“Now, you priests, this commandment is for you.
Parallel translations
- KJV And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.
- BSB “And now this decree is for you, O priests:
- NKJV “And now, O priests, this commandment is for you.
- NASB “And now, this commandment is for you, the priests.
- NLT “Listen, you priests—this command is for you!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God directly addresses the priests, announcing that a specific command of warning and judgment is now directed to them.
Overview
Having exposed the priests' corruption in chapter 1, God now turns to pronounce consequences upon them specifically. As covenant leaders entrusted with worship and instruction, they bear heightened accountability. The verse introduces a solemn warning that reverence for God's name is not optional for those who serve Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Mal 1:6“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, then where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is the respect due me? Says Yahweh of Armies to you, priests, who despise my name. You say, ‘How have we despised your name?’
- Jer 13:13Then tell them, ‘Yahweh says, “Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings who sit on David’s throne, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with drunkenness.
- Hos 5:1“Listen to this, you priests! Listen, house of Israel, and give ear, house of the king! For the judgment is against you; for you have been a snare at Mizpah, and a net spread on Tabor.
- Lam 4:13It is because of the sins of her prophets, and the iniquities of her priests, That have shed the blood of the just in the middle of her.
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The messenger who prepares the way, the sun of righteousness rising with healing, and the Lord suddenly coming to his temple set the stage for the gospel that opens with John and Jesus.
How Malachi 2:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.