Malachi 1 13

Malachi 1:13 kjv

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.

Malachi 1:13 nkjv

You also say, 'Oh, what a weariness!' And you sneer at it," Says the LORD of hosts. "And you bring the stolen, the lame, and the sick; Thus you bring an offering! Should I accept this from your hand?" Says the LORD.

Malachi 1:13 niv

And you say, 'What a burden!' and you sniff at it contemptuously," says the LORD Almighty. "When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?" says the LORD.

Malachi 1:13 esv

But you say, 'What a weariness this is,' and you snort at it, says the LORD of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand? says the LORD.

Malachi 1:13 nlt

You say, 'It's too hard to serve the LORD,' and you turn up your noses at my commands," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. "Think of it! Animals that are stolen and crippled and sick are being presented as offerings! Should I accept from you such offerings as these?" asks the LORD.

Malachi 1 verses

Malachi 1 13 Meaning

Malachi 1:13 unveils the profound spiritual apathy and contempt harbored by the priests and, by extension, the people of post-exilic Judah toward God and His worship. It exposes their disdain for sacred duties, evident in their verbal expression of "What a weariness this is" and their scornful actions, "sniffing" at the temple service. This inward irreverence is manifested outwardly by offering defiled sacrifices—animals that were stolen, lame, or sick—in blatant violation of the Mosaic Law. The Lord, through a rhetorical question, firmly rejects such polluted offerings, asserting His non-acceptance of worship performed with such a contemptuous heart and blemished hand, declaring it an insult to His holy name and sovereign authority.

Malachi 1 13 Context

Malachi chapter 1 opens with God's assertion of His enduring love for Israel (1:2-5), contrasted with their questioning and disrespect. The specific context for verse 13 is a direct rebuke of the priests for their defiled worship and their disdain for God's altar and their sacred duties. This chapter primarily addresses the priests' corruption before turning to the people's faithlessness. Historically, this period followed the return from Babylonian exile. The Second Temple had been rebuilt, but the initial fervor for restoration had dwindled, giving way to spiritual indifference and economic struggles. The people, and particularly the religious leaders, were performing rituals out of obligation rather than reverence, cutting corners and offering sub-standard sacrifices to save money or effort. Malachi confronts this decaying spiritual state, preparing the ground for the message of God's coming judgment and ultimate purification.

Malachi 1 13 Word analysis

• When you say, 'What a weariness this is,'

  • "say" (אָמַר, amar): Not just uttering words, but expressing an attitude, a settled contempt for the sacred duty.
  • "weariness" (לָאָה, la'ah): Conveys spiritual fatigue, boredom, or exasperation with the obligations of worship. It implies the service of God was viewed as burdensome drudgery rather than a privilege. This goes beyond physical tiredness; it's a profound lack of interest and devotion of the heart.

• and you sniff at it,

  • "sniff at it" (פּוּחַ, puach): This vivid, onomatopoeic Hebrew word (to puff, blow out) suggests contempt, disdain, or disgust. Like a dismissive exhale or blowing away something offensive. It highlights a scornful attitude toward the very acts of worship that were meant to honor God, as if the sacrificial work, altar, or offerings were worthless or repulsive. It's a physical expression of internal contempt.

• says the Lord of hosts,

  • "says the Lord" (נְאֻם יְהוָה, ne'um Yahweh): A formal prophetic declaration, lending divine authority and gravity to the accusation. It's God's direct voice.
  • "of hosts" (צְבָאוֹת, tseva'ot): A title emphasizing God's supreme power, sovereignty, and dominion over all creation, including angelic armies. The profound contempt shown by the priests is exacerbated by the infinite greatness of the One they despise. It magnifies the offense.

• and you bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick,

  • "bring" (בּוֹא, bo): Simply "to come, to bring," but in this context, it is the act of presenting the offering.
  • "taken by violence" (גָּזוּל, gazul): Signifies that which is stolen, robbed, or obtained illicitly. Such an offering is doubly defiled—it's not genuinely the offerer's, violating the principle of offering one's best. It represents injustice being brought into sacred space.
  • "lame" (פִּסֵּחַ, pisseach): Physically impaired, unable to move properly.
  • "sick" (חֹלֶה, choleh): Diseased, unhealthy. These conditions explicitly violated the clear instructions for sacrifice in Lev 22:21-22 and Deut 15:21, which mandated unblemished animals. The act shows deliberate defiance and an attempt to defraud God.

