Charles Ellicott Commentary Malachi 1:7

"Ye offer polluted bread upon mine altar. And ye say, Wherein have we polluted thee? In that ye say, The table of Jehovah is contemptible." — Malachi 1:7 (ASV)

You offer. —Literally, offering.

Bread. —This is not the showbread, which was not offered upon the altar. The word rendered “bread” means in Arabic “flesh;” in Hebrew, “food generally.” This word is applied (Leviticus 3:11; Leviticus 3:16) to the fat portions of the peace offerings, which were burned, and is there translated “food.” (See references there.) In Leviticus 21:6; Leviticus 21:8; Leviticus 21:17; Leviticus 21:21–22; Leviticus 22:25, it is used of the sacrifices generally, but is there inconsistently translated “bread.”

Polluted. —The Hebrew word does not occur in this sense in the Pentateuch, but we have it in Daniel 1:8 in the reflexive conjugation: “to allow himself to be defiled” with food, and in the active (“polluted you”) in this verse. The context shows that the words “polluted bread” means “food unfit to be offered.” “Polluted me” is the same as “profaned [my name]” (Malachi 1:12); for in the Hebrew Scriptures “God” and “God’s name” are often equivalent expressions .

Keil takes the words, which he wrongly translates, “you that offer polluted bread,” as parallel to the words “despisers of my name,” and to a certain degree explanatory of them; while he finds the actual answer to the questions, “How have we despised?” “How have we polluted?” is given in the words, “In that you say,” etc. He renders the passage thus:—

Says the Lord of hosts to you,
“You priests, who despise my name!”
And yet say, “How have we despised your name?”
“You who offer on my altar polluted food.”
And yet say, “How have we polluted you?”
(Ans.) [You have despised my name and polluted me], in that you say, “The table of the Lord is contemptible.”

The error of this rendering consists in supposing that “offering polluted food,” which is anathrous, can be parallel to “You priests who despise my name,” which is defined by the definite article. In truth, the English Version is perfectly correct. We will repeat it with only the slightest possible verbal alterations, and with such parenthetical explanations as are required to make it quite intelligible:—Says the Lord of hosts to you, “O priests, that despise my name!”

[This is the commencement of a prophetic rebuke to the priests; but they, in accordance with the prophet’s graphic style of writing, are supposed to catch him up at the first clause of his utterance.]

“But” [despisers of God’s name!] say you, “how have we despised your name?”

(Ans.) “Offering [as you do] polluted food upon my altar.”

“But,” say you, “how have we polluted you?”

(Ans.) “When, now, you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil?” etc.

Say — i.e., show by your conduct that such is your feeling. “This was their inward thought ... he puts these thoughts into abrupt, bold, hard words, which might startle them for their hideousness, as if he would say, this is what your acts mean. He exhibits the worm and the decay which lay under the whited exterior.”— Pusey.

Table — i.e., altar, as in Ezekiel 41:22: “The altar ... this is the table that is before the Lord.” .]