Malachi

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Malachi

1. Author . The Book of Malachi raises a question of authorship which cannot he answered with certainty. Who was the author? Was his name Malachi? A priori , it might he supposed that the author of the last book of prophecy in the OT Canon would be sufficiently well known to have his name attached to his work. If the name appeared with the book (especially if the name was Ezra , as the Targum asserts), it could scarcely have been lost or forgotten before the ‘Minor Prophets’ were collected, and the Canon of the Prophets was closed.

It is, however, doubtful whether Malachi is the personal name of the prophet. The word, as it appears in the superscription, means ‘my messenger,’ and in this sense it is used in   Malachi 3:1 . It is argued that the word ought to have the same signification in both places. But, while in   Malachi 3:1 it can scarcely mean anything else than ‘my messenger,’ this meaning does not suit the superscription, which would run, ‘Oracle of the word of Jahweh through my messenger.’ The oblique case of Jahweh with the direct reference of the suffix in ‘my messenger,’ is more than awkward. The LXX [Note: Septuagint.] renders the superscription ‘by the hand of his messenger.’ The change of text is very slight. Whether there was MS authority for it cannot be determined.

The termination of the word Malachi may be adjectival . It would thus be equivalent to the Latin Angelicus , and would signify ‘one charged with a message or mission’ ( a missionary ). The term would thus be an official title, and the thought is not unsuitable to one whose message closed the Prophetical Canon of the OT, and whose mission in behalf of the Church was of so sacred a character. If this were the explanation, it is probable that greater definiteness would be attached to the words. It should be noted that, while the LXX [Note: Septuagint.] render the word Malachi by ‘his messenger’ in the superscription, they prefix, as the title of the book, Malachias , as if the Hebrew should read Malachiyah , i.e. ‘messenger of Jahweh.’ Some such form must be adopted if the Malachi of the superscription is taken as a proper noun. The form would thus correspond to Zacharias , and many other proper nouns (so Vulg. [Note: Vulgate.] both in the title and in the superscription). This is a possible grammatical explanation, and the name ‘messenger of Jahweh’ is suitable to the condition of Judah at the time. The Jews had little experience of prophets when the message of this book was delivered. It is significant that Haggai, the earliest prophet of the post-exilic period, is expressly designated ‘messenger of Jahweh’ (  Haggai 1:13 ). He had already received the official title of prophet ( nâbï ’), (  Malachi 1:1 ). But there were prophets and prophets. False prophets had done much to bring about the Exile. If there were to be prophets after the Exile, it was important that the new community should be in no doubt as to their character. This was secured in the case of the first of the post-exilic prophets by the express statement that he was the messenger of Jahweh, and that what he spoke was the message of Jahweh. In the case of the last of the prophets of the OT Canon, an assurance of a similar character would be furnished symbolically by the name Malachiyah (‘messenger of Jahweh’). This, pro tanto , favours the form of the word as it appears in the title of the LXX [Note: Septuagint.] and the Vulgate.

But  Malachi 3:1 remains. If Malachi is a proper noun the name of the author in   Malachi 1:1 , should the word not have the same significance in   Malachi 3:1 ? The answer is, that there is no insuperable objection to the twofold explanation. The form admits of the twofold reference. The question is one of probability. At this point, however, reference should be made to the Targum, according to which Ezra was the author of the Book of Malachi; and this opinion continued to prevail among the Jews. Jerome accepted it, and it was favourably regarded by Calvin and others. No doubt the Targum expressed the Jewish opinion of the time. But that does not settle the question. In the four or five centuries between the appearance of the Book of Malachi and the birth of Christ, the life of the OT Church centred in the Law of Moses. That law was given, mainly, by Ezra to the post-exilic Church. As years passed, and the traditions of the scribes began to gather about the Law, the figure of Ezra stood out as the prominent one in post-exilic times. Everything of importance connected with the Law was wont to be assigned to him. Take along with that the fact that Malachi occurs as a common noun in   Malachi 3:1 , and the additional fact that the prophecy closes with a solemn warning to remember the Law of Moses, and it may appear not improbable that Ezra should have been claimed as the author of this closing passage, and of the prophecy in which it is found.

In these circumstances the authority of the Targum is not of very great weight. But in one respect the Targum is of importance. If the name of Ezra was the only one associated with the Book of Malachi when the Targum was prepared, it is probable that the book originally appeared anonymously at least, that it bore no name when the volume of the Minor Prophets was made up, and that the compiler either regarded the term Malachi in   Malachi 3:1 as the name of the author, or attached it to the book in the superscription as an official title. It is scarcely necessary to observe that the name of the author is not required for the authentication of the message. The terms of the superscription are amply sufficient for the purpose of authentication. It is the ‘Oracle of the Word of Jahweh’ that the prophet delivers. This is equivalent to ‘The word of Jahweh came or was to … (so and so)’ in other books of prophecy, and implies the familiar ‘Thus saith Jahweh’ of prophetic address.

2. Date Opinion is greatly divided regarding the date of the book. That it belonged to the Persian period appears from the name ( pechah ) given to the governor (cf.   Haggai 1:1;   Haggai 1:14 etc.,   Nehemiah 5:14 etc.). Further, it is obvious that the statutory services of the Temple had been in operation for some time before the message of Malachi was delivered. Abuses had crept in which could not be associated with those who had returned from Babylon and rebuilt the Temple. The dedication of the Second Temple took place in b.c. 516, and the condition of religious life depicted in Malachi must have been a good many years later than that date. This is very generally admitted.

Two dates are most worthy of consideration the first shortly before Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem, and the second during Nehemiah’s second visit to the holy city. Certain expressions occurring in the book are held to favour the former (cf.  Malachi 2:2 ,   Malachi 2:4 ,   Malachi 2:5;   Malachi 3:5 ,   Malachi 3:10 , 22 [EV [Note: English Version.]   Malachi 4:4 ]). These, breathing the spirit of Deut., are supposed to show that the author was under the influence of the Deuteronomic Code. If his activity was later than 445, the influence of P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] would have been expected to show itself. But the expression ‘the law of Moses’ (Mal 3:22 [EV [Note: English Version.]   Malachi 4:4 ]) finds a natural explanation in connexion with the whole Pentateuchal legislation read before the people in 445 (  Nehemiah 8:1-18 ff.). The covenant with Levi (  Malachi 2:4-5 ) seems to presuppose   Numbers 25:10-13 (P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] ). And the reference to the tithes (  Malachi 3:10 ) appears to rest on   Leviticus 27:30-33 and   Numbers 18:21-32 (both belonging to P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] 1 ). Deuteronomic expressions of an ethical character are suitable to any earnest prophet after Amos, and are not determinative of date as are the passages which presuppose P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] , on the assumption that P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] was first promulgated in b.c. 445. The language, upon the whole, favours a date later than the appearance of P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] . The contents of the book point in the same direction. Ezra’s reformation appears to have been limited to the banishing of the foreign wives, and the effort to effect a complete separation of the Chosen People from the idolatrous tribes round about. The author of Malachi brings three main charges against the Church of his day: (1) against the priests for the profanation of the services of the Temple; (2) against the community (priests included) for marrying heathen wives; (3) against the people generally for immorality, indifference, and infidelity. All this agrees very closely with the state of affairs with which Nehemiah had to deal on his second visit to Jerusalem (  Nehemiah 13:7 ff.). And upon the whole (the conclusion can only be a matter of comparative probability), the period of that visit may be accepted for the prophetic activity of the author of Malachi. The date would be somewhere about b.c. 430.

3. Contents The book may be divided into the following sections:

I. Mal 1:1 . The superscription.

II. Mal 1:2-5 . Jahweh’s love to Israel. This love proved by the history of His dealings with Israel from the days of their great ancestor Jacob, as contrasted with the history of Jacob’s brother Esau and of his descendants.

