Malachi 2

The LORD threateneth, to punish the priests, unless they amend their lives, verse 1, &c reproaching them, that they were turned aside from the pietie and sincerity of their fore-fathers, 5. he reproveth the profaners and breakers of wedlock, 11 and the blasphemers, 17.

1. And now ye priests, to you is this commandment [viz. of keeping Gods worship in honour, and of reforming the abuse crept in there, spoken of the above chapter 1.] (sent) [this word is inserted here from verse 4 to complete the sense.]

2. If ye shall not hear (it) and if ye shall not take to heart, [Heb. Lay it upon the heart] to give honour to my name, saith the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse [Leviticus 26:14. Deuteronomy 28:15.] among you, and I will curse your blessings: [i.e. the goods and enjoyments, which through my blessing ye have gotten: or the blessing which the priests utter over the people] yea, I have (already) cursed every one of them, because ye take it not to heart: [as before.]

3. Behold I will corrupt your seed, [i.e. I shall cause the seed, which ye throw into the ground, to corrupt and spoil there. See further of the signification of the Hebrew word, Psalms 9 the annotate on verse 6. some understand here by the seed, their posteritie, in this sense: I will curse your posteritie] and I will durt upon your faces, [i.e. I will make you so vile and contemptible, that every one shall loath and turn away from you] the durt of your feasts, [i.e the dung of the beasts, whom ye bring to be offered and sacrifices, on your solemn feast days. See Psalms 118 on vers 27 where likewise we find feasts, for feast-offerings. See also Exodus 23:18. Isaiah 29:1.] so that one shall take you away with them: [the sense is, ye shall so be covered over eith filth and ordue, that te scavengers shall take and take you up with the rest, to make riddance of you, as of noisome carison. Oth. The punishment shall take you away]

4. Then shall ye know, [i.e. find indeed, and be made sensible of it] that I sent this commandment unto you: [i.e. that you bear this punishement, because ye transgressed my commandment. See above verse 1] that my covenant may be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts, [i.e. that my grace and favour, together with the priestly dingnitie, which by a special promise and covenant I gave unto the tribe of Levi, (of which ye O priests are descended) may continue among you, and ye not utterly deprived of it, by your unfaithfulness and wickedness.]

5. My covenant with him [i.e. with Levi, that is, with the Tribe of Levi: or, with Aaron and his postertie] was life and peace, [that is to say, I promised unto the Tribe of Levi, together with the Priesthood, all manner of prosperity, temporal and spiritual: or; of life and peace; or; unto, for life &c.] and I gave him the same, [viz. life and peace i.e. all prosperity] (for) a fear, [i.e. that he should fear me, as also he did] and he feared me: and he was terrified for my name sake: [see an example of the zeal of the Levites, Exodus 32:26, &c and Numbers 25:7, 8, 12. others understand this so, that the Levites served the LORD with all submission and humilty. Oth. He, Levi,] is bruised for my names sake. i.e. he hath undergone and sufferd all kinds of troubles and hardship for my name sake.]

6. The law of truth was in his mouth, and in his lips there was found no iniquitie: [i.e. no false doctrine, or unrighteous judgement: understand this,so far forth as humane capacitie permitted: for to speak properly, this phrase, of having no deceit or guile found in his mouth, belongs to none, but to our LORd and saviour Jesus Christ. Isaiah 53:9.] he walked with me [see gen. 5 on verse 22.] in peace and in righteousnesse, [i.e. obediently without rebellion, so that we could well agree together] and he converted many from iniquity: [he viz. Aaron , or Levi, verse 4. that is, the whole Tribe of Levi.]

7. For the lips of the priest ought to preserve knowledge and the law shall be sought at his mouth. [a good teacher ought to be as a treasurie in God’s house and he must not keep the treasures of the devine Mysteries for himself alone, but freely and faithfully impart them to his hearers. See Leviticus 10:11. Deuteronomy 33:10. Haggai 2:12.] for he is an angel of the LORD of hosts: [i.e. his messenger, ambassdour, Haggai 1:3 and 13 and 2 Cor. 5.20.]

