Maria Dalessandro

Malachi 3:6-18

The authorship of the book of Malachi, the small, final volume of the Old
Testament, is a matter of some debate. Some believe that Malachi is an anonymous
oracle that was made into a book so that the number of prophets would coincide with the
twelve tribes; others say that it is more logical to assume that it is an independent book
written by Malachi himself. An argument for the book being the product of an
anonymous oracle is that it is headed by Oracle. The word of Yahweh. This heading is
seen two other times in the Old Testamentat the beginning of Chapter nine and Chapter
twelve of Zechariah. Because of this, some believe that these three portions of scripture
are three anonymous oracles added to the prophetic books (Smith, 297). Malachi, though,
has some characteristics that set it apart from Zechariah nine through twelve.
Another point of debate is whether Malachi (which means my messenger) is
the proper name of the author or his title as a messenger of the Lord. The name Malachi
never appears anywhere else in the Old Testament. However, this is also the case with the
names Habakkuk and Jonah (Verhoef, 156). Many modern scholars believe that Malachi
is the prophets proper name, and for the purposes of this paper, we will proceed with the
belief that it is, and that the book that bears the name is not anonymous, but rather the
product of Malachi himself.
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1
For further reading on the authorship debate of Malachi, refer to Peter A. Verhoefs commentary, The
Books of Haggai and Malachi, part of the New International Commentary on the Old Testament.

Little is known about Malachi the man only what can be gathered from his short
book. There is mention of Malachi in a book of Jewish tradition from the fourth century
A.D. called Lives of the Prophets, but its information is largely considered to be
unreliable. Ralph Smith describes Malachi as having a pastoral concern for the people
(300), and this can be seen in the content of his book Malachi reminds the people of
Gods love for them, affirms that his covenant with them still stands, and gives them
hope in that God still promises blessing if they will return to him.
Because Malachi does not give any indication of the date of his ministry, there is
also significant debate over dating the book. There is no king named in the book, nor are
there any battles or significant historical events that would reveal the date. However,
Malachi uses a word for governor that was used during the Babylonian and Persian
rules, so it must not have been written before the exile (Verhoef, 157). It could not have
been during the Babylonian exile because the temple has been rebuilt. The temple was
finished in 515 B.C., which means that Malachi must have been written some time after
this date because Israels temple worship had already had time to deteriorate
significantly. Because of the similarities between the social and religious conditions of
Israel in Malachi and Nehemiah, some place Malachi as Nehemiahs contemporary in the
early fifth century B.C. (Smith, 298). Let us assume, though, that Malachi ministered
before Nehemiah. Peter Craigie supports this belief by asserting that the reforms of Ezra
and Nehemiahpresuppose the foundational work done by the virtually unknown
prophet, Malachi (226).
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2
Peter Verhoefs aforementioned work, The Books of Haggai and Malachi, is a good source for further
information on the date of Malachis ministry.
Malachi ministered to post-exilic Israel in Palestine. At that time, Israel was a
colony of the Persian Empire, though their rule was fairly benign. The Persian Emperor
Darius, who ruled from 522 to 486 B.C., had let Israelites return to Judah. Some 50,000
returned, and the temple had been rebuilt (Verhoef, 160). The affairs of other nations
posed no real threat. Despite the peace, this was not a happy time for Israel. Peter Craigie
addresses this point eloquently: calmness can dull the spirits and destroy any sense of
vitality. Israel floated on these still waters of international calm, with little sense of
direction and the collapse of internal discipline (225). The people were apathetic. They
were disobeying the Law of Moses. The priesthood was corrupt. The people were
intermarrying with pagans, and there was much divorce. According to Pieter Verhoef,
they acted faithlessly to one another, profaning the covenant of God with their fathers
(160).
In Malachis prophetic book, the covenant is the central theme. The Lord is
calling the Israelites to come back to him and obey his covenant. The Lord, the initiator
of the covenant, is the central figure. Verhoef tells us that 47 out of the 55 verses in the
book contain a first person address from the Lord (181). God still loves his people, and is
keeping his covenant with them, but he demands honor and faithfulness from the people.
God rebukes the people and the priests for their sin. He reminds them of the Law of
Moses and the coming Elijah. There is also an eschatological notethe Day of the Lord
is coming. God calls the people to repent and return to him, to obey him again, and
promises to bless them if they do. If they will not turn to him, though, he promises
judgment, and the book ends on a note of judgment.
898
Works Cited
Craigie, Peter C. Twelve Prophets: Volume II. Daily Study Bible. Philadelphia:
Westminster, 1984. 224 - 226.
Smith, Ralph L. Micah Malachi. Word Biblical Commentary. Waco, Tex.: Word. 1984.
296 301.
Verhoef, Pieter A. The Books of Haggai and Malachi. New International Commentary on
the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987. 153 - 181.