III. Mal 1:6 to  Malachi 2:9 . Israel’s forgetfulness of Jahweh, neglect and contempt of His offerings, through illegal proceedings on the part of the priests.

IV.  Malachi 2:10-15 . Denunciation of divorce and of foreign marriages.

V.  Malachi 2:17 to   Malachi 3:6 . Day of Jahweh ( i.e . His coming to judgment) against unbelievers, scoffers, etc., especially with the view of purifying the priests in order that acceptable offerings may be presented unto Him.

VI.  Malachi 3:7-12 . Drought and locusts sent on those who neglected to bring the tithes for the service of the Temple and the support of the priests.

VII.  Malachi 3:13-18 [EV [Note: English Version.]   Malachi 3:13 to   Malachi 4:6 ]. The punishment of the wicked, and the triumph of the righteous, on the day of Jahweh, with a concluding exhortation to obey the Law of Moses, and a promise of the coming of Elijah to lead the people to repentance.

4. Doctrine Malachi, in its doctrinal contents, is in entire harmony with the Prophetic books that preceded it, and adds its testimony to the fact that, while Divine revelation is progressive, and the circumstances of the time add a special character and colour to the different Prophetic books, the fundamental doctrines are the same in all. The keynote of Malachi’s message is found in the opening words of   Malachi 1:2 . Israel’s position as the Chosen People is founded in the electing love of Jahweh. The divorcing of Jewish and the marrying of heathen wives is a crime against the love of Jahweh. Further, Jahweh as in all the prophets from Amos downwards is a God of righteousness. He rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked. The day of Jahweh, on which the wicked are punished and the righteous rewarded, is the same as in Amos and his successors; and the closing words of the prophecy, dealing with this day of Jahweh, connect the OT with the NT, in which the day of the Lord occupies a position of equal importance with that assigned to it in the OT. The special circumstances of the time, which serve so far to determine the date, appear in the importance assigned to ritual, and the severity with which neglect or irregularity in this part of religious observance is treated.

5. Style As might be expected, the style and diction of a book belonging to the last half of the 5th cent. are inferior to those of the pre-exilic prophets. The language is mostly plain, homely prose. There are, however, poetic passages, some of considerable merit (cf.   Malachi 1:11 ,   Malachi 3:1 ff.,   Malachi 3:10 ff.,   Malachi 3:16 ff., Mal 3:19ff. [EV [Note: English Version.]   Malachi 4:1 ff.]). The most striking feature of the style is the discussion of an important subject by means of question and answer, a dialectic method which became common afterwards, and which about the same time was well known in Athens through the labours of Socrates.

G. G. Cameron.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

("messenger of Jah"), or Jehovah; contracted for Malachijah, as Abi for Abijah ( 2 Kings 18:2; compare  2 Chronicles 29:1). The name is that of an office rather than of a person; it occurs in the sense "My (Jehovah's) messenger" ( Malachi 3:1, compare  Haggai 1:13). Malachi was Jehovah's last inspired messenger of Old Testament, announcing the advent of the great Messenger of New Testament; the transition link between the two dispensations, "the skirt and boundary of Christianity," to which is due his abrupt earnestness. Not identical with Ezra, as Chaldee paraphrase represents, for Malachi is never called a scribe, always a prophet, but Ezra always a scribe, never a prophet.

The analogy of the headings of the other prophets favors the view that Malachi is a proper name. He supported or followed up the governor Nehemiah in the restoration of the national polity civil and religious, as Haggai and Zechariah previously had supported Joshua the high priest and Zerubbabel the civil governor in building the temple, Malachi ( Zechariah 1:10;  Zechariah 3:1-10) presupposes the temple already built. Like Nehemiah ( Nehemiah 13:5;  Nehemiah 13:15-22;  Nehemiah 13:23-30) he censures the secular and mercenary spirit of the priests ( Malachi 1:10;  Malachi 2:14-16;  Malachi 3:8-10); the people's marriages with foreigners; the non-payment of the tithes (Nehemiah states the cause, the high priest's alliance with Tobiah the Ammonite and Sanballat); and the rich men's want of sympathy toward the poor. Nehemiah ( Nehemiah 6:7) implies that "prophets" supported him, by his desire, in his reformation.

Date . About 420 B.C. or later will be about the date, from the above facts. Thus kingly (Zerubbabel and Nehemiah), priestly (Joshua and Ezra), and prophetic men (Haggai and Zechariah and Malachi) headed God's people at the earlier and the later stage in the restoration of Jerusalem. The former period was that of building the temple, the later that of restoring the polity and rebuilding the city. The rebuilding of the temple was the theocratic people's first care; the political restoration was secondary. A small colony of 50,000 settled with Joshua and Zerubbabel ( Ezra 2:64). These became intermingled with the pagan during the 60 years that elapsed before Ezra ( Ezra 9:6-15;  Nehemiah 1:3); "the remnant ... left in the province are in great affliction and reproach, the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and the gates burned with fire."

A second restoration was therefore needed, to mold the national life into Jewish form, by reestablishing the holy law and the city. This was the work of Ezra and Nehemiah with the aid of Malachi in about 50 years, ending with the death of Malachi and Nehemiah, at the close of the fifth century B.C. Hence, the "seven weeks" (49 or 50 years) stand by themselves at the beginning of the foretold "seventy weeks" ( Daniel 9:25), to mark the fundamental difference between them, as the last period of Old Testament revelation, and the 62 weeks of years that follow without revelation, preceding the final week standing out by itself in unrivaled dignity as Messiah's week. The 70 weeks begin with Artaxerxes' seventh year, 457 B.C., when he allowed Ezra ( Ezra 7:1;  Ezra 7:6) to go to Jerusalem in accordance with the commandment which then went forth from God.

Ezra the priest purified the nation from within of pagan elements and restored the law; Nehemiah did the outer work of rebuilding the city and restoring the national polity (Auberlen). The time following Nehemiah's second return to Jerusalem from Persia (subsequently to the 32nd year of Artaxerxes Longimanus,  Nehemiah 13:6) is the probable date of Malachi's prophecies, about 420 B.C. Socrates at Athens was at about the same time awakening that corrupt city to self examination. The Jews were now in Jerusalem ( Malachi 2:11); the Persian "governor" ( Pechah , Pasha' ;  Malachi 1:8) was there, the altar ( Malachi 1:7) and temple rebuilt ( Malachi 2:13;  Malachi 3:1), the sacrifices and feasts celebrated ( Malachi 1:13-14;  Malachi 2:3).

Nehemiah bore this very title ( Pechah ,  Nehemiah 5:14;  Nehemiah 12:26), and its equivalent "tirshatha" ( Nehemiah 8:9;  Nehemiah 10:1;  Nehemiah 7:65;  Ezra 2:63), the prefect of a province less extensive than a satrapy. It is curious that Malachi is not mentioned in Nehemiah nor Nehemiah in Malachi. But the same evils are sought to be remedied by both: see above; also compare  Malachi 2:8, "ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts," with  Nehemiah 13:29, "they have defiled the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites." Thus the closing chapter of Old Testament history is the key of the last of Old Testament prophecy.

Divisions .

I. The first two chapters are mainly expostulation;

II. the last two mainly prediction.

(1) Charge against Israel for insensibility to God's love, which so distinguished Israel above Edom ( Malachi 1:1-5).

(2) Against the priests for contemptible offerings, profaning instead of honoring their Master and their Father, unlike Levi of old, who walked with God in a covenant of life and peace, turning many from iniquity, whereas they departed out of the way and caused others to stumble; therefore God will send a curse upon them, making them contemptible, even as they contemned and failed to give glory to His name ( Malachi 1:6-2:9).

