MAL 3:3 Interlinear View

1. Hebrew word
2. Hebrew lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. Gloss
8. CAPS codes
9. OET tags
10. OET word #
1. וְ,יָשַׁב
2. 544597,544598
3. And he will sit
4. -
5. 3427
6. SV-C,Vqq3ms
7. and,he_will_sit
8. S
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380818
1. מְצָרֵף
2. 544599
3. one who refines
4. -
5. 6884
6. V-Vprmsa
7. [one_who]_refines
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380819
1. וּ,מְטַהֵר
2. 544600,544601
3. and one who purifies
4. -
5. 2891
6. V-C,Vprmsa
7. and,[one_who]_purifies
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380820
1. כֶּסֶף
2. 544602
3. silver
4. -
5. 3701
6. O-Ncmsa
7. silver
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380821
1. וְ,טִהַר
2. 544603,544604
3. and he will purify
4. -
5. 2891
6. SV-C,Vpq3ms
7. and,he_will_purify
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380822
1. אֶת
2. 544605
3. DOM
4. -
5. 853
6. O-To
7. DOM
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380823
2. 544606
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 380824
1. בְּנֵי
2. 544607
3. the descendants of
4. descendants
6. O-Ncmpc
7. the_descendants_of
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380825
2. 544608
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 380826
1. לֵוִי
2. 544609
3. Lēvī
4. Levi's
5. 3878
6. O-Np
7. of_Levi
8. -
9. Person=Levi; Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380827
1. וְ,זִקַּק
2. 544610,544611
3. and he will refine
4. -
5. 2212
6. SV-C,Vpq3ms
7. and,he_will_refine
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380828
1. אֹתָ,ם
2. 544612,544613
3. DOM them
4. -
5. 853
6. O-To,Sp3mp
7. \untr DOM\untr*=them
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380829
1. כַּ,זָּהָב
2. 544614,544615
3. like gold
4. gold
5. 2091
6. S-Rd,Ncmsa
7. like,gold
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380830
1. וְ,כַ,כָּסֶף
2. 544616,544617,544618
3. and like silver
4. -
5. 3701
6. S-C,Rd,Ncmsa
7. and,like,silver
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380831
1. וְ,הָיוּ
2. 544619,544620
3. and they will be
4. -
5. 1961
6. SV-C,Vqq3cp
7. and=they_will_be
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380832
1. לַֽ,יהוָה
2. 544621,544622
3. to/for YHWH
4. -
5. 3068
6. S-R,Np
7. to/for=\nd YHWH\nd*
8. -
9. Person=God; Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380833
1. מַגִּישֵׁי
2. 544623
3. bringing near of
4. bring
5. 5066
6. V-Vhrmpc
7. bringing_near_of
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380834
1. מִנְחָה
2. 544624
3. (of) an offering
4. offerings
5. 4503
6. O-Ncfsa
7. (of)_an_offering
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380835
1. בִּ,צְדָקָה
2. 544625,544626
3. in righteousness
4. with
5. 6666
6. O-R,Ncfsa
7. in,righteousness
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380836
2. 544627
3. -
4. -
6. -x-sof-pasuq
8. -
9. -
10. 380837

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:17–3:5: The LORD revealed that he would come to judge and purify his people

2:17 is a transitional verse. In 2:10–16 Malachi and the LORD listed ways that the priests and people had been unfaithful. In 2:17, the focus becomes the LORD’s response to this unfaithfulness. So it seems best to consider 2:17 as the beginning of a new section, rather than as the end of the preceding section.

Notice also that this verse contains Malachi’s typical structure for beginning a new section:

a statement by the LORD,
a question challenging the LORD’s statement,
and then the development of the theme of the section.

See note 6 in “Literary structure and recurring features in Malachi” in the Introduction.

3:3a

And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;

Yes, he will be like a metal-worker who burns all the impurities in silver until it is pure.

a refiner and purifier of silver: This phrase uses the same type of metaphor as 3:2c used. In this verse there is no difference in meaning between refiner and purifier.

3:3b

He will purify the sons of Levi

He will remove all evil/sin/wickedness from the descendants of Levi.
He will purify those who serve in the temple.

the sons of Levi: Since all priests were descendants of Levi, the sons of Levi included the priests. It also included other descendants of Levi who served in the temple in other ways.

If your readers do not know this, they will not understand the argument here. There are two ways to supply the information:

Use the term “priests” in the text, as GNT has done:
Use a footnote.

3:3c

and refine them like gold and silver.

He will cleanse them until they are like pure gold and pure silver.

