The Meaning of Malachi 2:5 Explained

Malachi 2:5

KJV: My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.

YLT: My covenant hath been with him of life and of peace, And I make them to him a fear, and he doth fear Me, And because of My name he hath been affrighted.

Darby: My covenant with him was of life and peace, and I gave them to him that he might fear; and he feared me, and trembled before my name.

ASV: My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him that he might fear; and he feared me, and stood in awe of my name.

Discover Malachi 2:5

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Malachi 2:5?

MEANING: What does Malachi 2:5 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Malachi 2:5 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Malachi 2:5?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

My covenant  was with him of life  and peace;  and I gave  them to him [for] the fear  wherewith he feared  me, and was afraid  before  my name. 

What does Malachi 2:5 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord"s covenant with Levi was a covenant of grant. In this type of covenant one individual, and perhaps his descendants, received a promise of continuing blessing for a special service rendered. The special service that Levi and his descendants rendered to God involved serving as His priests. The covenant that God made with Levi and his descendants resulted in life and peace for them. God gave them these blessings because they respected Yahweh and feared His name ( Numbers 18:7-8; Numbers 18:19-21; cf. Numbers 25:10-13).

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 In answer to the argument of the Jews, who demanded a plurality of wives, Malachi says that God originally made only one woman for one man, though He could have made many.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 2:5 mean?

My covenant was with him [one] of life and peace and I gave them to him [that he might] fear [Me] so he feared Me and before My name reverent was
בְּרִיתִ֣י ׀ הָיְתָ֣ה אִתּ֗וֹ הַֽחַיִּים֙ וְהַ֨שָּׁל֔וֹם וָאֶתְּנֵֽם־ ל֥וֹ מוֹרָ֖א וַיִּֽירָאֵ֑נִי וּמִפְּנֵ֥י שְׁמִ֖י נִחַ֥ת הֽוּא

בְּרִיתִ֣י ׀  My  covenant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: בְּרִית  
Sense: covenant, alliance, pledge.
אִתּ֗וֹ  with  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
הַֽחַיִּים֙  [one]  of  life 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
וְהַ֨שָּׁל֔וֹם  and  peace 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.
וָאֶתְּנֵֽם־  and  I  gave  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, first person common singular, third person masculine plural
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
ל֥וֹ  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
מוֹרָ֖א  [that  he  might]  fear  [Me] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹורָא 
Sense: fear, reverence, terror.
וַיִּֽירָאֵ֑נִי  so  he  feared  Me 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: יָרֵא 
Sense: to fear, revere, be afraid.
וּמִפְּנֵ֥י  and  before 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-m, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
שְׁמִ֖י  My  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
נִחַ֥ת  reverent 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָתַת  
Sense: to be shattered, be dismayed, be broken, be abolished, be afraid.

What are the major concepts related to Malachi 2:5?

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Similar Scriptures for Malachi 2:5

Ezekiel 37:26 [4]
Ezekiel 34:25 [3]
Numbers 8:15 [3]
Numbers 25:12-13 [3]
Exodus 32:26-29 [2]
Numbers 18:8-24 [2]
Numbers 16:9-10 [2]
Numbers 3:45 [1]
Deuteronomy 33:8-11 [1]
Psalms 106:30-31 [1]
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