(3) Reproof of the wrong done to Jewish wives by the foreign marriages. Jehovah being the one common Father of all Israel, putting away an Israelite wife for a foreigner is a wrong done to a sister of the same family ( Malachi 2:10-16). Explain  Malachi 2:15; "did not He (God) make Us Israelites one? Yet He had the residue of the Spirit (namely, an inexhaustible fullness of the Spirit for the rest of the world, but that was to be given them by God's first choosing out, one godly seed). And wherefore did He make us the one people? That He might seek a seed of God," to be the repository of the covenant, the stock for Messiah, the witness for God against surrounding polytheism. Repudiation of Jewish wives for foreigners set aside this, God's, design.

II.

(4) In answer to their cavil, "where is the God of judgment?" Messiah's forerunner, followed by the sudden coming of Jehovah Himself the Angel of the covenant (which they had despised) to His temple, is foretold ( Malachi 2:17-4:6). He shall on the one hand refine the sons of Levi, so that Judah's offering shall be pleasant unto Jehovah; on the other hand He shall be a swift witness against wrong doers, wherefore "return unto Me," instead of "robbing Me of tithes," "prove Me now herewith and I will pour you out a blessing," etc. But still they cavil at God's service bringing no "profit," while God's people commune together; so "the day of the Lord" cometh, consuming to the proud scorners, but with healing beams of the Sun of righteousness to fearers of God's name; ushered in by the forerunner Elijah, preaching a return to the law of Moses, and to the piety of Israel's forefathers, lest Jehovah come and smite the earth with a curse.

CANONICITY . Established by New Testament quotations ( Matthew 11:10;  Matthew 17:12;  Mark 1:2;  Mark 9:11-12;  Luke 1:17;  Romans 9:13). The "incense and pure offering from the rising to the setting of the sun" points on to the spiritual sacrifices of self devotion, prayer, and praise under the gospel, based on the once for all completed sacrifice of Messiah ( Psalms 141:2;  Revelation 8:3;  Hebrews 13:10;  Hebrews 13:15-16;  Romans 12:1;  1 Peter 2:5;  1 Peter 2:12); in every place ( John 4:21-24;  1 Timothy 2:8). Style. Bold and abrupt, yet with the smoothness of a reasoner rather than a poet, at the same time modeled after the old prophets.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Malachi 1:1  Malachi 3:1

Date We can only estimate the date of Malachi's ministry. The dates of most Old Testament prophets are indicated in the superscription of their book by the names of the kings reigning at that time. No kings' names are listed in the superscription of Malachi. The book contains no reference to any historical incident such as an important battle, earthquake, or captivity which might give a historical context to the book. However, we do know the time was postexilic (after 536 B.C.) because of the use of the Persian word for “govenor” ( Malachi 1:8 ). The Temple had been rebuilt ( Malachi 1:10;  Malachi 3:1 ,Malachi 3:1, 3:10 ). The Edomites had suffered a crushing blow from an outside invader, perhaps the Nabateans ( 1 Maccabees 5:25 ). The Nabateans were an Arab tribe who came out of the desert and drove the Edomites out of their homeland in the fifth or sixth centuries B.C. Evidently, Malachi was a contemporary of Nehemiah. Their books show kinship. The same social and religious conditions prevail in both, and Nehemiah's reforms were probably intended to correct some of the social and religious abuses outlined by Malachi ( Malachi 3:5;  Nehemiah 5:1-13 ). Tithing is stressed in both ( Malachi 3:7-10;  Nehemiah 10:37-39 ). Divorce and mixed marriages were problems in both ( Malachi 2:10-16;  Nehemiah 10:30;  Nehemiah 13:23-28 ). Nehemiah first returned to Jerusalem from Persia in 444 B.C. ( Nehemiah 1:1;  Nehemiah 2:1 ); therefore, Malachi should be dated after 450 B.C.

The people of Israel who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon and Persia in 536 B.C. came with high hopes. In  Isaiah 40-55 the prophet painted a future for those repatriated people in such glowing terms that they expected the messianic age to come immediately. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah added to these hopes by assuring the people that unprecedented blessings would come when the Temple was complete. They finished the Temple in 516 B.C. (  Ezra 6:14-15 ) and waited and waited, but no blessings came. Instead of blessings they faced drought, famine, poverty, oppression, and unfaithfulness to spouses and to God. Moral and spiritual laxity, pride, indifference, permissiveness, and skepticism were rife. Malachi tried to rekindle the fires of faith in the hearts of his discouraged people.

Book The purpose of Malachi was to assure his people that God still loved them, but He demanded honor, respect, and faithfulness from them. Malachi pointed out religious and social abuses and warned that judgment would come to purge the people of sin unless they repented. The style of the Book of Malachi is that of disputations. This style is not unique to Malachi. Micah and Jeremiah had disputes with false prophets ( Micah 2:6-11;  Jeremiah 27-28 ). Jeremiah also disputed with God ( Jeremiah 12:1-6 ). Job disputed with his friends. The Book of Malachi is made up of six disputation passages and two appendices. The disputes follow a regular form: (1) the prophet stated a premise; (2) the hearers challenged the statement; and (3) God and the prophet presented the supporting evidence.

Outline

I. A dispute about God's love ( Malachi 1:1-5 )

II. A dispute about God's honor and fear ( Malachi 1:6-2:9 )

Iii. A dispute about faithfulness ( Malachi 2:10-16 )

IV. A dispute about God's justice ( Malachi 2:17-3:5 )

V. A dispute about repentance ( Malachi 3:6-12 )

VI. A dispute about speaking against God ( Malachi 3:13-4:3 )

VII Two appendices ( Malachi 4:4-6 )

A. An admonition to remember the law of Moses ( Malachi 4:4 )

B. An announcement of the sending of Elijah ( Malachi 4:5-6 )

Ralph L. Smith

Bridgeway Bible Dictionary

A prophet was a messenger from God, and the meaning of the Hebrew word ‘Malachi’ is ‘my messenger’. Some regard the word ‘Malachi’ in the opening verse not as a person’s name but as a statement that the writer is a genuine messenger from God. (The same word is used in  Malachi 3:1, where it is not the name of a person.) The usual understanding, however, is that the writer, in calling himself Malachi, is introducing himself by his name, as do the other writing prophets.

Background to the book

As a result of the Persian king’s decree that released captive peoples (539 BC), many Jews returned to Jerusalem. In spite of some initial selfishness among themselves and opposition from local people, the Jews completed the rebuilding of their temple in 516 BC. However, with no one to replace the original strong leaders, people of later generations drifted from God.

In 458 BC a Jewish priest named Ezra came from Persia to Jerusalem to carry out much-needed reforms among the Jewish people ( Ezra 7:7;  Ezra 7:11-26). He was joined in 445 BC by another Jew from Persia, Nehemiah, who became Judea’s new governor ( Nehemiah 2:1-8). Jerusalem was full of social and religious disorders, and these two men worked together in an effort to lead the people back to God ( Nehemiah 8:1;  Nehemiah 8:8-9;  Nehemiah 12:26;  Nehemiah 12:31;  Nehemiah 12:36;  Nehemiah 12:38). It seems that Malachi brought his message to the people some time during this period of reform by Ezra and Nehemiah. He does not give the date of his prophecy, but the sins he rebukes are similar to those that Ezra and Nehemiah had to deal with (cf.  Malachi 2:7-9 with  Ezra 10:18-19;  Nehemiah 13:28-29; cf.  Malachi 2:10-11;  Malachi 2:14-16 with Ezra 9; Ezra 10;  Nehemiah 10:30;  Nehemiah 13:23-27; cf.  Malachi 3:5 with  Nehemiah 5:1-13; cf.  Malachi 3:8-12 with  Nehemiah 10:35-38;  Nehemiah 13:10-14).