3:3d

Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

Then they will bring/offer to Yahweh the kind of sacrifices which they know are correct/right.

Then: The Hebrew conjunction w- is translated by the BSB as Then. Here it introduces the result of 3:3b–c. Other English versions translate it with “so that” or “till” (short for “until"). For example:

the LORD’s messenger will purify the priests, so that they will bring to the Lord the right kind of offerings. (GNT)

he will purify Levi’s sons and refine them like gold and silver, till they present right offerings to the Lord. (RSV)

Use what is natural in your language here.

they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness: The Hebrew phrase which the BSB translates as present offerings…in righteousness can have two possible interpretations here:

The phrase in righteousness qualifies offerings. This refers to offerings that are the sort of offering that the LORD had told his people to bring, that is, unblemished offerings. For example:
Then they will offer the Lord a proper offering. (NET) (RSV, GNT, NET, NLT, CEV, GW)
The phrase in righteousness is adverbial, and it indicates the correct way to present offerings. This refers to the way the people were to present their offerings; that is, they were to present them in the proper way, as the LORD had told them to. For example:
and so they will be fit to bring offerings to the Lord. (REB) (BSB, NIV, NJB, KJV, NCV, NJPS, NASB, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠יָשַׁ֨ב מְצָרֵ֤ף וּ⁠מְטַהֵר֙ כֶּ֔סֶף

and,he_will_sit refiner and,[one_who]_purifies silver

Yahweh is speaking as if the messenger were going to be a metalworker who was refining and purifying precious metals. Since he expresses this same image as a comparison in the next clause, you may wish to present it as a comparison here as well. Alternate translation: [Yes, in that way he will be like someone who sits refining and purifying silver]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

אֶת־בְּנֵֽי־לֵוִי֙

DOM sons_of Lēvī

Yahweh is speaking as if these priests were the sons of their ancestor Levi. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [the descendants of Levi who are priests]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

וְ⁠זִקַּ֣ק אֹתָ֔⁠ם כַּ⁠זָּהָ֖ב וְ⁠כַ⁠כָּ֑סֶף

and,he_will_refine DOM=them like,gold and,like,silver

The point of this comparison is that just as gold and silver are refined to remove impurities, so the messenger will purify the people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: [and he will purify the people from sin just as gold and silver are refined to remove impurities from them]

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

1. OET-LV words
2. OET-RV words
3. Strongs
4. Hebrew word
5. Hebrew lemma
6. Role/Morphology
7. Gloss
8. CAPS codes
9. OET tags
10. OET word #
1. And he will sit
2. -
3. 1987,3311
5. 544597,544598
6. SV-C,Vqq3ms
8. S
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380818
1. one who refines
2. -
3. 6691
5. 544599
6. V-Vprmsa
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380819
1. and one who purifies
2. -
3. 1987,2830
5. 544600,544601
6. V-C,Vprmsa
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380820
1. silver
2. -
3. 3541
5. 544602
6. O-Ncmsa
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380821
1. and he will purify
2. -
3. 1987,2830
5. 544603,544604
6. SV-C,Vpq3ms
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380822
1. DOM
2. -
3. 347
5. 544605
6. O-To
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380823
1. the descendants of
2. descendants
3. 1043
5. 544607
6. O-Ncmpc
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380825
1. Lēvī
2. Levi's
3. 3750
5. 544609
6. O-Np
8. -
9. Person=Levi; Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380827
1. and he will refine
2. -
3. 1987,2135
5. 544610,544611
6. SV-C,Vpq3ms
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380828
1. DOM them
2. -
3. 347,1978
5. 544612,544613
6. O-To,Sp3mp
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380829
1. like gold
2. gold
3. 3418,2105
5. 544614,544615
6. S-Rd,Ncmsa
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380830
1. and like silver
2. -
3. 1987,3418,3541
5. 544616,544617,544618
6. S-C,Rd,Ncmsa
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380831
1. and they will be
2. -
3. 1987,1929
5. 544619,544620
6. SV-C,Vqq3cp
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380832
1. to/for YHWH
2. -
3. 3705,3354
5. 544621,544622
6. S-R,Np
8. -
9. Person=God; Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380833
1. bringing near of
2. bring
3. 5127
5. 544623
6. V-Vhrmpc
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380834
1. (of) an offering
2. offerings
3. 4132
5. 544624
6. O-Ncfsa
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380835
1. in righteousness
2. with
3. 846,6485
5. 544625,544626
6. O-R,Ncfsa
8. -
9. Y-397; TProphecies_of_Malachi
10. 380836

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.