Malachia 1:8

La Riveduta Bibbia

Quand’offrite una bestia cieca per immolarla non è male? quando ne offrite una zoppa o malata, non è male? Presentala dunque al tuo governatore! Te ne sarà egli grato? Avrà egli de’ riguardi per la tua persona? dice l’Eterno degli eserciti.

Parallel Translations

La Nuova Diodati
Quando offrite in sacrificio un animale cieco, non male? Quando offrite un animale zoppo o malato, non male? Presentalo dunque al tuo governatore. Sar soddisfatto di te? Ti accetter con favore?", dice lEterno degli eserciti.

Giovanni Diodati Bibbia
E quando adducete un animale cieco, per sacrificarlo, non vi � male alcuno? parimente, quando adducete un animale zoppo, o infermo, non vi � male alcuno? presentalo pure al tuo governatore; te ne sapr� egli grado, o gli sarai tu accettevole? ha detto il Signor degli eserciti.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

if ye offer the blind: Malachi 1:14, Leviticus 22:19-25, Deuteronomy 15:21

for sacrifice: Heb. to sacrifice

or accept: Malachi 1:10, Malachi 1:13, Job 42:8, Psalms 20:3, Jeremiah 14:10, Hosea 8:13

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:7 - If thou doest well Exodus 12:5 - be without Leviticus 3:1 - without Leviticus 22:20 - General Leviticus 22:22 - Blind Leviticus 22:25 - the bread Numbers 18:30 - the best Deuteronomy 17:1 - General Deuteronomy 33:11 - accept Psalms 4:5 - Offer Ezekiel 45:15 - out of the fat Malachi 1:12 - ye have Malachi 3:8 - In Romans 2:22 - sacrilege

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, [is it] not evil?.... Certainly it is, according to the law in Leviticus 22:22 or, as Kimchi interprets it, when they bring to you a lamb that is blind for sacrifice to offer it up, ye say, this is not evil; but it is good to offer it up, because the table is contemptible. The sense is, that, however evil this may be in itself, according to them it was good enough to be offered up upon the altar; which proves that they despised the name of the Lord, offered polluted bread or sacrifice on his altar, and had his table in contempt:

and if ye offer the lame and sick, [is it] not evil? verily it is, by the law of God, which forbids the offering of such things, Leviticus 22:21 this was always observed, in all sacrifices under the law, that they were perfect, and without any blemish, whether of the flock, or of the herd; and this was strictly observed, even by the Heathens themselves: so Achilles, in Homer a, speaks of the perfect lambs and goats they offered in sacrifice; and particularly they were not to be lame, or to halt; such were reckoned choice and excellent sacrifices, which were larger and better fed than others; and which were not lame, nor diseased, nor sickly; for things future could not be known, they say, but from a sound victim b; for they pretended to have knowledge of them, by the entrails of the sacrifices. So Pliny c observes, that this is to be remarked, that calves brought to the altar on men's shoulders are not to be sacrificed; nor are the gods appeased by one that halts; in short, it is said d, whatever is not perfect and sound is not to be offered to them; and, besides these here mentioned in the text, there were many others, which the Jews especially observed, which rendered creatures unfit for sacrifice. Maimonides e reckons up no less than fifty blemishes, by reason of which the priests under the law might not offer a creature for sacrifice: no doubt but the laws of Moses concerning this matter had a respect to the pure, perfect, and spotless sacrifice of Christ, which the legal ones were typical of; and teach us this lesson, that, without a complete sacrifice, no atonement or satisfaction for sin could be made: or, it is not evil in your eyes, as Aben Ezra glosses it; which is the same as before:

offer it now unto thy governor; to Zerubbabel, who was governor of Judea at this time, Haggai 1:1 for they had no king. The meaning is, offer a lamb or any other creature that is blind, sick, and lame; make a present of it to him that had the government of them; make trial this way, and see how acceptable it would be to him:

will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts; will he thank thee for it, or have any respect to thee on account of it? but, on the contrary, will he not resent it as an affront to him? and if so it would be with an earthly prince, how can it be thought that to offer the blind, lame, and sick, should be acceptable to the King of kings, and Lord of lords?

a Iliad. I. 1. 66. b Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 3. c. 12. c Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 45. d Scholia in Aristoph. Acharn. Act 3. Scen. 3. p. 409. e Hilchot Biath Hamikdash, c. 7. sect. 1. &c.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? - Others, “it is not evil,” as we should say, “there is no harm in it.” Both imply, alike, an utter unconsciousness on the part of the offerer, that it was evil: the one, in irony, that this was always their answer, “there is nothing amiss;” the other is an indignant question, “is there indeed nought amiss?” And this seems the most natural.

The sacrifice of the “blind” and “lame” was expressly forbidden in the law Deuteronomy 15:21, and the sick in manifold varieties of animal disease. “Whatever hath a blemish ye shall not offer Leviticus 22:22, blind or with limb broken, or wounded or mangy or scabby or scurfy.” Perfectness was an essential principle of sacrifice; whether, as in the daily sacrifice, or the sin or trespass-offerings, typical of the all-perfect Sacrifice, or in the whole-burnt-offering, of the entire self-oblation. But these knew better than God, what was fit for Him and them. His law was to be modified by circumstances. He would not be so particular (as people now say so often.)

Is it then fit to offer to God what under the very same circumstances man would not offer to man? Against these idle, ungrateful, covetous thoughts God saith,

“Offer it now unto thy governor.” He appeals to our own instinctive thought of propriety to our fellow creature, which may so often be a test to us. No one would think of acting to a fellow-creature, as they do to Almighty God. Who would make diligent preparation to receive any great one of the earth, and turn his back upon him, when come? Yet what else is the behavior of most Christians after holy communion? If thou wouldest not do this to a mortal man, who is but dust and ashes, how much less to God Almighty, the King of kings and Lord of lords! “The words are a reproof to those most negligent persons, who go through their prayers to God without fear, attention, reverence or feeling; but if they have to speak to some great man, prelate or prince, approach him with great reverence, speak carefully and distinctly and are in awe of him. Do not thou prefer the creature to the Creator, man to God, the servant to the Lord, and that Lord, so exalted and so Infinite.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Malachi 1:8. Offer it now unto thy governor — פחת pechath, a word signifying a lieutenant, or viceroy, among the Chaldeans, Syrians, and Persians; for neither at this time, nor ever after, was there a king in Israel.