Malachi 1:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

NIV: My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations," says the Lord Almighty.

NASB: For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name shall be great among the nations, and in every place frankincense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name shall be great among the nations,' says the Lord of armies.

CSB: "My name will be great among the nations, from the rising of the sun to its setting. Incense and pure offerings will be presented in my name in every place because my name will be great among the nations," says the Lord of Armies.

NLT: But my name is honored by people of other nations from morning till night. All around the world they offer sweet incense and pure offerings in honor of my name. For my name is great among the nations,' says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

KJV: For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.

NKJV: For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the Lord of hosts.

There are some disagreements about whether this verse should be rendered in the present tense or the future tense. Theologically, only the future tense makes sense. At this point in history, proper sacrifices could only be made at the temple, and pagan nations had no such place to worship God. Likewise, the Hebrew construction suggests that these future offerings will be "brought" from all places, not literally "offered in" all places.

God has just told Israel that He would rather they stop offering Him any sacrifices at all, rather than bringing insultingly flawed animals. This verse brings in God's eventual honor from the Gentiles—non-Jews—which would have been a slap in the face to Israel. As God's chosen people, they had been given special treatment by God. Here, however, God is telling them that "pure" offerings, unlike Israel's impure sacrifices, will be offered by the—supposedly—unclean Gentiles.

In short, God is reminding Israel that He will be properly worshipped, even if that worship comes from those outside of Israel. He will be given honor, even if that happens in spite of Israel (Romans 3:1–8). Someday, those outside of God's chosen people will recognize God for who He is, and give Him the worship He is due (Zechariah 14:9).

Malachi 1:6—2:9 is directed specifically at the priests of Israel. Despite having knowledge of the Old Testament Law, they are offering improper sacrifices to God. Instead of following the requirements for pure offerings, they are sacrificing animals so defective that a mere politician would not accept them. This shows their apathy and disrespect towards God. In response, God warns that He will be praised properly, even if it's by the Gentiles, even if it's in spite of His own chosen people. This includes a threat to humiliate the priesthood, if they don't lead the people as they have been instructed.

Chapter 1 begins the first of three main messages in the book of Malachi. This is addressed to the priests, who have failed to do their duty. They are allowing improper sacrifices, they are not teaching the people, and they are acting in legalism and apathy. If the priests do not change, they will be under the curse of God. God's love for Israel is demonstrated by the counter-example of Edom. Edom's complete destruction was foretold in the book of Obadiah. This shows that God can punish disobedience with annihilation, but has not done so for Israel.

Malachi's structure is complex, and chapter divisions are not helpful in seeing the pattern. There are three primary messages in this book, the first running from Malachi 1:2 through Malachi 2:9. Most of chapter one is the first message, directed to the priests of Israel. This is an important first step, since the priests were responsible for teaching the people. Failures by the priests would inevitably lead to failures by the people. The second and third messages are delivered more generally to the nation of Israel.

Malachi is the last message of prophecy given to Israel prior to 400 years of silence. Israel has rebuilt the temple, following the invasions of Babylon, but they are still under foreign oppression. Israel's spiritual condition, however, is dire. Hosea depicted Israel as prone to failure, but repentant. Later, Ezekiel exposed Israel's blatant disobedience. By the time of Malachi, Israel has passed into numbness and apathy. Unlike other Old Testament prophets, Malachi takes the form of a dialogue, where Israel responds to accusations as if unaware that they've occurred. The next prophetic voice from God would not come until the ministry of John the Baptist.