'Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall clear the way before Me... for He is like a refiner's fire'; bring the whole tithe into the store-house — 'and try Me now with this'; a book of remembrance is written for them that fear Hashem; and behold, I send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day, to turn the heart of the fathers to the children.
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Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall clear the way before Me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, and the messenger of the covenant, Whom you delight in, Behold, he comes, Says Hashem of hosts.
verse value 5950
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 94 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 5950 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "sending" (שֹׁלֵ֙חַ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·will·clear·the·way" (וּפִנָּה־דֶ֖רֶךְ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 942: whom·you, whom·you. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "and·he·will·clear·the·way" (וּפִנָּה־דֶ֖רֶךְ), "and·suddenly" (וּפִתְאֹם֩), "will·go·in" (יָב֨וֹא). The root מלאך appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi); "said" (root אמר, 40x in Malachi); "hosts" (root צבא, 23x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·my·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 14 words.
Rashi
Behold, I am sending My messenger. To root out the wicked:
And the Angel of the Covenant. He avenges the vengeance of the covenant:
And he shall clear a way. From the wicked:
"The Lord whom you seek. The God of justice:"
Ibn Ezra
"Behold, I am sending My messenger" – it is possible that this refers to the Messiah, son of Joseph.
"The Lord" – this refers to the Glory, which is the Angel of the Covenant, for the meaning is double.
Radak
"Behold, I am here." If you ask about the judgment of the wicked in this world, there will yet come a time when you will see it, and then the judgment will draw near to you to destroy the wicked among you. And this will be that day when I send My messenger and he clears the way before Me, namely, the angel of the Lord from heaven, as it is said: "Behold, I send an angel before you, to guard you on the way, etc."
"And he will clear a way before Me." This refers to the ingathering of the exiles, so that they will not encounter an adversary or harmful mishap on their way.
"And suddenly shall He come to His Temple." Because the end time has not been revealed, nor was it clarified in the Book of Daniel, it is said that He will come suddenly, so that no person will know the day of His coming before it arrives, as it is stated: "The words are sealed and closed until the time of the end."
"The Master." He is the King Messiah, and he is the Angel of the Covenant. Or, perhaps, "the Angel of the Covenant" refers to Elijah. And so it is stated in an aggadah that Elijah was zealous regarding the covenant of circumcision, which the kingdom of Ephraim had prevented them from [performing], as it is said: "I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of Israel, for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant." It was said to him: "You were zealous at Shittim, and here you are zealous over circumcision? By your life, Israel will not perform the covenant of circumcision until you see it with your own eyes." From here they instituted making a seat of honor for Elijah, who is called the Angel of the Covenant, as it is said: "And the angel of the covenant whom you desire, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of Hosts."
"Behold, He comes." He will come in His time. And similarly, "First to Zion, behold, here they are."
Metzudat David
Behold, I send My messenger: The verb is construed as referring upward [to the preceding context], in order to respond to their complaint, which they voiced by saying, “Where is the God of justice?” And He says: Behold, in the time of the future redemption, I shall send a messenger from heaven, and he shall clear the way before Me. That is to say, he shall eradicate from the world the transgressors and the rebels, in order to purify the land before My coming, so that I may cause My Divine Presence to dwell in the land.
"The Lord, etc." This is the King Messiah, whom the eye of every person awaits and longs for, and seeks his coming.
"And the angel of the covenant." So too is the prophet Elijah called, for he was zealous for the covenant of circumcision, which the kingdom of Ephraim had prevented. Thus our Sages of blessed memory said:
That which you desire. That he come to announce the redemption and to revive the dead, for he is destined for this announcement and for the resurrection, as it is stated at the end of the book: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, etc.":
"Behold, he has come." It is stated in the past tense, for when the Messiah comes, Elijah will already have come, for he precedes his arrival.
Metzudat Zion
"U-finah" – the meaning is removal, and clearing away, like "You cleared [the ground] before it" (Psalms 80:10).
Malbim
"Behold, I send My messenger" – He replies to them: What you desire is that the God of judgment should reveal Himself and immediately punish the wicked and reward the righteous. This is impossible in this present world, for now it is still the world of choice and test, and everything must proceed according to the natural order, so that the choice to do good or evil remains open, and there is room for testing, reward, and punishment. For if the Lord were to reveal Himself in His glory, it would no longer be conceivable that anyone would commit an evil deed, for then even for a minor sin one would be punished immediately and removed from the world, and people would be afraid to do evil. Therefore, this path, whereby the Lord Himself would go among His creatures to judge them and guide them in this manner, has not yet been paved nor prepared in this time. Only after the world is rectified will I send My messenger, and "He will clear the way before Me." First, a prophet will go in the name of the Lord, who will clear this path of all stumbling blocks; that is to say, he will rectify the world through repentance. And then, when the world is rectified and the path is prepared, suddenly "the Lord whom you seek will come to His Temple." Then the Lord will come to dwell in His Temple below and to walk among you. And then, "the Messenger of the Covenant in whom you delight, behold, he has already come," for the Messenger will come first, before the Lord of Hosts arrives. He is the Messenger who will bring the world into the covenant of the Torah and faith, and into the covenant between them and God. Our Sages of blessed memory explained that this is Elijah, the Messenger of the Covenant, who will come first to turn many from sin, and he is the one who was zealous for the covenant in the incident at Shittim and in the days of Ahab.
But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’soap;
verse value 3046
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 55 letters. The shortest word is "and·who" (וּמִ֤י, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·his·appearing" (בְּהֵרָאוֹת֑וֹ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 56: and·who, and·who. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "endures" (מְכַלְכֵּל֙), "the·day·of" (אֶת־י֣וֹם), "his·coming" (בּוֹא֔וֹ). The root מי appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·appearing', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּמִ֤י [and·who] (56) + מְכַלְכֵּל֙ [endures] (140) + אֶת־י֣וֹם [the·day·of] (457) + בּוֹא֔וֹ [his·coming] (15) + וּמִ֥י [and·who] (56) + הָעֹמֵ֖ד [who·stands] (119) + בְּהֵרָאוֹת֑וֹ [in·his·appearing] (620) + כִּי־הוּא֙ [for·you] (42) + כְּאֵ֣שׁ [as·fire] (321) + מְצָרֵ֔ף [refining] (410) + וּכְבֹרִ֖ית [and·like·lye] (638) + מְכַבְּסִֽים [launderers] (172) = 3046.
Rashi
And who can endure? And who can contain?
And who is the one who stands. That he will be able to stand:
And like fuller's borit. Just as the borit of launderers removes every stain, so too shall it remove all wickedness. Borit is a plant that removes the stain, in the vernacular (Old French) called "shniira." And the term "borit" refers to that which polishes and purifies, like [it is said in] (Psalms 73), "to the pure of heart."
Ibn Ezra
"And who sustains" – [this is] a doubled form, like "yakhil," "metaltelkha," [and] "va-yatilu."
"For He is like a refiner's fire" – behold, this is the prophecy in the prophecy of Zechariah: "And I will bring the third part through the fire."
"And like borit" – [it is] in construct with "mekhabsim" [i.e., "the borit of the launderers"].
Radak
And who will sustain the day of His coming? Who will be able to endure the day of His coming, for on the day of His coming many will be refined.
For He is like a refiner’s fire. The meaning of “He” refers to the day mentioned, namely, that day will be like the fire that refines dross from silver; so too, the wicked will be separated from the righteous, the wicked will perish, and the righteous will remain. And similarly, it is stated in the prophecy of Zechariah: “And I will bring the third part through the fire.”
And [the term] "borit" refers to a cleansing agent [soap/lye]. Just as the "borit" used by laundry workers is employed to remove the stain from the garment, so too the wicked are considered the stain, as it is stated: "Your iniquity is stained before Me."
Metzudat David
"And who can sustain?" And who will be able to endure the day of the coming of the Angel who clears the way? And who will be able to survive on the day when that Angel will be seen and revealed? This is a repetition of the matter in different words.
"For He is." For that angel will be like fire that refines silver and burns away the dross, and like the lye of launderers that removes stains from garments; so too, He will destroy and annihilate all the transgressors and rebels.
Metzudat Zion
The word "mechalkel" (מכלכל) means "to sustain" or "to bear," similar to the usage in the verse: "And who can bear it?" (Joel 2:11).
"מצרף" – The meaning of "zikkuk" (purification/refining) is the removal of impurities, as it is written: "I have refined you, but not as silver" (Isaiah 48:10).
"And u-khevorit" (and like soap). The name of a cleansing plant; and similarly, "and you have increased soap for yourself" (Jeremiah 2:22).
"Fullers" [launderers]. From the language of "washing" (kibus):
Malbim
And who can sustain it? But then, who will be able to endure even the day of His coming? Even before the Master Himself appears, on that day no one will be able to bear it due to excessive fear. All the more so, those who stand in His presence when He appears, for then no creature will be able to withstand it. For He is like a refining fire; He will remove all impurities, just as a refining fire removes the dross from metals. And He will also be like the fuller’s soap used by launderers. Just as the fuller’s soap removes even the smallest stain found on a garment and cleanses the garment completely, so too will He cleanse Israel. The meaning is that the wicked, who are like dross, He will remove through the fire that will consume them. And the righteous, He will wash to remove from them every stain, so that they will be like a clean, pure, and whitened garment.
