The Old Testament Book of Malachi

The Book of Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament and one of the twelve Minor Prophets. Written after the return from exile and the rebuilding of the…

This short book may have been written before Nehemiah’s first return to Jerusalem in 445 B.C. it is also possible that it was written while Nehemiah was there, or even later. What seems to be the author’s name, mal’ākî, is found in 1:1 (“the word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi”), but many believe that this is a pseudonym based on mal’ākî, “my messenger,” in 3:1 and that the author’s real name is unknown. In any case, he shows us attitudes and behaviors characteristic of the Jewish community a few generations after the end of the Babylonian exile, and describes God’s response. God loves …