Malachi 1:7

Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of the LORD [is] contemptible.

Ye offer {H5066} polluted {H1351} bread {H3899} upon mine altar {H4196}; and ye say {H559}, Wherein have we polluted {H1351} thee? In that ye say {H559}, The table {H7979} of the LORD {H3068} is contemptible {H959}.

By offering polluted food on my altar! Now you ask, 'How are we polluting you?' By saying that the table of ADONAI doesn't deserve respect;

By presenting defiled food on My altar. But you ask, ‘How have we defiled You?’ By saying that the table of the LORD is contemptible.

Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar. And ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of Jehovah is contemptible.

Context

Malachi 1:7 is situated in the opening chapter of the book of Malachi, the final book of the Old Testament. Written after the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon, this prophetic book addresses a period of spiritual apathy, disillusionment, and moral decay among the people of Israel, particularly among the priests. Despite God’s enduring love and covenant faithfulness (Malachi 1:2), the nation had become complacent and neglectful of their responsibilities under the Mosaic Law. The verse directly confronts the priests, who were tasked with mediating between God and the people through sacrifices, for their profound disrespect and corruption in worship.

Key Themes

  • Polluted Worship: The central accusation is that the priests offer "polluted bread" – defiled or inferior sacrifices – on God's altar. This speaks to a deeper spiritual rot, where their actions did not match the sacredness of the offerings.
  • Disrespect for God's Holiness: By offering blemished sacrifices and treating the altar as "contemptible," the priests demonstrated a profound lack of reverence for God Himself and the holy nature of His sanctuary. The altar, also called "the table of the LORD," symbolized God's presence and provision, and to despise it was to despise God.
  • Spiritual Self-Deception and Hypocrisy: The priests' response, "Wherein have we polluted thee?" highlights their spiritual blindness and unwillingness to acknowledge their sin. They were performing religious duties without genuine devotion, believing their actions were acceptable despite clear violations of God's commands regarding sacrifices (Leviticus 22:20).
  • The Sanctity of the Altar: God emphasizes the sacredness of the altar and the offerings, which were meant to be pure and represent the people's best. To treat them as common or despised was a direct insult to the covenant relationship.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "polluted bread" translates the Hebrew leḥem megōʾāl, where megōʾāl means "defiled" or "polluted." This isn't just about stale bread, but about offerings that were ritually or morally impure, unfit for God. The priests were offering animals that were blind, lame, or sick, which God explicitly forbade (Malachi 1:8). The word "contemptible" (Hebrew: nizheh) reflects an attitude of disdain, scorn, and treating something as worthless. It reveals the priests' inner disposition towards God's holy institutions.

Practical Application

Malachi 1:7 serves as a timeless warning against superficial worship and spiritual complacency. It challenges believers today to examine the quality of their own offerings to God – not just monetary or physical, but also their time, talents, and the sincerity of their devotion. Are we giving God our best, or merely our leftovers and what is convenient? The verse reminds us that true worship flows from a heart that reveres God's holiness and values His presence. It calls us to avoid spiritual self-deception and to approach God with genuine respect and an understanding of the sacredness of His name and His Word. Our attitude towards worship, service, and even our daily lives should reflect that all we do should be for God's glory.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Malachi 1:12

    But ye have profaned it, in that ye say, The table of the LORD [is] polluted; and the fruit thereof, [even] his meat, [is] contemptible.

  • 1 Corinthians 11:27

    Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink [this] cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

  • 1 Corinthians 11:32

    But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

  • 1 Corinthians 10:21

    Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

  • Malachi 1:8

    And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, [is it] not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, [is it] not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts.

  • 1 Samuel 2:15

    Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.

  • 1 Samuel 2:17

    Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.

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