Malachi 2:13 kjv
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.
Malachi 2:13 nkjv
And this is the second thing you do: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, With weeping and crying; So He does not regard the offering anymore, Nor receive it with goodwill from your hands.
Malachi 2:13 niv
Another thing you do: You flood the LORD's altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer looks with favor on your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands.
Malachi 2:13 esv
And this second thing you do. You cover the LORD's altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand.
Malachi 2:13 nlt
Here is another thing you do. You cover the LORD's altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn't accept them with pleasure.
Malachi 2 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Malachi 2:13 | And this is the second thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering, nor accepts it with favor from your hand. | Marriage & Divorce (Betrayal) |
| Genesis 2:24 | Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. | Marriage Union |
| Matthew 19:4-6 | He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” | God's Design for Marriage |
| 1 Corinthians 7:10-11 | To the married I give this charge, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, let her remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not leave his wife. | Counsel Against Separation |
| Proverbs 5:15-19 | Drink water from your own cistern, from the water flowing from your own well. Should your springs be scattered abroad, rivers of water in the streets? Let them be for you alone, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, possessing lovely deer and graceful does. Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; be intoxicated always with her love. | Marital Fidelity |
| Deuteronomy 24:1-4 | “When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some uncleanness in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house… | Divorce Law in OT |
| Jeremiah 3:1 | “If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man's, can he return to her? Would not that land be greatly polluted? You have lived as a prostitute with many lovers; yet return to me, declares the LORD. | Idolatry as Adultery |
| Ezekiel 16:38 | And I will judge you as women who commit adultery and are guilty of bloodshed are judged, and I will bring upon you the blood of rage and jealousy. | Judgment for Adultery |
| Romans 2:22 | you who say not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? you who abhor idols, do you rob temples? | Hypocrisy and Adultery |
| 1 Peter 4:15 | But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. | Evil Deeds |
| Malachi 2:14 | You ask, “For what reason?” It is because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have treacherously departed. | Witness to Marriage Vow |
| Malachi 1:10 | Oh that there were one among you who shut the doors, that you might not tend a worthless altar! I have no pleasure in you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand. | Rejection of Temple Offerings |
| Psalm 95:6 | Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! | True Worship |
| Isaiah 1:11 | “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of male goats. | God Desires Righteousness |
| Amos 5:21-24 | “I hate; I despise your feast days, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and I will not look on the peace offerings of your fat animals. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the beautiful music of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. | Justice Over Ritual |
| Matthew 5:23-24 | So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. | Reconciliation Before Worship |
| Hebrews 13:4 | Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. | Honor Marriage Bed |
| James 1:27 | Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. | Pure Religion Defined |
| 2 Timothy 2:22 | So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. | Flee Passions, Pursue Right. |
| Zechariah 7:10 | Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against his brother in your heart. | Justice for Vulnerable |
Malachi 2 verses
Malachi 2 13 Meaning
This verse condemns the Israelites for their faithlessness towards God, specifically their betrayal of their wives and their subsequent participation in the corrupt practices at the temple. God declares that He detests divorce and the injustice that often accompanies it, especially when it's done for selfish gain or based on impurity. This betrayal, compounded by their ritualistic offerings, renders their worship unacceptable to God.
Malachi 2 13 Context
Malachi 2:13 is situated within a broader discourse in the book of Malachi concerning the spiritual and moral decay of the post-exilic Jewish community, particularly the priestly class. The preceding verses (2:10-12) established a covenant relationship between God and His people, highlighting His faithfulness. This verse then pivots to condemn their covenant-breaking behavior. The immediate context is the accusation of the priests' disregard for their duties and the people's general infidelity, especially regarding marriage. The historical setting is Jerusalem during the time of Malachi, after the return from Babylonian exile, where a lukewarm faith and a decline in adherence to God's law were prevalent. There is an implicit polemic against practices that compromised the purity of worship and violated the foundational principles of their covenant with God.
Malachi 2 13 Word Analysis
Wəəth dâḏ yĕṯûm (וְעוֹד זֹאת תַּעֲשׂוּ)
- Wəəth (וְעוֹד): "and furthermore," "and still," "and moreover." Connects this accusation to previous ones, indicating a continuation of God's rebukes.
- dâḏ (זֹאת): "this." Refers to the action that follows.
