Malachi

Malachi 1:2–4

²“I have loved you,” says the LORD.

But you ask, “How have You loved us?”

“Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved, ³but Esau I have hated,^b and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.^c”

⁴Though Edom may say, “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever.

Footnotes

b 1:3 Cited in Romans 9:13|ROM 9:13
c 1:3 Or to the serpents of the wilderness or to the dragons of the wilderness

Read all of Malachi 1

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Malachi 1:2

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
I have loved you	אָהַ֤בְתִּי	’ā·haḇ·tî	Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular	H157 love
says	אָמַ֣ר	’ā·mar	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H559 utter, say
the LORD	יְהוָ֔ה	Yah·weh	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3068 Yahweh
But you ask	וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם	wa·’ă·mar·tem	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural	H559 utter, say
How	בַּמָּ֣ה	bam·māh	Preposition-b; Interrogative	H4100 what? how? aught
have You loved us	אֲהַבְתָּ֑נוּ	’ă·haḇ·tā·nū	Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular; first person common plural	H157 love
Was not	הֲלוֹא־	hă·lō·w-	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
Esau	עֵשָׂ֤ו	‘ê·śāw	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H6215 Esau
Jacob’s	לְיַֽעֲקֹב֙	lə·ya·‘ă·qōḇ	Preposition-l; Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3290 Jacob
brother	אָ֨ח	’āḥ	Noun - masculine singular	H251 brother
declares	נְאֻם־	nə·’um-	Noun - masculine singular construct	H5002 utterance
the LORD	יְהוָ֔ה	Yah·weh	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3068 Yahweh
Yet Jacob	יַעֲקֹֽב׃	ya·‘ă·qōḇ	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3290 Jacob
I have loved	וָאֹהַ֖ב	wā·’ō·haḇ	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular	H157 love

Malachi 1:3

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
but	וְאֶת־	wə·’eṯ-	Conjunctive waw; Direct object marker	H853 mark of the accusative
Esau	עֵשָׂ֖ו	‘ê·śāw	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H6215 Esau
I have hated	שָׂנֵ֑אתִי	śā·nê·ṯî	Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular	H8130 hate
and I have made	וָאָשִׂ֤ים	wā·’ā·śîm	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular	H7760 put, place, set
his mountains	הָרָיו֙	hā·rāw	Noun - masculine plural construct; third person masculine singular	H2022 mountain, hill, hill-country
a wasteland	שְׁמָמָ֔ה	šə·mā·māh	Noun - feminine singular	H8077 a devastation, waste
and left his inheritance	נַחֲלָת֖וֹ	na·ḥă·lā·ṯōw	Noun - feminine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H5159 possession, property, inheritance
to the desert	מִדְבָּֽר׃	miḏ·bār	Noun - masculine singular	H4057 mouth
jackals	לְתַנּ֥וֹת	lə·ṯan·nō·wṯ	Preposition-l; Noun - common plural	H8568 jackal

Malachi 1:4

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Though	כִּֽי־	kî-	Conjunction	H3588 burning, branding
Edom	אֱד֜וֹם	’ĕ·ḏō·wm	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H123 name of a condiment
may say	תֹאמַ֨ר	ṯō·mar	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular	H559 utter, say
We have been devastated	רֻשַּׁ֗שְׁנוּ	ruš·šaš·nū	Verb - Pual - Perfect - first person common plural	H7567 beat down, shatter
but we will rebuild	וְנָשׁוּב֙	wə·nā·šūḇ	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - first person common plural	H7725 turn back, return
the ruins	חֳרָב֔וֹת	ḥo·rā·ḇō·wṯ	Noun - feminine plural	H2723 waste, desolation, ruin
this is what	כֹּ֤ה	kōh	Adverb	H3541 thus, here
the LORD	יְהוָ֣ה	Yah·weh	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3068 Yahweh
of Hosts	צְבָא֔וֹת	ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ	Noun - common plural	H6635 army, war, warfare
says	אָמַר֙	’ā·mar	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H559 utter, say
They	הֵ֥מָּה	hêm·māh	Pronoun - third person masculine plural	H1992 they, them
may build	יִבְנ֖וּ	yiḇ·nū	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural	H1129 build
but I	וַאֲנִ֣י	wa·’ă·nî	Conjunctive waw; Pronoun - first person common singular	H589 I
will demolish	אֶהֱר֑וֹס	’e·hĕ·rō·ws	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular	H2040 throw down, break or tear down
They will be called	וְקָרְא֤וּ	wə·qā·rə·’ū	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural	H7121 call, proclaim, read
the Land	גְּב֣וּל	gə·ḇūl	Noun - masculine singular construct	H1366 border, boundary, territory
of Wickedness	רִשְׁעָ֔ה	riš·‘āh	Noun - feminine singular	H7564 wickedness
and a people	וְהָעָ֛ם	wə·hā·‘ām	Conjunctive waw, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H5971 people
with whom	אֲשֶׁר־	’ă·šer-	Pronoun - relative	H834 particle of relation
the LORD	יְהוָ֖ה	Yah·weh	Noun - proper - masculine singular	H3068 Yahweh
is indignant	זָעַ֥ם	zā·‘am	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H2194 be indignant
forever	עַד־	‘aḏ-	Preposition	H5704 as far as, even to, up to, until, while

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Malachi 1:2 Jeremiah 31:3 · Isaiah 41:8–9 · Deuteronomy 10:15 · Romans 9:10–13 · Deuteronomy 4:37 · Isaiah 43:4 · Malachi 3:13–14 · Malachi 3:7–8 · Deuteronomy 7:6–8 · Deuteronomy 32:8–14 · Malachi 2:17 · Romans 11:28–29

Malachi 1:3 Joel 3:19 · Obadiah 1:10 · Jeremiah 49:16–18 · Ezekiel 35:3–4

Malachi 1:4 Ezekiel 25:14 · Ezekiel 35:9 · Isaiah 11:14 · Lamentations 3:37 · Isaiah 10:15–16 · Isaiah 63:1–6 · Ezekiel 11:10 · Psalm 127:1 · Isaiah 34:5 · Jeremiah 31:17 · Isaiah 9:9–10 · Lamentations 4:21–22

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.