• and this you bring as your offering!

  • "offering" (מִנְחָה, minchah): A general term for a gift or tribute, often a grain offering, but here used more broadly for the sacrifice. The exclamation indicates outrage at the nature of what they consider acceptable to God.

• Shall I accept it from your hand?

  • "Shall I accept" (הֲאַרְצֶה, ha'artzeh): A forceful rhetorical question (indicated by the interrogative ha-). It expects a resounding "No." It emphasizes God's non-acceptance and rejection of such contemptuous worship and defiled gifts. God's holiness means He cannot approve of what is impure and disrespectful.

• says the Lord.

  • "says the Lord" (נְאֻם יְהוָה, ne'um Yahweh): Repeats the divine authority, sealing the condemnation. It's a final, firm declaration.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "What a weariness this is,' and you sniff at it,": This phrase encapsulates the internal, psychological sin of the priests. It highlights their attitude problem: a profound disrespect, boredom, and contempt for their priestly duties and, ultimately, for God Himself and His commands concerning worship. This internal state directly precedes and justifies the divine condemnation of their external actions.
  • "bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering!": This defines the external, actionable sin. It demonstrates how their contempt translated into concrete, forbidden practices. They actively violate explicit Mosaic laws (Lev 22:17-25, Deut 15:21), bringing the cheapest, most defiled, or even unlawfully acquired animals for sacrifice, proving their utter disregard for God's holiness and His rightful due. It's a complete inversion of acceptable worship.

Malachi 1 13 Bonus section

The context of "Lord of hosts" (Yahweh Sabaoth) is particularly significant in Malachi. This divine title appears frequently (24 times) in this short book. Its repeated use serves to underscore God's unmatched power, authority, and ultimate command over all cosmic and earthly armies. By contrasting this majestic title with the priests' paltry and contemptible offerings, Malachi accentuates the immense disparity between God's infinite worth and the minimal value the people attributed to Him. It's a stark reminder that they were trifling with the God who commands the universe, not some insignificant deity. This emphasis implicitly warns of the severe consequences of dishonoring such a sovereign and powerful Lord, laying the groundwork for Malachi's later prophecies of judgment and purification. Furthermore, the priests' act of accepting (and perhaps even selling or buying) "stolen" sacrifices implies a breakdown of justice and order even within the sacred system, aligning with other prophetic critiques of societal injustice and corruption that extended even to religious leadership. The entire priestly class had failed in its primary role to represent God’s holiness and teach His ways faithfully.

Malachi 1 13 Commentary

Malachi 1:13 acts as a sharp indictment, revealing a profound chasm between outward religious observance and inner spiritual devotion in post-exilic Judah. The core issue is contempt—the priests' heart-attitude of disdain for God's holy requirements. They articulate their boredom ("What a weariness this is") and demonstrate their scorn ("you sniff at it"), revealing that their service has become a burdensome ritual devoid of genuine reverence or joy. This inward spiritual bankruptcy manifests outwardly in their practical decisions regarding sacrifices. They knowingly permit or offer animals that are "taken by violence, or is lame or sick," not out of ignorance, but as a deliberate cost-saving measure or convenience, indicating their perceived low value of God. These actions are a direct violation of God's clear, consistent instructions throughout the Mosaic Law regarding pure and unblemished sacrifices, which served as a reminder of God's perfect holiness and the absolute nature of sin. God's rhetorical question, "Shall I accept it from your hand?" underscores His firm rejection. It is not just the defiled offering itself, but the heart behind it—the irreverence, disrespect, and contempt for Him—that makes it unacceptable. This verse serves as an eternal warning against hypocrisy, routine religiosity without heart, and attempts to offer God anything less than one's sincere best. True worship demands reverence, purity, and wholehearted devotion, echoing through both Old Testament law and New Testament teaching on spiritual worship.

• Practical usage examples:
  • Heart attitude in service: Do we serve God from obligation and weariness, or with joyful reverence? (e.g., in church, prayer, acts of service).
  • Integrity of offerings: Are we giving our "best" to God (time, talent, treasure) or offering the "lame and sick" remnants after all personal desires are met?
  • Avoidance of hypocrisy: Examining whether our public religious practice matches our private thoughts and actions toward God.