8. But ye are turned aside from the way, [viz of the true knowledge and fear of God, wherein your predecessours, those holy men of God, did walk] ye have made many to stumble in the law; [i.e. ye become to many a stone of offence, and have caused many to stumble by your evil example and leading courses] ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, [i.e. the covenant made with the Tribe of Levi and all the priesthood. See above verse 5.] saith the LORD of hosts.

9. Therefore also have I made you contemptible and vile [Heb. Low, base] before all the people; because ye keep not my wayes, [Heb. According to the mouth, that ye are not keeping my wayes. i.e the course and frame of life which I prescribed you in my law, and which besits all godly persons] but accept the face in the law: [i.e in matters of the law, in the exposition or application of the law; or , whereas yet ye ought to judge according to the law, ye judge according to the appearance of persons, as ye affect or disassect them. See Ezekiel 22:26. Zephaniah 3:4. see of this manner of speaking, gen. 19.21 and Levi. 19.15. others take the words of this text thus: ye lift the face against the law. That is Text thus: ye lift up the face against the law. That is to say, whiles ye pervet the true sense and meaning of the law, ye bear it out with much insolence and arrogance.]

10. Have we not all one father? Hath nott one God created us? Why (then) do we deal unfaithfully the one toward the other, [Heb. The man with his brother] profaning the covenant of our fathers? [Whereby the Jewish people stood engaged to be an holy people. The prophet seems to include himself here, saying why we deal &c. meaning the generality of the Jewes dealing thus one with another, and marrying over and above the lawful Jewish wives, heathenish ones besides. Some taking these words to be the prophets own, give this sense of them, as if he should say. Are not we the people, whom the LORD chose out of all nations, and who derive our selves all from Abraham, why then do some among us break the law of God, by matching with idolatrous women? Which Abraham, Isaac, Jacob &c. never did. Others take these words, as words, as spoken by them, that would defend such heathenish matches, as if they should argue thus; Are we not all together descended from Adam? is it not one and the same God, that hath created us all? How or, wherefore then should we despise those that are of one and the same nature with ourselves, & have all one and the same father, which we must needs do, if we cast off the wives we have taken out of others Nations?]

11. Juda deals unfaithfully, and there is an abomination committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: for Juda prosaneth the holiness of the LORD, [i.e the holy wedlock instituted by God himself] which he loveth; [he, viz the LORD. Oth. Which he (viz. Jda) ought to love] for he hath married the daughter of the strange god: [thereby he profaneth the holiness of the LORD; that he maieth tha daughter of a strange god, that is a foreign woman without the common wealth of Israel, one that serves a strange god. See Ezra 9:10. and neh. 13.23, &c. and observe here that as the godly are called the children of God, so wicked idolaters are called the sons and daughter of Idols, or strange gods.]

12. The Lord shall extirpate the an that doth this [viz. thing or, abomination spoken of verse 11] out of the tents of Jacob; [because; this is conceived to be spoken to the priests and Levites and who had likewise defiled themselves, with marrying of strange women, therefore extirpating here seems to imply a casting out of the temple, or from the Altar, so that they shall not be admitted of suffered any more to serve the LORD] him that waketh, and him that answereth, [or, defendeth, pleadeth i.e. not onely him that doth it eagerly, seriously and industriously, but also him or them that go about to maintain and justifie the same. Other understand here by the waking one the door-keepers of the templ, and by the answering the prisets, that were appointed to teach the people, and being asked about matters of religion or divine worship, to give answers, to give answers. See above verse 7. others hold them to be the Chanters in the temple, who were wont to sing by the turns, enterchangeably answering one another, the prophets intent being here, onely to shew, that all conditions and degrees of Ecclesiastical persons, had defiled themselves with these sins] and bringeth meat-offering unto the LORd of hosts: [viz. for to appease God, as knowing, that he must needs be offended, for having maryed a foreign wife.]

