The last of the prophet, 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, andhighly proper to be regarded. The name of the person writing is called Malachi; in the first verse of the first chapter, John the Baptist is called my messenger by the same word Malachi, in the first part of the third chapter. 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.
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.
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 (Mal 3:10); and it is probable that he was contemporary with Nehemiah (comp. Mal 2:11, with Neh 13:23-27, and Mal 3:8, with Neh 13:10).
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’ (Mal 1:11), 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 (Mal 3:1-3); 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 (Mal 3:4); 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 (Mal 3:16-18). 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 (Mal 4:5, or John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and power of Elias, Mar 9:12; Luk 1:17), 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 (Mat 11:10; Mat 17:12; Mar 1:2; Mar 9:11-12; Luk 1:17; Rom 9:13).
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 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, Hag 1:13 ; Mal 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, Mal 3:1 ; 4:5,6; Mat 11:10,14 ; 17:10-13; Luk 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.\par
("messenger of Jah"), or Jehovah; contracted for Malachijah, as Abi for Abijah (2Ki 18:2; compare 2Ch 29:1). The name is that of an office rather than of a person; it occurs in the sense "My (Jehovah’s) messenger" (Mal 3:1, compare Hag 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 (Zec 1:10; Zec 3:1-10) presupposes the temple already built. Like Nehemiah (Neh 13:5; Neh 13:15-22; Neh 13:23-30) he censures the secular and mercenary spirit of the priests (Mal 1:10; Mal 2:14-16; Mal 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 (Neh 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 (Ezr 2:64). These became intermingled with the pagan during the 60 years that elapsed before Ezra (Ezr 9:6-15; Neh 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" (Dan 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 (Ezr 7:1; Ezr 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, Neh 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 (Mal 2:11); the Persian "governor" (
Nehemiah bore this very title (pechah, Neh 5:14; Neh 12:26), and its equivalent "tirshatha" (Neh 8:9; Neh 10:1; Neh 7:65; Ezr 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 Mal 2:8, "ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts," with Neh 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 (Mal 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 (Mal 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 (Mal 2:10-16). Explain Mal 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 (Mal 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 (Mat 11:10; Mat 17:12; Mar 1:2; Mar 9:11-12; Luk 1:17; Rom 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 (Psa 141:2; Rev 8:3; Heb 13:10; Heb 13:15-16; Rom 12:1; 1Pe 2:5; 1Pe 2:12); in every place (Joh 4:21-24; 1Ti 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.
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 Mal 4:5; Luk 1:17; Mat 11:14; Mat 17:12.
[Mal’achi]
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.
Mal. 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.
Mal. 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.
Mal. 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 Mal 3:1; but not that of Mal 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.
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 Mal 3:1. It is argued that the word ought to have the same signification in both places. But, while in Mal 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
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
But Mal 3:1 remains. If Malachi is a proper noun—the name of the author—in Mal 1:1, should the word not have the same significance in Mal 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 Mal 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 Mal 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. Hag 1:1; Hag 1:14 etc., Neh 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. Mal 2:2, 4, 5; 3:5, 10, 22 [EV
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 Mal 2:9. Israel’s forgetfulness of Jahweh,—neglect and contempt of His offerings, through illegal proceedings on the part of the priests.
IV. Mal 2:10-15. Denunciation of divorce and of foreign marriages.
V. Mal 2:17 to Mal 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. Mal 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. Mal 3:13-18 [EV
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 Mal 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. Mal 1:11, Mal 3:1 ff., Mal 3:10 ff., Mal 3:16 ff., Mal 3:19ff. [EV
G. G. Cameron.
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
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 Mal 1:10; Mal 3:1, Mal 3:10). The prophet speaks of the people’s governor” (Hebrew
3. Contents:
The book, in the main, is composed of two extended polemics against the priests (Mal 1:6 through 2:9) and the people (Mal 2:10 through 4:3), opening with a clear, sharp statement of the prophet’s chief thesis that Yahweh still loves Israel (Mal 1:2-5), and closing with an exhortation to remember the Law of Moses (Mal 4:4-6). After the title or superscription (Mal 1:1) the prophecy falls naturally into seven divisions:
(1) Mal 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) Mal 2:10-16, against idolatry and divorce. Some interpret this section metaphorically of Judah as having abandoned the religion of his youth (Mal 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 (Mal 2:15). Such marriages, the prophet declares, are not only a form of idolatry (Mal 2:11), but a violation of Yahweh’s intention to preserve to Himself a “godly seed” (Mal 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 (Mal 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 (Mal 3:6).
(5) Mal 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 Mal 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 (Mal 3:14, Mal 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) Mal 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 (Mal 1:6; Mal 3:2, Mal 3:3, Mal 3:17; Mal 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” (Mal 1:2, Mal 1:6, Mal 1:7; Mal 2:14, Mal 2:17; Mal 3:7, Mal 3:8, Mal 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 Mal 1:13; Mal 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 (Mal 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 (Mal 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” (Mal 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.
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 Mal 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 (Ezr 7:7; Ezr 7:11-26). He was joined in 445 BC by another Jew from Persia, Nehemiah, who became Judea’s new governor (Neh 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 (Neh 8:1; Neh 8:8-9; Neh 12:26; Neh 12:31; Neh 12:36; Neh 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. Mal 2:7-9 with Ezr 10:18-19; Neh 13:28-29; cf. Mal 2:10-11; Mal 2:14-16 with Ezra 9; Ezra 10; Neh 10:30; Neh 13:23-27; cf. Mal 3:5 with Neh 5:1-13; cf. Mal 3:8-12 with Neh 10:35-38; Neh 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 (Mal 1:2; Mal 1:6-7; Mal 2:17; Mal 3:7; Mal 3:13). Some, however, loved and respected God, and for these Malachi had a special message of encouragement (Mal 3:16-17; Mal 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).