1Porque eis que aquele dia vem ardendo como forno; todos os soberbos e todos os que praticam perversidade serão [como a] palha; e o dia que está por vir os queimará, diz o SENHOR dos exércitos, de maneira que não lhes deixará nem raiz nem ramo.
2Mas para vós, que temeis o meu nome, o Sol da justiça nascerá, trazendo cura em suas asas; e saireis, e saltareis de alegria como bezerros do curral.
3E pisareis os perversos, porque serão cinza debaixo das plantas dos vossos pés, no dia que eu preparo, diz o SENHOR dos exércitos.
4Lembrai-vos da lei de meu servo Moisés, que lhe mandei em Horebe estatutos e regras para todo Israel.
5Eis que eu vos envio o profeta Elias, antes que venha o grande e temível dia do SENHOR.
6Ele converterá o coração dos pais aos filhos, e o coração dos filhos aos pais; 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.