Malachi 3:2

King James Version

But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
"No one can prepare for that time or stand against him when he comes. He will be like a burning fire. He will be like the strong soap people use to make things clean.

New American Standard Bible
"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire, and like launderer's soap.

New Century Version
No one can live through that time; no one can survive when he comes. He will be like a purifying fire and like laundry soap.

Update Bible Version
But who can abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appears? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap:

Webster's Bible Translation
But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he [is] like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap.

Amplified Bible
"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like launderer's soap [which removes impurities and uncleanness].

English Standard Version
But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.

World English Bible
"But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like launderer's soap;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and who schal mowe thenke the dai of his comyng? and who schal stonde for to se hym? For he schal be as fier wellynge togidere, and as erbe of fulleris;

English Revised Version
But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

Berean Standard Bible
But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner's fire, like a launderer's soap.

Contemporary English Version
On the day the Lord comes, he will be like a furnace that purifies silver or like strong soap in a washbasin. No one will be able to stand up to him.

American Standard Version
But who can abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:

Bible in Basic English
But by whom may the day of his coming be faced? and who may keep his place when he is seen? for he is like the metal-tester's fire and the cleaner's soap.

Complete Jewish Bible
But who can endure the day when he comes? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire, like the soapmaker's lye.

Darby Translation
But who shall endure the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? For he will be like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' lye.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap;

King James Version (1611)
But who may abide the day of his comming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiners fire, and like fullers sope.

New Living Translation
"But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes.

New Life Bible
"But who can live through the day of His coming? Who can stand when He shows Himself? For He is like a fire for making gold pure, and like a strong cleaner.

New Revised Standard
But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap;

Geneva Bible (1587)
But who may abide the day of his comming? and who shall endure, when he appeareth? for he is like a purging fire, and like fullers sope.

George Lamsa Translation
But who can endure the day of his coming? And who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiners fire and like fullers soap;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But who may endure the day of his coming? And who is he that can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' alkali;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And who shall be able to think of the day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? for he is like a refining fire, and like the fuller’s herb:

Revised Standard Version
But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? "For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But who may abyde the day of his comming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is lyke a purging fire, and lyke fullers sope.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And who will abide the day of his coming? or who will withstand at his appearing? for he is coming in as the fire of a furnace and as the herb of fullers.

Good News Translation
But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Who will be able to survive when he appears? He will be like strong soap, like a fire that refines metal.

Christian Standard Bible®
But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will be able to stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire and like launderer’s bleach.

Hebrew Names Version
"But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like launderer's soap;

Lexham English Bible
And who can endure the day of his coming? And who is the one who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire, like launderers' alkali.

Literal Translation
But who can endure the day of His coming? And who will stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fuller's soap.

Young's Literal Translation
And who is bearing the day of his coming? And who is standing in his appearing? For he [is] as fire of a refiner, And as soap of a fuller.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But who maye abyde the daye of his commynge? Who shalbe able to endure, when he appeareth? For he is like a goldsmythes fyre, ad like wasshers sope.

THE MESSAGE
But who will be able to stand up to that coming? Who can survive his appearance? He'll be like white-hot fire from the smelter's furnace. He'll be like the strongest lye soap at the laundry. He'll take his place as a refiner of silver, as a cleanser of dirty clothes. He'll scrub the Levite priests clean, refine them like gold and silver, until they're fit for God , fit to present offerings of righteousness. Then, and only then, will Judah and Jerusalem be fit and pleasing to God , as they used to be in the years long ago.

New English Translation
Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can keep standing when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire, like a launderer's soap.

New King James Version
"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire And like launderers' soap.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap.

Legacy Standard Bible
"But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a smelter's fire and like fullers' soap.

Contextual Overview

¹ Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord , whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. ² But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: ³ 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, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. ⁴ Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord , as in the days of old, and as in former years. ⁵ 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, saith the Lord of hosts. ⁶ For I am the Lord , I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

who may abide: Malachi 4:1, Amos 5:18-20, Matthew 3:7-12, Matthew 21:31-44, Matthew 23:13-35, Matthew 25:10, Luke 2:34, Luke 3:9, Luke 3:17, Luke 7:23, Luke 11:37-47, Luke 11:52-54, Luke 21:36, John 6:42-44, John 8:41-48, John 8:55, John 9:39-41, John 15:22-24, Acts 7:52-54, Romans 9:31-33, Romans 11:5-10, Hebrews 10:28, Hebrews 10:29, Hebrews 12:25, 1 Peter 2:7, 1 Peter 2:8, Revelation 1:6, Revelation 1:7, Revelation 6:17

for: Isaiah 4:4, Zechariah 13:9, Matthew 3:10-12, 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, Revelation 2:23

like fullers': Psalms 2:7, Isaiah 1:18, Jeremiah 2:22, Mark 9:3, Revelation 1:5, Revelation 7:14, Revelation 19:8