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver; and there shall be they that shall offer to Hashem offerings in righteousness.
verse value 3501
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "silver" (כֶּ֔סֶף, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·sons·of·Levi" (אֶת־בְּנֵֽי־לֵוִי֙, 8 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "and·he·shall·remain" (וְיָשַׁ֨ב), "and·purifier" (וּמְטַהֵר֙), "silver" (כֶּ֔סֶף). The root טהר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·as·the·silver', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
“And he shall sit refining.” He diverts himself from all his occupations, to be like a refiner who refines and purifies silver.
Ibn Ezra
“And he sat refining and purifying silver” – from all impurities.
“And He shall purify the sons of Levi” – this refers to the priests, who shall not act as they do at present.
Radak
"And He sat down" – Just as a judge sits to judge the people, distinguishing between the guilty and the innocent, so too will that day be one of refining and purifying silver, removing its dross, which are the wicked.
“And He purified the children of Levi.” These are the priests, and since He spoke about them in the preceding passage, He now mentions them specifically.
"Those who present the offering in righteousness." This is not the case with the priests of this generation, as stated above, who offered animals with blemishes.
Metzudat David
"And He shall sit as a refiner." This is expressed in the language customary for a human being, indicating that that angel will sit as a judge to refine and purify, just as one refines and purifies silver from its dross. He will purify the sons of Levi—the priests, the sons of Levi who are brought near to the Lord. He will purify them to remove from them the contempt of the Name of the Lord, and He will refine them like gold and silver, so that they will be clean from the men of wickedness. They will be for the Lord to present before Him offerings and gifts in righteousness, according to the law and as is fitting, unlike now, when they present upon the altar bread that is desecrated and detestable.
Metzudat Zion
Silver. Like "as silver":
וזקק. The meaning is purification and refining, like "mezukak shiv'atayim" ("refined seven times") (Psalms 12:7):
Maggishim. The matter of the offering:
Mincha. This means a gift, and all the sacrifices are included in this category.
In righteousness. This means: in accordance with the law and as is fitting.
Malbim
"And He shall sit refining and purifying silver": After He has refined the dross, which are the wicked, this will be immediately upon His appearing; and afterward He shall sit in permanence, and then He shall continually refine and purify even the silver. For He shall refine again even the good ones who remained after the separation of the dross and the wicked, like one who purifies a second time the clean silver from which the dross has already been separated, and which is already considered as silver, yet He refines it a second time. As it is stated, "Silver refined in the furnace, silver purified seven times" (Psalms 12:7). And He shall purify the sons of Levi, for even the tribe of Levi, who are likened to silver, He shall purify. And He shall refine them like gold and silver, and this purification shall be likened to the refining of gold and silver. For gold is more precious in its substance and requires more refining than silver, and one is more meticulous regarding its dross than regarding the dross of silver. So too, the sons of Aaron, who are among the tribe of Levi, He shall refine more than the refining of the rest of the sons of the tribe. And they shall be to the Lord those who present an offering in righteousness, until the priests who will be for the Lord to present an offering before Him will be only those who were for the Lord in righteousness, namely, in good deeds between man and the Divine, which is the definition of righteousness. And as is explained in Ezekiel, chapter 43, that only the priests, the sons of Zadok, will be worthy to offer sacrifices in the Temple in the World to Come, but the rest of the priests who did not stand in their righteousness will not approach the altar to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.
Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant to Hashem, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.
verse value 2715
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "gift" (מִנְחַ֥ת, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·Jerusalem" (וִירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "and·shall·be·sweet" (וְעָֽרְבָה֙), "gift" (מִנְחַ֥ת), "and·Jerusalem" (וִירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi). First appearance of the root יום ("as·days·of") in Malachi. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְעָֽרְבָה֙ [and·shall·be·sweet] (283) + לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה [to·Hashem] (56) + מִנְחַ֥ת [gift] (498) + יְהוּדָ֖ה [Judah] (30) + וִירוּשָׁלִָ֑ם [and·Jerusalem] (592) + כִּימֵ֣י [as·days·of] (80) + עוֹלָ֔ם [ever] (146) + וּכְשָׁנִ֖ים [and·as·years] (426) + קַדְמֹנִיֹּֽת [former·things] (604) = 2715.
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall be pleasing, as in the days of old" — during their time in the First Temple.
Radak
"And it shall be pleasant." [The verse] mentions Judah and Jerusalem, for the Temple is there.
Metzudat David
"And it shall be pleasing to the Lord." Then it will be pleasing to the Lord, the offering of Judah, for the days of Moses are like the days of eternity, and the days of Solomon are like the ancient years, for the Lord accepted their sacrifices with favor, and fire descended from heaven and consumed upon the altar.
Metzudat Zion
"וערבה" – the meaning is sweetness; similarly, "and my sleep was sweet to me" (Jeremiah 31:26).
Kadmoniyot. From the word "kodem" (preceding):
Malbim
"And it shall be pleasing to the Lord" — and then the meal-offering of Judah will be pleasing, like the days of eternity. And our Sages of blessed memory interpreted "like the days of eternity" as meaning "like the days of Moses," and "like the ancient years" as meaning "like the days of Solomon," for then fire descended from heaven and consumed the burnt-offering; and so it will be in the time to come. A further interpretation: "like the days of eternity" means "like the days of Noah," and "like the ancient years" means "like the days of Abel," for there was no idolatry in their days. This implies that likewise there will be no idolatry in those days, and the Lord will be One, and His name will be One.
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers; and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, The widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not Me, Says Hashem of hosts.
verse value 7383
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 105 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "until" (עֵ֣ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·against·the·adulterers" (וּבַמְנָ֣אֲפִ֔ים, 8 letters). 15 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "and·I·will·come·near" (וְקָרַבְתִּ֣י), "to·the·judgment" (לַמִּשְׁפָּט֒), "and·I·will·be" (וְהָיִ֣יתִי). 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi); "said" (root אמר, 40x in Malachi); "hosts" (root צבא, 23x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·lie', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 10 words.
Ibn Ezra
"And I will draw near to you" – meaning that this will take place in those days.
"And I was a witness" – that I would reveal to all what they did, including those who pervert the judgment of the stranger [convert].
Radak
"And I will draw near." On that day that was mentioned [above].
“Unto you.” The generation that will be present on that day. And as for the generations that have passed, if they did not receive their judgment in this world, they will receive it in the World to Come.
"Witness." For I know the hidden things, and I will bear witness concerning them, regarding what they have done.
"Swift." To repay them their recompense.
"And [who] pervert [the cause of] the stranger." [That is:] and pervert the judgment of the stranger.
Metzudat David
"And I will draw near." And then I will draw near to you to execute judgment, to repay each person according to his deeds.
And I will be a witness without delay. This means that the judgment should not be delayed until the witnesses are examined, for I myself will be a witness, hastening to testify against the sorcerers, etc.
And regarding those who oppress the wages [of workers]: namely, the wages of a widow and an orphan, and they do not pay their wages.
"And who subvert [the cause of] the stranger." They pervert the judgment of the stranger, to hold him liable without cause.
"And they do not fear Me." This means that they committed all these transgressions because they had no fear of man before them, for sorcery and adultery are committed stealthily and in secret, and there is no one to see; and regarding a false oath, no one knows that he swore falsely; and as for defrauding the wages of a hired worker, an orphan, or a widow, and perverting the justice due to a stranger—they do these things because they are not afraid of them, for these are weak in strength and their support has departed. Moreover, they do not even fear the Lord, even though He sees all things and knows the secrets of the heart, and His hand rules over all. Therefore, I will repay them the recompense of their deeds. And by this, He comes to answer them regarding what they said, "Behold, where is the God of judgment?" For by this He answers to say: Behold, then they will receive judgment and recompense.
Metzudat Zion
"And in the oppressors." The matter of robbery:
And "u'matei." The word is from the root "hataya," meaning turning aside [subverting].
Malbim
"And I will draw near" means: What you are requesting, that the Lord should be found among people in this present world to judge the righteous and the wicked and to repay their reward and punishment immediately—this is impossible to occur until the future time, when the time of rectification arrives. Then, not even a slight dross or a light sin will be found, for they will be judged by the fire of the Lord. In this present world, it is a world of choice, change, and testing, and it is impossible to conduct affairs in that manner. Nevertheless, even though with the nations who serve idolatry I conduct Myself in a way of concealment, and the world proceeds according to its usual course, and there are wicked people who succeed until the end of days, when I will sit to judge all the nations—nevertheless, to you I will draw near for judgment even before the future time. And this is what is stated by "And I will draw near," which indicates that He will draw near before the distant time. It also refers to the intention that His judgments upon Israel will not be distant from them as they are from the idolatrous nations. Even though it will not be in a manner such as in the World to Come, where even a slight dross and a small sin will be refined, nevertheless, "I will be a witness quickly against sorcerers and against adulterers, etc.," which are severe transgressions. Regarding these, I will be a witness quickly, before the distant future time. And this is for the reason that I cannot leave you without punishing you until the measure is filled, at which point you will be completely finished. And this is what it says.
