Overview
Through a series of disputations between YHWH and the people, Malachi rebukes the priests' defiled offerings, marriage to foreign women and divorce, and the withholding of tithes. The book promises that the messenger of the covenant will come to purify, and that YHWH will send Elijah the prophet before the Day of YHWH, concluding with an exhortation to remember the Torah of Moses.
Theme The renewal of covenant faithfulness and preparation for the Day of YHWH
Historical background
The book is set after the completion of the Second Temple, under Persian provincial rule; because the issues it addresses overlap considerably with those in Nehemiah, it is dated around the time of Nehemiah. The Hebrew Masoretic text comprises three chapters; chapter 4 in most English Bibles corresponds to 3:19–24 of this text. The New Testament identifies John the Baptist with the messenger and Elijah foretold by Malachi (Matthew 11:10–14).