Malachi 2:7

Bible in Basic English (1941)

For it is right for the priest's lips to keep knowledge, and for men to be waiting for the law from his mouth: for he is the servant sent from the Lord of armies.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

כִּֽי־שִׂפְתֵ֤י כֹהֵן֙ יִשְׁמְרוּ־דַ֔עַת וְתוֹרָ֖ה יְבַקְשׁ֣וּ מִפִּ֑יהוּ כִּ֛י מַלְאַ֥ךְ יְהוָֽה־צְבָא֖וֹת הֽוּא׃

Transliteration

For-śiptê kōhēn yišmərû-daʿat and-tôrâ yəbaqšû from-pîhû for malʾak YHWH-ṣəbāʾôt he

Grammar Details

• *śiptê*: feminine dual construct - lips of
• *kōhēn*: masculine singular noun - priest
• *yišmərû*: qal imperfect 3rd person masculine plural - they will keep/guard/preserve
• *daʿat*: feminine singular noun - knowledge
• *tôrâ*: feminine singular noun - law/instruction
• *yəbaqšû*: piel imperfect 3rd person masculine plural - they will seek
• *pîhû*: masculine singular noun with 3rd person masculine singular suffix - his mouth
• *malʾak*: masculine singular construct - messenger/angel of
• *YHWH*: divine name
• *ṣəbāʾôt*: feminine plural noun - hosts/armies

Word Meanings

• *śiptê*: lips/speech/language of
• *kōhēn*: priest/minister
• *yišmərû*: they will keep/guard/preserve/maintain
• *daʿat*: knowledge/understanding/discernment
• *tôrâ*: law/instruction/teaching/direction
• *yəbaqšû*: they will seek/search for/consult
• *malʾak*: messenger/angel/ambassador

Referenced Verses

• Lev 10:11 : 11 Teaching the children of Israel all the laws which the Lord has given them by the hand of Moses.
• Jer 18:18 : 18 Then they said, Come, let us make a design against Jeremiah; for teaching will never be cut off from the priest, or wisdom from the wise, or the word from the prophet. Come, let us make use of his words for an attack on him, and let us give attention with care to what he says.
• Hag 1:13 : 13 Then Haggai, whom the Lord had sent to give his words to the people, said, I am with you, says the Lord.
• John 13:20 : 20 Truly I say to you, He who takes to his heart anyone whom I send, takes me to his heart; and he who so takes me, takes him who sent me.
• Deut 17:8-9 : 8 If you are not able to give a decision as to who is responsible for a death, or who is right in a cause, or who gave the first blow in a fight, and there is a division of opinion about it in your town: then go to the place marked out by the Lord your God; 9 And come before the priests, the Levites, or before him who is judge at the time: and they will go into the question and give you a decision: 10 And you are to be guided by the decision they give in the place named by the Lord, and do whatever they say: 11 Acting in agreement with their teaching and the decision they give: not turning to one side or the other from the word they have given you.
• Deut 21:5 : 5 Then the priests, the sons of Levi, are to come near; for they have been marked out by the Lord your God to be his servants and to give blessings in the name of the Lord; and by their decision every argument and every blow is to be judged:
• Deut 24:8 : 8 In connection with the leper's disease, take care to keep and do every detail of the teaching of the priests, the Levites: as I gave them orders, so you are to do.
• 2 Chr 17:8-9 : 8 And with them, Shemaiah and Nethaniah and Zebadiah and Asahel and Shemiramoth and Jehonathan and Adonijah and Tobijah and Tob-adonijah, the Levites; and Elishama and Jehoram the priests. 9 And they gave teaching in Judah and had the book of the law of the Lord with them; they went through all the towns of Judah teaching the people.
• 2 Chr 30:22 : 22 And Hezekiah said kind words to the Levites who were expert in the ordering of the worship of the Lord: so they kept the feast for seven days, offering peace-offerings and praising the Lord, the God of their fathers.
• Ezra 7:10 : 10 For Ezra had given his mind to learning the law of the Lord and doing it, and to teaching his rules and decisions in Israel.
• Neh 8:2-8 : 2 And Ezra the priest put the law before the meeting of the people, before the men and women and all those who were able to take it in, on the first day of the seventh month. 3 He was reading it in the wide place in front of the water-doorway, from early morning till the middle of the day, in the hearing of all those men and women whose minds were able to take it in; and the ears of all the people were open to the book of the law. 4 And Ezra the scribe took his place on a tower of wood which they had made for the purpose; and by his side were placed Mattithiah and Shema and Anaiah and Uriah and Hilkiah and Maaseiah on the right; and on the left, Pedaiah and Mishael and Malchijah and Hashum and Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam. 5 And Ezra took the book, opening it before the eyes of all the people (for he was higher than the people); and when it was open, all the people got to their feet: 6 And Ezra gave praise to the Lord, the great God. And all the people in answer said, So be it, so be it; lifting up their hands; and with bent heads they gave worship to the Lord, going down on their faces to the earth. 7 And Jeshua and Bani and Sherebiah and Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites made the law clear to the people: and the people kept in their places. 8 And they gave out the words of the book the law of God, clearly, and gave the sense of it, so that their minds were able to take it in.
• Isa 42:19 : 19 Who is blind, but my servant? who has his ears stopped, but he whom I send? who is blind as my true one, or who has his ears shut like the Lord's servant?
• Isa 44:26 : 26 Who makes the word of his servants certain, and gives effect to the purposes of his representatives; who says of Jerusalem, Her people will come back to her; and of the towns of Judah, I will give orders for their building, and will make her waste places fertile again:
• Jer 15:19 : 19 For this cause the Lord has said, If you will come back, then I will again let you take your place before me; and if you give out what is of value and not that which has no value, you will be as my mouth: let them come back to you, but do not go back to them.
• John 20:21 : 21 And Jesus said to them again, May peace be with you! As the Father sent me, even so I now send you.
• Acts 16:17 : 17 She came after Paul and us, crying out and saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, who are giving you news of the way of salvation.
• 2 Cor 5:20 : 20 So we are the representatives of Christ, as if God was making a request to you through us: we make our request to you, in the name of Christ, be at peace with God.
• Gal 4:14 : 14 And you did not have a poor opinion of me because of the trouble in my flesh, or put shame on it; but you took me to your hearts as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
• 1 Thess 4:8 : 8 Whoever, then, goes against this word, goes against not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
• 2 Tim 2:24-25 : 24 For it is not right for the Lord's servant to make trouble, but he is to be gentle to all, ready in teaching, putting up with wrong, 25 Gently guiding those who go against the teaching; if by chance God may give them a change of heart and true knowledge,
• Hag 2:11-13 : 11 These are the words of the Lord of armies: Put now a point of law to the priests, saying, 12 If anyone has some holy flesh folded in the skirt of his robe, will bread or soup or wine or oil or any other food be made holy if touched by his skirt? And the priests answering said, No. 13 Then Haggai said, Will any of these be made unclean by the touch of one who is unclean through touching a dead body? And the priests answering said, It will be made unclean.
• Mal 3:1 : 1 See, I am sending my servant, and he will make ready the way before me; and the Lord, whom you are looking for, will suddenly come to his Temple; and the angel of the agreement, in whom you have delight, see, he is coming, says the Lord of armies.
• Num 27:21 : 21 He will take his place before Eleazar the priest, so that he may get directions from the Lord for him, with the Urim: at his word they will go out, and at his word they will come in, he and all the children of Israel.