For I Hashem change not; and you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
verse value 2140
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 34 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Jacob" (בְּנֵֽי־יַעֲקֹ֖ב, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "I·repeated" (שָׁנִ֑יתִי), "sons·of·Jacob" (בְּנֵֽי־יַעֲקֹ֖ב), "you·are·consumed" (כְלִיתֶֽם). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·repeated', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּ֛י [for] (30) + אֲנִ֥י [I] (61) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + שָׁנִ֑יתִי [I·repeated] (770) + וְאַתֶּ֥ם [and·you] (447) + בְּנֵֽי־יַעֲקֹ֖ב [sons·of·Jacob] (244) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + כְלִיתֶֽם [you·are·consumed] (500) = 2140.
Rashi
"For I am the Lord; I have not changed." Even though I am long-suffering, My mind has not changed from its original intent to love the wicked and hate the good.
"And you, sons of Jacob." Even though you deserve to die for your wickedness, I did not exact punishment from the wicked during their lifetime.
"You have not ceased to be." You are not consumed before Me, and I have reserved for Myself the souls, to collect from them My judgment in Gehinnom. And so did Targum Yonatan render it: "And you, O house of Jacob, whoever dies in this world, his judgment is sealed," meaning: you suppose to say that My judgment is void, that there is nothing more to be exacted from him. But our Sages explained it ["I have not changed"]: I have not struck someone and then changed it for him; but you I have kept standing after much punishment — My arrows are spent, but you are not spent.
Ibn Ezra
"For I have not changed" – meaning that no change will befall Me, as it is written: "different from all peoples."
"And you, sons of Jacob, have not been exhausted" – meaning, although the father has died, the son remains.
Radak
"For I am the Lord; I have not changed." For what I have said—even if it is for a long time, not according to the year—so shall it be, for I have not changed, and My words will not change, and all the future events that I have told you through My prophets, so shall they come to pass.
"I have not changed." An expression of change; that is, I will not change from one thing to another, nor from one desire to another.
“And you, children of Jacob, have not been consumed.” Just as the other nations have been consumed, such that no remembrance remains of their name, and they have ceased to exist as a nation; but you have not been consumed, nor will you be consumed, for you will forever be distinct among the nations, to be one nation in the land. Even though you have been exiled and scattered to every corner, your name remains in every place. And what I have done to you harshly because of your sins, I have done; and just as I will not change, so too you will not be consumed. And in the end of days, you will return to your exalted status and be supreme over all the nations of the earth. And the Targum [translates]: “For I, the LORD, have not changed My covenant, which is from of old, etc.”
Metzudat David
"For I am the Lord; I have not changed." My mind has not changed from what it was of old — I have not come to love evil — unlike what you said, "All workers of evil are good in the eyes of the Lord."
"And you, the sons of Jacob, have not been consumed." But you have not been consumed because, even though you die in wickedness without receiving due judgment, behold, in the future when you will stand in the resurrection, you will then be in My hand, and then you will receive the recompense that is fitting.
Metzudat Zion
"I have changed." From the language of change and alteration:
"Kilitem." The word is derived from the root meaning "end" and "conclusion."
Malbim
For I am the Lord; I have not changed My words from of old, and I have promised, and I promised the Fathers that I would not utterly destroy you. And since I have not changed My promise, therefore you, the children of Jacob, I have not utterly destroyed. And therefore I am compelled to exact from you immediately the payment for your sins, before the measure is filled, when you would become liable to utter destruction. But to the nations of the world, to whom I did not promise that I would not utterly destroy them, I wait until their measure is filled, and then they are utterly destroyed. And so our Sages of blessed memory explained this verse in the first chapter of Sotah, that the Holy One, blessed be He, exacts punishment from Israel little by little, and they bring proof from this verse: 'I am the Lord; I have not changed from of old — I have not struck a nation and struck it a second time, but you, the children of Jacob, have not ceased to be.' Behold, they explained that therefore He punishes them immediately, so that they not be utterly destroyed when their measure is filled.
From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from Mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you, Says Hashem of hosts. But you say: ‘Wherein shall we return?’
verse value 5112
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 70 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 5112 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·fathers" (אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֜ם, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "to·days·of" (לְמִימֵ֨י), "your·fathers" (אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֜ם), "from·my·statutes" (מֵֽחֻקַּי֙). The root שוב appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi); "said" (root אמר, 40x in Malachi); "hosts" (root צבא, 23x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hosts', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 3 words.
Ibn Ezra
"From the days of" – The lamed is superfluous, like in: "The third to Absalom, son of Maacah."
"Return" – He says [this] to that generation, which is in its own time; and their response [is]: "In what way shall we return?"
Radak
"L'mimei." The lamed with the mem is like "l'mah" (why), "l'merachok" (from afar), "l'olam" (forever). It means: a long time has passed that you and your fathers have not kept My statutes; therefore, I have brought evil upon them and upon you. But from now on, return to Me, and I will return to you.
"And you shall say, 'In what shall we return?'" And if you say, "In what shall we return?" — [implying] that there is in us some other matter besides that for which You have reproved us until now: the matter of the sacrifices, the matter of the wives, and repentance.
Metzudat David
"From the days of your fathers." From the days of your fathers, etc.:
"Return to Me. To observe My commandments:"
"And I will return to you. To do good with you as before:"
"And you shall say." And behold, you will brazenly harden your faces and say, "In what shall we return?"—meaning, for what cause shall we return? In what have we sinned?
Metzudat Zion
"למימי" – the lamed is an added letter.
Malbim
"From the days of..." He begins to rebuke them for not separating tithes and heave-offerings, and he says that you have already turned away from My statutes since the days of your fathers, who were not careful regarding tithes and heave-offerings; and I warn you: Return to Me, and I will return to you, for because of the sin of tithes and heave-offerings, the rains are withheld, and the ordinances of heaven depend on these statutes; and when you turned away from My statutes of tithes and heave-offerings, I withdrew the ordinances of rain and produce; and if you return to Me, I will return to send down rains and blessing.
Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me. But you say: ‘Wherein have we robbed You?’ In tithes and heave-offerings.
verse value 3681
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֗ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·contribution" (וְהַתְּרוּמָֽה, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "will·rob" (הֲיִקְבַּ֨ע), "man" (אָדָ֜ם), "we·robbed·you" (קְבַֽעֲנ֑וּךָ). The root קבע appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·you·shall·say" (root אמר, 40x in Malachi). First appearance of the root קבע ("will·rob") in Malachi. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'we·robbed·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 2 words. Full calculation: הֲיִקְבַּ֨ע [will·rob] (187) + אָדָ֜ם [man] (45) + אֱלֹהִ֗ים [God] (86) + כִּ֤י [for] (30) + אַתֶּם֙ [you] (441) + קֹבְעִ֣ים [robbing] (222) + אֹתִ֔י [me] (411) + וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם [and·you·shall·say] (687) + בַּמֶּ֣ה [in·what] (47) + קְבַֽעֲנ֑וּךָ [we·robbed·you] (248) + הַֽמַּעֲשֵׂ֖ר [tithe] (615) + וְהַתְּרוּמָֽה [and·the·contribution] (662) = 3681.
Rashi
"Shall a man rob?" Our Sages interpreted the term as denoting robbery, and it is an Aramaic expression.
"The tithe and the heave-offering. That you rob from the priests and from the Levites is My robbery:"
Ibn Ezra
"Hayikba" – Behold, it is the tithe and the heave-offering. For you might say: How can one give generously from such a small amount? And this is not good, that you defraud me because of the curse and the deficiency with which you are cursed and lacking — unless you do thus.
Radak
“Shall he defraud?” There is among you another matter on account of which it is fitting that the curse cling to you. It says, “Shall a man defraud God?”
"For you are defrauding Me." And you say — and if you were to say, "In what way have we defrauded You?" — the answer is: the tithe and the terumah. "Shall he defraud," "you defraud," "we have defrauded [You]" — this refers to the matter of robbery and taking a thing by force. And likewise, "and He shall rob the life of those who rob them." And Targum [Yonatan renders]: "Shall a man be enraged before the Judge," etc.
Metzudat David
"Shall a man rob [God]?" Is it fitting that a person should defraud God—[the God] whom you are defrauding, [namely] Me.
"And you shall say." And if you were to say, "In what matter are we oppressing you?"
"The tithe." This means: Regarding this I will answer you: You are defrauding Me of the tithe and the heave-offering, for you do not give them to the priests and the Levites, My ministers.
Metzudat Zion
"Will [a man] rob [God]?" (הֲיִקְבַע) – The meaning is exploitation or fraud (עֹשֶׁק), as in the phrase "and He will rob the life of those who robbed them" (וְקָבַע אֶת קֹבְעֵיהֶם נָפֶשׁ) (Proverbs 24).
Malbim
"Shall a man defraud [God]?" And thus it is fitting [to say] that a person 'defrauds' God by not giving Him what is due to Him. And since you say, 'In what have we defrauded You?'—is it not the tithe and the heave-offering, which are God's portion?