The Jews of Jerusalem thought that because they were back in their land and the temple was in operation again, they would now enjoy the unlimited blessings of God. This did not prove to be so, and as a result they began to doubt whether God really cared for them.

Malachi responded to the people’s complaints by pointing out that the fault was on their side, not God’s. They had, by their sins, created barriers that hindered the flow and enjoyment of God’s love. The people, refusing to admit their faults, rejected Malachi’s message and argued bitterly against the accusations that God brought to them through his messenger ( Malachi 1:2;  Malachi 1:6-7;  Malachi 2:17;  Malachi 3:7;  Malachi 3:13). Some, however, loved and respected God, and for these Malachi had a special message of encouragement ( Malachi 3:16-17;  Malachi 4:2).

Summary of contents

In answering the people’s complaint that God no longer loves them, Malachi gives them undeniable evidence that God’s love has never forsaken them (1:1-5). He then shows how their sins are the reason for their present unhappy spiritual condition. They have demonstrated their wrong attitude to God in many ways: their offering of disgraceful sacrifices (1:6-14); the worthless behaviour of the priests (2:1-9); the sexual immorality that has produced divorce from Israelite partners and marriage to idol-worshippers (2:10-16); their irreverent complaining against God; and their cheating him of the offerings due to him (2:17-3:18).

The day of the Lord is approaching, when God will intervene in the affairs of the world and deal decisively with the wicked. At the same time he will rescue his own and lead them into lives of new joy and freedom (4:1-6).

Morrish Bible Dictionary

The last of the minor prophets. Nothing is recorded of the prophet's personal history, he is named once only. He was prophet near the time of Nehemiah's return to the land, and the prophecy reveals the moral condition of the people. The first chapter, while it shows their insensibility, shows also the sovereign love of Jehovah to them, a love on which His purpose depended. When charged with their sins, they asked wherein had they sinned. The answer is that they brought to the Lord that which was torn, the lame, and the sick, and had offered polluted bread upon Jehovah's altar: in effect saying, "The table of the Lord is polluted; and the fruit thereof, even his meat, is contemptible." This brought judgement upon those who were insensible to what was due to the Lord. Yet Jehovah should be magnified beyond the border of Israel, and His name be great among the Gentiles.

 Malachi 2 . The priests who ought to have been guides to the people, are called to account. Judah had intimate fellowship with idolatry; had symbolically married the daughter of a strange god; and had associated this with the worship of Jehovah. Israel had also dealt treacherously with the wife of their youth: this was but the discovery of a treacherous principle in them. God hated putting away: notwithstanding all this, they were apathetic, and asked wherein had they wearied God.

 Malachi 3 opens with the announcement of the Lord's messenger, which was fulfilled in John the Baptist. But the first coming of the Lord is here connected with His second coming, when He will sit as a refiner, and will purge away the dross, and then shall the sons of Levi offer an offering in righteousness.

God challenged the returned Jews to be faithful to Him, and they should have such a blessing that they would not have room enough to contain it. When called upon to return to Jehovah they are still unconscious of their condition, and ask, "Wherein shall we return?" and "Wherein have we robbed thee?" "What have we spoken so much against thee?" They had said it was in vain to serve the Lord; they had called the proud happy; the wicked were built up, and they that tempted God were delivered.

Yet God's purpose should stand: their land should be a delightsome land, and all nations should call them blessed. In the meantime the remnant are spoken of as those that feared the Lord and thought upon His name: they communed often one with another. God had a book of remembrance of such: they shall be remembered when the Lord of hosts makes up His jewels, and shall be spared when He comes in judgement.

 Malachi 4 . A day of great judgement is coming when the wicked shall be consumed. But to them that fear His name the Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings (not the morning star here, as for the church). There will be judgement for the disobedient, as was indeed fully shown in the law at the beginning of the covenant with them.

But Elijah will come as Christ's forerunner, to call them to repentance before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. John the Baptist would have fulfilled this mission had they received him; but, except a few, they did not, and therefore when asked if he was Elias, he said, No. He fulfilled the prophecy in the first clause of  Malachi 3:1; but not that of  Malachi 4:5,6; the people did not repent. Elijah will still come. There will be judgement first, but great blessing in the end to those that are spared.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

The last of the prophets, in closing the sacred canon of the Old Testament Scripture. So little is known of this man, either of his person or connections, and tribe, or family, that some have doubted whether his name means any more than what the word itself expresses, my angel or messenger, from Malach, angel, or messenger. The point cannot be determined, for it is well known, that the Lord Jesus Christ himself, as well as his messenger, is spoken of by this same word in the third chapter and first verse. This is striking, and highly proper to be regarded. The name of the person writing is called Malachi; in  Malachi 1:1, John the Baptist is called my messenger by the same word Malachi, in the first part of  Malachi 3:1-18. And Christ is called the messenger of the covenant, by the same word Malachi, in the middle part of the same verse of the same chapter. So that Malach, a messenger or angel, is the common term made use of in reference to all under this character. And such views of the name tend, in my humble opinion, to confirm what I have before remarked in the former part of this Concordance, under the word Archangel, (which see) that Christ, the glorious angel of the covenant, is the only archangel of Scripture. For to admit the supposition of any other as archangel, while Christ is expressly called the Angel of the covenant, must imply some inferiority in Christ: a thing impossible. And as we well know that Jesus Christ is the all in all of the covenant, both the angel or messenger of it; the fulfiller of it; the sum and substance of it; the administrator of it; in all present and everlasting concerns; we do no violence to the expression, when we express Christ's personal offices in the great work of redemption, by all and every term of character that can tend to bring home the Lord Jesus to our affections, in the most endeared and endearing manner.

See Archangel.

It may not be improper to observe respecting Malachi, the prophet, that his services were exercised about three hundred and fifty years before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. And with this man's ministry, the Holy Ghost closeth the sacred volume of the Old Testament Scripture.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The last of the minor prophets, and of all the Old Testament writers; so little known, that it is doubted by some, though without sufficient reason, whether his name be a proper name, or only a generical one, signifying the angel of the Lord that is, a messenger, a prophet,  Haggai 1:13;  Malachi 3:1 . Malachi most probably prophesied about B. C. 416, in the latter part of the administration of Negemiag, and after Haggai and Zechariah, at a time of great disorder among the priests and people of Judah, whom her reproves. He inveighs against the priests; reproves the people for having taken strange wives, for inhumanity to their brethren, for divorcing their wives, and for neglect of paying tithes and first fruits. He seems to allude to the covenant that Nehemiah renewed with the lord, together with the priests and chief of the nation. In the latter part he foretells the coming of John the Baptist in the spirit and power of Elijah,  Malachi 3:1;  4:5,6;  Matthew 11:10,14;  17:10-13;  Luke 1:17 . He also foretells the two-fold coming of Christ, and the blessedness of those who fear and serve him. Thus the Old Testament closes with Predictions of the Messiah, and the New Testament opens with the record of their fulfillment.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Malachi ( Măl'A-Ki ), Messenger Of Jehovah. The last of the prophets of the Old Testament, and called "the seal" because his prophecies form the closing book of the canon of the Old Testament. Of his personal life nothing is known but what can be gleaned from his book. He flourished after the captivity, later than Haggai and Zechariah, at a time when the temple was completed, and was probably a contemporary of Nehemiah, b.c. 433. His prophecies are at once denunciatory of prevailing vices, and close with a prophecy of the coming of Messiah, and foretells that Elijah will return as a forerunner of Messiah—a prediction which found its striking fulfilment by the mission of John the Baptist  Malachi 4:5;  Luke 1:17;  Matthew 11:14;  Matthew 17:12.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Malachi 4:4,5,6

