Malachi 1:1–5 meaning

Malachi 1:1-5 begins with a title verse (a superscription) providing the reader with information concerning the authorship and source of the revelation. It states that the prophecy is The oracle of the word of the LORD (v. 1).

The term translated as oracle is “massaʾ” in the Hebrew text. In Malachi, it underscores the gravity of the prophet’s verdict. In some passages, “massa” refers to a burden, as when an animal carries a load (Exodus 23:5; 2 Kings 5:17). In the book of Proverbs, it denotes a revelation of some sort (Proverbs 31:1). In prophetic literature, the term “massa” often refers to a proclamation of disaster directed against foreign nations (Nahum 1:1; Isaiah 13:1, 15:1).

That the oracle is said to be a proclamation of the word of the LORD might refer to Jesus being the one who is making the proclamation. He is the “Word” whom John says was in the beginning with God and who was and is God (John 1:1-3, 14). We might consider that the word of the Lord is making this pronouncement or oracle to Israel. That will be fitting, as this chapter refers to a time when Jesus will physically reign over the earth. The “Word” is also the LORD.

The first verse can also be translated “the burden of a word of Yahweh unto Israel by the hand of Malachi.” Malachi is a name that means “My messenger.” Apart from the meaning of the prophet’s name, we know virtually nothing about him nor the date of his writing. This is similar to the prophecy of Revelation that instructs the words and revelation of Jesus to be delivered to the churches through “angels” which translates a Greek word that can also be translated “messenger.” That the word is a “burden” also shows its gravity or importance.

The Hebrew term for LORD in the opening phrase The oracle of the word of the LORD is “Yahweh,” the covenant name of God. That name speaks of God’s character and His relationship with His chosen people (Exodus 3:14; 34:6). This refers to God’s covenant relationship with Israel. God symbolically married Israel at Sinai, and Israel became His covenant wife. Even though Israel broke her covenant vows, God will not break His. He will come to redeem Israel. They will mourn over Him whom they pierced, and Jesus will return and deliver them (Zechariah 12:10, 14:3-4).

Here, the term Israel refers to all descendants of Jacob as well as any Gentile converts. At this time in history, the northern kingdom of Israel had long before been assimilated into the Assyrian Empire due to their disobedience (2 Kings 17:6). The southern kingdom of Judah was later exiled to Babylon but then a portion of Judeans returned under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah. Accordingly, Israel post-exile likely consisted primarily of people from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the two main tribes that formed the kingdom of Judah.

Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian army in 586 BC and remained in captivity in Babylon for about 70 years (2 Kings 25:8-12). The Babylonians were later overthrown by the Persians (Daniel 5:30). When King Cyrus of Persia began to rule, he allowed “all captive peoples to return to their homeland” (Ezra 1:1).

The people of Judah were beneficiaries of Cyrus’s edict. An initial group of Judeans returned to Jerusalem in 538 BC and began to rebuild the second Temple (Ezra 1:1-5). However, they stopped working on it for about sixteen years because of the hostile intrigues of their adversaries (Ezra 4:24). In the second year of King Darius of Persia (520 BC), God raised Haggai and Zechariah to call the people to a spiritual awakening (Ezra 5:1-2). The people listened to the prophets of God, finished the temple building project in 516 BC, and restored worship in the temple (Ezra 6:14).

In 458 BC, Ezra led a second group of Judeans to their homeland (Ezra 7:1). In 445 BC, Nehemiah led yet another group and served as governor of the Jewish nation under the permission of King Artaxerxes of Persia (Nehemiah 2:8-9). The people rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem and experienced a spiritual awakening.

However, by Malachi’s time, the Judeans (specifically the priests) fell back into their wicked lifestyle (Malachi 1:8). Thus, God raised Malachi as His messenger to call the people and the priests to repentance. The prophet’s ministry may have transpired during Nehemiah’s absence, estimated to be from 432 BC to 425 BC.

Following the title verse, Malachi began his message positively as the Suzerain God affirmed His faithful commitment to Israel: I have loved you (v. 2).