13. This second (thing) also ye do [ye namely, that mary strange wives] that ye cover the altar of the LORD with tears, [not with your own, of sorrows and repentance, but with the tears of your lawful proper wives giving them cause to complain to the LORD of the wrong ye do them, by marrying besides them, other wives yet and foreign ones. See Leviticus 18:18. & 1 Sam 1.6.] with weeping, and with fighting: so that he [viz. the LORD] will no more regard the meat-offering, [which ye offer him] nor accept (it) from your hands with well-pleasing.

14. Now ye say, wherefor? [viz. will the Lord not regard our meat-offering?] therefore, that the LORD hath been a witness between thee, and between the wife of thy youth, [i.e. whom thou didst mary in thy youth. Oth. Thy young wife; the meaning is, The LORD was a witness of the promise which thou madest to thy first wife in marrying of her, wherein thou hast expressly called him to be a witness] with whom thou dealest persideously, whereas she is thy companion, and the wife of thy convenant. [i.e. with whom by solemn covenant and obligation of wedlocks and by calling upon the name of God, thou art firmly joined and indissolubly contracted. See pro. 2.17.]

15. Hath not he [viz. the LORD] made but ine [to wit, man namely Adam, out of whom he produced eve, implying, that is against the first institution of marriage, that one man should have more then one wife, for God would have one man and one woman to be one flesh. See gen. 1.27 and 2.24. Matthew 19:4, 5. Mark 10:6, 7, &c. 1 Cor.8.16. Eph.5.31] though he had spirits over? [God could well, if so it had pleased him, have created more female bodies and breathed a living breath into them; he wanted no power nor means to sit and provide more wives for Adam: but having not done it, it is evident, his will and pleasure was, that one man should have but one woman to his wife] and therefore (but) that one? [viz. man] he sought a seed of God: [or he sought a divine seed, i.e. a lawful marriage of one man abd one woman. Some read it thus; but hath not the single one (viz. Abraham) done (that) and he had an excellent spirit? What did the single one? He sought the seed of God: as being first an objection of the Jews, hath not Abraham our father done that when being single and childless, he took Hagar to wife also beside Sarah? Nevertheless he had an excellent spirit. The answer is, he hath done no such thing; but what then hath he done that single one, viz. Abraham? He sought the seed of God that was promised him, and married Hagar, one that knew God, not to vex and spight his own lawful wife Sarah, &c.] therefore take heed with your spirit, and that none deal persideously against the wife of his youth. [Heb thy youth: meaning is, beware and look well to all your senses and understanding, that thou despise not, nor cast off their oen lawful wife, nor take any other beside her; bridle thy carnal appetite desires. Compare Matthew 19:4.]

16. For the Lord the God of Israel saith, that he hates the forsaking [to wit, the forsaking of lawful wives by a bill of devorce. See Matthew 5:31. though some take it thus, when he (to wit, the man) hates, (to wit, his wife) let him forsake her, not by way of command, but by permission and connivance because of the peoples hard-heartedness as God formerly permitted it by Moseh; Matthew 19:8.] although he [viz. that unlawfull forsakes his wife] cover the violence [done to his wife, sending her away without any lawful cause] with his garment, [i.e. with that excuse and cloak, that Moseh permitted it to men, that they might forsake their wives by a bill of divorce. (see Deuteronomy 24:1.) or with any other colourable pretence or palliation, to serve his turn] saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed with your spirit, that ye deal not persideously: [viz. with your lawful wives, by sending them away thus by letters of divorce.]

17. Ye tire the LORD with your words: [Or, ye make him weary; the meaning is, ye murmure against God, that he doth not forthwith hear you, as soon as ye call upon him, spoken after the manner of men. See Isa. 43 on verse 24.] neverthelesse ye say, [Oth. If you did, (or (should) say] wherewith do we tire him? [or make we him weary?] therewith that ye say; every one that doth evil, is good in the eyes of the LORD, [i.e. he pleaseth the LORD and is acceptable to him. This they concluded thence, that they saw many wicked prosper much on earth, and many godly suffer much. See Psalms 37:1.] and he takes pleasure in such, [viz. that do evil] or where is the God of Judgement? [or the God, that punisheth? As if they said: he is from us: we cannot see that he easily punisheth those that offend him: therefore it is in vain that thou threatenest us with him ay they.]