Malachi 1

¹ The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.

² I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,

³ And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

⁴ Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD hath indignation for ever.

⁵ And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The LORD will be magnified from the border of Israel.

⁶ A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name?

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.

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.

⁹ And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the LORD of hosts.

¹⁰ Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.

¹¹ For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the LORD of hosts.

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.

¹³ Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD.

¹⁴ But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

World Behind This Chapter

Explore the people, places, language, history, and material world connected to Malachi 1.

QUESTIONS WORTH EXPLORING

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When was Malachi written?

DEBATED

The rebuilt temple, an active priesthood, and the Persian administrative title peḥah, “governor,” place the book after 515 BCE. Many scholars locate it in the fifth century BCE, but Malachi names no king and its exact relationship to Ezra and Nehemiah remains debated.

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Is Malachi a person’s name or a title?

DEBATED

The Hebrew malʾakhi means “my messenger.” It may function as the prophet’s personal name, but the same expression appears in Malachi 3:1 as a description. Because the heading supplies no ancestry or hometown, scholars continue to discuss both possibilities.

Explore the Hebrew →

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Why does the opening compare Jacob, Esau, and Edom?

UNRESOLVED

Jacob and Esau represent related peoples as well as ancestral brothers. Malachi contrasts Judah’s restoration with damaged Edomite territory, but it does not identify the particular destruction in view. Edom’s changing population and political geography make a precise historical correlation difficult.

⌘ Sources to ExploreCurated research paths for this chapter 3

History & Daily Life1

• Sacrifice in Ancient IsraelBible Odyssey

  Introduces the roles of animal and grain offerings, priests, altars, ritual suitability, and communal worship in ancient Israel. This background clarifies Malachi’s accusation that priests dishonored the altar by accepting blind, lame, sick, and otherwise unacceptable animals.

Maps & Timeline1

• Edom and the Mountain Territory of EsauWorld History Encyclopedia

  Introduces Edom’s mountainous territory, settlements, trade routes, political history, and relationship with Judah. This helps readers understand Malachi’s opening contrast between Jacob and Esau and the reference to Edom’s ruined land and attempts to rebuild.

Language & Literature1

• Malachi 1 in Hebrew and EnglishMechon Mamre

  Presents the Hebrew chapter beside an English translation. Useful for examining Malachi’s recurring disputation pattern—an accusation followed by the people’s question—together with vocabulary for love, honor, polluted offerings, the altar, unacceptable animals, and the divine name among the nations.

WORTH A CLOSER LOOK

map

Orient Judah and Edom in Malachi’s opening dispute

Locate Jerusalem west of the Dead Sea and the Edomite highlands to the south and east. The map clarifies the regional contrast without claiming an exact Persian-period boundary or identifying the unnamed destruction behind Malachi’s language.