You are cursed with the curse, Yet you rob Me, Even this whole nation.
verse value 2150
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. Verse gematria: 2150 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "you" (אַתֶּ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "with·the·curse" (בַּמְּאֵרָה֙, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 441: you, you. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "with·the·curse" (בַּמְּאֵרָה֙), "cursed" (נֵֽאָרִ֔ים), "and·me" (וְאֹתִ֖י). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'robbing', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: בַּמְּאֵרָה֙ [with·the·curse] (248) + אַתֶּ֣ם [you] (441) + נֵֽאָרִ֔ים [cursed] (301) + וְאֹתִ֖י [and·me] (417) + אַתֶּ֣ם [you] (441) + קֹבְעִ֑ים [robbing] (222) + הַגּ֖וֹי [the·nation] (24) + כֻּלּֽוֹ [his·them] (56) = 2150.
Rashi
"With a curse you are cursed." For this sin, that I send a curse upon the work of your hands, and nevertheless you rob Me.
Radak
“With malediction you are cursed.” This is due to the transgressions mentioned above, as it says, “and I will also curse them.” Moreover, you add sin upon sin, and you defraud Me regarding what you gather in, in that you do not give from it terumah and tithes. And you say, “He is robbing us of the rain and sends a curse upon the crops, and yet we are to give Him the terumah and the tithes?”
"the whole nation." It appears that the transgressions mentioned above were not committed equally by all of them, but regarding the matter of tithes and terumah, they were all equal. Therefore, it says "the whole nation."
Metzudat David
"With the curse." Is it not for this reason that you are cursed with a curse, because the land does not yield its produce? And yet you do not accept correction, and you [continue to] defraud Me.
"The whole nation." For there is not one of you who gives the tithe and the heave-offering.
Metzudat Zion
In "me'erah" (curse). "Ne'arim" is from the word for cursing and curse:
Malbim
"Bima'arah" – this means specifically that you have no profit from this robbery, for by means of it you are cursed with a curse; and despite all this, you still defraud Me. And this is done by the entire nation, not by individuals alone.
Bring you the whole tithe into the store-house, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now herewith, Says Hashem of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall be more than sufficiency. .
verse value 7172
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 105 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "please" (נָא֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·tithe" (אֶת־כׇּל־הַֽמַּעֲשֵׂ֜ר, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: to·you, to·you. 15 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "bring" (הָבִ֨יאוּ), "all·the·tithe" (אֶת־כׇּל־הַֽמַּעֲשֵׂ֜ר), "to·house·of" (אֶל־בֵּ֣ית). The root לכם appears 2 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi); "said" (root אמר, 40x in Malachi); "hosts" (root צבא, 23x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hosts', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 10 words.
Rashi
And let there be food. Let there be food readily available for My attendants.
Ibn Ezra
"Bring all the tithe," "and I will pour out for you blessing" – and it shall no longer be destroyed.
And the explanation of "kove'im" (defrauding) is: like a pledge [mashkon] held by those who take a pledge [creditors] — you withhold from me that which is due to me.
The word "hayikba" – behold, it is the tithe and the terumah that one should not give with a grudging eye.
"Bamme'erah" (in the curse): It is fitting that you be chastised and not defraud me; but now, "bring," "I will open the windows of the heavens and pour out for you," by way of a parable, to indicate the abundance of blessings.
“Until without limit” – not merely “enough” alone, but rather more than enough.
Radak
“Bring [the tithe], and let there be food in My house.” To the Levites and the priests who serve before Me; and thereby you shall return from the transgressions mentioned. And if not, I will exact punishment from you with another calamity. But if you bring the terumah and the tithes as is proper, I will rain down upon you and pour out for you a blessing.
“Until there is no sufficient amount.” My master and father, of blessed memory, explained: “Until your vessels and treasuries are insufficient [to hold them].”
“Prey.” As its Targum [renders it]: “sustenance”; and Targum [Yonatan renders] “עד בלי די” as: “until you say, ‘Enough!’”
Metzudat David
"Bring them." Therefore, from now on, bring all the tithes to the treasury house designated for this purpose in the Temple, as it is stated in Nehemiah:
"And let there be food in My house." So that there will be food available for the members of My household, namely the priests and the Levites.
"Test Me." Test Me with this commandment, whether I reward the fulfillment of the commandment.
If not. It is a matter of an oath, like "If not, many houses shall be desolate" (Isaiah 5:9), and it means: I swear that for this merit I will open for you the windows of the heavens and pour out through them blessing for you. And it is a matter of hyperbole and exaggeration.
"Until there is no sufficient space." This means that the produce will increase so greatly that the threshing floors will not be sufficient to hold it all.
Metzudat Zion
"Prey." The matter of sustenance, and it is borrowed from the sustenance of an animal that comes through predation [tearing by a beast]:
"Test me." The word is derived from the terms for examination and trial.
"Na." Now:
Aruvot: Windows, as it is said, “and the windows of the heavens were opened” (Genesis 7:11).
And I will pour out. The meaning is of pouring and spilling, as in: "They shall pour it out upon the earth" (Ecclesiastes 11:3).
"Beli." It is like "al" and "lo":
"Dai." The matter of sufficiency:
Malbim
“Bring”: This expounds the statement, “Return to Me, and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7), meaning that you should bring the entire tithe to the storehouse, so that there will be food in My house for the Levites, who are the guardians of the Temple, and for the priests who serve in the House of the Lord. They are like the members of the Lord’s own household, and their sustenance is His responsibility. “And test Me thereby”: This means that although it is forbidden to test the Lord, as it is stated, “You shall not test the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 6:16), this case is permitted, for it is not a “test” (nisayon) but rather an “examination” (bchinah). There is a distinction between a test and an examination: One who tests examines whether there is in the thing being tested a higher degree than what was previously known about it; for example, one who tests gold to see if it possesses the power to attract a magnet. An examination, however, is when one checks whether the thing is according to its usual nature, such as one who examines gold to see if it contains impurities. If the blessing were to come through nature and natural arrangement, this would constitute a test, for nature does not have the power to give beyond its natural limit. But I promise that I will open for you the windows of the heavens and pour out for you a blessing beyond nature. The blessing will be to the point of excess, for the blessing of the heavens necessarily has a limit, and when it reaches that limit, one says “enough.” But the blessing of the Lord, which is according to a miracle, has no limit, and one does not say to it “enough,” for it will continue and proceed without end. Nevertheless, this is not a test but an examination, for it comes from the Lord’s treasury, where this is not beyond His power. Furthermore, since He has already promised the blessing, it is merely an examination to see if He will fulfill His word. And so our Sages of blessed memory stated: Reish Lakish heard a child say, “Tithe so that you may become wealthy.” He said to him, “Is it permitted to test [God]?” He replied, “In this manner it is permitted, for it is written, ‘And test Me thereby.’” This means that the child answered him that this does not fall under the category of a forbidden test of the Lord, for it is an examination, and regarding an examination, no warning was issued.
And I will rebuke the devourer for your good, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your land; Neither shall your vine cast its fruit before the time in the field, Says Hashem of hosts.
verse value 4515
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 63 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָכֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·will·not·destroy" (וְלֹא־יַשְׁחִ֥ת, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: to·you, to·you, to·you. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "and·I·will·rebuke" (וְגָעַרְתִּ֤י), "against·the·devourer" (בָּֽאֹכֵ֔ל), "and·he·will·not·destroy" (וְלֹא־יַשְׁחִ֥ת). The root לכם appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi); "said" (root אמר, 40x in Malachi); "hosts" (root צבא, 23x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'ground', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְגָעַרְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·rebuke] (689) + לָכֶם֙ [to·you] (90) + בָּֽאֹכֵ֔ל [against·the·devourer] (53) + וְלֹא־יַשְׁחִ֥ת [and·he·will·not·destroy] (755) + לָכֶ֖ם [to·you] (90) + אֶת־פְּרִ֣י [fruit] (691) + הָאֲדָמָ֑ה [ground] (55) + וְלֹא־תְשַׁכֵּ֨ל [and·not·will·miscarry] (787) + לָכֶ֤ם [to·you] (90) + הַגֶּ֙פֶן֙ [vine] (138) + בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה [in·the·field] (311) + אָמַ֖ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָאֽוֹת [hosts] (499) = 4515.
Rashi
"And I will rebuke the devourer for your sake." [This refers] to the locust and the caterpillar that devour your grain of the field and the vine.
Ibn Ezra
"And I will rebuke for you concerning the food" – so that no kind of curse, such as locust or cricket, should come upon it.
Radak
“And I will rebuke,”—the eater. The locust that eats the grain:
"And the vine shall not be bereaved [of its fruit] for you." The vine shall not lose its fruit [prematurely].
Metzudat David
"And I will rebuke for you." On your account I will rebuke the locust that consumes the grain, and it will no longer destroy, etc.
"And it shall not bereave you." This means that the vine shall not withhold its fruit from you.
Metzudat Zion
"And I will rebuke." The matter of a cry of reproof:
"תשכל" – The matter concerns the deficiency of fruit, and it is borrowed from the term for one lacking children, who is called "shakul" (bereft).
Malbim
And I will rebuke, also I will rebuke for your sake the locust that eats the grain, so that it will not destroy the fruit of the earth; and likewise the vine will not fail to produce its fruit.
