The Meaning of Malachi 2:8 Explained

Malachi 2:8

KJV: But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the LORD of hosts.

YLT: And ye, ye have turned from the way, Ye have caused many to stumble in the law, Ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, Said Jehovah of Hosts.

Darby: But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts.

ASV: But ye are turned aside out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble in the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith Jehovah of hosts.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But ye are departed  out of the way;  ye have caused many  to stumble  at the law;  ye have corrupted  the covenant  of Levi,  saith  the LORD  of hosts. 

What does Malachi 2:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The priests of Malachi"s day had deviated from the straight path of truth and had caused many people who followed them to stumble through their instruction (Heb. torah).
"The definite article on ... (tora), "instruction," suggests that here it is not just any teaching in general but indeed the instruction, namely, the Torah, the law of Moses. The defection of the priests is all the more serious, then, for they are actually creating obstacles to the people"s access to the Word of God itself. To cause the people to "stumble in the Torah" is to so mislead them in its meaning that they fail to understand and keep its requirements. There can be no more serious indictment against the man of God." [1]
The unfaithful priests had corrupted the Lord"s covenant with Levi in the sense that they had put its continuance in jeopardy by their evil conduct.
"To have an ill-prepared minister, an incompetent pastor, a hireling for a shepherd was bad enough; much worse was it to have a deceiver, a schemer, a wolf in sheep"s clothing for a leader." [2]
Malachi referred to three covenants in this book: this covenant with Levi, the covenant of the fathers ( Malachi 2:10), and the covenant of marriage ( Malachi 2:14).

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 2:8 mean?

But you have departed from the way You have caused to stumble many at the law You have corrupted the covenant of Levi says Yahweh of hosts
וְאַתֶּם֙ סַרְתֶּ֣ם מִן־ הַדֶּ֔רֶךְ הִכְשַׁלְתֶּ֥ם רַבִּ֖ים בַּתּוֹרָ֑ה שִֽׁחַתֶּם֙ בְּרִ֣ית הַלֵּוִ֔י אָמַ֖ר יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת

וְאַתֶּם֙  But  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine plural
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
סַרְתֶּ֣ם  have  departed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
הַדֶּ֔רֶךְ  the  way 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
הִכְשַׁלְתֶּ֥ם  You  have  caused  to  stumble 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: כָּשַׁל  
Sense: to stumble, stagger, totter.
רַבִּ֖ים  many 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
בַּתּוֹרָ֑ה  at  the  law 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: תֹּורָה  
Sense: law, direction, instruction.
שִֽׁחַתֶּם֙  You  have  corrupted 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שָׁחַת  
Sense: to destroy, corrupt, go to ruin, decay.
בְּרִ֣ית  the  covenant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בְּרִית  
Sense: covenant, alliance, pledge.
הַלֵּוִ֔י  of  Levi 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֵוִי 
Sense: the 3rd son of Jacob by Leah and progenitor of tribe of Levites.
אָמַ֖ר  says 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָ֥ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
צְבָאֽוֹת  of  hosts 
Parse: Noun, common plural
Root: צָבָא 
Sense: that which goes forth, army, war, warfare, host.