3

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;
And he shall purify the sons of Levi,

And shall * refine them as gold and as silver;

And they shall bring near unto Jehovah an offering in righteousness.

4 Then shall the offering of Judah and of Jerusalem be pleasing unto Jehovah,

5

As in the days of old, and as in former years.

And I will draw near unto you to judgment;
And I will be a swift witness

Against sorcerers, and against adulterers, and against

false swearers;

And against those who oppress the § hireling in his hire, and the widow and the fatherless;

* Or, cleanse.

† Heb. shall be unto Jehovah the bringers near of an offering of flour. Heb. those who swear to a falsehood. Heb. the hire of the hireling.

3.

he shall sit as a refiner.—He shall be diligently employed in his office, in which he shall resemble a refiner.

ó. Ar. read, "And he shall sit a refiner and purifier as of silver and gold." And Syr. transposes the particle of similitude in the same manner; but omits ann, and gold.

the sons of Levi.-Those who shall minister in their stead under the

new covenant.

5. - sorcerers.- -Those who pretend to foretel future events by rites which the law forbad. Arab. manifestavit, revelavit.

- fulse swearers.—ó. Ar. add “wa, by my name, with fifteen MSS.

three ed. and Talm. Babyl.

who oppress.-Houbigant reads with ó. Ar. ; and again wy. But Bahrdt justly observes, that the Hebrews often prefix a verb to many nouns, which suits only one. See on Hos. ii. 18. the hireling in his fire.-w now. Sic 6. V. Syr. Ch. Videtur tamen prius expungendum; nam de personis dicitur pwy, et speciatim de mercenario, Deut. xxiv. 14; de viduo et orphano, Jer. vii. 6; nusquam de rebus, nisi Job xl. 18, ubi videtur fluvio persona tribui. Addit Syr. pereInteret interponunt judicium Ch. 6. quod exhibet Deut. xxvii. 19. quo videtur hic propheta respicere. Secker. and the widow.-Observe that three MSS. read

.שכיר grinum post

And who turn aside the poor, and fear not me;
Saith Jehovah God of hosts.

6 For I am Jehovah [your God,] I change not:

Therefore ye, the sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
From the days of your fathers ye have turned aside
from my statutes, and have not kept them:

Turn ye unto me, and I will turn unto you,

Saith Jehovah God of hosts,

But ye say, Wherein shall we turn?

8 Shall a man rob God?

Yet ye

rob me.

But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?
In || tithes and * offerings.

9 Ye are cursed with a curse:

For ye have robbed me; even this † whole nation.

10 Bring ye all the tithes

Into the storehouse,

And let there be food in mine house:

And prove me now herewith,

Saith Jehovah God of hosts;

If I will not open unto you

Heb. the tithe.

Heb. the nation, all of it,

* Heb. the heave-offering.

Heb. tithe.

And who turn aside.-See Amos v. 12. Houbigant observes, that ó. Chald. supply on, the judgment; which is unnecessary. The Greek is rather an explanation of this and the foregoing line, than a verbal rendering.

6.

Jehovah [your God.]—ó. Ar. supply

.

· are not consumed.—Because of my everlasting covenant with your fathers, ye are not totally consumed.

7. From this ver. to the end of v. 12, the people are reprehended for withholding the legal tithes and oblations; are assured that they are under a curse for this breach of the law, and that an opposite conduct will derive on them a blessing.

From the days.-See »↳, Nold. Zech. xiv. 10. Some render, "In like manner as from," &c.

8.

10.

tithes.-See Neh. xiii, 10.

offerings.-See Numb. xviii. 19.

-food.-For the priests. See 2, Prov. xxx. 8. xxxi. 15.

11

The windows of the heavens,

And pour out unto you a blessing, until there be not

room enough to receive it.

And I will rebuke for you the devourer,

And he shall not destroy the fruit of your ground;
Neither shall your vine § cast its fruit in the field;
Saith Jehovah God of hosts.

