Malachi 1:11-12

11. Jehovah cannot accept impure sacrifices from his own people, when less favored nations offer to him sacrifices that are pure.

Rising of the sun… going down The farthest ends of the earth (compare Zechariah 8:7; Psalms 103:12).

My name shall be great LXX., “glorified,” which is to be preferred here, since “great” is found later in the verse, where it is in its proper place. The name of Jehovah is glorified and sacrifice is offered because the name of Jehovah is great. To glorify the name of Jehovah is to render proper worship and honor to him.

Gentiles… heathen The same word in Hebrew in both cases. It would be better to translate “nations,” that is, the nations other than the Jews.

In every place Not only “in every sacred place,” but “everywhere” (Zephaniah 2:11); to be understood literally, but in the loose sense in which the English word is sometimes used; Schultz, “in every clime.”

Incense Not to be limited to incense proper; like “offerings” in Malachi 1:10 and again here, the term includes sacrifices and offerings of every sort (compare Amos 4:5).

Offering Practically identical in meaning with “incense,” with which it stands in apposition: “incense is offered, even a pure offering.”

Pure The emphasis rests upon this word. In contrast to the “polluted bread” offered by the Jews (Malachi 1:7-8) the nations offer sacrifice that is faultless. Some recent commentators abbreviate the present Hebrew text, which is a little awkward, and read simply, “in every place a pure offering is offered unto my name.” The last clause explains why Jehovah is thus honored among the nations.

My name shall be great For the significance of name of Jehovah see on Amos 2:7; Micah 4:5. The words used here are equivalent to “I in my manifestations am great.” What the prophet means to say is that the wonderful things which Jehovah has done (or will do) have been (or will be) so great and powerful that he is (or will be) recognized as the true God even among other nations, and as a result is receiving (or will receive) homage from them.

Malachi 1:11 has been and still is the subject of much discussion. The chief point of controversy is the question whether the verse points to the prophet’s present or future. The Hebrew, apart from the context, permits either translation. LXX. refers it to the present, so also a few of the early church fathers; A.V., A.R.V., and margin of English R.V. refer it to the future; English R.V. and margin A.R.V., to the present. Interpreted of the present, the translation is, “For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name is great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense is offered unto my name, even a pure offering: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith Jehovah of hosts.” Until quite recently commentators were about equally divided, but the most recent writers are inclined toward interpreting the words of the present; and this seems to be the most natural interpretation in the light of the context, because (1) both Malachi 1:10 and Malachi 1:12 refer to the present, and in Malachi 1:12 at least the same grammatical construction is used as in Malachi 1:11; (2) the prophet’s argument requires this interpretation. That it is the present conduct of the Jews that he condemns is quite evident (Malachi 1:12), but in order to make the contrast effective he must place over against the present conduct of the Jews the present conduct of the nations.

But granting that Malachi 1:11 refers to the prophet’s present, what does it mean? Some have thought that the prophet has in mind the worship rendered by Jewish proselytes among the nations, or by Jews scattered among the nations. Neither interpretation is quite satisfactory, because (1) the number of proselytes technically so called must have been very small during the first half of the fifth century B.C., and the dispersion had not proceeded very far at that time. (2) Neither does justice to the prophet’s language, which seems to imply that members of foreign nations rendered in some way acceptable service to Jehovah. Against this interpretation that the prophet is thinking of foreigners, several objections have been raised: (1) “It would be unheard of that a prophet who holds such strict views of the law, and abominates foreign wives on account of their heathen deities as a pollution of the holy nation (Malachi 2:11-12), would apply the predicate pure to heathen offerings.” (2) This view “contradicts the definite assertion that the knowledge of the name of Jehovah forms the postulate of such service.” (3) The teaching of the New Testament is said to be explicit: “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God” (1 Corinthians 10:20).

A New Testament statement cannot be used to prove what an Old Testament writer may or may not have written, for it is universally admitted that the coming of Jesus has resulted in religious thinking along new lines. But even the New Testament permits the interpretation suggested. Though Romans 1:19-20, and Acts 17:23 ff., do not express the identical thought, they move in the direction of the statement in Malachi when they assert that even nations other than Jews may do things acceptable to God.

The force or weakness of the second objection depends upon the interpretation of the expression name of Jehovah. As stated in other connections, it means practically Jehovah in manifestation (see on Amos 2:7; Micah 4:5). In the interpretation of the clause “my name is great among the nations” we may readily follow Keil, who, however, interprets Malachi 1:11 of the future. “And the name of God,” says he, “is only great among the Gentiles when Jehovah has proved himself to them a great God, so that they have discerned the greatness of the living God from his marvelous works and thus have learned to fear him.” That this will happen at some future time, and in some cases in the immediate future from the standpoint of the speakers, is taught in several passages in the Old Testament (for example, Zephaniah 2:11; Exodus 15:14-16; Psalms 46:9-11), but the Old Testament goes beyond this. There are several passages in the Old Testament which assert with an emphasis not surpassed in Malachi 1:11 that the nations have already “discerned the greatness of the living God from his marvelous works” and, in some cases at least, have “learned to fear him”; for example, Psalms 126:2, which is dated by many in the period of Malachi’s activity; the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, especially the decrees ascribed to the Persian kings, which deal with the period beginning with the return in 537 and end, generally speaking, with the second visit of Nehemiah, about 432, in the latter part of which period falls the activity of our prophet; also the Book of Daniel. The testimony of these passages is of value, whatever the date of the composition of the books, for there can be no doubt that from the very beginning the pious Jews attributed the permission to return from Babylon to the direct interference of Jehovah, a view which implies the belief in a recognition on the part of the Persian rulers of the greatness and supremacy of Jehovah (compare also Isaiah 11:12; Isaiah 49:22). It is seen, then, that the second and the third objections find no support in Scripture.