And all nations shall call you happy; For you shall be a delightsome land, Says Hashem of hosts.
verse value 3215
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "you" (אַתֶּם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·nations" (כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "and·they·will·call·happy" (וְאִשְּׁר֥וּ), "all·the·nations" (כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם), "for·you·will·be" (כִּֽי־תִהְי֤וּ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi); "said" (root אמר, 40x in Malachi); "hosts" (root צבא, 23x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·the·nations', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְאִשְּׁר֥וּ [and·they·will·call·happy] (513) + אֶתְכֶ֖ם [you] (461) + כׇּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם [all·the·nations] (114) + כִּֽי־תִהְי֤וּ [for·you·will·be] (451) + אַתֶּם֙ [you] (441) + אֶ֣רֶץ [land] (291) + חֵ֔פֶץ [pleasure] (178) + אָמַ֖ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָאֽוֹת [hosts] (499) = 3215.
Rashi
A land of favor. A land in which I take pleasure:
Ibn Ezra
"And they shall account you happy" – For I desire you and your land.
Radak
“And they shall deem [you] fortunate.” And they will say, “Happy are you” — in exchange for [the fact that] you were a reproach among the nations because of the famine, on account of the curse with which you were cursed.
"Land of desire." [Meaning] that its produce is abundant. And the Targum: "For you shall dwell in the land of the house of My Shechinah, and do My will therein."
Metzudat David
"And they shall account you happy, etc." [The nations] shall praise you according to the abundance of [your] success.
"When you are a land of desire." This means that your land will be a land that fulfills the desire and will of its inhabitants, for it will lack nothing.
Metzudat Zion
"Va'asheru" – The meaning is praise and commendation, like "Ashrei ha'ish" (Psalms 1:1).
“Land.” This means: in the land.
Chafetz. The matter of desire:
Malbim
"And they will account you happy," and consequently, all the nations will consider you happy, when they see that you are the land in which the Lord desires to bless and to watch over.
Your words have been all too strong against Me, Says Hashem. Yet you say: ‘Wherein have we spoken against you?’
verse value 1948
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 38 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "upon·me" (עָלַ֛י, 3 letters) and the longest is "what·have·we·spoken" (מַה־נִּדְבַּ֖רְנוּ, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "they·strengthened" (חָזְק֥וּ), "upon·me" (עָלַ֛י), "your·words" (דִּבְרֵיכֶ֖ם). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi); "said" (root אמר, 40x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: חָזְק֥וּ [they·strengthened] (121) + עָלַ֛י [upon·me] (110) + דִּבְרֵיכֶ֖ם [your·words] (276) + אָמַ֣ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֕ם [and·you·shall·say] (687) + מַה־נִּדְבַּ֖רְנוּ [what·have·we·spoken] (357) + עָלֶֽיךָ [upon·you] (130) = 1948.
Ibn Ezra
"[Your words] have been harsh"—this refers to the prophecy for the future, for at present it is attached to "for behold, the day is coming."
Radak
“[Your words] are hard/strong.” He returns to reprove them for what they were saying, namely that there is no justice and no Judge.
“What have we spoken?” The verb has become passive [Niphal] due to the abundance of continuous speech; and likewise, “those who talk about you.”
Metzudat David
"[Your words] have been harsh, etc." This means: Your words are strong and burdensome upon Me.
"And you shall say." And if you should say, "What have we spoken against You?"
Metzudat Zion
"Chazku" [were hard]. The matter of difficulty:
Malbim
“Be strengthened.” After he had first mentioned the question that they ask concerning the prosperity of the wicked, from which they proved that there is no Divine providence and no judgment, as it is said, “All workers of iniquity are good in the sight of the Lord” or “Where is the God of judgment?” and he told them the answer to this, he says that they still insist on their words, that they did not accept the aforementioned answer, and they strengthen their argument to refute his words, for...
You have said: ‘It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked mournfully because of Hashem of hosts?
verse value 4591
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֑ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·what·profit" (וּמַה־בֶּ֗צַע, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "you·spoke" (אֲמַרְתֶּ֕ם), "emptiness" (שָׁ֖וְא), "and·what·profit" (וּמַה־בֶּ֗צַע). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi); "you·spoke" (root אמר, 40x in Malachi); "hosts" (root צבא, 23x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 10 words. Full calculation: אֲמַרְתֶּ֕ם [you·spoke] (681) + שָׁ֖וְא [emptiness] (307) + עֲבֹ֣ד [to·serve] (76) + אֱלֹהִ֑ים [God] (86) + וּמַה־בֶּ֗צַע [and·what·profit] (213) + כִּ֤י [for] (30) + שָׁמַ֙רְנוּ֙ [we·kept] (596) + מִשְׁמַרְתּ֔וֹ [his·charge] (986) + וְכִ֤י [and·for] (36) + הָלַ֙כְנוּ֙ [we·went] (111) + קְדֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית [mournfully] (764) + מִפְּנֵ֖י [from·face·of] (180) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָאֽוֹת [hosts] (499) = 4591.
Rashi
"Vanity is the service of God." [This means:] We have served Him for naught, for we shall not receive reward.
Kadurnit. In a lowly spirit:
Ibn Ezra
You said: "Qadronit" – like one who is gloomy and bowed down out of fear of Heaven.
Radak
You have stated. It is clear:
Metzudat David
You said. This means: I will answer you; this is what you said: “It is futile to serve God,” for because of His great exaltedness, He does not consider human service, whose foundation is in dust.
"And what profit?" Or, "What benefit comes to us from the fact that we observed the things He commanded us to observe, and that we walked humbly and with submission before the Lord?" And it is as if they were saying: "Either He does not regard the lowly, or He does not recompense the deed."
Metzudat Zion
"Shav." The matter of "in vain" [for naught]:
"Profit." The matter of benefit, as in "What profit is there in my blood?" (ibid. 30).
"Qedoranit." The matter is blackness, as in "the sun and the moon are darkened" (Joel 4:15), and it means bowed and humbled.
Malbim
"You have said": this means that they respond that although the aforementioned answer serves as a resolution to the prosperity of the wicked, it still raises a difficulty regarding the suffering of the righteous, who have not sinned, and yet they live lives of pain. Therefore, you stated that "it is futile to serve God," meaning that this service yields no benefit, neither from the perspective of the One being worshipped nor from the perspective of the worshipper. There is no benefit from the perspective of the One being worshipped, for it is said that God desires this service and needs it; this is a vain and nullified matter, for God does not need our service, and "if you are righteous, what do you give Him?" And concerning this it says, "it is futile to serve God." Furthermore, there is no benefit from the perspective of the worshipper, for it is said that God commanded him in this service not for His own need, but only so that the worshipper would receive reward for it. And concerning this it says, "What profit have we, that we have kept His charge?" Surely we have gained nothing from this, for have we not walked in mourning before the Lord of Hosts? We have labored in vain in our service, and we have no reward whatsoever. On the contrary, the opposite is true.
And now we call the proud happy; indeed, they that work wickedness are built up; indeed, they try God, and are delivered.’
verse value 2650
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 2650 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֧ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "call·happy" (מְאַשְּׁרִ֣ים, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "we" (אֲנַ֖חְנוּ), "call·happy" (מְאַשְּׁרִ֣ים), "arrogant" (זֵדִ֑ים). 11 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'arrogant', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֕ה [now] (481) + אֲנַ֖חְנוּ [we] (115) + מְאַשְּׁרִ֣ים [call·happy] (591) + זֵדִ֑ים [arrogant] (61) + גַּם־נִבְנוּ֙ [indeed·are·built] (151) + עֹשֵׂ֣י [doers·of] (380) + רִשְׁעָ֔ה [wickedness] (575) + גַּ֧ם [also] (43) + בָּחֲנ֛וּ [they·examined] (66) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + וַיִּמָּלֵֽטוּ [and·they·slipped·away] (101) = 2650.
Rashi
"And now we call [the wicked] fortunate, etc." We served Him and kept His charge, and now we see these wicked ones succeeding, to the extent that we call them fortunate for their evil deeds.
"And they tempted God." This teaches that they sought to see what He could do to them, and they were saved from evil, and they did not stumble.
Radak
And now. Likewise, it is clear:
Metzudat David
"And now." This means: Since we have now seen that there is no benefit in keeping the charge of the Omnipresent [God], behold, we praise the wicked men who did not heed the charge of the Torah.
“Also they were built.” This means that a double good came to the doers of wickedness, for they too remained standing like a building, and they also tested God to know whether He could bring punishment for their sin. And behold, they escaped from the punishment, and it did not overtake them. Thus, they were in goodness and stood in their inquiry.
Metzudat Zion
“Ma’ashirim.” They praise:
They were built. From the language of building:
“They tested.” From the language of examination and testing.
And they escaped. The meaning of salvation:
Malbim
And now we account the arrogant fortunate, for they do not toil to serve the Lord; and nevertheless the doers of evil are also built up, and they have lost nothing. Also they have dared God, whether He could punish them, and they escaped, for nothing bad was done to them.
Then they that feared Hashem Spoke one with another; and Hashem hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them that feared Hashem, and that thought upon His name.
verse value 4226
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֧ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·shouting" (אֶל־רֵעֵ֑הוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem, Hashem. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "then" (אָ֧ז), "they·were·spoken" (נִדְבְּר֛וּ), "to·shouting" (אֶל־רֵעֵ֑הוּ). The root יהוה appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·shouting', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 11 words.
