Malachi 3 · Verse 5

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.
Malachi 3:5, King James Version

Malachi 3:5 in other translations

BSB“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and deny justice to the foreigner but do not fear Me,” says the LORD of Hosts.
WEBI will come near to you to judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against the perjurers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who deprive the foreigner of justice, and don’t fear me,” says the LORD of Armies.
ASVAnd I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the sojourner from his right, and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.
YLTAnd I have drawn near to you for judgment, And I have been a witness, Making haste against sorcerers, And against adulterers, And against swearers to a falsehood, And against oppressors of the hire of an hireling, Of a widow, and of a fatherless one, And those turning aside a sojourner, And who fear Me not, said Jehovah of Hosts.
DARBYAnd I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hired servant in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.
BBEAnd I will come near to you for judging; I will quickly be a witness against the wonder-workers, against those who have been untrue in married life, against those who take false oaths; against those who keep back from the servant his payment, and who are hard on the widow and the child without a father, who do not give his rights to the man from a strange country, and have no fear of me, says the Lord of armies.
WebsterAnd 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.

What does Malachi 3:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. I ... come near ... to judgment--I whom ye challenged, saying, "Where is the God of judgment?" (Mal 2:17). I whom ye think far off, and to be slow in judgment, am "near," and will come as a "swift witness"; not only a judge, but also an eye-witness against sorcerers; for Mine eyes see every sin, though ye think I take no heed. Earthly judges need witnesses to enable them to decide aright: I alone need none (Psa 10:11; 73:11; 94:7, &c.). sorcerers--a sin into which the Jews were led in connection with their foreign idolatrous wives. The Jews of Christ's time also practised sorcery (Ac 8:9; 13:6; Ga 5:20; Josephus [Antiquities, 20.6; Wars of the Jews, 2.12.23]). It shall be a characteristic of the last Antichristian confederacy, about to be consumed by the brightness of Christ's Coming (Mt 24:24; 2Th 2:9; Re 13:13, 14; 16:13, 14; also Re 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15). Romanism has practised it; an order of exorcists exists in that Church. adulterers--(Mal 2:15, 16). fear not me--the source of all sins.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 I will come near to you to judgment - And what fearful cases does he get to judge! Sorcerers, adulterers, false swearers, defrauders of the wages of the hireling, oppressors of widows and orphans, and perverters of the stranger and such as do not fear the Lord: a horrible crew; and the land at that time was full of them. Several were converted under the preaching of Christ and his apostles, and the rest the Romans destroyed or carried into captivity.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Malachi 3:1-6

Chapter Outline The coming of Christ. (1-6) The Jews reproved for their corruptions. (7-12) God's care of his people; The distinction between the righteous and the wicked. (13-18) Verses 1-6 The first words of this chapter seem an answer to the scoffers of those days. Here is a prophecy of the appearing of John the Baptist. He is Christ's harbinger. He shall prepare the way before him, by calling men to repentance…

Read the full comment on Malachi 3:1-6 →

Malachi 3:5 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.

וְקָרַבְתִּ֣יve.ka.rav.Tiand I will draw nearH7126
אֲלֵיכֶם֮'a.lei.Khemto youH413
לַמִּשְׁפָּט֒la.mish.Patfor <the> judgmentH4941
וְהָיִ֣יתִי\׀ve.ha.Yi.tiand I will beH1961
עֵ֣ד'eda witnessH5707
מְמַהֵ֗רme.ma.HerhasteningH4116
בַּֽמְכַשְּׁפִים֙bam.kha.she.Fimon the sorcerersH3784
וּבַמְנָ֣אֲפִ֔יםu.vam.Na.'a.Fimand on the adulterersH5003
וּבַנִּשְׁבָּעִ֖יםu.va.nish.ba.'Imand on <the> [those who] swear an oathH7650
לַשָּׁ֑קֶרla.Sha.kerto <the> falsehoodH8267
וּבְעֹשְׁקֵ֣יu.ve.'o.she.Keiand on [those who] defraudH6231
שְׂכַר\־se.kha.r.Sa-<of> [the] hire ofH7939
שָׂ֠כִירSa.khira hired laborerH7916
אַלְמָנָ֨ה'al.ma.Naha widowH490
וְיָת֤וֹםve.ya.Tomand a fatherless oneH3490
וּמַטֵּי\־u.ma.tei-and [those who] thrust asideH5186
גֵר֙ger<of> a sojournerH1616
וְלֹ֣אve.Lo'and notH3808
יְרֵא֔וּנִיye.re.'U.nithey fear meH3372
אָמַ֖ר'a.Marhe saysH559
יְהוָ֥הYah.wehYahwehH3068
צְבָאֽוֹת\׃tze.va.'otof hostsH6635

