6True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in integrity and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity.
The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek that is typically translated in English as “serve,” “minister,” “walk with,” or “service” is translated in Igede as myị ẹrụ or “agree with message (of the one you’re serving).” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
These two verses are treated together because they form a chiasmus. In this case the elements form an A-B-C-B-A pattern in which the A and B elements are the words mouth … lips … lips … mouth …. The rhythmic structure of the two verses is shown most clearly in the poetic layout used in New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh (with the last line not shown):
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Malachi. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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