Rashi
"Then they spoke," etc. I am replying to your words: at the time when the wicked did their wickedness and the good went about in gloom, [it was] because those who fear the Lord spoke with one another not to cling to their evil deeds; and [I say that] your words were not forgotten before Me, and although I do not hasten to repay reward, for I hearkened and heard, and I commanded that a book of remembrance be written for them, and their words remained established with Me.
Ibn Ezra
“Then will they who fear the Lord speak with one another” – these are the wise ones.
And the meaning of "and it was written" is that it is written in the heavens with a writing that cannot be erased.
To those who fear the Name – they are the righteous ones.
And to those who calculate His Name—they are the men of understanding, who know the secret of the Exalted and Awesome Name,
Radak
Then they that feared the Lord spoke one with another. For that speech is the speech of men who do not understand the ways of the Lord and His judgments. And when those who feared the Lord heard these words from those men who deny the Divine providence over the lower world, they spoke one with another, and they debated greatly concerning these matters, and they discussed them back and forth, until they found in their understanding that all His ways are judgment; a God of faithfulness, and there is no wrong.
And the Lord hearkened. The Lord hearkened to their words and gave them their reward in this matter.
“And a scroll of remembrance was written before Him.” This is an analogy, like the language of human beings: kings write books of records, for there is no forgetting before Him, blessed be He. And likewise, “from Your book which You have written” [Exodus 32:32] — everything that exists is written in a book. And behold, “those who fear the Lord and esteem His name,” of whom it is said that [the remembrance] is kept for them forever. And the explanation of “esteem His name” is that they constantly ponder the ways of the Lord and the knowledge of His divinity, for His name is He, and He is His name. And Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra, of blessed memory, wrote that “those who fear the Lord” are the righteous, and “those who esteem His name” are the wise of heart who know the secret of the Lord, the honored and the awesome.
Metzudat David
“Then they who feared the Lord spoke.” With this, he responds to their words, saying: Know that then, when those who feared the Lord heard the words of those wicked men, which aroused doubts and complaints, they too spoke, each to his companion, as one who engages in discussion and deliberation on these matters, until they reached the conclusion in their minds that all His ways are justice; a God of faithfulness, and there is no injustice. And the Lord inclined His ear to heed their words, and He heard them, and He wrote them in a book, to be a remembrance before Him for those who fear the Lord, and for those who contemplate the exaltation of His Name, so that their reward will not be diminished in the future. As it is stated: “And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book” (Daniel 12:1).
Metzudat Zion
And he hearkened. The matter of listening:
"Sefer" [Book]. A scroll (megillah).
"And to those who esteem [His name]." The word is from the root of "thought":
Malbim
"Then" – meaning, but the true God-fearers, who do not serve in order to receive a reward, also spoke these words, each to his companion. And they inferred from this that this world is not the world of reward and punishment, but rather the world of trial. And precisely through this fact that the righteous are afflicted in this world, their service was on a great level: not serving out of fear of punishment and hope for reward, but out of the fear of God's majesty, since they do not expect reward in this world for their service. And this is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, who knows secrets. And this very thing the Lord heeded and heard, and He wrote a book of remembrance before Him. Although He did not recompense them for their good deeds in this world, He wrote their deeds in a book set apart before Him for remembrance, for those who fear the Lord and esteem His name. For from this very fact that they stood firm in their faith, even though they encountered many evils and troubles, it became known that they are God-fearers – not fearing their own selves, which is the fear of punishment, but fearing the Lord, the fear of majesty; and that they do not consider in their service the matter of recompense and reward, but only to sanctify His unique Name. And they serve not in order to receive a reward, and they were written at that time in this book for remembrance.
And they shall be Mine, says Hashem of hosts, in the day that I do make, even Mine own treasure; and I will spare them, as a man spares His own son that serves him.
verse value 4169
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֗י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·spare" (וְחָמַלְתִּ֣י, 6 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "to·me" (לִ֗י), "to·the·day" (לַיּ֕וֹם), "possession" (סְגֻלָּ֑ה). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi); "said" (root אמר, 40x in Malachi); "hosts" (root צבא, 23x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'possession', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 8 words.
Rashi
"For the day that I am making a treasure." That I have stored up and set aside to pay with it My recompense; there I will show you the difference between the righteous and the wicked.
Segulah. A treasure; "Ishtoi" in the vernacular.
Ibn Ezra
"And they shall be" – the word "segulah" is attached to "and they shall be Mine."
What I am doing—judgment.
Radak
“And they shall be Mine.” The God-fearers of this generation, who will be in the resurrection of the dead, and the God-fearers of that generation as well.
"On the day that I do." On the day of judgment, when I execute judgment upon the wicked, they shall be a treasure to Me.
"And I will have compassion on them" – so that the evil which destroys the wicked will not overtake them.
“Who serves Him.” The Father shows compassion to all His children, as it is stated, “As a father has compassion on his sons.” But He shows greater compassion to the one who serves Him.
Metzudat David
"And they shall be for Me." Their words shall be kept safe with Me for the day on which I shall make it [that day] a treasured day; that is the day of recompense, on which the deeds of human beings shall be stored up, to repay every person according to his work.
"And I will be gracious." Then I will show mercy to those who fear the Lord, as a man shows mercy to his son who is careful in his service.
Metzudat Zion
Segulah. The matter of a treasury is like "and the treasure of kings" (Ecclesiastes 2:8):
"And I will have compassion." The matter of compassion:
Malbim
"And they shall be to Me," said the Lord, "a special treasure for the day that I am making." The correct parsing is: "And they shall be to Me a special treasure for the day that I am making." The Lord has stored up for them a special treasure, and He has prepared a treasure fit for that day, such that just as they served out of love, so shall they be a special treasure to the Lord, and so shall they receive a special and delightful treasure. "And I will have compassion on them, as a man has compassion on his son who serves him." This means that one who serves or labors for wages is paid his wages immediately. However, a son who serves his father out of love is not paid immediately; rather, the father makes him a special treasure, ensuring that he endures for generation after generation and is not lost. So too, those who serve out of love, not for the sake of anticipating reward, will not be given their reward in this world, which is a passing world, for then the reward too would be passing. Rather, He will store up the reward to give them in the future, in the eternal world, so that the reward will be great and eternal, without end.
Then shall you again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serves God and him that serves Him not.
verse value 3139
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 43 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֔ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·you·will·see" (וּרְאִיתֶ֔ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 62: between, between. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "and·you·shall·return" (וְשַׁבְתֶּם֙), "and·you·will·see" (וּרְאִיתֶ֔ם), "just" (צַדִּ֖יק). The root בין appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·wicked', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְשַׁבְתֶּם֙ [and·you·shall·return] (748) + וּרְאִיתֶ֔ם [and·you·will·see] (657) + בֵּ֥ין [between] (62) + צַדִּ֖יק [just] (204) + לְרָשָׁ֑ע [to·wicked] (600) + בֵּ֚ין [between] (62) + עֹבֵ֣ד [working] (76) + אֱלֹהִ֔ים [God] (86) + לַאֲשֶׁ֖ר [to·whom] (531) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + עֲבָדֽוֹ [he·serves·Him] (82) = 3139.
Ibn Ezra
"And you shall return" – to the men of that generation, for this is the culmination of all the prophecies.
Radak
"And you shall return." Then it will be tested what is the difference between the righteous and the wicked, and they will no longer say, "All who do evil are good in the eyes of the Lord; vain is the service of God."
Metzudat David
"And you shall return." This means that although now you see the wicked at peace, and not so the servants of God, behold, then you shall return and see the difference between the righteous and the wicked.
Between one who serves, etc. The duplication of the matter in what is stated:
Malbim
"And you shall return" — then you will return to this world through the resurrection of the dead, and you will see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked. Moreover, even among the righteous themselves, you will perceive a difference between one who serves God and one who did not serve Him. This refers to the distinction between one who served out of love, whose ultimate purpose in service was to serve God, and one who served out of desire for reward and fear of punishment. The latter did not serve in the manner of a true servant, who must serve without regard for receiving a reward. This is the matter of the hired worker versus the slave. In service performed in order to receive a reward, the essence of the service is for oneself, not for the sake of serving God. Similarly, our Sages of blessed memory said in [tractate] Chagigah: "Is not 'righteous' the same as 'one who serves [God]'?" Rather, [both] "one who serves" and "one who does not serve Him" are both considered thoroughly righteous; only, it is not comparable to one who reviews his chapter a hundred times to one who reviews his chapter a hundred and one times.
For, behold, the day comes, It burns as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that comes shall set them ablaze, Says Hashem of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
verse value 5674
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 86 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "going·in" (בָּ֔א, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·arrogant" (כׇל־זֵדִ֜ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: day, day. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "for·behold" (כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֤ה), "going·in" (בָּ֔א), "burning" (בֹּעֵ֖ר). The root יום appears 2 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi); "said" (root אמר, 40x in Malachi); "hosts" (root צבא, 23x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'as·the·oven', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 17 words.
Rashi
"For behold, the day comes." This "day" refers to the sun, as our Sages of blessed memory stated: "In the future there will be no Gehinnom; rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring forth the sun from its sheath, the wicked will be judged by it, and the righteous will be healed by it." This is what is written: "And the sun of righteousness shall rise for you who fear My name..."
Root and branch. Son and grandson [lit. "the son and the son's son"].
