Malachi 1:1 (DRB)

Passage

The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by the hand of Malachi.

Nearby Context

Malachi 1:1 The burden of the word of the Lord to Israel by the hand of Malachi.

Malachi 1:2 I have loved you, saith the Lord: and you have said: Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau brother to Jacob, saith the Lord, and I have loved Jacob,

Malachi 1:3 But have hated Esau? and I have made his mountains a wilderness, and given his inheritance to the dragons of the desert.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "burden", "word", "lord", "israel", "hand", and "malachi". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "burden" and "word", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "I have loved you saith the Lord...", so "burden" and "word" should be read forward into that movement. In Malachi context, the local focus is covenant faithfulness, priestly corruption, divine justice, and the coming day of the LORD.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "burden" and "word" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.