The verb translated as love is “ahav” in the Hebrew text. Yahweh God used it to explain His covenant relationship with the Israelites, reminding them that He chose them as His “own possession among all the peoples” (Exodus 19:5). His love for them had not changed despite their continuous disobedience and rebellion. Further, His love will never change (Deuteronomy 7:7-8, Romans 11:29).

Throughout Israel’s history, God has always cared for them. He allowed them to enter and possess Canaan, “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Deuteronomy 26:9). Even during their difficult wilderness journey, He “guarded them as the pupil of His eye” because they were precious to Him (Deuteronomy 32:10).

As their Suzerain/ruler and covenant partner, the LORD (Yahweh) always kept His side of the covenant/treaty agreement because He is faithful and just in all His dealings (Deuteronomy 32:4). The Israelites, on the contrary, were unfaithful, prompting God to invoke the discipline provisions of their covenant/treaty with Him and put them through hardships and exile. This was, according to the covenant/treaty, so they could return to Him and His ways of living in love rather than exploitation toward others (Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 22:37-39).

Therefore, here in Malachi He reminds them of His gracious love. The prophet added the formula, says the LORD, to confirm the divine source of his message and thus give credibility to it.

While God affirmed His love for the Israelites, they responded skeptically, saying How have You loved us? (v. 2).

This question shows the perspective of the people toward God. In Malachi’s day, the people of Judah failed to appreciate that God’s love for them was unconditional. The trials and humiliation of their exile in Babylon had apparently caused them to misunderstand God’s plan for their lives. They may have felt like He had forsaken His covenant.

However, the covenant/treaty specifically provided for remedies when the people sunk into disobedience, specifically including exile (Deuteronomy 29:24-28). God had promised that in spite of their severe exile to Babylon it would be for their blessing (Jeremiah 29:11). It is inferred that the people were comparing their existing circumstances to their expectations and concluding “We don’t have what we want, therefore God does not love us.”

But God disciplines those whom He loves (Hebrews 12:6; Revelation 3:19). The Israelites’ perspective about God’s nature and intent is misguided. The prophet Haggai said that the post-exilic community of Judah was under divine judgment because they neglected the construction of the Temple (Haggai 1:5-11). However, since they completed the building project by Malachi’s time it seems the Israelites now failed to realize that the cause of their suffering was the violation of the covenant which came about through their own choices.

Since they asked How have you loved us? it seems they are disappointed that God does not affirm their choices. Their proper response would be to have faith that God is who He says He is and seek to follow His ways and trust that His rewards are better than any benefits that can be derived from the comforts of this life (Hebrews 11:6).

By asking How have you loved us? infers that the Israelites expect God to meet their demands rather than seeking God and trusting that His ways are for our best. Later in Malachi, God will note that the people are being stingy and not giving the tithe offerings God commanded them to give to the priests. He tells them they are missing out on receiving blessings as a result, because they are not following His ways (Malachi 3:8-10). They appear to have their understanding of God’s ways backwards. They expect God to affirm what they want, like an idol would do, rather than seeking God and His ways and trusting that His ways will lead to blessing (and God will determine the timing and nature of the blessing).

God then asked His people a rhetorical question designed to cause them to reflect on their underlying relationship with God. He chose them because He loved them, and their behavior will not change that. His love is a matter of His choice and is not based on their behavior. God makes this point by reminding them of their original calling: Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? (v. 2). The expected answer to the rhetorical question is “Yes.” Esau was the firstborn twin of Jacob, so he appropriately would receive the inheritance to be the primary conduit of family heritage. Yet God chose Jacob, the secondborn, to receive the blessing of the inheritance. God made this choice before either brother had made any choices.

The prophet added the formula ‘declares the LORD’ to confirm the source of his message and allow God to speak to His people directly. According to Genesis, Esau and Jacob were twin brothers born from the union of Isaac with Rebekah (Genesis 25:19-26). Esau became the father of the Edomites, and Jacob the father of the Israelites.

