1Porque eis que aquelle dia vem ardendo como o forno: todos os soberbos, e todos os que obram a impiedade, serão como a palha; e o dia que está para vir os abrazará, diz o Senhor dos Exercitos, de sorte que lhes não deixará nem raiz nem ramo
2Mas a vós, que temeis o meu nome, nascerá o sol da justiça, e saude trará debaixo das suas azas; e saireis, e crescereis como os bezerros do cevadouro.
3E pizareis os impios, porque se farão cinza debaixo das plantas de vossos pés, no dia em que fizer isto, diz o Senhor dos Exercitos.
4Lembrae-vos da lei de Moysés, meu servo, que lhe mandei em Horeb para todo o Israel, dos estatutos e juizos.
5Eis que eu vos envio o propheta Elias, antes que venha o dia grande e terrivel do Senhor;
6E converterá o coração dos paes aos filhos, e o coração dos filhos a seus paes; para que eu não venha, e fira a terra com maldição.
📖 Chapter study
Summary
The book, and the entire Old Testament, ends with a warning about 'the great and dreadful day of the Lord,' the promise that the 'Sun of righteousness' will bring healing to those who fear God, and the announcement that the prophet Elijah will come before that day.
Explanation
This final chapter, though short, closes not only the book of Malachi but the entire canon of the Old Testament (in the traditional Christian order), with a powerful balance between judgment and hope: the day of the Lord will be like a burning oven for the proud and evildoers, but it will bring healing and joy, compared to calves released from the stall, for those who fear God's name. The promise that 'the prophet Elijah' would come before that great day generated intense Jewish expectation that persists to this day (including the tradition of reserving a place for Elijah at the Jewish Passover Seder); the New Testament identifies this prophecy as fulfilled in John the Baptist, who would come 'in the spirit and power of Elijah' (Luke 1:17). The last verse of the Old Testament speaks of reconciling the hearts of fathers and children, so that the land will not be struck with a curse — an ending that points to family and social restoration as an essential part of spiritual preparation. The application today: the close of the Old Testament is not a final period, but an open expectation that points directly to what would come next in the story of redemption.
Fun facts
- The Jewish expectation of the literal coming of the prophet Elijah before the Messiah is so strong that, to this day, Orthodox Jewish families reserve an empty chair and a cup of wine for Elijah during the Passover Seder, awaiting his arrival as announced by this chapter.
- Between the end of Malachi and the beginning of John the Baptist's ministry in the New Testament, about 400 years passed without any recognized prophet in Israel — a period traditionally known as the 'silent years,' making the fulfillment of this final prophecy all the more significant.