Malachi 2:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it.

NIV: Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.

NASB: Behold, I am going to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread dung on your faces, the dung of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it.

CSB: "Look, I am going to rebuke your descendants, and I will spread animal waste over your faces, the waste from your festival sacrifices, and you will be taken away with it.

NLT: I will punish your descendants and splatter your faces with the manure from your festival sacrifices, and I will throw you on the manure pile.

KJV: Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.

NKJV: “Behold, I will rebuke your descendants And spread refuse on your faces, The refuse of your solemn feasts; And one will take you away with it.

This verse continues God's warning to the priests about their insulting and lazy approach to worship. This particular warning involves the concept of legacy. If the priests continue to offer improper sacrifices (Malachi 1:7–8) and to degrade God through their attitude, they will be themselves degraded and discarded. As used here, "offspring," or "descendants," is a reference to future priests. So, this threat is aimed at both the current priesthood and the priests yet to come. According to Old Testament law, priesthood was reserved for the tribe of Levi, so there is a genetic component as well. The actions of a culture's spiritual leaders will always affect future generations.

When animals were brought for sacrifice, not all of the organs were considered fit for offering. Hunters, butchers, and others who slaughter animals know that some parts are "waste" products which are usually discarded. Even though the priests have been offering ritually impure animals, they would still have been rejecting bits of them as part of the sacrificial process. Here, Malachi is referring to this very debris: the Hebrew word pe'res is often translated as "manure" or "dung," but has a more general meaning of "animal waste."

The symbolism is clear: God will humiliate the Levitical priesthood as plainly as if He'd smeared their faces with filth. God will discard what is unclean and impure, and won't allow it to be used in His temple. This, just as a priest discards the disgusting and unclean animal wastes and doesn't use them as part of worship.

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.

God will humiliate the priests who are insulting Him with improper sacrifices. While the priests are being unfaithful to God, the people of Israel are also being unfaithful to each other. In particular, they are marrying pagans, and committing divorce, which God absolutely despises. God's covenant with Israel included both blessings for obedience, and consequences for disobedience. And yet, as Israel disobeys, they blame God for their hardships. God's people are defying Him, then blaming Him for the end results!

Malachi's structure is intricate, but can be divided into three primary messages. The first message is to Israel's priests, and runs from Malachi 1:2 through Malachi 2:9. Chapter 2 begins with a warning, to the priests, that God will humiliate them for their arrogant, apathetic attitudes. The topic then transitions to Malachi's second message, directed to Israel as a whole, accusing them of being unfaithful to each other. This rebuke of infidelity continues through the beginning of chapter 3, before calling Israel to repentance in the final message.

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.