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

Cross references for Malachi 3:5

  • James 5:8-9

    Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

  • Hebrews 13:4

    Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

  • Deuteronomy 5:11

    Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

  • James 5:4

    Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

  • Deuteronomy 27:19

    Cursed be he that perverteth the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say, Amen.

  • Malachi 2:14

    Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

  • Galatians 5:19-21

    Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

  • 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

    Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

  • Revelation 22:15

    For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

  • Revelation 21:8

    But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

  • Jeremiah 7:9-10

    Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?

  • Deuteronomy 5:17-21

    Thou shalt not kill. Neither shalt thou commit adultery. Neither shalt thou steal. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. …

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
I will come.
2:17; Ps 50:3-6; 96:13; 98:9; Eze 34:20-22; Heb 10:30,31; Jas 5:8,9
Jude 1:14,15
a swift.
2:14; Ps 50:7; 81:8; Jer 29:23; Mic 1:2; Mt 23:14-35
the sorcerers.
Le 20:6,10,27; De 5:11,17-21; Jer 7:9,10; Eze 22:6-12; Zec 5:3,4
1Co 6:9,10; Ga 5:19-21; Heb 13:4; Re 21:8; 22:15
against those.
Ex 22:21-24; Le 19:13; De 24:14,15,17; 27:19; Pr 22:22,23; 23:10,11
Jer 22:13-17; Jas 5:4,12
oppress. or, defraud.
1Th 4:6
fear.
Ge 20:11; 42:18; Ex 1:17; 18:21; Ne 5:15; Ps 36:1; Pr 8:13; 16:6
Lu 23:40; Ro 3:8

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

Context

  • Malachi 3:4

    Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

  • 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.

  • Malachi 3:6

    For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Read all of Malachi 3

Malachi 3:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y llegarme he á vosotros á juicio; y seré pronto testigo contra los hechiceros y adúlteros; y contra los que juran mentira, y los que detienen el salario del jornalero, de la viuda, y del huérfano, y los que hacen agravio al extranjero, no teniendo temor de mí, dice Jehová de los ejércitos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et je m’approcherai de vous en jugement, et je serai un prompt témoin contre les magiciens et contre les adultères, et contre ceux qui jurent faussement, et contre ceux qui oppriment le mercenaire quant à son salaire, ou la veuve et l’orphelin, et qui font fléchir le droit de l’étranger, et ne me craignent pas, dit l’ Éternel des armées.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und ich werde euch nahen zum Gericht und werde ein schneller Zeuge sein gegen die Zauberer und gegen die Ehebrecher und gegen die falsch Schwörenden; und gegen die, welche den Tagelöhner im Lohn, die Witwe und die Waise bedrücken und das Recht des Fremdlings beugen, und mich nicht fürchten, spricht Jehova der Heerscharen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et accedam ad vos in judicio, et ero testis velox maleficis, et adulteris, et perjuris, et qui calumniantur mercedem mercenarii, viduas et pupillos, et opprimunt peregrinum, nec timuerunt me, dicit Dominus exercituum.