section of the Introduction.

to Israel through Malachi: The word Malachi means “my messenger,” but it is almost certainly used here as the personal name of the prophet. See the discussion of The author in the Introduction.

The writer introduced himself in the third person, as if he were speaking about someone else. The writers of the New Testament letters did this also. Most English versions keep the third person forms. However, if this would be confusing for your readers, you could reword it as the Contemporary English Version has done:

I am Malachi. And this is the message that the Lord gave me for Israel. (Contemporary English Version)

Israel: This refers to the people who were the descendants of Israel (also known as Jacob). Jacob/Israel was the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 3:2

3:2

This verse contains two more rhetorical questions (in 3:2a and 3:2b). They are parallel to each other:

2a But who can endure the day of His coming,

2b And who can stand when He appears ?

The LORD used these rhetorical questions to remind the people about something they all knew was true:

(a) No one would be able to face the one whom he would send to judge them.

(b) They would not be able to defend themselves before this judge.

Use the appropriate grammatical form in your language to show this in each of these verse parts.

3:2a

But: The word But in the Berean Standard Bible translates the Hebrew conjunction w-. Here it indicates a contrast between 3:1 and 3:2. The actual coming of the LORD would not be like the people expected or desired. Express the contrast in a natural way in your language.

His coming: The words His in 3:2a and “He” in 3:2b refer to the Lord (Jesus Christ—the Messiah) spoken of in 3:1b. See also the note in 3:1d.

3:2b

And who can stand: The Hebrew expression which the Berean Standard Bible translates as can stand means almost the same as the verb which the Berean Standard Bible translates as “endure” in 3:2a. The idea is that no one will succeed in defending himself before the LORD when he comes to judge. In some languages it may be helpful to make that idea explicit. For example:

Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Who will be able to survive when he appears? (Good News Translation)

3:2c

a refiner’s fire: The word refiner refers to a person who purified metal by heating it until it was red hot. The very hot fire burned away all the impurities which were in the metal until only the pure metal remained.

3:2d

like a launderer’s soap: The word launderer’s refers to a person who washed/laundered clothes. He used a very strong soap to remove dirt and stains from cloth.

General Comments on 3:2c–d

The point of similarity in both metaphors is the same. In the first metaphor, the Lord will purify the people, just as a refiner’s fire refines/purifies metal and destroys the impurities in it. In the second metaphor, he will cleanse his people, just as the launderer’s strong soap cleans the dirt from dirty clothes.

Good News Translation changes the order of 3:2c and 3:2d, possibly because 3:3 continues the illustration of refining metal.

2d He will be like strong soap, 2c like a fire that refines metal.

You should use the order that is most natural in your language.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 1:12

1:12a

But you: The pronoun you is emphatic here and refers to the priests. The disrespectful actions of the priests are contrasted with the respect that other nations gave to the LORD (1:11).

profane: The verb which the Berean Standard Bible translates as profane means “profane, dishonor, treat as unholy/common.” The same verb is used in 2:10d and 2:11c.

it: There is a textual issue in this verse. Scholars do not agree about whether the object of “profane” should be “it” or “me.” So there are two options:

(1) The object should be “it.” The pronoun “it” refers to the LORD’s name. For example:

But you are profaning it. (NET Bible)

(2) The object should be “me,” that is, the LORD. For example:

But you don’t honor me. (New Century Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), as it seems to be the more likely solution to the textual issue.

However there is very little difference in meaning between the two options. The pronoun it here refers to the LORD’s name, and the LORD’s name is a way to refer to the LORD himself. Therefore, it is acceptable to follow option (2) if it would be more natural and clearer in your language.

1:12b

The table of the Lord: This is the altar on which sacrifices were offered to God in the temple. This is a figure of speech for the whole act of offering sacrifices to God. See the note on 1:7c.

Lord: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord here is ʾadonay. This title refers to God as “lord/master.” It is different from his personal name Yahweh. Both terms refer to God.

Notice that in 1:7c, the Hebrew expression which the Berean Standard Bible translates as “table of the LORD” does indeed use Yahweh. So 1:7c and 1:12b differ in the Hebrew text. Try to preserve this distinction in your translation. See the discussion of these terms in the Key biblical terms in the book of Malachi section in the Introduction.

defiled: This is the same verb as in 1:7a and 1:7b.

General Comment on 1:12b

Notice that the LORD continued to refer to himself as though he were talking about someone else. If that is confusing in your language, it may be necessary to indicate that he was talking about himself. For example:

But you dishonor me when you say that my altar is worthless and when you offer on it food that you despise. (Good News Translation)
-or-
But you insult me when you say that it does not matter what kind of sacrifices you offer to me, the Lord.

