Malachi 3:3

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

And he shall sit [as] a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Complete Jewish Bible:

He will sit, testing and purifying the silver; he will purify the sons of Levi, refining them like gold and silver, so that they can bring offerings to ADONAI uprightly.

Berean Standard Bible:

And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

American Standard Version:

and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer unto Jehovah offerings in righteousness.

KJV with Strong’s Numbers:

And he shall sit^{H3427} as a refiner^{H6884} and purifier^{H2891} of silver^{H3701}: and he shall purify^{H2891} the sons^{H1121} of Levi^{H3878}, and purge^{H2212} them as gold^{H2091} and silver^{H3701}, that they may offer^{H5066} unto the LORD^{H3068} an offering^{H4503} in righteousness^{H6666}.

Cross-References (KJV):

Explore This Verse Across Other Resources:

BibleHub.com BibleRef.com

Commentary for Malachi 3:3

Malachi 3:3 is part of the final book of the Old Testament, which addresses the spiritual malaise of post-exilic Judah. The people had returned from Babylonian captivity, yet they had fallen into religious apathy, marrying foreign women, neglecting tithes, and offering imperfect sacrifices. Malachi, whose name means "my messenger," delivers a prophecy that God will send a messenger to prepare the way for the Lord's coming (Malachi 3:1). This messenger is commonly understood to be John the Baptist, as referenced in the New Testament (Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 7:27).

The verse in question, Malachi 3:3, speaks to the imagery of refining and purification, a metaphor for the process of spiritual cleansing and renewal. The Lord is depicted as a refiner's fire and a launderer's soap, symbols of the intense process required to remove impurities from precious metals and to cleanse garments. The "sons of Levi" refers to the priestly class responsible for the religious and ritualistic duties in the Temple. They are to be purified like gold and silver, which are refined through intense heat to remove dross—a symbol of sin and moral impurity.

The historical context suggests that the Levites, who should have been exemplars of religious devotion, had themselves become corrupt and were offering sacrifices that were not acceptable to God. The promise that they would be purified indicates a hope for restoration and a return to proper worship. Once purified, the Levites would be able to present offerings to the Lord in righteousness, meaning with justice, integrity, and in accordance with divine will, thus restoring the covenantal relationship between God and His people.

In summary, Malachi 3:3 uses the powerful metaphor of refining precious metals to convey the necessity of spiritual purification for the priests of Israel. It speaks to the broader themes of judgment, restoration, and the expectation of a renewed priesthood that would faithfully serve God and lead the people in true worship. This verse also foreshadows the coming of the Messiah and the new covenant, which would bring about the ultimate purification and a perfect offering for sins through Jesus Christ, as understood in the New Testament.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: H3427
   There are 980 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: יָשַׁב
   Transliteration: yâshab
   Pronunciation: yaw-shab'
   Description: a primitive root; properly, to sit down (specifically as judge. in ambush, in quiet); by implication, to dwell, to remain; causatively, to settle, to marry; (make to) abide(-ing), continue, (cause to, make to) dwell(-ing), ease self, endure, establish, [idiom] fail, habitation, haunt, (make to) inhabit(-ant), make to keep (house), lurking, [idiom] marry(-ing), (bring again to) place, remain, return, seat, set(-tle), (down-) sit(-down, still, -ting down, -ting (place) -uate), take, tarry.
   
2. Strong's Number: H6884
   There are 29 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: צָרַף
   Transliteration: tsâraph
   Pronunciation: tsaw-raf'
   Description: a primitive root; to fuse (metal), i.e. refine (literally or figuratively); cast, (re-) fine(-er), founder, goldsmith, melt, pure, purge away, try.
   
3. Strong's Number: H2891
   There are 79 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: טָהֵר
   Transliteration: ṭâhêr
   Pronunciation: taw-hare'
   Description: a primitive root; properly, to be bright; i.e. (by implication); to be pure (physical sound, clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated; morally, innocent or holy); be (make, make self, pronounce) clean, cleanse (self), purge, purify(-ier, self).
   
4. Strong's Number: H3701
   There are 343 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: כֶּסֶף
   Transliteration: keçeph
   Pronunciation: keh'-sef
   Description: from כָּסַף; silver (from its pale color); by implication, money; money, price, silver(-ling).
   
5. Strong's Number: H1121
   There are 3654 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: בֵּן
   Transliteration: bên
   Pronunciation: bane
   Description: from בָּנָה; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.); [phrase] afflicted, age, (Ahoh-) (Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-) ite, (anoint-) ed one, appointed to, ([phrase]) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-) ian, one born, bough, branch, breed, [phrase] (young) bullock, [phrase] (young) calf, [idiom] came up in, child, colt, [idiom] common, [idiom] corn, daughter, [idiom] of first, [phrase] firstborn, foal, [phrase] very fruitful, [phrase] postage, [idiom] in, [phrase] kid, [phrase] lamb, ([phrase]) man, meet, [phrase] mighty, [phrase] nephew, old, ([phrase]) people, [phrase] rebel, [phrase] robber, [idiom] servant born, [idiom] soldier, son, [phrase] spark, [phrase] steward, [phrase] stranger, [idiom] surely, them of, [phrase] tumultuous one, [phrase] valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.
   
6. Strong's Number: H3878
   There are 61 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: לֵוִי
   Transliteration: Lêvîy
   Pronunciation: lay-vee'
   Description: from לָוָה; attached; Levi, a son of Jacob; Levi. See also לֵוִי, לֵוִיִּי.
   
7. Strong's Number: H2212
   There are 7 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: זָקַק
   Transliteration: zâqaq
   Pronunciation: zaw-kak'
   Description: a primitive root; to strain, (figuratively) extract, clarify; fine, pour down, purge, purify, refine.
   
8. Strong's Number: H2091
   There are 336 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: זָהָב
   Transliteration: zâhâb
   Pronunciation: zaw-hawb'
   Description: from an unused root meaning to shimmer; gold, figuratively, something gold-colored (i.e. yellow), as oil, a clear sky; gold(-en), fair weather.
   
9. Strong's Number: H5066
   There are 112 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: נָגַשׁ
   Transliteration: nâgash
   Pronunciation: naw-gash'
   Description: a primitive root; to be or come (causatively, bring) near (for any purpose); euphemistically, to lie with a woman; as an enemy, to attack; religious to worship; causatively, to present; figuratively, to adduce an argument; by reversal, to stand back; (make to) approach (nigh), bring (forth, hither, near), (cause to) come (hither, near, nigh), give place, go hard (up), (be, draw, go) near (nigh), offer, overtake, present, put, stand.
   
10. Strong's Number: H3068
    There are 5521 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: יְהֹוָה
    Transliteration: Yᵉhôvâh
    Pronunciation: yeh-ho-vaw'
    Description: from הָיָה; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God; Jehovah, the Lord. Compare יָהּ, יְהֹוִה.
    
11. Strong's Number: H4503
    There are 194 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: מִנְחָה
    Transliteration: minchâh
    Pronunciation: min-khaw'
    Description: from an unused root meaning to apportion, i.e. bestow; a donation; euphemistically, tribute; specifically a sacrificial offering (usually bloodless and voluntary); gift, oblation, (meat) offering, present, sacrifice.
    
12. Strong's Number: H6666
    There are 150 instances of this translation in the Bible
    Lemma: צְדָקָה
    Transliteration: tsᵉdâqâh
    Pronunciation: tsed-aw-kaw'
    Description: from צָדַק; rightness (abstractly), subjectively (rectitude), objectively (justice), morally (virtue) or figuratively (prosperity); justice, moderately, right(-eous) (act, -ly, -ness).