- yĕṯûm (תַּעֲשׂוּ): "you do," "you are doing." Present tense, indicating ongoing behavior.
Tĕḵăśû (תְּכַסּוּ): "you cover," "you conceal," "you overlay."
- Root: כסה (k-s-s).
- Meaning: Implies an attempt to hide or mask something. In the context of offerings, it suggests their sacrifices are inadequate to cover their sin or their hearts' defilement.
- Significance: Relates to the inadequacy of their ritualistic offerings due to their underlying sinfulness. It’s an attempt to cover sin with mere external acts of worship.
’eṯ (אֵת): Accusative particle, marking the direct object.
mizbĕḥaḥ (מִזְבַּחַ): "altar." The altar of burnt offering in the Temple, the central place for Israelite sacrifice.
- Significance: Represents the focal point of their worship, which God now rejects.
Yahweh (יְהוָה): The personal covenant name of God. Emphasizes that the betrayal is against their God who established covenant with them.
bĕḏĕma‘îm (בִּדְמָעִים): "with tears."
- Root: דמע (d-m-ʿ).
- Meaning: Weeping, tears.
- Significance: This is presented ironically. While tears might normally indicate repentance or earnestness, here they signify the futility and fruitlessness of their offerings, leading to groaning and sorrow over the rejected sacrifices rather than genuine remorse for their actions.
bĕḵī (בְּבֶכִי): "with weeping."
- Root: בכר (b-k-h).
- Meaning: Weeping, crying. Similar to the previous term, emphasizing sorrow and distress.
wĕyĕmîlah (וּזְמִילָה): "and groaning" or "moaning."
- Root: זמל (z-m-l). Less common root. Often associated with humming or singing low, but here with lamentation. Some suggest 'yĕmîlah' implies moaning in distress or groaning due to pain or grief.
- Significance: Underscores the deep distress and frustration arising from God’s rejection of their sacrifices. It is a response to consequences, not a cause of genuine repentance.
’îš (אִם): "if" or "whether." Introduces a negative condition or question.
šôqĕqîm (שֹׁקֵק): "regards," "accepts with favor," "looks upon with pleasure."
- Root: שוק (sh-q-q).
- Meaning: To long for, to desire greatly, to run after. In Piel, often used for eager acceptance or favorable regard.
- Significance: God does not desire or accept their offerings because they are insincere and tainted by their infidelity.
lô (לֹא): "not." Negation.
lĕmiḵāh (לְמִכָּה): "for your sake," "from your hand." Refers to the offering from their hand, the physical representation of their worship.
- Significance: Connects the rejection directly to the inadequacy of the offering presented by them.
Malachi 2 13 Bonus Section
The phrase "wife of your youth" (Malachi 2:14) points to the sanctity of marriage from its earliest stages and the solemnity of the vows made at that time. Betraying that initial covenant was seen as particularly egregious. The "uncleanness" mentioned in Deuteronomy 24:1, often debated by scholars, referred to some "indecent matter" or "nakedness of a thing," implying some impropriety or shame that justified divorce under the Mosaic Law, although it was still regulated by a certificate of divorce to ensure protection for the divorced woman. Malachi elevates the standard, indicating that grounds for divorce acceptable under Mosaic law should not be used to unjustly put away one’s wife, especially for self-serving reasons like marrying a foreign woman or seeking purer lineage, as discussed in Malachi 2:11. The tears and groans mentioned are contrasted with the pure worship advocated by prophets like Amos, who declared, "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream" (Amos 5:24). True worship flows from a life of righteousness and justice.
Malachi 2 13 Commentary
This verse highlights the hypocrisy God despises. The people are offering sacrifices at the altar of the Lord, but their hearts are far from Him. They have been unfaithful in their marriages, a fundamental aspect of covenantal fidelity. Their tears and groans at the altar are not a sign of sincere repentance for their marital unfaithfulness or their disregard for the sanctity of vows, but rather a frustrated reaction to God’s displeasure manifested in the rejection of their offerings. God's acceptance of worship is conditional upon the worshiper’s obedience and faithfulness in all areas of life, not just ritual performance. This emphasizes that outward religious acts are meaningless if not accompanied by inward integrity and ethical conduct, particularly concerning one's foundational relationships. God's sovereignty is asserted; He chooses what He accepts, and He rejects what is presented with a defiled heart and compromised life.