Even the LORD God of hosts; the LORD [is] his memorial.
Ver. 5. Even the Lord God of hosts] Lo, he it is who promised, who spake with us at Bethel; even that Jehovah, who is himself unchangeable and Almighty; whose promises are eternal and infallible; who will perform with his hand what he hath spoken with his mouth, to the thousandth generation of those that return unto him. Concerning God's name, Jehovah, See Trapp on " Mal 3:6 " Concerning his title, God of hosts, See Trapp on " Mal 3:17 " Doct. 1.
The Lord is his memorial] Jehovah is that nomen maiestativum (as Tertullian hath it), that holy and reverend name of God, Psalms 111:9, whereby he will be known and remembered, Exodus 3:15, which place doth notably illustrate this. True it is that the Jews, to countenance their conceit of the ineffability of this name Jehovah, do corrupt that text; and for this is my name, Legnolam, for ever, they read, this is my name, Legnalam, to be concealed. Where it is well observed by one, how cross the superstition of men is to the will of God. They, in a pretended reverence to God, will not so much as mention this name, because they say it is a name that God so much glorieth in; and yet the text saith, this name is God's memorial; it is the name by which he would be remembered to all generations, as that which setteth forth his glory more than any other name whatsoever. So that when we would have a holy memorial of God (and to remember him is every whit as needful as to draw breath, saith an ancient, tam Dei meminisse opus est quam respirare. Nazianzen) we need no images or other unwarrantable helps: the meditation of the name Jehovah, and the import of it, will be of singular use that way. Papists have their pictures and their memories, as they call them; idolaters feign to themselves various representations and remembrances. "Behind the doors also and the posts hast thou set up thy remembrances," Isaiah 57:8, where God's law should have been written, according to Deuteronomy 6:9; Deuteronomy 11:12, and whereas God's name should have been remembered, Psa 135:13 Psalms 102:12 .