He was contemporary with Nehemiah (Compare  Malachi 2:8 with   Nehemiah 13:15;  Malachi 2:10-16 with   Nehemiah 13:23 ). No allusion is made to him by Ezra, and he does not mention the restoration of the temple, and hence it is inferred that he prophesied after Haggai and Zechariah, and when the temple services were still in existence ( Malachi 1:10;  3:1,10 ). It is probable that he delivered his prophecies about B.C. 420, after the second return of Nehemiah from Persia ( Nehemiah 13:6 ), or possibly before his return.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

the last of the twelve minor prophets. Malachi prophesied about B.C. 400; and some traditionary accounts state that he was a native of Sapha, and of the tribe of Zebulun. He reproves the people for their wickedness, and the priests for their negligence in the discharge of their office; he threatens the disobedient with the judgments of God, and promises great rewards to the penitent and pious; he predicts the coming of Christ, and the preaching of John the Baptist; and with a solemnity becoming the last of the prophets, he closes the sacred canon with enjoining the strict observance of the Mosaic law, till the forerunner, already promised, should appear in the spirit of Elias, to introduce the Messiah, who was to establish a new and everlasting covenant.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(Heb. Malaki', מִלְאָכַי , Nmessenger; Sept. in the title Μαλαχαίς , but in ch. 1, it renders Ἄγγελος Αὐτοῦ , Vulg. Malachias ) , the last of the minor prophets, and the latest writer in the canon of the O.T. (comp.  Malachi 4:4-6). What is known of him is so intimately connected with his prophecies that it will be most convenient to consider the whole subject together. In doing so we will, at the same time, treat any doubtful questions involved. I. Personal Account. — The name Malachi is rendered by some My Angel, but it is usually regarded as contracted from Malachijah, "messenger of Jehovah," like Abi ( 2 Kings 18:2) from Abijah ( 2 Chronicles 29:1). The traditionists regard the name as having been given to the prophet on account of the beauty of his person and his unblemished life. The name means an Angel, angels being, in fact, the messengers of God; and, as the prophets are often styled angels or messengers of Jehovah, it is supposed by some that "Malachi" is merely a general title descriptive of this character, and not a proper name. So Hengstenberg, Christol. 3:372 sq.

Of his personal history nothing is known (see Dr. Davidson in Horne's Introd. new ed. 2:894 sq.). A tradition preserved in Pseudo-Epiphanius (De Vitis Proph.) relates that Malachi was of the tribe of Zebulun, and born after the captivity at Sopha ( Σοφᾶ ,? Saphir) in the territory of that tribe. According to the same apocryphal story he died young, and was buried with his fathers in his own country. Jerome, in the preface to his Commentary on Malachi, mentions a belief which was current among the Jews, that Malachi was identical with Ezra the priest, because the circumstances recorded in the narrative of the latter are also mentioned by the prophet. The Targum of Jonathan ben-Uzziel, on the words "by the hand of Malachi" ( Malachi 1:1), gives the gloss "whose name is called Ezra the scribe." With equal probability Malachi has been identified with Mordecai, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel. The Sept., as above noted renders "by Malachi" ( Malachi 1:1), "by the hand of his angel;" and this translation appears to have given rise to the idea that Malachi, as well as Haggai and John the Baptist, was an angel in human shape (comp.  Malachi 3:1;  2 Esdras 1:40; Jerome, Comm. in Mag. 1:13). Cyril alludes to this belief only to express his disapprobation, and characterizes those who hold it as romancers ( Ο ‰ Μάτην Ἐῤῥαψῳδήκασιν , Κ . Τ . Λ .). The current opinion of the Jews is that of the Talmud, in which this question is mooted, and which decides, it seems to us rightly, that this prophet is not the same with Mordecai, or Ezra, or Zerubbabel, or Nehemiah, whose claims had all been advocated by different parties, but a distinct person named Malachi ( Bab. Megillah, 15:1). Another Hebrew tradition associates Malachi with Haggai and Zechariah as the companions of Daniel when he saw the vision recorded in  Daniel 10:7 (Smith's Select Discourses, p. 214; A.D. 1660), and as among the first members of the Great Synagogue, which consisted of 120 elders (Isidore, De Vita et Morte Sanct. ch. li). For a notice of prophecy of the succession of the Roman pontiffs attributed to him, see the Studien u. Kritiken, 1857, p. 555 sq.). (See St Malachy).

II. Date Of His Prophecies. — Although there has been a faint disposition to regard Zechariah as the last of the prophets (Lactant. De Velra Sapent. 4:5), the received opinion decides for Malachi. Accordingly Aben-Ezra calls him " ‘ the end of the prophets;" Kimchi, "the last of them;" and not seldom he is distinguished by the rabbins as "the seal of the prophets." Cyril makes him contemporary with Haggai and Zechariah, or a little later. Syncellus (p. 240 B) places these three prophets under Joshua the son of Josedec. That Malachi was contemporary with Nehemiah is rendered probable by a comparison of  Malachi 2:8 with  Nehemiah 13:15;  Nehemiah 2:10-16 with  Nehemiah 13:23, etc.; and  Malachi 3:7-12 with  Nehemiah 13:10, etc. That he prophesied after the times of Haggai and Zechariah is inferred from his omitting to mention the restoration of the Temple, and from no allusion being made to him by Ezra. The captivity was already a thing of the long past, and is not referred to. The existence of the Temple-service is presupposed in 1:10; 3:1, 10. The Jewish nation had still a political chief ( Malachi 1:8), distinguished by the same title as that borne by Nehemiah ( Nehemiah 12:26), to which Gesenius assigns a Persian origin. Hence Vitringa concludes that Malachi delivered his prophecies after the second return of Nehemiah from Persia ( Nehemiah 13:6), and subsequently to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes Longimanus (B.C. cir. 420), which is the date adopted by Kennicott and Hales, and approved by Davidson (Introd. p. 985). The date B.C. 410 cannot be far from correct.

It may be mentioned that in the Seder Olam Rabba (p. 55, ed. Meyer) the date of Malachi's prophecy is assigned, with that of Haggai and Zechariah, to the second year of Darius; and his death in the Seder Olam Zuta (p. 105) is placed, with that of the same two prophets, in the fifty-second year of the Medes and Persians. The principal reasons adduced by Vitringa, and which appear conclusively to fix the time of Malachi's prophecy as contemporary with Nehemiah, are the following: The offenses denounced by Malachi as prevailing among the people, and especially the corruption of the priests by marrying foreign wives, correspond with the actual abuses with which Nehemiah had to contend in his efforts to bring about a reformation (comp.  Malachi 2:8 with  Nehemiah 13:29). The alliance of the high-priest's family with Tobiah the Ammonite ( Nehemiah 13:4;  Nehemiah 13:28) and Sanballat the Horonite had introduced neglect of the customary Temple-service, and the offerings and tithes due to the Levites and priests, in consequence of which the Temple was forsaken ( Nehemiah 13:4-13) and the Sabbath openly profaned ( Nehemiah 13:15-21). The short interval of Nehemiah's absence from Jerusalem had been sufficient for the growth of these corruptions, and on his return he found it necessary to put them down with a strong hand, and to do over again the work that Ezra had done a few years before. From the striking parallelism between the state of things indicated in Malachi's prophecies and that actually existing on Nehemiah's return from the court of Artaxerxes, it is on all accounts highly probable that the efforts of the secular governor were on this occasion seconded by the preaching of "Jehovah's messenger," and that Malachi occupied the same position with regard to the reformation under Nehemiah as Isaiah held in the time of Hezekiah, and Jeremiah in that of Josiah. The last chapter of canonical Jewish history is the key to the last chapter of its prophecy. See Noel Alexander, De Malachia Propheta, in his Hist. Eccles. 3:642 sq.; Vitringa, idem, in his Observationes Sociae, vol. 2; Hebenstreit, Disp. in Malachi (Lips. 1731 sq.).