Reciprocal: Exodus 19:15 - Be ready Numbers 24:23 - when God Deuteronomy 8:2 - prove thee Judges 2:22 - prove Judges 7:4 - I will 1 Samuel 6:20 - General 2 Chronicles 7:1 - the fire 2 Chronicles 32:31 - to try him Job 23:10 - he hath Job 28:1 - where they fine it Psalms 17:3 - proved Psalms 50:3 - a fire Psalms 96:13 - he cometh Psalms 119:119 - puttest away Psalms 139:23 - know Proverbs 17:3 - General Isaiah 9:5 - burning Isaiah 27:9 - this therefore Isaiah 43:2 - when thou walkest Isaiah 48:10 - I have refined Jeremiah 6:29 - the founder Jeremiah 10:10 - the nations Daniel 11:35 - to try Joel 2:11 - who Amos 9:10 - the sinners Nahum 1:6 - can stand Zechariah 13:8 - two Matthew 3:11 - he shall Matthew 3:12 - he will thoroughly Matthew 21:12 - went Matthew 24:27 - the coming Matthew 25:6 - go Mark 13:1 - out Luke 3:16 - and with Luke 12:49 - come Luke 17:24 - in John 1:26 - whom Acts 2:3 - like Acts 13:40 - Beware Ephesians 6:13 - to stand Hebrews 11:17 - when James 1:12 - when 2 Peter 1:16 - coming 1 John 2:28 - at his 1 John 3:2 - when

Cross-References

Psalms 58:4
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But who may abide the day of his coming?.... When he should be manifest in Israel, and come preaching the Gospel of the kingdom; who could bear the doctrines delivered by him, concerning his deity and equality with God the Father; concerning his character and mission as the Messiah, and his kingdom not being a temporal, but a spiritual one; concerning his giving his flesh for the life of the world, and eating that by faith; concerning distinguishing and efficacious grace; and all such that so severely struck at the wickedness of the Scribes and Pharisees, and their self-righteous principles; and especially since for judgment he came, that they might not see? nor could they bear the light of this glorious Sun of righteousness; and he came not to send peace and outward prosperity to the Jews, but a sword and division, John 9:39 very few indeed could bear his ministry, or the light of that day, it being so directly contrary to their principles and practices:

and who shall stand when he appeareth? in his kingdom and glory, to take vengeance on the Jews for their rejection of him and his Gospel; for this coming and appearance of his include all the time between his manifestation in the flesh and the destruction of Jerusalem; and so all those sorrows and distresses which went before it, or attended it, and were such as had never been from the creation of the world; and unless those times had been shortened, no flesh could have been saved; see

Matthew 24:3:

for he [is] like a refiner's fire; partly by the ministry of the word, compared to fire, Jeremiah 23:29 separating pure doctrines from ones of dross; and partly by his fiery dispensations and judgments on the wicked Jews, when he distinguished and saved his own people from that untoward generation, and destroyed them:

and like fuller's soap; or "fuller's herb", as the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render it, and Jarchi interprets it: and so R. Jonah s interprets it of an herb which fullers use: and in the Misna t this is one of the seven things used to take out spots, namely, "borith", the word here used; and which Maimonides u says is a plant known by the name of "algasul" and "gazul" in the Arabic language: it signifies something by which filth is washed away; and so Bartenora w says it is a plant which purifies and cleanses; and Jerom x relates that this herb grows in Palestine, in moist and green places, and has the same virtue as nitre to take away filth; agreeably to which some other versions render it "fuller's weed", or "soap weed" y. The Syriac version is,

"as sulphur that makes white;''

and fullers, with the Romans, were wont to make use of that along with chalk to take out spots; and so Pliny z speaks of a kind of sulphur which fullers make use of. A metaphor signifying the same thing as before, the removing of spotted doctrines or spotted persons, the one by the preaching of the Gospel, the other by awful judgments, as spots in garments are removed by the fuller's herb or soap.

s Apud Kimchi in Sepher Shorash. rad. ברר. t Niddah. c. 9. sect. 6. u In Misn. ib. w In ib. x Comment. in Jer. ii. 22. y כברית מכבסים "ut lanaria fullonum", Drusius; "radicula, [vel] saponaria", Vatablus. z Nat. Hist. l. 35. c. 15.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? - The implied answer is, “No one;” as in the Psalm Psalms 130:3, “If Thou, Lord, wilt mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” Joel had asked the same , “The day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” “How can the weakness of man endure such might; his blindness, such light; his frailty, such power; his uncleanness, such holiness; the chaff, such a fire? For He is like a refine’s fire. Who would not fail through stupefaction, fear, horror, shrinking reverence, from such majesty?”

