Malachi 2:13

And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand. AND THIS HAVE YE DONE AGAIN, [ sheeniyt (H8145)] - 'a second time:' an aggravation of your offence (Nehemiah 13:23-16), in that it is a relapse into the sin already checked once under Ezra (Ezra 9:1). (Henderson.) Or, "again" - `a second time'-means this: your first sin was your blemished offerings to the Lord; now "again" is added your sin toward your wives (Calvin). I prefer the former view. Malachi supported Nehemiah in his second reformation of the people, after the former w...

The Prophet amplifies again the fault of the priests, because the people, when they perceived that God was adverse to them, found no means of pacifying him. And when men have an idea that God is inexorable to them, every zeal for religion must necessarily decay; and hence it is said in Psalms 130:4 — “With thee is propitiation, that thou mayest be feared.” As the people then gained nothing by sacrificing, they had now nearly fallen off from divine worship. This evil, a most grievous one, the Prophet says, was to be justly ascribed to the priests; for as they were become polluted, how could their persons have been accepted by God, that they might be mediators to expiate sins and to pacify God? This is the real meaning of the Prophet, which none of the interpreters have perceived. The Rabbins think that the priests are here reproved, because their wives filled the altar in the sanctuary wi...

10-17 Corrupt practices are the fruit of corrupt principles; and he who is false to his God, will not be true to his fellow mortals. In contempt of the marriage covenant, which God instituted, the Jews put away the wives they had of their own nation, probably to make room for strange wives. They made their lives bitter to them; yet, in the sight of others, they pretend to be tender of them. Consider she is thy wife; thy own; the nearest relation thou hast in the world. The wife is to be looked on, not as a servant, but as a companion to the husband. There is an oath of God between them, which is not to be trifled with. Man and wife should continue to their lives' end, in holy love and peace. Did not God make one, one Eve for one Adam? Yet God could have made another Eve. Wherefore did he make but one woman for one man? It was that the children might be made a seed to serve him. Husbands...

Verse Malachi 2:13. _COVERING THE ALTAR OF THE LORD WITH TEARS_] Of the poor women who, being _divorced_ by cruel husbands, come to the priests, and make an appeal to God at the altar; and ye do not speak against this glaring injustice....

AND THIS YE HAVE DONE AGAIN - , adding the second sin of cruelty to their wives to the taking foreign women; “they covered the altar of God with tears,” in that they by ill-treatment occasioned their wives to weep there to God; and God regarded this, as though they had stained the altar with their tears. INSOMUCH THAT HE REGARDETH NOT THE OFFERING ANYMORE - God regarded the tears of the oppressed, not the sacrifices of the oppressors. He would not accept what was thus offered Him as a thing well-pleasing to Him, acceptable to win His good pleasure....

EXPOSITION MALACHI 2:1 _§ 4. For these derelictions of duty the priests are threatened with punishment._ MALACHI 2:1 THIS COMMANDMENT. The threat or announcement is called a commandment, because God ordains it and imposes its execution on certain instruments. (For the expression, camp. Leviticus 25:21.) The threat is contained in Malachi 2:2, Malachi 2:3. MALACHI 2:2

AND THIS HAVE YE DONE AGAIN,.... Or "in the second" b place; to their rejection and ill treatment of Christ they added their hypocritical prayers and tears, as follows: COVERING THE ALTAR OF THE LORD WITH TEARS AND WEEPING, AND WITH CRYING OUT; for the Messiah they vainly expect, pretending great humiliation for their sins: though some, as Kimchi and Aben Ezra, make the first evil to be their offering illegal sacrifices on the altar, complained of in the former chapter Malachi 1:1; and this second, their marrying strange wives, on account of which their lawful wives came into the house of God, and wept over the altar before the Lord, complaining of the injury that was done them: INSOMUCH THAT HE REGARDETH NOT THE OFFERING ANY MORE, OR RECEIVETH IT WITH GOOD WILL AT YOUR HAND; which expresses an utter rejection and abrogation of legal sacrifices; and which

THE REBUKE OF THE PRIESTS CHAPTER 1:6-2:9 The priests, the religious leaders of the people, are described first in their evil ways, and rebuked. But the rebuke includes the entire people, for it is true, “like priests like people.” The Lord called Israel to be His firstborn son, and therefore, nationally, He is their Father. He is the Lord, and Israel called to be His servant. But they had not honored Him, as a son should honor the father by obedience; they did not fear Him, but despised His Name. This charge brought forth from the side of the priests another brazen statement, the result of their hypocritical self-righteousness. They answered back, demanding proof of the charge by saying, “Wherein have we despised Thy Name?” They seemed to be hardened in their consciences, though they kept up outward appearances. Such, too, is the religious condition in much of Christendom. Another char...

MALACHI 1:6 TO MALACHI 2:16. ISRAEL'S DISREGARD OF THIS LOVE. This section falls into two parts, one dealing with the priesthood (Malachi 1:6 to Malachi 2:9), the other with the people (Malachi 2:10). Yahweh has not received the honour due to a father from a son, or to a master from a servant. The priests (note the sudden application, Malachi 1:6) have brought His service into contempt by offering polluted bread (an archaic expression for sacrificial flesh) upon His altar. They bring

TEARS... WEEPING... CRYING OUT: i.e. of the wronged wives and children....