III. Contents Of The Book. — The prophecies of Malachi are comprised in four chapters in our version, as in the Sept., Vulgate, and Peshito-Syriac. In the Hebrew the 3d and 4th form but one chapter. The whole prophecy naturally divides itself into three sections, in the first of which Jehovah is represented as the loving father and ruler of his people ( Malachi 1:2 to  Malachi 2:9); in the second, as the supreme God and father of all ( Malachi 2:10-16); and in the third, as their righteous and final judge ( Malachi 2:17 - end). These may be again subdivided into smaller sections, each of which follows a certain order: first, a short sentence; then the skeptical questions which might be raised by the people; and, finally, their full and triumphant refutation. The formal and almost scholastic manner of the prophecy seemed to Ewald to indicate that it was rather delivered in writing than spoken publicly. But though this may be true of the prophecy in its present shape, which probably presents the substance of oral discourses, there is no reason for supposing that it was not also pronounced orally in public, like the warnings and denunciations of the older prophets, however it may differ from them in vigor of conception and high poetic diction.

1. The first section of the prophet's message consists of two parts; the first ( Malachi 1:1-8) addressed to the people generally, in which Jehovah, by his messenger, asserts his love for them, and proves it, in answer to their reply, ‘ "Wherein hast thou loved us?" by referring to the punishment of Edom as an example. The second part ( Malachi 1:6 to  Malachi 2:9) is addressed especially to the priests, who had despised the name of Jehovah, and had been the chief movers of the defection from his worship and covenant. They are rebuked for the worthlessness of their sacrifices and offerings, and their profanation of the Temple thereby ( Malachi 1:7-14). The denunciation of their offense is followed by the threat of punishment for future neglect ( Malachi 2:1-3), and the character of the true priest is drawn as the companion picture to their own ( Malachi 2:5-9).

2. In the second section ( Malachi 2:10-16) the prophet reproves the people for their intermarriages with the idolatrous heathen, and the divorces by which they separated themselves from their legitimate wives, who wept at the altar of Jehovah, in violation of the great law of marriage which God the father of all, established at the beginning.

3. The judgment, which the people lightly regard, is announced with all solemnity, ushered in by the advent of the Messiah. The Lord, preceded by his messenger shall come to his Temple suddenly, to purify the land from its iniquity, and to execute swift judgment upon those who violate their duty to God and their neighbor. The first part ( Malachi 2:17 to  Malachi 3:5) of the section terminates with the threatened punishment; in the second ( Malachi 3:6-12) the faithfulness of God to his promises is vindicated, and the people are exhorted to repentance, with its attendant blessings; in the third ( Malachi 3:13 to  Malachi 4:6) they are reproved for their want of confidence in God, and for confusing good and evil. The final severance between the righteous and the wicked is then set forth, and the great day of judgment is depicted, to be announced by the coming of Elijah, or John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ ( Matthew 11:14;  Matthew 17:10-13).

IV. Style. — The diction of Malachi offers few, if any, distinguishing characteristics. His language is suitable to the manner of his prophecy. Smooth and easy to a remarkable degree, it is the style of the reasoner rather than of the poet. The rhythm and imagery of his writings are substantially those of the old prophets, but they possess no remarkable vigor or beauty. We miss the fiery prophetic eloquence of Isaiah, and have in its stead the calm and almost artificial discourse of the practiced orator, carefully modeled upon those of the ancient prophets. His phraseology is accounted for by his living during that decline of Hebrew poetry which we trace more or less in all the sacred writings posterior to the captivity. In general the language is concise, clear, and polished, and the manner of introducing a new line of argument or a new range of thought is most striking. Here the peculiarity is to be noticed, that there is no longer the ancient dramatic manner displayed, but a kind of dialogue has taken its place, which is carried on between God and the people or the priests, whose half-mocking questions are enlarged upon and finally answered with scorn by the mouth of the messenger. He seems fully aware of being the last of the sacred bards ( Malachi 3:1), and the epoch of transition from the glowing energetic fullness of the inspired seer, who speaks to the people as the highest power suddenly and forcibly moves him, to the carefully studied and methodically constructed written discourse, becomes strangely apparent in him. We find both the ancient prophetic improvised original exhortation, with its repetitions and apparent incongruities, and the artificially composed address, with its borrowed ideas well arranged and its euphonious words well selected. This circumstance has probably also given rise to the notion that we have only in his book a summary of his orations: a work containing, as it were, the substance only of his addresses, written out by himself from his recollections an opinion which we do not share. Of peculiarities of phraseology we may notice the occurrence of passages like ונשא אתכם אליו ( Malachi 2:3), כסה חמס עלאּלבושו ( Malachi 2:16), etc.

V. Canonicity And Integrity. — The claim of the book of Malachi to its place in the canon of the Old Testament has never been disputed, and its authority is established by the references to it in the New Testament ( Matthew 11:10;  Matthew 17:12;  Mark 1:2;  Mark 9:11-12;  Luke 1:17;  Romans 9:13). Philo, Josephus, Melito, Jerome, and other ancient authorities, mention it, and quote from it as in accordance with our present copies. Nor is there anything, either in its language or the circumstances of its time, the manners and customs touched upon, or its topographical and geographical allusions, that could give rise to the slightest critical suspicion.

Its text is one of the purest and best preserved, and no glosses to it are to be found in the Codd., such as had to be added to correct the corruptions of other books. The differences in the various ancient versions arise only from the differences of the vowels assumed or found by the translators in their copies. The few variants which occur in the different texts are so unimportant that they do not call for any detailed remark.

VI. Commentaries. — Special exegetical helps on the whole book are as follows, a few of the most important of which we designate by an asterisk prefixed: Ephraem Syrus, Explanation (in Syriac, in his Opp. v. 312); Rupertus Tuitiensis, In Malachi (in his Opp. 1:520); D. Kimchi and S. Jarchi's commentaries, tr. into Latin by De Muis (Paris, 1618, 4to); Aben- Ezra's and other Jewish commentaries, tr. into Latin by Hebenstreet (Lips. 1746, 4to); D. Kimchi's and Aben-Ezra's commentaries, in Latin by Bohle (Rost. 1637, 4to); Kimchi's alone, by Carpzov (Lips. 1679, 8vo), by Miinster (Basil. 1530, 8vo); Aben-Ezra's alone, by Mitnster (ib. 1530, 8vo), by Borgwall (Upsal. 1707, 8vo); Abrabanel's, by Meyer (Hammon. 1685, 4to); Luther, Commentarius (in Opp., Wittenb. edit., 4:520; in German, by Agricola, 1555); Melancthon, Explicationes (Vitemb. 1553; also in Opp. 2:541); Draconis, Explanaciones (Lips. 1564, folio); Chytreus, Explicatio (Rost. 1568, 8vo; also in Opp. 2:455); Moller, Expositio (Vitemb. 1569, 8vo); Brocardus, interpretatio [including Cant., Hag., and Zech.] (L. B. 1580, 8vo); Gryneus, Hlypomnnemata (Genesis 1582, 8vo; Basil. 1583, 1612, 4to); Polanus, Analysis (Basil- 1597, 1606, 8vo); Baldwin, Commentarius [includ. Hag. and Zech.] (Vitemb. 1610, 8vo); De Quiros, Commentarii [includ. Nah.] (Hispal. 1622; Lugd. 1623, fol.); Tarnow, Commentarius (iost. 1624, 4to); Stock and Torshell, Commentary (Lond. 1641,fol.); Acosta, Commentarius [including Ruth, etc.] (Lugd. 1641,fol.); Sclater, Commentary (Lon.don, 1650, 4to); Ursinus, Commentarius (Francof. 1652, 8vo); Martinus, Observationes (Gronimg. 1647,4to; 1658, 8vo); Varenius, Trifolium [including Hag. and Zech.] (Rost. 1662, 4to); Pocock, Commentary (Oxf. 1677, fol.; also in Works, 119); Van Til, Commentarius (L.B. 1701, 4to); Kippen, Observationes (Gryph. 1708, 4to); Wessel. Enucleatio (Lub. 1729, 4to); *Venema, Commentsarius (Leon. 1759, 4to); Fischer, Prolusio (Lips. 1759, etc.); Bahrat, Commnentatrius (Lips. 1768, 8vo); *Faber, Comment(atio (Onold. 1779, 4to); Rosenm Ü ller, Scholia (Lips. 1828. 8vo); *Reinke, Commentar (Giessen, 1856, 8vo); *Moore, Com, mentary [including Hag. and Zech.] (N. Y. 1856, 8vo); Kohler, Er'kl run'g (Erlang. 1865, 8vo). (See Minor Prophets).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mal´a - kı̄  :