Malachi seems to blend, as Joel, the first and second coming of our Lord. The first coming too was a time of sifting and severance, according as those, to whom He came, did or did not receive Him. The severance was not final, because there was yet space for repentance; but it was real, an earnest of the final judgment. John 9:39, “for judgment,” our Lord says, “I am come into this world, that they which see not may see, and they which see might be made blind;” and again John 12:31, “Now is the judgment of this world;” and John 3:18, “He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the name of the Only-Begotten Son of God; John 3:36. He that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” As, on the other hand, He saith John 6:54. “whoso eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood hath eternal life;” and John 6:47, “he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life;” “hath,” He saith; not, “shall have;” “hath it,” in present reality and earnest, though he may forfeit it: so the other class is “condemned already,” although the one may repent and be saved, the other may Ezekiel 33:18. “turn from his righteousness and commit iniquity;” and if he persevere in it, “shall die therein.”

It is then one ever-present judgment. Every soul of man is in a state of grace or out of it; in God’s favor or under His wrath; and the judgment of the Great Day, in which the secrets of men’s hearts shall be revealed, will be but an outward manifestation of that now hidden judgment. But the words, in their fullest sense, imply a passing of that judgment, in which men do or do not stand, as in those of our Lord Luke 21:35-36. “As a snare shall that day come on all those that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things which shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man;” and Paul Ephesians 6:13. “Take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand;” and in the Revelation Revelation 6:16-17. “They said to the mountains and rocks; Fall on us, and hide us from the wrath of Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of His wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?” Asaph says of a temporal, yet for this life, final destruction; Psalms 76:6-7, “At Thy rebuke, O God of, Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a deep sleep. Thou art to be feared, and who may stand in Thy sight, when Thou art angry?”

For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soup - Two sorts of materials for cleansing are mentioned, the one severe, where the baser materials are inworked with the rich ore; the other mild, where the defilement is easily separable. “He shall come like a refining fire; Psalms 50:3-4, ‘a fire shall burn before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. Then He shall call the heaven from above, and the earth, that He may judge HIs people;’ streams of fire shall sweep before, bearing away all sinners. For the Lord is called a fire, and a Deuteronomy 4:24. consuming fire, so as to burn our 1 Corinthians 3:12. wood, hay, stubble. And not fire only, but fuller’s soap. To those who sin heavily, He is a refining and consuming fire, but to those who commit light sins, fuller’s soap, to restore cleanness to it, when washed.”

Yet, though light in comparison, this too had its severity, for clothes which were washed (of which the word is used) were trampled on by the feet. “The nitrum and the fuller’s soap is penitence.” Yet the whiteness and purity so restored, is, at the last, perfected. Inspiration could find no more adequate comparison for us, for the brightness of our Lord’s raiment from the glory of the Transfiguration, than Mark 9:3, “exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.”

Our Lord is, in many ways, as a fire. He says of Himself; Luke 12:49, “I am come to send a fire upon earth, and what will I, if it be already kindled?” John Baptist said of Him Luke 3:16, “He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” He kindles in the heart “a fire of love,” which softens what is hard, the will.

“Wash whate’er of stain is here,

Sprinkle what is dry or sere,

Heal and bind the wounded sprite;

Bend whate’er is stubborn still,

Kindle what is cold and chill,

What hath wandered guide aright.”

But as God is “a consuming fire,” Who must burn out the dross, unless we be Jeremiah 6:29-30 “reprobate silver” which “the founder melteth in vain,” either He must, by His grace, consume the sin within us, or must consume us with it, in hell.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Malachi 3:2. But who may abide the day of his coming? — Only they who shall believe on his name; for they that will not, shall be blinded, and the unbelieving nations shall be destroyed by the Romans.

Like fuller's soap — כברית keborith, from ברר barar, to cleanse, any thing that deterges. Kali, or fern ashes, or such things. I doubt whether the composition which we call soap, was known in ancient times.