12 And all the nations shall call

13

you

For ye shall be || a pleasant land,
Saith Jehovah, God of hosts.

blessed :

Your words have waxen bold against me,
Saith Jehovah [God of hosts.]

Yet ye say, What have we spoken against thee?

14 Ye have said, "It is * vain to serve Jehovah :

15

16

And what profit is there that we have kept his ordinance,
And that we have walked mournfully

Before Jehovah God of hosts ?

And now we call the proud happy:

Yea, the workers of wickedness are set up:
Yea, they have proved God, and have escaped."
Then they who feared Jehovah spake

11.

· not room enough.-Immensæ ruperunt horrea messes. Virg.
the devourer.—The locust, caterpillar, cankerworm, &c.

13. From this verse to the end of ch. iv. v. 3, the prophet expostulates with the wicked for their hard speeches, and declares that God will make a fearful distinction between them and the righteous.

14.

God of hosts.-ay is supplied by Chald. and 6. Pachom.

and ashes. 15.

God.

·walked mournfully.—With prayer and fasting, in sackcloth

the proud.—Those who behave themselves arrogantly against

are set up.-Are raised to prosperity, as buildings are to their height. These who spake thus seem to have expected an exact distribution of temporal rewards and punishments to good and bad men.

Every one to his neighbour.

And Jehovah gave ear and heard:

And a book of remembrance was written before him,
For them who feared Jehovah, and for them who thought

on his name.

17 They shall be unto me, said Jehovah God of hosts, In the day which I shall appoint, a peculiar treasure. And I will spare them, as a man spareth

His son who serveth him,

18 And ye shall § again discern

Between the righteous and the wicked;
Between him who serveth God,

And him who serveth him not.

CHAPTER IV.

1 FOR behold, the day cometh which shall burn as a furnace ;

And all the proud,

And all that do wickedness, shall be stubble.

And the day which cometh shall burn them up,

16.

-gave ear and heard.-Heard attentively.

· a book of remembrance.—A beautiful allusion to the records kept by kings, Esth. vi. 1.

17. They shall be.-Erunt. V. the vau being merely conversive.

- appoint.—See c. iv. 3. So V. 6. Ps. cxviii. 24. The period referred

to may be the Roman war under Titus.

a peculiar treasure.—, Chald. lucratus est, collegit.

18. · again discern.—As your fathers did, when chastised by the Assyrians and Babylonians.

and the wicked.-For the Hebrew form, see on Joel ii. 17.

CHAP. IV. 1. root or branch.—It shall totally consume them. A proverbial expression.

Saith Jehovah God of hosts:

For it shall not leave them root or branch.

2

But unto you that fear my name,

3

4

5

Shall the sun of righteousness arise, * with healing in
his wings,

And ye shall go forth, and thrive, as bullocks of the
stall.

And ye shall tread down the wicked: for they shall be
as dust

Under the soles of your feet,

In the day which I shall appoint;

Saith Jehovah God of hosts.

Remember ye the law of Moses my servant,

Which I commanded him in Horeb

Concerning all Israel: even the statutes and the judg-

ments.

Behold, I will send unto you

Elijah the prophet,

Before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come:

*Heb. and.

2.

that fear.-Or, O ye that fear. Arab. Bahrdt.

wings.-Metaphorically, for rays. The disciples of the Messiah

shall be preserved from the destruction by the Romans.

go forth.—To the pasture.

and thrive. Some render the original word exiliit. See ó.

3. ye shall tread down.-Ye shall know that they are wholly
subdued.

as dust.-Some say that here is an allusion to the treading of
mortar, made one part of sand and two of ashes. Harmer I. 179.

4. Remember. This precept well suits the last of the prophets. ó. Ar.
place this v. after v. 5, 6, and it forms as apt a conclusion as repeating the
prophecy of Christ's harbinger. See ch. iii. 1. "MS Copt. also places
this verse last." Mr. Woide.

5. -

Elijah.-John the Baptist, who should come in the spirit and
power of Elijah, Luke i. 17.

day of Jehovah.-When he shall take vengeance on the Jews by
the Roman armies.

G G