1. Name of the Prophet

2. The Prophet's Times

3. Contents

4. Style

5. Message

Literature

1. Name of the Prophet:

The last book of the Old Testament. Nothing is known of the person of Malachi. Because his name does not occur elsewhere, some scholars indeed doubt whether "Malachi" is intended to be the personal name of the prophet. But none of the other prophetic books of the Old Testament is anonymous. The form מלאכי , mal'ākhı̄ , signifies "my messenger"; it occurs again in   Malachi 3:1; compare  Malachi 2:7 . But this form of itself would hardly be appropriate as a proper name without some additional syllable such as יהּ , Yah , whence mal'ākhiah , i.e. "messenger of Yahweh." Haggai, in fact, is expressly designated "messenger of Yahweh" ( Haggai 1:13 ). Besides, the superscriptions prefixed to the book, in both the Septuagint and the Vulgate, warrant the supposition that Malachi's full name ended with the syllable יהּ . At the same time the Septuagint translates the last clause of  Malachi 1:1 , "by the hand of his messenger ," and the Targum reads, "by the hand of my angel, whose name is called Ezra the scribe." Jerome likewise testifies that the Jews of his day ascribed this last book of prophecy to Ezra ( V. Praef. in duodecim Prophetas ). But if Ezra's name was originally associated with the book, it would hardly have been dropped by the collectors of the prophetic Canon who, lived only a century or two subsequent to Ezra's time. Certain traditions ascribe the book to Zerubbabel and Nehemiah; others, still, to Malachi, whom they designate as a Levite and a member of the "Great Synagogue." Certain modern scholars, however, on the basis of the similarity of the title ( Malachi 1:1 ) to  Zechariah 9:1;  Zechariah 12:1 , declare it to be anonymous; but this is a rash conclusion without any substantial proof other than supposition. The best explanation is that of Professor G.G. Cameron, who suggests that the termination of the word "Malachi" is adjectival, and equivalent to the Latin angelicus , signifying "one charged with a message or mission" (a missionary). The term would thus be an official title; and the thought would not be unsuitable to one whose message closed the prophetical Canon of the Old Testament, and whose mission in behalf of the church was so sacred in character (1-vol HDB ).

2. The Prophet's Times:

Opinions vary as to the prophet's exact date, but nearly all scholars are agreed that Malachi prophesied during the Persian period, and after the reconstruction and dedication of the second temple in 516 Bc (compare  Malachi 1:10;  Malachi 3:1 ,  Malachi 3:10 ). The prophet speaks of the people's governor" (Hebrew peḥāh ,  Malachi 1:8 ), as do Haggai and Nehemiah ( Haggai 1:1;  Nehemiah 5:14;  Nehemiah 12:26 ). The social conditions portrayed are unquestionably those also of the period of the Restoration. More specifically, Malachi probably lived and labored during the times of Ezra and Nehemiah. Serious abuses had crept into Jewish life; the priests had become lax and degenerate, defective and inferior sacrifices were allowed to be offered upon the temple altar, the people were neglecting their tithes, divorce was common and God's covenant was forgotten and ignored; just such abuses as we know from the Book of Neh were common in his day (compare  Nehemiah 3:5;  Nehemiah 5:1-13 ). Yet, it is doubtful whether Malachi preached during Nehemiah's active governorship; for in  Malachi 1:8 it is implied that gifts might be offered to the "governor," whereas Nehemiah tells us that he declined all such (  Nehemiah 5:15 ,  Nehemiah 5:18 ). On the other hand, the abuses which Malachi attacked correspond so exactly with those which Nehemiah found on his 2nd visit to Jerusalem in 432 Bc ( Nehemiah 13:7 ff) that it seems reasonably certain that he prophesied shortly before that date, i.e. between 445 and 432 BC. As Dr. J.M.P. Smith says, The Book of Mal fits the situation amid which Nehemiah worked as snugly as a bone fits its socket" ( ICC , 7). That the prophet should exhort the people to remember the law of Moses, which was publicly read by Ezra in the year 444 BC, is in perfect agreement with this conclusion, despite the fact that Stade, Cornill and Kautzsch argue for a date prior to the time of Ezra. On the other hand, Nagelsbach, Kohler, Orelli, Reuss and Volck rightly place the book in the period between the two visits of Nehemiah (445-432 BC).

3. Contents:

The book, in the main, is composed of two extended polemics against the priests ( Malachi 1:6 through 2:9) and the people (  Malachi 2:10 through 4:3), opening with a clear, sharp statement of the prophet's chief thesis that Yahweh still loves Israel (  Malachi 1:2-5 ), and closing with an exhortation to remember the Law of Moses ( Malachi 4:4-6 ). After the title or superscription ( Malachi 1:1 ) the prophecy falls naturally into seven divisions:

(1)  Malachi 1:2-5 , in which Malachi shows that Yahweh still loves Israel because their lot stands in such marked contrast to Edom's. They were temporarily disciplined; Edom was forever punished.

(2)  Malachi 1:6 through 2:9, a denunciation of the priests, the Levites, who have become neglectful of their sacerdotal office, indifferent to the Law, and unmindful of their covenant relationship to Yahweh.

(3)  Malachi 2:10-16 , against idolatry and divorce. Some interpret this section metaphorically of Judah as having abandoned the religion of his youth ( Malachi 2:11 ). But idolatry and divorce were closely related. The people are obviously rebuked for literally putting away their own Jewish wives in order to contract marriage with foreigners ( Malachi 2:15 ). Such marriages, the prophet declares, are not only a form of idolatry ( Malachi 2:11 ), but a violation of Yahweh's intention to preserve to Himself a "godly seed" ( Malachi 2:15 ).

(4)  Malachi 2:17 through 3:6, an announcement of coming judgment. Men are beginning to doubt whether there is longer a God of justice (  Malachi 2:17 ). Malachi replies that the Lord whom the people seek will suddenly come, both to purify the sons of Levi and to purge the land of sinners in general. The nation, however, will not be utterly consumed ( Malachi 3:6 ).

(5)  Malachi 3:7-12 , in which the prophet pauses to give another concrete example of the people's sins: they have failed to pay their tithes and other dues. Accordingly, drought, locusts, and famine have ensued. Let these be paid and the nation will again prosper, and their land will become "a delightsome land."

