The Meaning of Malachi 2:2 Explained

Malachi 2:2

KJV: If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

YLT: If ye hearken not, and if ye lay it not to heart, To give honour to My name, said Jehovah of Hosts, I have sent against you the curse, And I have cursed your blessings, Yea, I have also cursed it, Because ye are not laying it to heart.

Darby: If ye do not hear, and if ye do not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith Jehovah of hosts, I will even send the curse among you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have already cursed them, because ye do not lay it to heart.

ASV: If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith Jehovah of hosts, then will I send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

If ye will not hear,  and if ye will not lay  [it] to heart,  to give  glory  unto my name,  saith  the LORD  of hosts,  I will even send  a curse  upon you, and I will curse  your blessings:  yea, I have cursed  them already, because ye do not lay  [it] to heart. 

What does Malachi 2:2 Mean?

Study Notes

curse
Cf. Deuteronomy 28:3-14 and Deuteronomy 28:15-35 . Israel's distinctive blessings should turn to curses.

Context Summary

Malachi 2:1-17 - The Transgression Of The Covenant
As a contrast to the disgraceful attitude which the prophet had described as characteristic of the priesthood, he paints the picture of the noble priest, whose burning zeal for God's honor averted evil and punishment from the people. It is desirable that each servant of God should seek to exemplify these traits of character, for it is only they who walk with God in peace and equity who can turn away "many from iniquity." The prophet reproves those who had put away their Jewish wives and had contracted marriage with foreigners. In doing this they had ignored the fact that God was the Father of the Hebrew race, of the women as well as the men, in an especial sense in which He was not the Father of the heathen. In answer to the argument of the Jews, who demanded a plurality of wives, Malachi says that God originally made only one woman for one man, though He could have made many. It was a sin, therefore, against the original constitution of the race for a man to have more than one wife, and this is the argument that our Lord employed in Matthew 19:4. The one man for the one woman is the secret of a happy home-life and of a godly seed. [source]

Chapter Summary: Malachi 2

1  He sharply reproves the priests for neglecting their covenant;
10  and the people for marrying strange wives;
13  and for putting away their former ones,
17  and for infidelity

What do the individual words in Malachi 2:2 mean?

if not you will hear and if not you will take [it] to heart to give glory to My name says Yahweh of hosts and I will send upon you - a curse and I will curse your blessings and Yes already I have cursed them because not you do take [it] heart
אִם־ לֹ֣א תִשְׁמְע֡וּ וְאִם־ לֹא֩ תָשִׂ֨ימוּ עַל־ לֵ֜ב לָתֵ֧ת כָּב֣וֹד לִשְׁמִ֗י אָמַר֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת וְשִׁלַּחְתִּ֤י בָכֶם֙ אֶת־ הַמְּאֵרָ֔ה וְאָרוֹתִ֖י בִּרְכֽוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם וְגַם֙ אָרוֹתִ֔יהָ כִּ֥י אֵינְכֶ֖ם שָׂמִ֥ים לֵֽב

תִשְׁמְע֡וּ  you  will  hear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
וְאִם־  and  if 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
תָשִׂ֨ימוּ  you  will  take  [it] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
לֵ֜ב  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
לָתֵ֧ת  to  give 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
כָּב֣וֹד  glory 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כָּבֹוד  
Sense: glory, honour, glorious, abundance.
לִשְׁמִ֗י  to  My  name 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
אָמַר֙  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֣ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָא֔וֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.
וְשִׁלַּחְתִּ֤י  and  I  will  send 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
בָכֶם֙  upon  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine plural
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַמְּאֵרָ֔ה  a  curse 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מְאֵרָה  
Sense: curse.
וְאָרוֹתִ֖י  and  I  will  curse 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: אָרַר  
Sense: to curse.
בִּרְכֽוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם  your  blessings 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine plural
Root: בְּרָכָה  
Sense: blessing.
וְגַם֙  and  Yes  already 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
אָרוֹתִ֔יהָ  I  have  cursed  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular, third person feminine singular
Root: אָרַר  
Sense: to curse.
כִּ֥י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
אֵינְכֶ֖ם  not  you 
Parse: Adverb, second person masculine plural
Root: אַיִן 
Sense: nothing, not, nought n.
שָׂמִ֥ים  do  take  [it] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
לֵֽב  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.