Malachi 3:17 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Malachi 3:17
And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
to commiserate · conjunction + verb, qal sequential perfect, 1st person common singular
man
אִ֔ישׁ'Ish
H376
a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular absolute
spareth
יַחְמֹ֣לyach.Mol
H2550
to commiserate · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
son
בְּנ֖וֹbe.No
H1121
a son (as a builder of the family name) · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
serveth
הָעֹבֵ֥דha.'o.Ved
H5647
to work (in any sense) · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Exodus 19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all…
Deuteronomy 7:6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people t…
2 Corinthians 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Isaiah 62:3-4 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
Jeremiah 32:38-39 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
Romans 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
1 Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath…
Deuteronomy 26:17-18 Thou hast avouched the LORD this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgmen…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Malachi 3:13–end
Among the people of the Jews at this time, though they all enjoyed the same privileges and advantages, there were men of very different characters (as ever were, and ever will be, in the world and in the church), like Jeremiah's figs, some very good and others very bad, some that plainly appeared to be the children of God and others that as plainly discovered themselves to be the children of the wicked one. There are tares and wheat in the same field, chaff and corn in the same floor; and here we have an account of both.
I. Here is the angry notice God takes of the impudent blasphemous talk of the sinners in Zion and his just resentments of it. Probably there was a club of them that were in…
jewels-- (Isa 62:3). Literally, "My peculiar treasure" (Exo 19:5; Deu 7:6; Deu 14:2; Deu 26:18; Psa 135:4; Tit 2:14; Pe1 2:9; compare Ecc 2:8). CALVIN translates more in accordance with Hebrew idiom, "They shall be My peculiar treasure in the day in which I will do it" (that is, fulfil My promise of gathering My completed Church; or, "make" those things come to pass foretold in Mal 3:5 above [GROTIUS]); so in Mal 4:3 "do" is used absolutely, "in the day that I shall do this." MAURER, not so well, translates, "in the day which I shall make," that is, appoint as in Psa 118:24.
as . . . man spareth . . . son-- (Psa 103:18).
John Gill on Malachi 3:17
And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts,.... That is, such as fear the Lord, and think of him, hereby they are known to be his; and hereafter, in the time referred to, it will be manifest that they are his: they are Christ's already by his Father's gift of them to him; by his own purchase; by the conquests of his grace; and by the voluntary surrender of themselves: but, in the last day, they will be claimed and owned by Christ before his Father and his holy angels; and they will be known to be his, by themselves and others; and there will be no doubt about it, or questioning of it:
in that day when I make up my jewels; Christ has some, who are his jewels, or peculiar treasure, as th…
(Ver. 17, 18.) And the Lord waited, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and meditate on His name. 'They shall be Mine,' says the Lord of hosts, 'on the day that I make them My special possession. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.' LXX: And the Lord waited, and heard, and wrote a book of remembrance in His sight for those who fear the Lord and revere His name. And they shall be mine, says the Almighty Lord, on the day that I make, as a possession, and I will choose them as a man chooses his own son who serves him. And you shall return and see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him. These are the words of the righteous and those who fear God, speaking to each other and not wanting to hear or speak blasphemy. The Lord listens and hears, and a book of remembrance is written before him for those who fear and think of his name, so that when the day of judgment comes, he may give punishment to the blasphemers and rewards to those who fear him. However, a book was written, about which we read in Daniel: Thrones were set up, and books were opened (Dan. VII, 10). And they will be a possession of the Lord of hosts, in the day when the time of judgment comes. In Hebrew, possession is called Sgolla (), which Aquila interpreted as περιούσιον, and the others as περιποίησιν. Therefore, those who fear the Lord, those who have spoken with their neighbor and have answered words of blasphemy, will be a possession on the day of judgment, and He will spare them, because every man is under sin. Whether you choose them, just as a man chooses his son to be his servant. In this there is a twofold affection, both of a father towards his son, and of servitude towards a servant. And then those of you who now blaspheme and say: What benefit is it, because we have kept his commandments, and have walked sadly before the Lord? From their choice and happiness, you will know their misery, and turned to repentance, you will see what difference there is between the just and the wicked, and between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Heaven · UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Calvin on Malachi 3:17
Malachi 3:17
17. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
17. Et erunt mihi, dicit Iehova exercituum, die illa qua ego facio, peculium; et parcam eis (super eos ad verbum) sicuti parcit vir suo filio, qui obsequitur ei.
He shows by the issue itself why a book of remembrance was written -- that God in due time would again undertake to defend and cherish his Church. Though then for a time many troubles were to be sustained by the godly, yet the Prophet shows that they did not in vain serve God; for facts would at length prove that their obedience has not been overlooked. But t…
With these foolish speeches the prophet proceeds in Mal 3:16. to contrast the conduct of those who fear God, pointing to the blessing which they derive from their piety. Mal 3:16. "Then those who feared Jehovah conversed with one another, and Jehovah attended and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for those who fear Jehovah and reverence His name. Mal 3:17. And they will be to me as a possession, saith Jehovah of hosts, for the day that I create, and I will spare them as a man spareth his son that serveth him. Mal 3:18. And ye will again perceive the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not." אז, then, in…
