Malachi 3:3 kjv
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Malachi 3:3 nkjv
He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD An offering in righteousness.
Malachi 3:3 niv
He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,
Malachi 3:3 esv
He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD.
Malachi 3:3 nlt
He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the LORD.
Malachi 3 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Malachi 3:3 | "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver..." | Malachi 3:3 (Prophetic fulfillment) |
| Isaiah 1:25 | "I will turn my hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities." | Isaiah 1:25 (Judgment & purification) |
| Jeremiah 6:29-30 | "The bellows are blown; the fire has burned them up... wicked refuse." | Jeremiah 6:29-30 (Sin as dross) |
| Zechariah 13:9 | "I will refine them like silver and test them like gold..." | Zechariah 13:9 (Testing and refinement) |
| Matthew 3:12 | "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor..." | Matthew 3:12 (Judgment & separation) |
| 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 | "...gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one’s work will become manifest..." | 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 (Testing by fire) |
| 1 Peter 1:6-7 | "...that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire..." | 1 Peter 1:6-7 (Faith tested by trials) |
| Hebrews 12:5-11 | "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastens every son whom he receives." | Hebrews 12:5-11 (Discipline as purification) |
| Revelation 3:18 | "...that you may be trained and arrayed in white, not black garments." | Revelation 3:18 (Spiritual riches) |
| Psalm 17:3 | "If I try my heart by night and visit it, if I test it by the fire, you will find no evil..." | Psalm 17:3 (Purity of heart) |
| Psalm 119:125 | "I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!" | Psalm 119:125 (Desire for wisdom) |
| Proverbs 25:4 | "Take the wicked away from the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness." | Proverbs 25:4 (Removal of wickedness) |
| Isaiah 48:10 | "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction." | Isaiah 48:10 (Refining through affliction) |
| Daniel 12:10 | "Many shall be purified and made white, but the wicked shall do wickedly..." | Daniel 12:10 (End-time purification) |
| Malachi 4:1 | "For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when the whole proud and all evildoers will be stubble..." | Malachi 4:1 (Day of judgment) |
| John 1:33 | "...with the Holy Spirit and with fire." | John 1:33 (Baptism of the Spirit and fire) |
| Acts 1:5 | "...baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." | Acts 1:5 (Promise of Holy Spirit) |
| 1 John 2:20 | "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth." | 1 John 2:20 (Anointing of the Spirit) |
| Romans 8:17 | "...if indeed we suffer with him, so that we may also be glorified with him." | Romans 8:17 (Suffering with Christ) |
| Philippians 1:6 | "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." | Philippians 1:6 (Completion of God's work) |
Malachi 3 verses
Malachi 3 3 Meaning
This verse speaks of purification, specifically likened to the refining of metals. It signifies a process where impurity is removed to produce a pure and valuable substance. For God's people, this implies a sifting and purification to separate the faithful from the unfaithful, resulting in a remnant that can serve Him.
Malachi 3 3 Context
Malachi prophesied to the post-exilic Jewish community in Jerusalem. They had returned from Babylon but had fallen into spiritual apathy and disobedience. They were bringing inferior sacrifices to the Temple and living impure lives, thus defiling the covenant. Chapter 3 directly addresses these transgressions and the consequences. Verse 3 announces the coming of the Lord and a messenger (identified elsewhere as John the Baptist, see Matthew 3:1; Mark 1:2) who will usher in a period of divine judgment and purification. This purification is not for the sake of destruction alone, but to refine a faithful remnant for God's service.
Malachi 3 3 Word Analysis
- וְיָשַׁב (v'yashav): "And he shall sit." Implies a deliberate, watchful, and authoritative action.
- כַּצֹּרֵ֣ף (katzoretz): "As the refiner." The word comes from צרף (tzaraf), meaning to refine, smelt, purify.
- וּכְבֹּסֵ֔ת (ukvosezt): "And as the cleaner/washer." Derived from כבס (kavas), to wash, cleanse. It's a process of repeated washing.
- אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י (et-b'nei): "The sons of." Refers to the descendants, specifically in this context, the sons of Levi, who were the priests.
- לְוִי (Levi): "Levi." The priestly tribe designated for service in the Tabernacle and Temple.
- וְטִהַרְתָּם (vtihartam): "And shall purify them." From טהר (tahar), meaning to be pure, clean, cleanse. It's an intensive cleansing.
- כַּזָּהָ֖ב (kazahav): "Like gold." Emphasizes the precious and valuable nature of the purified product.
- וְכַכָּ֑סֶף (v'chakasef): "And like silver." Further illustrates the value and purity being sought.
- וְהִרְנִיתֶּם (vhirnitem): "And they shall be refined/purified." Also from טהר (tahar), continuing the theme of intensive purification, implying selection and presentation as pure.
Words/Groups Analysis:
- The repetition of purification words (refiner, cleaner, purify, refined) emphasizes the thoroughness and divine nature of the cleansing process.
- The comparison to gold and silver highlights that the purpose is not annihilation, but the removal of impurities to reveal inherent worth and usefulness.
- "Sit as a refiner" indicates a patient, meticulous, and sovereign control over the process.
Malachi 3 3 Bonus Section
The imagery of a "refiner" or "smelter" is powerful. Ancient smelters heated metals in a crucible until they melted. Dross (impurities like slag, scoria) would rise to the surface, where the smelter would skim it off. The pure metal then remained. A true refiner would continue this process until the molten metal was so pure that their own image could be seen reflected in its surface. This implies that God desires to see His own character reflected in us through the process of purification. The phrase "purifier of silver" in Hebrew, "borer et b'nei levi," also carries a sense of sorting or sifting, separating the precious from the worthless, aligning with the "winnowing fork" imagery of John the Baptist.
Malachi 3 3 Commentary
The Lord's coming will bring a twofold action: judgment and purification. This verse uses the vivid imagery of metallurgy to describe how God will meticulously refine His people. The priests, being in a position of leadership and responsibility, will be particularly subjected to this scrutiny. Just as a silversmith watches the molten silver to remove impurities when they rise to the surface, God will observe and act to cleanse those who are His. This process, though potentially painful and testing, is ultimately for their good, making them pure offerings suitable for His service and for bringing His righteousness to the nations. This anticipates the refining work of the Holy Spirit through Christ's atoning sacrifice and the subsequent trials believers face.