1:12c

and as for its fruit, its food is contemptible: That is, it does not matter what kind of worthless food/offering you bring to give to God. The food spoken of here is the meat (animal) and cereal offerings which the priests placed upon the altar.

contemptible: This is the same Hebrew verb as in 1:6f, 1:7c, also 2:9a.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 3:13

3:13a

Your words against Me have been harsh: The Hebrew expression which the Berean Standard Bible translates as have been harsh has the basic meaning of “to be strong.” In this verse it applies to Your words, and refers to words that are “terrible/severe.” English versions express this idea in different ways. For example:

You have said harsh things against me. (New International Version)
-or-
You have said terrible things about me. (Good News Translation)
-or-
You have criticised me sharply. (NET Bible)

Express this meaning in a natural way in your language.

3:13b

says the LORD: See the note on 1:2b.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2:9

2:9a

So: The Hebrew particle w- used here introduces the result of the priests’ disobeying the LORD (2:8).

I in turn have made you despised and humiliated before all the people: This may be translated as, “I will cause all the people ⌊of Israel⌋ to despise you and regard you as being worthless.”

despised: There is an implied passive idea here. This is the same verb used in 1:6f, 1:7c and 1:12c. The priests had despised the LORD and the sacrifices which they should be making to him. In the same way, the LORD would cause them to be despised by other people.

humiliated: This is also an implied passive. The priests would be considered humiliated by other people. That is, people were going to consider the priests to be vile, to have a shameful character.

There are at least two possibilities for translating these two verbs:

• Keep the implied passive. For example:

I…have made you contemptible and vile to the whole people. (New Jerusalem Bible)

• Make the idea active with a subject like “people.” For example:

I…will make the people of Israel despise you. (Good News Translation)

Use an option which is natural in your language to express the meaning.

2:9b

because: The Hebrew expression which the Berean Standard Bible translates as because means “to the extent that.” Here it compares 2:9a with 2:9b. The LORD will cause the priests to be despised to the extent that they have not kept his ways and have shown partiality in their instruction. In this verse, the expression acts like a reason connector.

Use what would be natural in your language in this context.

you have not kept My ways: That is, you have not obeyed my instructions/laws. The same Hebrew word for ways was used in 2:8a.

2:9c

but have shown partiality in matters of the law: This part of the verse indicates that the priests were unfair to certain people in the way that they applied the law of God when they made decisions. For example, as priests, they decided whether an animal was too blemished to be acceptable for sacrifice. When they made such decisions, they treated some people better than others. Some ways to express this in English are:

You have been unfair when ⌊applying⌋ my teachings. (God’s Word)
-or-
you…have shown partiality in your interpretation of the law. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
you…show partiality in your rulings. (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

matters of the law: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as matters of the law is the same word that was translated as “instruction” in 2:6a, 2:7b, 2:8b. Here it refers specifically to the way that the priests interpreted God’s law as they made decisions that affected people’s lives.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 4:6

4:6a

And: The word And in the Berean Standard Bible translates the Hebrew conjunction w-. Here it introduces what the person who will be like Elijah will do when he comes. Many English versions omit the word. Use what is natural in your language here.

he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children: This means that the one who will be like Elijah will help fathers reconcile with their children. Fathers will have feelings of love for their children again.

4:6b

and the hearts of the children to their fathers: This clause repeats the main idea of 4:6a from the children’s point of view. Some of the information is implied. The full idea is: “and ⌊he will turn⌋ the hearts of children to their fathers ⌊also ⌋. ” In some languages it may be necessary to repeat the implied information here. For example:

He will help fathers reconcile with their children, and ⌊he will also help⌋ children reconcile with their fathers.

4:6c

Otherwise: The Hebrew conjunction which the Berean Standard Bible translates as Otherwise introduces a warning. Here are some other ways to express this in English:

lest I come and smite the land with a curse. (Revised Standard Version)
-or-

so that I will not come and strike the earth with judgment. (NET Bible)
-or-

If not, I will come and reclaim my land by destroying you. (God’s Word)

Use a natural way to express the warning in your language.

strike the land with a curse: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as curse refers to the most severe type of curse among the Hebrews. This is a different Hebrew word than the one that was used in 2:2 and 3:9. This word means that the person or thing which is cursed must be totally destroyed. In this verse, the LORD indicated that if people did not change as described in 4:6a–b, he would totally destroy the land of Israel.

In some languages this meaning must be made explicit. For example:

otherwise I would have to come and destroy your country. (Good News Translation)

strike: The Hebrew word which the Berean Standard Bible translates as strike can be translated as “smite,” “destroy,” or “punish.”

the land: This refers to the land of Israel.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Malachi 2007