The Meaning of Malachi 3:8 Explained

Malachi 3:8

KJV: Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

YLT: Doth man deceive God? but ye are deceiving Me, And ye have said: 'In what have we deceived Thee?' The tithe and the heave-offering!

Darby: Will a man rob God? But ye rob me. And ye say, Wherein do we rob thee? In tithes and heave-offerings.

ASV: Will a man rob God? yet ye rob me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Will a man  rob  God?  Yet ye have robbed  me. But ye say,  Wherein have we robbed  thee? In tithes  and offerings. 

What does Malachi 3:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord proceeded to give some examples of repentance that the Israelites needed to apply. How absurd it is for human beings to rob God. To rob Him one would have to be stronger and smarter than He. Yet that is what the Israelites were doing because God was allowing it. They were thieves of the worst kind: robbers of God. They brazenly asked how they had robbed Him. They had withheld the tithes ( Leviticus 27:30; Leviticus 27:32; Deuteronomy 12:5-18; Deuteronomy 14:22-29) and offerings ( Numbers 18:21-32) that the Law commanded them to bring to God.
Standing beside "tithes" as it does here, "offerings" may refer to the tithe of the tithe that went to the priests (cf. Exodus 29:27-28; Leviticus 7:32; Numbers 5:9). The Levites were to receive a tenth from the people and then give a tenth of that to the priests. But the widows, orphans, and sojourners also benefited from the tithes ( Deuteronomy 14:28-29), so withholding it hurt them as well. Another possibility is that Malachi was distinguishing the mandatory "tithes" from the voluntary "offerings" that the Israelites brought. Or perhaps any other offerings beside the tithes are in view. In any case, tithes and offerings constitute a merism representing all their economic responsibilities to God.
Since God owned the land and its produce in the first place (cf. Malachi 1:12-14; Leviticus 25:23), withholding tithes when He commanded the Israelites to give them amounted to robbing Him. Earlier the Lord criticized the priests for offering inferior quality sacrifices ( Malachi 1:7-14), and now He criticized the people for offering an insufficient quantity of sacrifices (cf. Malachi 3:10). Failure to adequately support the priests and Levites resulted in the breakdown of priestly service (cf. Nehemiah 10:32-39; Nehemiah 13:10).

Context Summary

Malachi 3:1-12 - A Purging From Evil
The opening verses of this chapter stir the heart like the call of a trumpet. We remember how literally they were fulfilled in the presentation of our Lord in the Temple by His parents. Unnoticed by the crowds, jostled amid the press, borne in the arms of poverty, the King suddenly came to His Temple, even the Messenger of the Covenant. Only two faithful retainers, Simeon and Anna, were there to welcome Him. But there is another and more personal reference. Let us keep the doors of our hearts wide open to the coming of the King. There may be no blare of trumpet, no flash of jewel, no cry of herald, but into your heart's secret shrine He will come. Is not this just what we need? Make haste, great Lord of all, and in our poor hearts do thy blessed work, that we may be refined as gold and silver, and offer to thee an offering in righteousness. Then will it be a delight to bring all the tithes into the storehouse. [source]

Chapter Summary: Malachi 3

1  Of the messenger, majesty, and grace of Christ
7  Of the rebellion,
8  sacrilege,
13  and infidelity of the people
16  The promise of blessing to those who fear God

What do the individual words in Malachi 3:8 mean?

will rob a man God yet you have robbed Me but you say in what [way] have we robbed You in tithes and offerings
הֲיִקְבַּ֨ע אָדָ֜ם ؟ אֱלֹהִ֗ים כִּ֤י אַתֶּם֙ קֹבְעִ֣ים אֹתִ֔י וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם בַּמֶּ֣ה קְבַעֲנ֑וּךָ הַֽמַּעֲשֵׂ֖ר וְהַתְּרוּמָֽה

הֲיִקְבַּ֨ע  will  rob 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָבַע  
Sense: (Qal) to rob.
אָדָ֜ם  a  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
؟ אֱלֹהִ֗ים  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
כִּ֤י  yet 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
קֹבְעִ֣ים  have  robbed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: קָבַע  
Sense: (Qal) to rob.
אֹתִ֔י  Me 
Parse: Direct object marker, first person common singular
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם  but  you  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בַּמֶּ֣ה  in  what  [way] 
Parse: Preposition-b, Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
קְבַעֲנ֑וּךָ  have  we  robbed  You 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural, second person masculine singular
Root: קָבַע  
Sense: (Qal) to rob.
הַֽמַּעֲשֵׂ֖ר  in  tithes 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַעֲשֵׂר  
Sense: tithe, tenth part.
וְהַתְּרוּמָֽה  and  offerings 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: תְּרוּמָה  
Sense: contribution, offering.