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For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
Malachi 3:6 · King James Version · underlined terms are tappable
Parallel translations
  • WEB “For I, Yahweh, don’t change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
  • BSB “Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.
  • NKJV “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
  • NASB “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, the sons of Jacob, have not come to an end.
  • NLT “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.

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

Because the LORD does not change, the children of Jacob are not destroyed despite their sin.

Overview

God's unchanging nature is the ground of His people's preservation; His faithfulness to His covenant promises, not their faithfulness, keeps them from being consumed. This great statement of God's immutability anchors hope amid judgment. The same constancy is displayed in Jesus Christ, who is 'the same yesterday, today, and forever' (Hebrews 13:8), securing salvation for all who trust Him.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 31

  • Num 23:19God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
  • Heb 13:8Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
  • Jas 1:17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
  • Lam 3:22–23It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
  • Jer 32:27Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
  • Isa 40:28–31Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
  • Rom 8:28–32And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
  • Exod 3:14–15And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
  • Heb 6:18That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
  • 1 Sam 15:29And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
  • Rev 1:8I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
  • Rev 22:13I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
  • Isa 45:5–8I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
  • Ps 102:26They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
  • Isa 44:6Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
  • 2 Th 2:13–14But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
  • Phil 1:6Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
  • Ps 103:17But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;
  • Isa 41:13For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
  • Isa 42:5–8Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
  • Ps 78:57But turned back, and dealt unfaithfully like their fathers: they were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
  • Rom 11:28–29As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sakes.
  • Ps 78:38But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath.
  • Gen 15:7And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
  • Isa 43:11–12I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
  • Hos 11:9I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city.
  • Gen 22:16And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
  • Ps 105:7–10He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth.
  • Rom 5:10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
  • Gen 15:18In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
  • Neh 9:7–8Thou art the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Malachi videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Malachi 3:6YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MalachiMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 3:6 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.