Malachi 4

Malachi 4 is the final chapter of the Book of Malachi. In the Protestant ordering of the books of the Bible, it is also the last chapter of the entire Old Testament. The close of Malachi 3 speaks of a day when the righteous and the wicked will be distinguished, and this chapter goes on to depict what that day will be like. The Hebrew Masoretic Text has no separate fourth chapter; these six verses form verses 19–24 of chapter 3.

Outline

• Verses 1–3: A day is coming that will burn like an oven. The proud and all who do wickedly will burn like stubble (dry grass), so that neither root nor branch remains. For those who fear the name of the LORD, the Sun of righteousness will arise and shine with healing rays. They will leap like calves released from the stall, and the wicked will be as ashes under the soles of their feet.
• Verse 4: The people are urged to remember the statutes and judgments commanded to Moses at Horeb.
• Verses 5–6: God promises to send the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day comes. Elijah will turn the hearts of fathers and children toward one another. The chapter ends with the warning that, if they do not turn, God may come and strike the land with a curse.

Key Verses

• Malachi 4:2: "Shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings." This verse shows the contrast by which the day of judgment becomes a day of restoration for those who fear God.
• Malachi 4:5: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet." This is the promise the New Testament draws on in explaining John the Baptist.
• Malachi 4:6: "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children." This verse summarizes Elijah's task and is quoted almost verbatim in the Gospel of Luke.

People and Places

• The LORD: Called "the LORD of hosts," He is the speaker throughout the chapter.
• Moses: Mentioned as the one who received the law.
• Elijah: A prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel, mentioned as one who will be sent again in the future.
• Horeb: The mountain where God gave the law; the name is used as an alternative name for Mount Sinai.

Points for Reflection

• Elijah and John the Baptist: The angel says that John the Baptist will go "in the spirit and power of Elias" (Luke 1:17). Jesus calls John "Elias, which was for to come" (Matthew 11:14), and He says the same after the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:10–13). John himself, however, when asked whether he is Elijah, answers that he is not (John 1:21). Many churches therefore read this prophecy as fulfilled in John. Some dispensationalist interpretations hold that Elijah will come again before the Second Coming and connect him with the two witnesses of Revelation 11.
• The day of the LORD: The "day" in verses 1 and 5 is linked to the concept of the day of the LORD. Interpreters differ on whether it corresponds to Christ's first coming, His Second Coming, or the Last Judgment.
• The Sun of righteousness: Since the early church, many interpreters have read the "Sun of righteousness" in verse 2 as a reference to Christ. The text itself does not identify Him by name.
• Traditions outside the text: In synagogue reading, there is reportedly a custom of repeating verse 5 after verse 6 so that the book does not end on a curse. The custom of setting a cup for Elijah at the Passover table also arises from this expectation. Neither practice appears in the text itself. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reads verse 6 in connection with temple ordinances performed on behalf of ancestors.
• The end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New: In the Protestant ordering, the New Testament follows immediately after this chapter. The period between the two is commonly called the intertestamental period.