Ibn Ezra
"The arrogant, and all who do wickedness"—the expression is doubled [the same idea stated twice, for emphasis].
And "lehet" – like: "and the flame of the sword."
Radak
"For behold." The day of judgment is likened to a burning fire, as it was stated above: "For He is like a refiner's fire."
"Kash" (straw). Like "yavesh" (dry), meaning they will be consumed quickly:
"Velihat" (and it shall set ablaze). Like "va-telahet" (and it set ablaze) the foundations of the mountains [cf. Deuteronomy 32:22].
Root and branch. As its Targum [renders it]: “bar and bar bar,” for the first-born son is like a root, and the one born from him is like a branch.
Metzudat David
"For behold, the day is coming." The day of judgment that is coming shall burn like a furnace of fire, to bring about destruction among the wicked, and they shall be readily burned like straw, and the flame of the fire of the coming day shall blaze them up, until it shall leave them neither root nor wing. This means: it shall leave no remembrance of them.
Metzudat Zion
Bo'er. The matter of burning:
Kash. It is the thin straw:
"Ve-lihat." The matter of burning and kindling, like "a flaming fire" (Psalms 104:4).
"Shall not forsake." "Shall not leave."
Malbim
For behold, the day is coming, depicting the Day of Judgment, when the fire of punishment burns like the fire of a furnace, and the wicked are prepared, according to their wickedness, to be consumed by this fire like straw, and that day will burn them up until no root or branch remains for them.
But to you that fear My name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and you shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall.
verse value 4068
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Verse gematria: 4068 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "to·you" (לָכֶ֜ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·her·wings" (בִּכְנָפֶ֑יהָ, 6 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "and·will·rise" (וְזָרְחָ֨ה), "sun" (שֶׁ֣מֶשׁ), "righteousness" (צְדָקָ֔ה). 12 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·her·wings', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְזָרְחָ֨ה [and·will·rise] (226) + לָכֶ֜ם [to·you] (90) + יִרְאֵ֤י [who·fear] (221) + שְׁמִי֙ [my·name] (350) + שֶׁ֣מֶשׁ [sun] (640) + צְדָקָ֔ה [righteousness] (199) + וּמַרְפֵּ֖א [and·health] (327) + בִּכְנָפֶ֑יהָ [in·her·wings] (167) + וִיצָאתֶ֥ם [and·you·will·go·out] (547) + וּפִשְׁתֶּ֖ם [and·you·will·spring·about] (826) + כְּעֶגְלֵ֥י [as·calves·of] (133) + מַרְבֵּֽק [stall] (342) = 4068.
Rashi
"And you shall wax fat." This is an expression of fatness, as in (Jeremiah 20), "For you have grown fat like a stall-fed heifer."
Marbek. [The calf] that enters into the stall to be fattened; "Kopile" in the vernacular.
Ibn Ezra
"And the sun shall shine" – The essence of "day" is the sun: as in "in the heat of the day" [Genesis 18:1] – the sun; and "the day was very far spent" [Judges 19:11] – the sun; and so too "the day that is coming" [likewise refers to the sun]. And this sun will not harm the people of the Name; rather, it will only heal.
The meaning of “with its wings” is: the light emanating from the sun, which is spread over the face of the earth, is like wings.
"And you shall go out" – into the light of the sun.
"And you shall stamp" – I have already explained it [elsewhere].
Radak
“And the sun of righteousness shall rise for you who fear My name.” Behold, the wicked shall be consumed on the coming day, but for those who fear the Lord, that very day shall dawn as the sun of righteousness—that is to say, they shall be saved from all evil and rejoice with a good heart. And the meaning of “with its wings” is that the sun spreads its light over the earth, and its rising is like outstretched wings; similarly, it is said, “As the dawn spreads over the mountains.”
"And you shall go out, and you shall increase." In every place that you go out, you shall be fruitful and multiply, like fattened calves that grow in fat and flesh.
"And you shall increase." The meaning is increase, as in "for you were wanton (tifushu) like a heifer at threshing" and "and its horsemen range far and wide (u-fashu parashav)." And it [ufashtem] is on the pattern of "u-qamtem" ("and you shall arise"), except that this word has a hireq; in its complete form it should properly have been "va-yafishtem," on the pattern of "va-yorishtem otam," with a hireq. And when the middle radical (ayin ha-po'al) drops out, its vowel is thrown onto the first radical (pe ha-po'al). And "marbek" is a place where the calves are brought in to be fattened. Reish Lakish explained the verse according to its plain sense, as referring to the sun, for our Sages, of blessed memory, said: there is no Gehinnom in the time to come; rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, takes the sun out of its sheath. The righteous are healed by it, as it is said, "But for you who revere My name a sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings." And the wicked are punished by it, as it is said, "Behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the arrogant and all who do wickedness shall be stubble."
Metzudat David
"And the sun of righteousness shall rise for you." But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness shall rise. This means that the righteousness (charity) that you have performed shall shine for you like the sun. This is the subject of a parable: to say that the commandment of charity itself shall repay you with a good reward.
"And healing in its wings." At its rising, there shall be for you healing and pleasure. And "its rising" refers to the spreading of the light, and "its rising" is analogous to the spreading of the wings, for the sun spreads its light upon the earth with outstretched wings. And similarly it is stated: "As the dawn spreads over the mountains" (Joel 2:2).
"And you shall go out." In every place that you go out and come in, you shall delight in goodness and multiply in flesh and fat, like calves fattened in a stall, which is their pen.
Metzudat Zion
"and you shall spread [with fat]." This denotes an increase, meaning an increase in flesh; and so too, "for you shall become fat like a threshing heifer" (Jeremiah 3).
Marbek. Thus, the pen of the calves is called a marbek, a place where they are fattened. And similarly: “and calves from within the marbek” (Amos 6:4).
Malbim
"But it shall shine" for you who fear My Name — who are the righteous who served [Hashem] out of love — the reward [tzedakah] shall be theirs, for these are the good deeds that they performed, which resemble a rising sun; and this is why it says "a sun of righteousness." And this sun will heal, with its wings, from the burning heat. And the imagery is that the revelation of the Divine Light will manifest in its two aspects, for the Light contains within it both illumination and burning fire. It will reveal itself in its light to the righteous, and in its fire to the wicked, as it is stated, "And the light of Israel shall be for a fire," and as I explained there.
"And you shall go out and you shall spread out" means that you shall spread yourselves out like fattened calves, which are calves that are brought in to tread the grain, eating and treading with their feet. And it explains what is the treading that they will tread:
And you shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I do make, Says Hashem of hosts.
verse value 4922
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "ashes" (אֵ֔פֶר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·you·will·press" (וְעַסּוֹתֶ֣ם, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 61: for·they·will·be, I. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "and·you·will·press" (וְעַסּוֹתֶ֣ם), "wicked" (רְשָׁעִ֔ים), "for·they·will·be" (כִּֽי־יִהְי֣וּ). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi); "said" (root אמר, 40x in Malachi); "hosts" (root צבא, 23x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·feet', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְעַסּוֹתֶ֣ם [and·you·will·press] (582) + רְשָׁעִ֔ים [wicked] (620) + כִּֽי־יִהְי֣וּ [for·they·will·be] (61) + אֵ֔פֶר [ashes] (281) + תַּ֖חַת [under] (808) + כַּפּ֣וֹת [hands·of] (506) + רַגְלֵיכֶ֑ם [your·feet] (303) + בַּיּוֹם֙ [in·the·day] (58) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + אֲנִ֣י [I] (61) + עֹשֶׂ֔ה [doing] (375) + אָמַ֖ר [said] (241) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָאֽוֹת [hosts] (499) = 4922.
Rashi
"And you shall tread." "And you shall subdue" is an expression of crushing, and similar to it is [the phrase] "and there they pressed the breasts of their virginity" (Ezekiel 23:3).
Ibn Ezra
"Ve-asotem" – from the root of "asis" (juice), named after the treading of grapes with the foot, or with anything that treads, for then the hand of the righteous will prevail over the wicked.
"On the day that I do" – this refers to the mention of "the sun of righteousness."
Radak
"And you shall tread them down." The matter concerns treading and pounding, and from this root comes the term "assis" (juice), referring to the liquid extracted through pounding and pressing. It is stated that in the present time, the wicked rule over you, but in that future time, you will trample them under the soles of your feet. And even though it says that the day that is coming will burn them up, their destruction will not occur in a single day; rather, they will be gradually destroyed and will remain in a state of destruction for a short period. And for as long as they remain extant, they will be trampled under the feet of the righteous.
"On the day that I do." On the day of judgment, when I judge them for destruction, and I say "ashes" by way of parable, because the coming day will burn them.
Metzudat David
“And you shall tread down the wicked.” You shall crush and trample the wicked, for they will be like dust lying beneath the soles of your feet, and you shall trample them.
"On the day that I do." This refers to the day of recompense that I have appointed for it.
Metzudat Zion
"And you shall trample." The matter of crushing and pounding; and so, "the juice of my pomegranates" (Song of Songs 5), which is the juice of pomegranates, called so because one crushes and pounds the pomegranates to extract the juice.
"Kapot" (soles/palms). Just as the flat part of the hand is called "kaf yad" (palm of the hand), so too the flat part of the foot is called "kaf regel" (sole of the foot).