Although Jacob was the firstborn, the LORD chose the line of Jacob over that of Esau. Thus, He stated, “Yet I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau, and have made his mountains a desolation and appointed his inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.” (v. 2b-3).

The names Jacob and Esau here stand for the individuals as well as the nations which descended from them. The verb hate [“śānēʾ” in Hebrew] in this context is the opposite of love. Just as the verb love refers to God’s choice of Israel to receive the blessing of the inheritance, so the verb hate speaks of His rejection of Esau to receive the blessing of the inheritance. God chose to establish a marriage-like covenant relationship with Jacob and his descendants while He did not establish such a covenant relationship with Esau and his descendants.

In Genesis, we learn about God’s choice of Jacob when He confirmed to Rebekah (the mother of the twins) that Jacob was the chosen one, and Esau, the elder, was to serve the younger (Genesis 25:23). His choice of Jacob and the Israelites was so that they could serve as “a kingdom of priests” to represent Him before the world (Exodus 19:5).

To lead and equip the nation that came from Jacob to accomplish the task, He provided them with the written word, the Bible, to instruct them on how to please Him (Romans 3:1-2). Moreover, He gave them the Levitical priests to offer sacrifices on their behalf to reconcile them to Him and the prophets, to encourage and exhort them. However, God did not do so for the Edomites. They did not have such a covenant relationship with Him.

In the New Testament, Paul quoted Malachi’s words regarding Jacob and Esau to illustrate how God has a heart toward those who believe in Him so that His “purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls” (Romans 9:13). Believers today have the same mission to act as a “royal priesthood” and to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:9, Exodus 19:6).

God choosing the secondborn over the firstborn is a pattern that flows throughout scripture. To give a few examples other than Jacob (the younger) being chosen to be the inheritor over the elder Esau:

• God chose the second-born Perez through whom to ordain the lineage of Jesus (Genesis 38:27-30, Matthew 1:3).
• God chose King David, the second dynasty after that of Saul, through whom to ordain an everlasting lineage (2 Samuel 7:12-13).
• Joseph was chosen to have the inheritance of the firstborn although he was the second firstborn, being the firstborn of Rachel, the chosen wife but not the first firstborn, who was Reuben.
• The firstborn of humanity was Adam, being born without sin. God elevated Jesus, the second firstborn, to reign over humanity (Romans 5:14; Philippians 2:9-10).

All of these examples foreshadow humanity as a second race of creatures that were initially created lower than the angels yet given the glory and honor of reigning over the earth (Psalm 8). Humans fell, losing the right to reign to Satan (John 12:31). But the right to reign was restored by Jesus through the suffering of death (Hebrews 2:9). Believers who overcome as Jesus overcame will reign with Him in His kingdom which is to come (Revelation 3:21).

God contrasted the choosing of Jacob with His treatment of Esau. He notes that He judged him and ruined his land. He stated, I have made his mountains a desolation. Esau’s mountains likely refer to the hill country of Seir in the eastern Negev (Genesis 36:8-9). It was the territory of Edom (Deuteronomy 2:22).

The region of Edom was a mountainous land filled with mountain peaks. The peaks to this day rise as much as 5700 feet above sea level. Edom also had sharp crags, caves, and clefts where military armies could find refuge. Edom had a prominent city which would later be called Petra, accessible only through a narrow canyon. As a result, the Edomites were proud and arrogant. They thought they were invincible because of Edom’s geographic position (Obadiah 1:3). However, in the fifth century BC, the LORD allowed the Nabateans to defeat the descendants of Esau (the Edomites) and remove them from Petra, bringing shame and humiliation to them. God appointed his [Esau’s] inheritance for the jackals of the wilderness.

Jackals are wild, nocturnal, desert-dwelling animals. They are kin to wolves, foxes, and wild dogs. They often symbolize desolation (Isaiah 13:22; Jeremiah 9:11; Micah 1:8). The LORD used the term to depict the extent of Edom’s destruction. In His severe judgment against the proud Edom, God left the place desolate and allowed wild animals like jackals to occupy it.

