¹tn Heb “The burden.” The Hebrew term III aC*m^ (massa’), usually translated “oracle” or “utterance” (BDB 672 s.v. aC*m^), is a technical term in prophetic literature introducing a message from the Lord (see Zech 9:1; 12:1). Since it derives from a verb meaning “to carry,” its original nuance was that of a burdensome message, that is, one with ominous content. The grammatical structure here suggests that the term stands alone and is not to be joined with what follows, “the burden [or “revelation”] of,” etc
²tn Heb “The word of the Lord to Israel by the hand of Malachi.” There is some question as to whether yk!a*l=m^ (mal’akhi) should be understood as a personal name or as simply “my messenger.” Despite the fact that the word should be understood in the latter sense in 3:1 (where, however, it refers to a different person), to understand it that way here would result in the book being of anonymous authorship, something anomalous among all the prophetic literature of the OT.
³tn Heb “and I loved Jacob, but Esau I hated.” The context indicates this is technical covenant vocabulary in which “love” and “hate” are synonymous with “choose” and “reject” respectively (see Deut 7:8; Jer 31:3; Hos 3:1; 9:15; 11:1).
⁴tn Heb “his”; the referent (Esau) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
⁵tn Heb “I set his mountains as a desolation.”
⁶tn Or “inheritance.”
⁷sn Edom, a “brother” nation to Israel, became almost paradigmatic of hostility toward Israel and God (see Num 20:14-21; Deut 2:8; Jer 49:7-22; Ezek 25:12-14; Amos 1:11-12; Obad 10-12).
⁸tn The name sovereign Lord (toab*x= hw`hy+, y^ehvah ts^eva’ot), traditionally translated “Lord of hosts,” emphasizes the majestic sovereignty of the Lord, an especially important concept in the postexilic world of great human empires and rulers. For a thorough study of the divine title, see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, 123-57.
⁹tn Heb “and they will call them.” The third plural subject is indefinite; one could translate, “and people will call them.”
¹⁰tn Or “Great is the Lord.”
¹¹tn The verb “respects” is not in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation. It is understood by ellipsis (see “honors” in the preceding line).
¹²tn The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
¹³tn The pronoun “your” is supplied in the translation for clarification.
¹⁴sn The word table, a synonym for “altar,” has overtones of covenant imagery in which a feast shared by the covenant partners was an important element (see Exod 24:11). It also draws attention to the analogy of sitting down at a common meal with the governor (v. 8).
¹⁵sn Offerings of animals that were lame or sick were strictly forbidden by the law (see Deut 15:21).
¹⁶tn Heb “it.” The English reader expects a plural pronoun to agree with “the lame and sick” in the previous question.
¹⁷tc The LXX and Vulgate suggest “with it” (Whx@r+y]h&, hayirtsehu) rather than “with you” of the MT (;x=r+y]h&, hayirts^ekha). The MT is to be preferred because of the parallel with ;yn\p* (fanekha, “receive you”).
¹⁸tn Heb “seek the face of God.”
¹⁹tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunction indicates purpose.
²⁰sn As long as the priesthood and people remain disobedient, the temple may as well be closed because God is not “at home” to receive them or their worship there.
²¹sn My name will be great among the nations. In what is clearly a strongly ironic shift of thought, the Lord contrasts the unbelief and virtual paganism of the postexilic community with the conversion and obedience of the nations that will one day worship the God of Israel.
²²tn Heb “fruit.” The following word “food” (olk=a*, ’okhlo) appears to be an explanatory gloss to clarify the meaning of the rare word byn] (niv, “fruit”; see Isa 57:19 Qere; bon, nov, “fruit,” in Kethib). In this cultic context the reference is to the offerings on the altar.
²³tn Heb “from your hand,” a metonymy of part (the hand) for whole (the person).
²⁴sn The epithet great king was used to describe the Hittite rulers on their covenant documents and so, in the covenant ideology of Malachi, is an apt description of the Lord.