(6)  Malachi 3:13 through 4:3, a second section addressed to the doubters of the prophet's age. In   Malachi 2:17 , they had said, "Where is the God of justice?" They now murmur: "It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his charge?" The wicked and the good alike prosper ( Malachi 3:14 ,  Malachi 3:15 ). But, the prophet replies, Yahweh knows them that are His, and a book of remembrance is being kept; for a day of judgment is coming when the good and the evil will be distinguished; those who work iniquity will be exterminated, while those who do righteously will triumph.

(7)  Malachi 4:4-6 , a concluding exhortation to obey the Mosaic Law; with a promise that Elijah the prophet will first come to avert, if possible, the threatened judgment by reconciling the hearts of the nation to one another, i.e. to reconcile the ideals of the old to those of the young, and vice versa.

4. Style:

Malachi was content to write prose. His Hebrew is clear and forceful and direct; sometimes almost rhythmical. His figures are as numerous as should be expected in the brief remnants of his sermons which have come down to us, and in every case they are chaste and beautiful ( Malachi 1:6;  Malachi 3:2 ,  Malachi 3:3 ,  Malachi 3:17;  Malachi 4:1-3 ). His statements are bold and correspondingly effective. The most original feature in his style is the lecture-like method which characterizes his book throughout; more particularly that of question and answer. His style is that of the scribes. It is known as the didactic-dialectic method, consisting first of an assertion or charge, then a fancied objection raised by his hearers, and finally the prophet's refutation of their objection. Eight distinct examples of this peculiarity are to be found in his book, each one containing the same clause in Hebrew, "Yet ye say" ( Malachi 1:2 ,  Malachi 1:6 ,  Malachi 1:7;  Malachi 2:14 ,  Malachi 2:17;  Malachi 3:7 ,  Malachi 3:8 ,  Malachi 3:13 ). This debating style is especially characteristic of Malachi. Ewald called it "the dialogistic" method. Malachi shows the influence of the schools (compare his use of "also" and "again" in  Malachi 1:13;  Malachi 2:13 , which is equivalent to our "firstly," "secondly," etc.).

5. Message:

Malachi's message has a permanent value for us as well as an immediate value for his own time. He was an intense patriot, and accordingly his message was clean-cut and severe. His primary aim was to encourage a disheartened people who were still looking for Haggai's and Zechariah's optimistic predictions to be fulfilled. Among the lessons of abiding value are the following: (1) That ritual is an important element in religion, but not as an end in itself. Tithes and offerings are necessary, but only as the expression of sincere moral and deeply spiritual life ( Malachi 1:11 ). (2) That a cheap religion avails nothing, and that sacrifices given grudgingly are displeasing to God. Better a temple closed than filled with such worshippers ( Malachi 1:8-10 ). (3) That divorce and intermarriage with heathen idolaters thwarts the purpose of God in securing to Himself a peculiar people, whose family life is sacred because it is the nursery of a "godly seed" ( Malachi 2:15 ). (4) That there is eternal discipline in the Law. Malachi places the greatest emphasis upon the necessity of keeping the Mosaic Law. The priests, he says, are the custodians and expounders of the Law. At their mouth the people should seek knowledge. "To undervalue the Law is easy; to appraise it is a much harder task" (Welch). With Malachi, no less than with Christ Himself, not one jot or tittle should ever pass away or become obsolete.

Literature.

Driver, "Minor Prophets," II, New Century Bible (1906); G. A. Smith, "The Book of the Twelve Prophets," Expositor's Bible (1898); Dods, Post-Exilian Prophets: "Hag," "Zec," "Mal"; "Handbooks for Bible Classes"; J. M. P. Smith, Icc (1912). Among the numerous other commentaries on Mal may be mentioned: Eiselen (1907), Marti (1903), Nowack (1903), Orelli (1908), Wellhausen (1898), Van Hoonacker (1908) and Isopeocul (1908). The various Introductions to the Old Testament should also be consulted, notably those by Driver (1910), Strack (1906), Wildeboer (1903), Gautier (1906), Cornill (1907), Konig (1893); and the articles entitled "Malachi" in the various Dicts. and Bible Encs: e.g. in Encyclopedia Biblica (1902), by C. 0. Torrey; in Hdb (1901), by A. O. Welch; in 1-vol Hdb (1909), by G. G. Cameron; and Re (1905), by Volck.

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Mal´achi, the last of the Minor Prophets, and consequently the latest writer in the canon of the Old Testament. Nothing is known of his person or history. It appears that he lived after Zechariah, since in his time the second temple was already built and it is probable that he was contemporary with Nehemiah (comp. , with , and , with ).

The name Malachi means, as some understand it, my angel; but it seems more correct to regard it as a contracted form of angel of Jehovah. As the word translated 'angel' means also a 'messenger,' angels being, in fact, the messengers of God; and as the prophets are often styled angels or messengers of Jehovah, it is supposed that 'Malachi' is merely a general title descriptive of this character, and not a proper name. It has very generally been supposed that this prophet is the same with Ezra, but the weight of authority is decidedly in favor of his separate existence.

Although it is well agreed that Malachi was the last of the prophets, the date of his prophecy has been variously determined. Usher makes him contemporary with Nehemiah, in B.C. 416, and the general opinion that this prophet was contemporary with, or immediately followed, Nehemiah, makes most of the proposed alternatives range within a few years of that date. He censures the same offences which excited the indignation of Nehemiah, and which that governor had not been able entirely to reform. Speaking of God's greater kindness to the Israelites than to the Edomites, he begins with declaiming against the priests for their profane and mercenary conduct, and against the people for their multiplied divorces and intermarriages with idolatrous nation; he threatens them with punishment and rejection, declaring that God would 'make his name great among the Gentiles' , for that he was wearied with the impiety of Israel (Malachi 1, 2). From this the prophet takes occasion solemnly to proclaim that the Lord whom they sought should suddenly come to His temple, preceded by that messenger who, like a harbinger, should prepare His way; that the Lord when He should appear would purify the sons of Levi from their unrighteousness, and refine them as metal from the dross that then 'the offering of Judah,' the spiritual sacrifice of the heart, 'Should be pleasant to the Lord,' as was that of the patriarchs and their uncorrupted ancestors and that the Lord would quickly exterminate the corruptions and adulteries which prevailed. The prophet then proceeds with an earnest exhortation to repentance; promising high rewards and remembrance to the righteous in that last day when the Lord shall make up his peculiar treasures, and finally establish a distinction of doom and condition between the righteous and the wicked . Malachi then concludes with an impressive assurance of approaching salvation to those who feared God's name from that 'sun of righteousness,' who should arise with healing in his wings, and render them triumphant; enjoining in the solemn close of his exhortation, when uttering as it were the last admonition of the Jewish prophets, an observance of the law of Moses, till the advent of Elijah the prophet (, or John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and power of Elias,; ), who before the coming of that 'great and dreadful day of the Lord, should turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers' (Malachi 4). Thus Malachi sealed up the volume of prophecy with the description of that personage at whose appearance the evangelists begin their gospel history.

The claim of the book of Malachi to its place in the canon of the Old Testament has never been disputed; and its authority is established by the references to it in the New Testament (;;;;; ).

The manner of Malachi offers few, if any, distinguishing characteristics. The style, rhythm, and imagery of his writings are substantially those of the old prophets, but they possess no remarkable vigor or beauty. This is accounted for by his living during that decline of Hebrew poetry, which we trace more or less in all the sacred writings posterior to the Captivity.

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

A prophetic book of the Old Testament, the author of which is otherwise unknown, as the name, which means the "Messenger of Jehovah," occurs nowhere else in the Bible, and it is a question whether the name is that of a person or a mere appellative; the prophecy it contains appears to have been uttered 420 B.C., and refers to abuses which came to a head between the first and second visits of Nehemiah to Jerusalem; it lacks the old prophetic fire, and gives the impression that the prophetic office is ended.