Malachi 3 · Verse 16

Malachi 3:16

Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.
Malachi 3:16, King James Version

Malachi 3:16 in other translations

BSBAt that time those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared the LORD and honored His name.
WEBThen those who feared the LORD spoke one with another; and the LORD listened and heard, and a book of memory was written before him for those who feared the LORD and who honored his name.
ASVThen they that feared Jehovah spake one with another; and Jehovah hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name.
YLTThen have those fearing Jehovah spoken one to another, And Jehovah doth attend and hear, And written is a book of memorial before Him Of those fearing Jehovah, And of those esteeming His name.
DARBYThen they that feared Jehovah spoke often one to another; and Jehovah observed it, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name.
BBEThen those in whom was the fear of the Lord had talk together: and the Lord gave ear, and it was recorded in a book to be kept in mind before him, for those who had the fear of the Lord and gave thought to his name.
WebsterThen they that feared the LORD spoke often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

What does Malachi 3:16 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Malachi 3:13-18

13-18. He notices the complaint of the Jews that it is of no profit to serve Jehovah, for that the ungodly proud are happy; and declares He will soon bring the day when it shall be known that He puts an everlasting distinction between the godly and the ungodly. words ... stout--Hebrew, "hard"; so "the hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jude 15) [Henderson]. have we spoken--The Hebrew…

Read the full comment on Malachi 3:13-18 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 16 They that feared the Lord - There were a few godly in the land, who, hearing the language and seeing the profligacy of the rebels above, concluded that some signal mark of God's vengeance must fall upon them; they, therefore, as the corruption increased, cleaved the closer to their Maker. There are three characteristics given of this people, viz.: - 1. They feared the Lord. They had that reverence for Jehovah that caused them to depart from evil, and to keep his ordinances. 2. They spake often one to another. They kept up the communion of saints. By mutual exhortation they strengthened each other's hands in the Lord. 3. They thought on his name. His name was sacred to them; it was a fruitful source of profound and edifying meditation. The name of God is God himself in the plenitude of his power, omniscience, justice, goodness, mercy, and truth. What a source for thinking and contemplation! See how God treats such persons: The Lord hearkened to their conversation, heard the meditations of their hearts; and so approved of the whole that a book of remembrance was written before the Lord - all their names were carefully registered in heaven. Here is an allusion to records kept by kings, Est 6:1, of such as had performed signal services, and who should be the first to be rewarded.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Malachi 3:13-18

Among the Jews at this time, some plainly discovered themselves to be children of the wicked one. The yoke of Christ is easy. But those who work wickedness, tempt God by presumptuous sins. Judge of things as they will appear when the doom of these proud sinners comes to be executed. Those that feared the Lord, spake kindly, for preserving and promoting mutual love, when sin thus abounded. They spake one to another…

Read the full comment on Malachi 3:13-18 →

Malachi 3:16 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

אָ֧ז'azthenH227
נִדְבְּר֛וּnid.be.Ruthey spoke togetherH1696
יִרְאֵ֥יyir.'Ei[those] fearingH3373
יְהוָ֖הYah.weh<of> YahwehH3068
אִ֣ישׁ'isheachH376
אֶת\־'et-withH854
רֵעֵ֑הוּre.'E.huneighbor hisH7453
וַיַּקְשֵׁ֤בvai.yak.Shevand he paid attentionH7181
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
וַיִּשְׁמָ֔עvai.yish.Ma'and he listenedH8085
וַ֠יִּכָּתֵבVai.yi.ka.tevand it was writtenH3789
סֵ֣פֶרSe.fera document ofH5612
זִכָּר֤וֹןzi.ka.RonremembranceH2146
לְפָנָיו֙le.fa.Nav<to> before himH6440
לְיִרְאֵ֣יle.yir.'Eiof [those] fearingH3373
יְהוָ֔הYah.weh<of> YahwehH3068
וּלְחֹשְׁבֵ֖יu.le.cho.she.Veiand of [those who] esteemedH2803
שְׁמֽוֹ\׃she.Mo<of> name hisH8034

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Malachi 3:16

  • Psalms 56:8

    Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

  • Revelation 20:12

    And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

  • Malachi 4:2

    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.

  • Revelation 15:4

    Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

  • Isaiah 26:3

    Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

  • Ezekiel 9:4

    And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.

  • Hebrews 4:12-13

    For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

  • Malachi 3:5

    And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.

  • Hebrews 10:24

    And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

  • 1 Thessalonians 5:11

    Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

  • Acts 9:31

    Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

  • Psalms 34:15

    The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
that feared.
5; 4:2; Ge 22:12; 1Ki 18:3,12; Job 28:28; Ps 33:18; 111:10; 112:1
Ps 147:11; Isa 50:10; Ac 9:31; 10:2; Re 15:4
spake.
De 6:6-8; 1Sa 23:16-18; Es 4:5-17; Ps 16:3; 66:16; 73:15-17; 119:63
Pr 13:20; Eze 9:4; Da 2:17,18; Lu 2:38; 24:14-31; Joh 1:40-47
Joh 12:20-22; Ac 1:13; 2:1; 4:23-30; Eph 5:19; 1Th 5:11,14; Heb 3:13
Heb 10:24; 12:15
and the.
2Sa 7:1; 2Ch 6:7; Ps 139:4; Mt 18:19,20; Ac 4:31-33
a book.
Es 2:23; 6:1; Job 19:23-25; Ps 56:8; Isa 65:6; Da 7:10; Mt 12:35-37
Re 20:12
that thought.
Ps 10:4; 20:7; 94:19; 104:33; Isa 26:3,8; Heb 4:12,13

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Malachi 3:15

    And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered.

  • Malachi 3:16

    Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.

  • Malachi 3:17

    And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Read all of Malachi 3

Malachi 3:16 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces los que temen á Jehová hablaron cada uno á su compañero; y Jehová escuchó y oyó, y fué escrito libro de memoria delante de él para los que temen á Jehová, y para los que piensan en su nombre.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Alors ceux qui craignent l’ Éternel ont parlé l’un à l’autre, et l’ Éternel a été attentif et a entendu, et un livre de souvenir a été écrit devant lui pour ceux qui craignent l’ Éternel, et pour ceux qui pensent à son nom.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Da unterredeten sich die Jehova fürchten miteinander, und Jehova merkte auf und hörte; und ein Gedenkbuch ward vor ihm geschrieben für die, welche Jehova fürchten und welche seinen Namen achten.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Tunc locuti sunt timentes Dominum, unusquisque cum proximo suo: et attendit Dominus, et audivit, et scriptus est liber monumenti coram eo timentibus Dominum, et cogitantibus nomen ejus.