We changed the meaning of Mal 4:2

[Sneekee]

We have always looked upon Malachi 4:2 as a great Messianic Scripture, either pointing to the coming of Jesus, or as implied by a literalist view of verse 1, a day when all nonbelievers will be vaporized and we who remain shall inherit the Earth with Christ. This is made obvious by how personal the passage is:

Malachi 4 KJV
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Nearly every other literary translation that I have examined says essentially the same thing.

Why wouldn't this be a person? It's obvious! The Scripture plainly says his wings, which in English automatically makes the "Sun of Righteousness" a person. Perfectly simple.

But there's just one problem: The Hebrew text doesn't say that. The text literally says something more like this:

"But to you who fear My Name, the Sun of Righteousness, SHE shall shine upon you with healing in HER wings and you shall come forth as calves from the stall."

Now, we know for a fact that Messiah isn't woman. But as we also know, the Hebrew language has no such word as "it." Every noun has a gender, and possessiveness and conjugations of verbs are all expressed in terms of gender--he, she, his, hers. Thus one might say that this passage could rightly be translated into English "with healing in its wings." But there's still a problem--in Hebrew, "Sun" is masculine! If these verbs and possessive suffixes were in reference to the sun, they would be masculine. Righteousness is feminine. The action pertains to righteousness, not the sun.

We who believe in Jesus have injected a meaning into this translation that simply is not there, because of our opinion on its interpretation. Does a Messianic interpretation apply? Certainly! The whole book screams of Jesus and His return! Investigate the rest of the prophecy, and place this where it needs to go. But the healing pertains to the righteousness that Messiah places within us (or specifically, those who arose from the ashes of the Old Covenant, escaping the judgement of those who rejected Christ and embraced destruction)—it does not in any way pertain to a magical, fleshly rejuvenation where shining Jesus reanimates the corpses of His followers with electromagnetic radiation, just because He’s that cool. There’s nothing like that in there.

[mfblume]

I saw that many translations use "its". It can still stand for Jesus if the sun represents Him, sine the sun is an "it".

Hooboy, something opened up to me big-time about all of this a few years ago. I do not see it so much as His return, although I would like to hear you elaborate on that some more. I see it about revelation of truth that changes us.

I studied this out and noticed that the Lord on the mount of Transfiguration had his face shine like the sun, and Moses and Elijah were both present, as they are both mentioned in Malachi 4 with reference to the SUN.

When I studied the transfiguration, I found where Peter noted that experience and referred to it in his second epistle, saying that we need to take heed to Christ's words, as the Father spoke aloud and indicated for Peter to do while on the mount. And Peter likened hearing his words to seeing the lamp shine in a dark place, until the day star arise in OUR HEARTS.

2 Peter 1:18-19 KJV And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. (19) We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

When researching this prayerfully, I felt I was led to understand that Christ's experience in Matt 17 when His face shone was an acting out of the words He said to Peter in Matt 16. Peter got the revelation of Jesus' identity from the Father. But Jesus said, "And I say also unto thee." In other words, now Peter needed an additional revelation from the Son.

Peter learned about the ROCK, Jesus. But Jesus said Peter had to get a revelation OF HIMSELF in association with the Rock. In other words, who Peter was to be in Christ. This is why Jesus spoke of how He would build his church on this Rock of Himself. This is bringing the church into union with Christ. And it involved the cross. Peter rejected this revelation since he did not like the thought of the cross.

So, Matt 17 acts it all out. They actually go on a rock, a mountain. And Jesus' face shines, representing TRUTH HE WOULD SPEAK about the cross.

This next verse shows his face shining represents TRUTH.
[indent]2 Corinthians 4:6 KJV For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.[/quote]

Jesus was even talking to Moses and Elijah ABOUT THE CROSS.

Luke 9:31 KJV Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.

And the Father told Peter once again, like in Chapter 16, the identity of Jesus Christ. And He followed that with Peter's need to NOW HEAR JESUS speak of the cross, just as in Matt 16.

Matthew 17:5 KJV While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

We are HEALED, recovered, back into the image of God as we allow the truth of the CROSS to get hold of us. This revelation actually changes us into His image:

2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

[A.W. Bowman]

Nice work there, Mike!

[Digging4Truth]

I have always wondered how much of the 2nd chapter of Malachi onward could be referring to Nehemiah since it was Nehemiah that came to Jerusalem at the time of Malachi and he saw how the tithe was being mishandled and stolen from the people and he dealt harshly with those priests who had departed from God's law.

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by Digging4Truth

I have always wondered how much of the 2nd chapter of Malachi onward could be referring to Nehemiah since it was Nehemiah that came to Jerusalem at the time of Malachi and he saw how the tithe was being mishandled and stolen from the people and he dealt harshly with those priests who had departed from God's law.

I like what Adam Clarke said about Malachi 4:

Mal 4:1
Behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven - The destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.

And all the proud - This is in reference to Mal_3:15 of the preceding chapter.

The day that cometh shall burn them up - Either by famine, by sword, or by captivity. All those rebels shall be destroyed.

It shall leave them neither root nor branch - A proverbial expression for total destruction. Neither man nor child shall escape.

v. 2 And ye shall go forth - Ye who believe on his name shall go forth out of Jerusalem when the Romans shall come up against it. After Cestius Gallus had blockaded the city for some days, he suddenly raised the siege. The Christians who were then in it, knowing, by seeing Jerusalem encompassed with armies, that the day of its destruction was come, when their Lord commanded them to flee into the mountains, took this opportunity to escape from Jerusalem, and go to Pella, in Coelesyria; so that no Christian life fell in the siege and destruction of this city.

