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Malachi refers to a covenant with Levi that allows the priests to teach the Torah, then faults the priests for breaking it. Jubilees makes the same covenant an unbroken honor, having Levi’s sons declare the same covenant.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Malachi 2:6
Hebrew Bible
5 “My covenant with him was designed to bring life and peace. I gave its statutes to him to fill him with awe, and he indeed revered me and stood in awe before me. 6 He taught what was true; sinful words were not found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and integrity, and he turned many people away from sin. 7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge of sacred things, and people should seek instruction from him because he is the messenger of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Jubilees 31:15
Pseudepigrapha
14 May the Lord give you and your descendants extremely great honor; may he make you and your descendants alone out of all humanity approach him to serve in his temple like the angels of the presence and like the holy ones. The descendants of your sons will be like them in honor, greatness, and holiness. May he make them great throughout all ages.’ 15 They will be princes, judges, and leaders of all the descendants of Jacob’s sons. They will declare the word of the Lord justly and will justly judge all his verdicts. They will tell my ways to Jacob and my paths to Israel. The blessing of the Lord will be placed in their mouths, so that they may bless all the descendants of the beloved. 16 Your mother named you Levi, and she has given you the right name. You will become one who is joined to the Lord and a companion of all Jacob’s sons. His table is to belong to you; you and your sons are to eat from it. May your table be filled throughout all history; may your food not be lacking throughout all ages.
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Notes and References
... The most famous blessing in this category is the priestly benediction in Numbers 6:24-26. The image of placing the divine blessings in their mouths may be influenced by Malachi 2:7 (“people should seek instruction from his mouth”), but teaching is under consideration in that verse. A closer parallel occurs in Sirach 50:20 regarding the high priest Simon: “Then Simon came down and raised his hands over the whole congregation of the Israelites, to pronounce the blessing of the Lord with his lips.” ...
VanderKam, James C.
Jubilees 2: A Commentary on the Book of Jubilees Chapters 22-50
(p. 857) Fortress Press, 2018
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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