This week we are starting Malachi, the last of the Minor Prophets, the last of the writing prophets, the last book in the Christian canon. Malachi’s modern chapter divisions are arbitrary and therefore not the best guides for ordering our study of the book. Structurally, six tightly patterned prophetic disputations makeup the prophetic work. Most translations mark off the disputations with subtitles. Today, I want to cover the first disputation: Malachi 1:1-5. Because there is some discussion over Malachi’s identity and dating, we will layout those details at the start as well.
The book’s superscription in the first verse is skimpy on biographical details. Other prophets often cite their hometown or name of their father. In Malachi’s case, all that is given is the name of the prophet, and we are not even certain of that. There is no character in the Hebrew scriptures with the name Malachi, a slightly awkward name in the Hebrew. Malachi can also translate as a title “my messenger.” Malach is one of the most common Hebrew words in the Bible which can mean angel or messenger. Perhaps the book intentionally left the prophet unnamed, only ascribing the oracle to Yahweh’s messenger. The Septuagint scribes understood the introduction as “his messenger” and translated Malachi’s introduction accordingly: “the word of Yahweh to Israel by the hand of his messenger.” In the Masoretic tradition, the basis for our Bible translations, the pronouncement includes the proper name: “the word of Yahweh to Israel by the hand of Malachi.” So, which is it?
