Malachi
| Malachi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | Mal |
| Class. | Old Testament |
| Category | Minor Prophet |
| Chapters | 4 Chapters |
| Record Related | |
| Writer | Malachi |
| Date (Approx.) | c. 430 BC |
The book of Malachi is the final book of the Old Testament and was written by the prophet Malachi. After the book of Malachi, no additional Scripture was written for about four hundred years, until the appearance of Jesus Christ.
Writer and Date of Writing
The writer of this book is the prophet Malachi.[1] His name, Malachi (Hebrew: מַלְאָכִי), means “my messenger.” The book of Malachi is generally dated to around 430 BC, shortly after Nehemiah’s second return to Jerusalem. The reasons for this dating include the following:
Malachi rebukes the priests for their negligence, noting that they were offering defiled bread on the altar of the Temple and that the spiritual fervor of the people of Judah had grown cold.[2][3] This suggests that a significant period had passed since the completion of the Temple (around 516 BC).
The mention of a Persian governor[4] indicates that the book of Malachi was written after Persia had conquered Babylon.
The content of Malachi closely resembles that of Nehemiah. In Malachi chapters 1 and 2 and Nehemiah chapter 13, both writers address corruption among the priesthood and refer to the “breaking of the covenant with Levi.”[5][6] This suggests that the ministries of Malachi and Nehemiah took place around the same time. Malachi also rebukes the Israelites for marrying the daughters of foreign gods—that is, foreigners who worshiped other deities.[7] Nehemiah likewise condemned this practice during his second term as governor after returning to Jerusalem.[8]
Background of Writing
After being freed from Babylonian captivity and returning to Jerusalem, the Israelites rebuilt the Temple with great difficulty, hoping that the glorious kingdom of God would soon appear. However, even more than a hundred years after the prophecies of Haggai and Zechariah, the Messianic kingdom had not arrived, and their circumstances had not improved. As time passed, the people began to doubt God’s promises and their faith weakened. Their sacrifices became insincere and merely formal, reflecting a spiritual decline that Malachi strongly addressed.
Content of Malachi
| Chapter | Content |
| 1–3 | A Call for Israel’s Repentance |
| 4 | The Appointed Day of the LORD |
The priests dishonored God’s sacrifices by offering defective animals, and the people also opposed God with hardened words, failing to keep His decrees. Through the prophet Malachi, God reminded Israel of His enduring love and proclaimed that those who repented and faithfully observed His commands would receive His blessings.
Malachi also declared that before the day when the LORD would judge the world with blazing fire, God would send the prophet Elijah. On that day of judgment, those who fear God will be saved, but the arrogant and evildoers will face punishment.