There remains the first objection, that the idea of Malachi calling the heathen offerings pure is absurd and “unheard of.” Is this statement true? (1) A recognition of the presence of Jehovah worship among the nations does not necessarily exclude opposition to marriage alliances with those who have not yet come to serve Jehovah properly. In Hebrew as in English the term everywhere does not include every individual or community, or even every nation. The prophet says “among the nations.” (2) The opposition to mixed marriages, like the hostility toward the Samaritans in the days of Jesus, was based upon racial as well as upon religious feelings; therefore the prophet might recognize the presence of true worship among the surrounding nations and yet, because of this racial prejudice, be opposed to alliances with these very nations. It would not be difficult to find analogies even in the twentieth century A.D. (3) With few exceptions the development of the religious thought of Israel, at least from the eighth century onward, proceeded in the direction of the statement of Malachi. Amos recognized that the nations possessed a certain amount of moral and religious light, and he condemned them for not living up to it (Malachi 1:3 to Malachi 2:3; compare Malachi 3:9-10); Isaiah condemned the Assyrians for disregarding the commission of Jehovah (Isaiah 10:5-7); but all this implies the possibility of rendering acceptable service to Jehovah. Aside from these implications the statements in later books (for example, Daniel 4:34 ff; Daniel 6:25 ff.; compare Jonah 1:14-16) must not be overlooked. The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah also imply the belief in a recognition of Jehovah as the true God by the Persian kings and a desire to serve him in a proper manner. These allusions, though not expressing the thought exactly as it is expressed in Malachi 1:11, certainly make it possible to think of Malachi as believing that in his days an acceptable worship was rendered to Jehovah among the nations of the earth. (4) Sacrificial terms came to be used in Israel in a metaphorical sense of acts and expressions of devotion other than the literal offering of sacrifice (Psalms 51:17). The terms of Malachi 1:11 might be understood in this wider sense, though in addressing the Jews the prophet would use the same terms primarily in a literal sense. If so, the thought of Malachi 1:11 would be that people in every clime, even without the special revelation granted to the Jews, had come to recognize Jehovah as the true God as a result of his mighty works for Israel, and that at the time of the prophet they were rendering to him a purer service than the Jews, whom alone Jehovah had known among all the families of the earth (Amos 3:2).

This does not mean, however, that the prophet recognized the presence of monotheism in the heathen religions, or that he regarded all the sacrifices that were offered to different deities as offered in reality, though perhaps unconsciously, to the one true God. The true view, it seems to the present writer, is expressed by Schultz in these words: “The prophet is pointing out, in contrast to the selfishness and petty avarice of the inhabitants of the Holy Land in regard to sacrifices, that far more valuable sacrifices are being offered all round about to the Great God who is proving himself more and more the God of the nations.” Though, as stated above, we cannot speak here of proselytes in the technical sense of that term, the observation by the Jews of this turning to Jehovah among the nations would create and encourage a spirit of proselyting.

Malachi 1:12 is a repetition of the rebuke in Malachi 1:7. In sharp contrast to the honor which Jehovah receives among the nations stand the contempt and insult he suffers from his own people.

But ye Who have enjoyed special privileges and advantages.

Have profaned it That is, the name of Jehovah (see on Amos 2:7; Micah 4:5). Better, R.V., “ye profane it,” continually. The same idea is expressed by despise (Malachi 1:6) and pollute (Malachi 1:7). The rest of Malachi 1:12 indicates how they profane the name of Jehovah.

In that ye say By their actions more than by their words.

The table of Jehovah is polluted Literally, the table of Jehovah, polluted is it. Polluted here is identical in meaning with contemptible in Malachi 1:7. They consider anything good enough for the table, that is, for the altar of Jehovah.

The fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible Literally, the fruit thereof, contemptible is its eating. Fruit is that which is laid upon the altar, the sacrifice or offering. The clause, when interpreted naturally, expresses the thought that the portion of the sacrifices belonging to the priests is not considered good enough to serve them as food and is therefore despised. If the sacrificial animals were as poor and diseased as the prophet points out, such thought does not appear strange; and yet some take exception to this interpretation on the ground that “If the flesh… had been too bad for food in their estimation, they would not have admitted such animals or offered them in sacrifice.” Those who take this latter view consider “his eating” equivalent to its meat or food (R.V.), in apposition to “the fruit thereof.” Its food would then be the sacrifices placed upon the altar, which would be the food of Jehovah (Malachi 1:7), therefore A.V. “his meat.” The Hebrew does not favor this interpretation, and if the present text is correct the first view is preferable. It is not impossible, however, that the word translated his fruit a peculiar designation for sacrifice has arisen through dittography, and that the original read simply “and contemptible is his food,” that is, the food of Jehovah (see on Malachi 1:7). If the word is omitted the thought of the two clauses of Malachi 1:12 becomes practically identical. Altar and sacrifice they esteem lightly, and they consider anything good enough to be offered to Jehovah. Malachi 2:13