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“For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, the sons of Jacob, have not come to an end.
Malachi 3:6 · New American Standard Bible · underlined terms are tappable
Parallel translations
  • WEB “For I, Yahweh, don’t change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
  • KJV For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye 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.
  • 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, nor the son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?
  • Heb 13:8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
  • Jas 1:17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.
  • Lam 3:22–23It is because of Yahweh’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail.
  • Jer 32:27“Behold, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?
  • Isa 40:28–31Haven’t you known? Haven’t you heard? The everlasting God, Yahweh, The Creator of the ends of the earth, doesn’t faint. He isn’t weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
  • Rom 8:28–32We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.
  • Exod 3:14–15God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
  • Heb 6:18that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the hope set before us.
  • 1 Sam 15:29Also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent; for he is not a man, that he should repent.”
  • Rev 1:8“I am the Alpha and the Omega, ” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
  • Rev 22:13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
  • Isa 45:5–8I am Yahweh, and there is no one else. Besides me, there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not known me;
  • Ps 102:26They will perish, but you will endure. Yes, all of them will wear out like a garment. You will change them like a cloak, and they will be changed.
  • Isa 44:6This is what Yahweh, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Yahweh of Armies, says: “I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.
  • 2 Th 2:13–14But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth;
  • Phil 1:6being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.
  • Ps 103:17But Yahweh’s loving kindness is from everlasting to everlasting with those who fear him, his righteousness to children’s children;
  • Isa 41:13For I, Yahweh your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I will help you.’
  • Isa 42:5–8Thus says God Yahweh, he who created the heavens and stretched them out, he who spread out the earth and that which comes out of it, he who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk in it.
  • Ps 78:57but turned back, and dealt treacherously like their fathers. They were turned aside like a deceitful bow.
  • Rom 11:28–29Concerning the Good News, they are enemies for your sake. But concerning the election, they are beloved for the fathers’ sake.
  • Ps 78:38But he, being merciful, forgave iniquity, and didn’t destroy them. Yes, many times he turned his anger away, and didn’t stir up all his wrath.
  • Gen 15:7He said to Abram, “I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it.”
  • Isa 43:11–12I myself am Yahweh; and besides me there is no savior.
  • Hos 11:9I will not execute the fierceness of my anger. I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One among you; and I will not come in wrath.
  • Gen 22:16and said, “I have sworn by myself, says Yahweh, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son,
  • Ps 105:7–10He is Yahweh, our God. His judgments are in all the earth.
  • Rom 5:10For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life.
  • Gen 15:18In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
  • Neh 9:7–8You are Yahweh, the God who chose Abram, brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, gave 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.