Malachi 3:5

5. Jehovah will prove himself a God of judgment (Malachi 2:17) to every evil doer, for the judgment will not be confined to the priests; the whole nation will feel it and all sinners will be swept away.

Near to you To the people at large.

To judgment A direct reference to the closing words of Malachi 2:17.

A swift witness Jehovah is swift because ( 1) he will no longer delay but come speedily (Malachi 3:1; compare Zephaniah 1:14); (2) he knows the facts, and therefore needs to spend no time in securing the evidence; (3) he is both witness and judge (compare Isaiah 3:13-15; Psalms 50:6-7), and so can execute the judgment promptly.

Sorcerers This is a general term denoting all persons who claimed to possess power over evil spirits, or to reveal secrets, or to consult the dead, etc. (compare Exodus 22:18; in the New Testament, Acts 8:9; Acts 13:6).

Adulterers The low estimate placed upon the marriage relation (Malachi 2:10-16) would in many cases result in the practice of adultery. The laws against this form of vice were very strict (Leviticus 20:10; Exodus 20:14; compare Hosea 4:2).

False swearers See on Zechariah 5:3-4; Hosea 4:2; compare Leviticus 19:12.

Oppress the hireling in his wages Hebrew usage as well as the context favors the omission of “in his wages,” though the omission does in no wise affect the sense (compare Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14-15).

Widow,… fatherless Also dependent upon the verb “oppress.” These two classes, in many cases without human defenders, were under the special care of Jehovah and of his people (Exodus 22:22-24; compare Isaiah 1:17), but again and again the unscrupulous nobles forgat their obligations (compare Isaiah 1:23; Isaiah 10:2).

Turn aside the stranger See on Amos 5:12. The Hebrew ger, translated “stranger,” R.V. “sojourner,” is a technical term, which denotes a foreigner settled temporarily in Israel. W.R. Smith describes him as “a man of another tribe or district who, coming to sojourn in a place where he was not strengthened by the presence of his own kin, put himself under the protection of a clan or of a powerful chief.” Like the widows and orphans, these sojourners were under the special protection of Jehovah (compare Deuteronomy 27:19; Exodus 22:21).

Fear not me See on Malachi 2:5. The lack of this fear was responsible for all other transgressions. In this manner the “God of judgment” will vindicate himself.