But these words are of more general application and meaning; “ye shall go forth” in all the occupations of life, but particularly in the means of grace; and: -

Mal 4:3
Ye shall tread down - This may be the commission given to the Romans: Tread down the wicked people, tread down the wicked place; set it on fire, and let the ashes be trodden down under your feet.

Mal 4:4
Remember ye the law of Moses - Where all these things are predicted. The Septuagint, Arabic, and Coptic, place this verse the last.

Mal 4:5
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet - This is meant alone of John the Baptist, as we learn from Luk_1:17 (note), in whose spirit and power he came.

Mal 4:6
And he shall turn (convert) the heart of the fathers (על al, with) the children - Or, together with the children; both old and young. Lest I come, and, finding them unconverted, smote the land with a curse, חרם cherem, utter extinction. So we find that, had the Jews turned to God, and received the Messiah at the preaching of John the Baptist and that of Christ and his apostles, the awful חרם cherem of final excision and execration would not have been executed upon them. However, they filled up the cup of their iniquity, and were reprobated, and the Gentiles elected in their stead. Thus, the last was first, and the first was last. Glory to God for his unspeakable gift!

There are three remarkable predictions in this chapter: -

1. The advent of John Baptist, in the spirit and authority of Elijah.

2. The manifestation of Christ in the flesh, under the emblem of the Sun of righteousness.

3. The final destruction of Jerusalem, represented under the emblem of a burning oven, consuming every thing cast into it.

These three prophecies, relating to the most important facts that have ever taken place in the history of the world, announced here nearly four hundred years before their occurrence, have been most circumstantially fulfilled.

[Thinking]

" These three prophecies, relating to the most important facts that have ever taken place in the history of the world, announced here nearly four hundred years before their occurrence, have been most circumstantially fulfilled."

Such understanding as this settles in my heart more deeply the knowledge of the authenticity and "Godness" of the Bible.

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by HaShaliach

Nice work there, Mike!

Thanks, brother. I really enjoyed that study.

The issue in Matt 17 which corresponds to Malachi 4, also relates to the latter part of Matt 7. Once again, we have people who know Jesus' identity. They cry Lord, Lord. No one calls Jesus Lord but by the Spirit of God. So they got the initial revelation from the Father. But Jesus proceeded to tell them it was not enough. They have to also HEAR HIS WORDS and do them, and thereby be a wise man who BUILT HIS HOUSE ON THE ROCK. Jesus said those who get the I SAY ALSO UNTO THEE revelation, in Mat 16, are the church whom He builds on the rock.

Just as a house is only as strong as the foundation upon which it is built, a house on the rock takes on the nature of Christ. No wonder Jesus said He builds the church on the Rock, Himself, and the gates of hell (the grave and death) cannot prevail against it. Peter should not have worried about the cross, for Jesus said death and the grave cannot prevail against Him and the church built on top of Him. Peter as a member of the church would share Christ's power over the grave.

This is how the Sun of righteousness arises with healing in his wings, for His light shines on us and the truth of the cross showing union to Him causes us to share His nature. Be changed into his image.

As Peter said, the houses on the rock are our calling sand election. We make them SURE or stable, by building on the rock, and being a partaker of his divine nature.

[Praxeas]

Originally Posted by Sneekee

We have always looked upon Malachi 4:2 as a great Messianic Scripture, either pointing to the coming of Jesus, or as implied by a literalist view of verse 1, a day when all nonbelievers will be vaporized and we who remain shall inherit the Earth with Christ. This is made obvious by how personal the passage is:

Malachi 4 KJV
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Nearly every other literary translation that I have examined says essentially the same thing.

Why wouldn't this be a person? It's obvious! The Scripture plainly says his wings, which in English automatically makes the "Sun of Righteousness" a person. Perfectly simple.

But there's just one problem: The Hebrew text doesn't say that. The text literally says something more like this:

"But to you who fear My Name, the Sun of Righteousness, SHE shall shine upon you with healing in HER wings and you shall come forth as calves from the stall."

Now, we know for a fact that Messiah isn't woman. But as we also know, the Hebrew language has no such word as "it." Every noun has a gender, and possessiveness and conjugations of verbs are all expressed in terms of gender--he, she, his, hers. Thus one might say that this passage could rightly be translated into English "with healing in its wings." But there's still a problem--in Hebrew, "Sun" is masculine! If these verbs and possessive suffixes were in reference to the sun, they would be masculine. Righteousness is feminine. The action pertains to righteousness, not the sun.

We who believe in Jesus have injected a meaning into this translation that simply is not there, because of our opinion on its interpretation. Does a Messianic interpretation apply? Certainly! The whole book screams of Jesus and His return! Investigate the rest of the prophecy, and place this where it needs to go. But the healing pertains to the righteousness that Messiah places within us (or specifically, those who arose from the ashes of the Old Covenant, escaping the judgement of those who rejected Christ and embraced destruction)—it does not in any way pertain to a magical, fleshly rejuvenation where shining Jesus reanimates the corpses of His followers with electromagnetic radiation, just because He’s that cool. There’s nothing like that in there.

Why not


"But to you who fear My Name, the Sun of Righteousnessshall shine upon you with wings of healing and you shall come forth as calves from the stall."

[mfblume]

Shining forth in His righteousness is exactly what happens to us NOW while we are being changed in experience of spiritual maturity.