Malbim
“And you shall tread down the wicked,” meaning that they shall tread down the wicked with their feet until they become a paste, for they will be like dust beneath the soles of your feet; through the burning heat they will be burned up and become dust, and you shall tread upon the dust until it becomes a paste.
Remember you the law of Moses My servant, which I commanded to him in Horeb for all Israel, even statutes and ordinances.
verse value 4646
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "my·servant" (עַבְדִּ֑י) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "Moses" (מֹשֶׁ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·all·Israel" (עַל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "remember" (זִכְר֕וּ), "Moses" (מֹשֶׁ֣ה), "my·servant" (עַבְדִּ֑י). 11 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·servant', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: זִכְר֕וּ [remember] (233) + תּוֹרַ֖ת [law] (1006) + מֹשֶׁ֣ה [Moses] (345) + עַבְדִּ֑י [my·servant] (86) + אֲשֶׁר֩ [that] (501) + צִוִּ֨יתִי [I·commanded] (516) + אוֹת֤וֹ [him] (413) + בְחֹרֵב֙ [in·Horeb] (212) + עַל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [upon·all·Israel] (691) + חֻקִּ֖ים [statutes] (158) + וּמִשְׁפָּטִֽים [and·ordinances] (485) = 4646.
Ibn Ezra
“Remember the Torah of My servant Moses” – and guard them, for it will teach you the way of the fear of God, and when the aforementioned day comes, then you will be saved.
Radak
“Remember the Torah of My servant Moses.” This teaches that before the Day of Judgment arrives, you should remember in every generation and age the Torah of My servant Moses, to do according to all that is written in it.
That I commanded him in Horeb. Just as I commanded him in Horeb—unlike the words of those who say that it was given for a specific time, according to its plain meaning, and the commentator came and interpreted it in a spiritual sense; this verse is a response to them.
Metzudat David
"Remember the Torah of My servant Moses." This means: Since you are to receive a good reward, therefore in every generation and every generation, remember the Torah that Moses, My servant, transmitted to you, for by observing it you will receive the reward.
"Which I commanded him." And it was not said from his own heart.
“Upon all Israel.” This means that I did not command the Torah for him alone, but rather for all Israel, that they all should fulfill it. This applies both to the decrees (chukim), which are matters whose reasons are not known, and upon which the Satan raises objections, and to the ordinances (mishpatim), which are matters whose reasons are known.
Metzudat Zion
At Horeb. This is Mount Sinai:
“Upon all Israel.” On behalf of all Israel:
Malbim
"Remember the Torah of Moses," in that with these words the prophet concluded, and this is the last prophecy, after which no prophet or seer will prophesy again until the end of days. He informed them that from now on they should no longer hope to attain the word of the Lord through prophecy; rather, they should remember the Torah of Moses to fulfill all that is written in it, and it [the Torah] shall guide them as to what they should do.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming Of the great and terrible day of Hashem.
verse value 1661
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "they" (הִנֵּ֤ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·awful" (וְהַנּוֹרָֽא, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "I" (אָנֹכִי֙), "Elijah" (אֵלִיָּ֣ה), "the·prophet" (הַנָּבִ֑יא). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 46x in Malachi). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·prophet', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words.
Ibn Ezra
"Behold" – the words of the Lord, and "a day" is the one mentioned.
Radak
"Behold, I am sending you." Although I admonish you concerning the Torah of Moses in every generation, nevertheless, for your benefit, I will send you the prophet Elijah. The reason is that he will return his soul, which ascended to heaven, to a created body like his first body, because his first body returned to the earth upon his ascension, each element returning to its element. And after he revives him in a body, He will send him to Israel before the Day of Judgment, which is the great and awesome Day of the Lord. He will admonish fathers and sons together to return with all their heart to the Lord, and those who return will be saved from the Day of Judgment. This is what it says:
Metzudat David
“Behold, I will send.” This means: By virtue of the merit of the Torah, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the Lord, which is the Day of Reward.
Metzudat Zion
Before. Prior:
Malbim
Behold, before the coming of the great day, at which time prophecy will return to you once again through the greatest of the prophets, who is the prophet Elijah, who will then reveal himself.
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers; lest I come and smite the land with utter destruction.[Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of Hashem.]
verse value 3191
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "and·heart·of" (וְלֵ֥ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·their·fathers" (עַל־אֲבוֹתָ֑ם, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Malachi. Unique to this verse in Malachi (hapax): "and·he·will·turn" (וְהֵשִׁ֤יב), "heart·of·fathers" (לֵב־אָבוֹת֙), "upon·sons" (עַל־בָּנִ֔ים). The root לב appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·their·fathers', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהֵשִׁ֤יב [and·he·will·turn] (323) + לֵב־אָבוֹת֙ [heart·of·fathers] (441) + עַל־בָּנִ֔ים [upon·sons] (202) + וְלֵ֥ב [and·heart·of] (38) + בָּנִ֖ים [son] (102) + עַל־אֲבוֹתָ֑ם [upon·their·fathers] (549) + פֶּן־אָב֕וֹא [lest·I·come] (140) + וְהִכֵּיתִ֥י [and·I·will·strike] (451) + אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ [the·land] (697) + חֵֽרֶם [a·proscribed·thing] (248) = 3191.
Rashi
And He will restore the heart of the fathers. To the Holy One, blessed be He:
"Concerning sons." Through sons, he says to the sons in a manner of love and desire: "Go and speak to your fathers to hold fast to the ways of the Omnipresent." And likewise, "the heart of the sons toward their fathers." Thus I heard in the name of Rabbi Menachem. And our Rabbis expounded in Tractate Eduyot [that this is] to establish peace in the world.
Ibn Ezra
"And he shall turn back" – in the manner of "I will have toward you a different heart," and the opposite of this is "a son dishonors his father" [Micah 7:6]; and behold, they will all be of one heart to return to the LORD, fathers and children, before the great day comes. And now I will conclude the commentary of this book with a matter concerning Elijah: we found that in the days of Achazyahu, there was one [heart] to return to the LORD, fathers and children — the son of Ahab. And we found it written that Jehoram, son of Ahab, and Jehoshaphat asked the prophet Elisha; and it is written there, "Here is Elisha son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah" [2 Kings 3:11]. And this is a sign that he had already ascended in the whirlwind to heaven, for the verse did not say "who pours water." Furthermore: Elisha did not separate from Elijah after serving him, until his ascent. And behold, we found that after the death of Jehoshaphat, in the days of his son Achazyahu, it is written: "And there came to him a letter from Elijah the prophet" [2 Chronicles 21:12]. And this indicates that at that time he wrote and sent it to him; for had it been written before his ascent, it would have said "and it was found" or "and there was brought to him a letter that Elijah had left." And there is no doubt that in the days of our holy Sages it will be seen, and may the LORD, in His mercy, hasten His prophecy and speed the end of His coming.
Radak
And He turned the heart of the fathers to the children. Just as it says, “with the children.” And likewise.
"The heart of the children toward their fathers." Just as it says "with their fathers," meaning that the fathers and the children are together.
"Lest I come and strike." Therefore he warns, so that they may become penitents in readiness for the coming day, so that He will not strike the whole land and make it an utter destruction. Those who do not heed his warning will perish and come to their end in the wilderness of the peoples, or [be judged] on the Day of Judgment in the Land of Israel. And those who heed [the warning] will shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who make the many righteous shall be like the stars forever and ever.
Metzudat David
And he will return. He will return the hearts of the fathers to the Omnipresent [God], through the children, etc., for the resurrection of the dead will be through his hand [i.e., Elijah's], as our Sages of blessed memory stated: "When the children of the fathers, who are alive and enduring at that time, will be revived, those children who will stand in the resurrection will recount to their fathers the truth of the reward of the soul, and through this the prophet will return them to God. Likewise, he will return the children through their fathers who are standing in the resurrection, for they will recount to their children the truth of the reward, and through this he will return them to God. Or, the meaning is that he will return the fathers together with the children, and the children together with the fathers, all of them together, and the repetition of the matter is to strengthen the concept."
"Lest I come": This means that I will send Elijah before the coming of the Day of the Lord, for lest when I come on that day to dispense reward, they have not yet returned [to repentance], I would strike all the inhabitants of the land with ban and destruction. Therefore, I will first send Elijah to return them to Me, so that they may be prepared to receive the good reward.
Metzudat Zion
And he shall turn back. A term of "turning back" (return):
“On sons.” This means: through sons, or “on” is equivalent to “with.”
Herem. The matter of excision and destruction, as it is said, “There shall be no more herem, and Jerusalem shall dwell in security” (Zechariah 14:11):
Malbim
"And he shall turn"—he will bring the whole world back in repentance, to the point that, regarding the children who strayed from the Torah of their fathers, he will turn the heart of the children to their fathers, to return to the religion and Torah of their fathers; and thereby he will also turn the heart of the fathers to the children. And he explains the reason that He will precede by sending Elijah at that time to straighten out the people: because, lest I come suddenly and strike the whole land with utter destruction. Therefore, He will precede by sending the angel of the covenant, to bring them back in repentance and to be prepared before the Lord when He comes to judge the land, and the kingship shall be the Lord's.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim