Then you will know that I have sent you this commandment so that My covenant with Levi may continue,” says the LORD of Hosts.
Parallel translations
- WEB You will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant may be with Levi,” says Yahweh of Armies.
- KJV And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.
- NKJV Then you shall know that I have sent this commandment to you, That My covenant with Levi may continue,” Says the Lord of hosts.
- NASB Then you will know that I have sent this commandment to you, so that My covenant may continue with Levi,” says the Lord of armies.
- NLT Then at last you will know it was I who sent you this warning so that my covenant with the Levites can continue,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
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 sends this warning so the priests will recognize His desire to preserve His covenant with Levi, the priestly line.
Overview
Even in judgment, God's aim is corrective, that the priests might return and His covenant with Levi continue. This covenant established the priesthood as a channel of reverent service and instruction. The reference to Levi prepares for the description of the ideal priest in the following verses, ultimately fulfilled in Christ, our great High Priest.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Num 3:12“Behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of every firstborn Israelite from the womb. The Levites belong to Me,
- Ezek 38:23I will magnify and sanctify Myself, and will reveal Myself in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
- Jer 28:9As for the prophet who prophesies peace, only if the word of the prophet comes true will the prophet be recognized as one the LORD has truly sent.”
- Matt 3:12His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
- Ezek 44:9–16This is what the Lord GOD says: No foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh may enter My sanctuary—not even a foreigner who lives among the Israelites.
- Neh 13:29Remember them, O my God, because they have defiled the priesthood and the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites.
- John 15:2He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.
- Luke 10:11‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off as a testimony against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’
- Isa 26:11O LORD, Your hand is upraised, but they do not see it. They will see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame. The fire set for Your enemies will consume them!
- Isa 1:24–28Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, declares: “Ah, I will be relieved of My foes and avenge Myself on My enemies.
- Ezek 20:38–41And I will purge you of those who rebel and transgress against Me. I will bring them out of the land in which they dwell, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
- 1 Kgs 22:25Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.”
- Isa 27:9Therefore Jacob’s guilt will be atoned for, and the full fruit of the removal of his sin will be this: When he makes all the altar stones like crushed bits of chalk, no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing.
- Ezek 33:33So when it comes to pass—and surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
- Num 3:45“Take the Levites in place of all the firstborn of Israel, and the livestock of the Levites in place of their livestock. The Levites belong to Me; I am the LORD.
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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 2:4 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
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