John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 8. Will a man rob God ? etc.] Or “the gods”; the false gods, the idols of the Gentiles; the Heathens will not do that, accounting sacrilege a great sin, and yet this the Jews were guilty of: or “the judges” f74 , as the Targum; civil magistrates; will any dare to defraud them of their due? (see Malachi 1:8). Yet ye have robbed me ; keeping back from the priests and Levites, his ministers, what was due to them; and which, being no other than a spoiling or robbing of them, might be interpreted a robbing of God: But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee ? as not being conscious of any such evil; or, however, impudently standing in it, that they were not guilty: to which is returned the answer, In tithes and offerings ; that is, they robbed God in not giving the tithes, and not offering sacrifices, according as the law required: but it may be objected, that the Jews in Christ’s time did pay tithes, even of all things; yea, of more than the law required, ( Matthew 23:23 Luke 18:12) to which it may be replied, that though they gave tithes, yet it was h[r ˆy[b , “with an evil eye”, as Aben Ezra says; grudgingly, and not cheerfully, and with an evil intention; not to show their gratitude to God, and their acknowledgment of him as their Lord, from whom they had their all, but in order to merit at his hands; besides, our Lord suggests that they did not give to God the things that were God’s, ( Matthew 22:21) and the apostle charges them with being guilty of sacrilege, ( Romans 2:22) and, moreover, the priests might not give it to the Levites, as they ought; and which is what they are charged with in ( Nehemiah 13:10) and Grotius says that they were guilty of this before the destruction by Vespasian, as appears by Josephus.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7-12 - The men of that generation turned away from God, they had not kept his ordinances. God gives them a gracious call. But they said, Wherei shall we return? God notices what returns our hearts make to the call of his word. It shows great perverseness in sin, when men make afflictions excuses for sin, which are sent to part between them an their sins. Here is an earnest exhortation to reform. God must be served in the first place; and the interest of our souls ought to be preferred before that of our bodies. Let them trust God to provide for their comfort. God has blessings ready for us, but through the weaknes of our faith and the narrowness of our desires, we have not room to receive them. He who makes trial will find nothing is lost by honourin the Lord with his substance.
Original Hebrew היקבע6906 אדם120 אלהים430 כי3588 אתם859 קבעים6906 אתי853 ואמרתם559 במה4100 קבענוך6906 המעשׂר4643 והתרומה׃8641