However, He preserved the Israelites through the ordeal of captivity and brought them back to their homeland at His appointed time, according to the provisions of His covenant with them (Deuteronomy 30:1-3). This divine action shows that God is and always will be committed to loving Israel and caring for them. This is the case even though they may have been unhappy and skeptical, preferring more comfortable circumstances.

The LORD next recites the resolution of the Edomites to rebuild their country through self-reliance: Though Edom says, We have been beaten down, but we will return and build up the ruins (v. 4).

This statement demonstrates the pride of Edom. Those people believed in their own strength and thought they could rebuild their devastated country themselves. But God would oppose their efforts. He will thwart their self-reliance.

Malachi inserts the prophetic expression ‘thus says the LORD of hosts’ (v. 4) to show that God is making His response to the Edomites’ pride. This contrast offers Judah the opportunity to set aside the false perspective they have adopted and replace it with a true perspective.

The term translated as hosts is “Sabaoth” in the Hebrew language. It means “armies” and often refers to the angelic armies of heaven (1 Samuel 1:3). The phrase the LORD of hosts occurs with great frequency in the prophetic books. It often describes God’s power as a warrior leading His angelic army to defeat His foes (Amos 5:16, 9:5, Habakkuk 2:17). Here in Malachi, the phrase demonstrates God’s power as the supreme warrior who has complete control over all human affairs.

Malachi reports what the LORD said regarding Edom’s plan: They may build, but I will tear down and men will call them the wicked territory, and the people toward whom the Lord is indignant forever (v. 4).

The pronoun they referring to Edom and I referring to God are emphatic in the Hebrew text. This establishes a sharp contrast between what the Edomites planned to do and what the all-powerful God would permit. If they attempted to rebuild the country, the LORD would frustrate their efforts by demolishing everything (I will tear down).

As a result, men will call them the wicked territory, and the people toward whom the Lord is indignant forever. This is a phrase that characterizes God’s displeasure with the people living in the land of Edom. They were evil people because they refused to follow God’s ways. Rather than loving God and loving their neighbor they instead engaged in the prideful pagan practices centered around the exploitation of others (Leviticus 18).

That the Edomites were the people toward whom the LORD is indignant forever suggests that they had been given a final judgement. God is patient, and gives long windows for people to repent (Genesis 15:16, 2 Peter 3:9). However, when they persist there comes a time when judgment is rendered. In this case it appears to be final.

God eventually judged Edom, but, through Moses, God had commanded the Israelites to show kindness to the Edomites:

“You shall not detest an Edomite, for he is your brother; you shall not detest an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land.”
(Deuteronomy 23:7)

It is a biblical theme that we should leave judgement to God (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19). So while God judged both Egypt and Edom, He commanded His people to persist in having a “love your neighbor as yourself” approach even to their enemies (Matthew 5:43). This also shows that the concept of reciprocity is biblical. When someone has blessed us, that should be remembered and honored.

Sometime around the time of the destruction of the second Temple (70 AD), Jewish eschatology began attributing prophecies in the Bible about Edom to Rome. One reason for this is a number of unfulfilled prophecies about Edom in the end times, specifically in the short book of Obadiah. And since Edom had been decimated in war and assimilated into various other ethnic groups by 70 AD, Jewish tradition attributes those prophecies to be fulfilled through Rome. Rome in Jewish thought is also synonymous with Christianity, as Rome was the headquarters of Christianity from 300 AD and outlived the Roman empire.

One of the primary sources for this re-attribution includes a verse from the book of Psalms.

“Remember, O LORD, against the sons of Edom
The day of Jerusalem,
Who said, ‘Raze it, raze it
To its very foundation.’”
(Psalm 137:7)

Since it was Rome who burned or “razed” Jerusalem to the ground in 70 AD, it was linked to the “sons of Edom”.

Just as Joseph the son of Jacob, as well as Moses, were “cloaked in Egypt” (i.e. looked like gentile Egyptians), Jewish tradition also says that the awaited Jewish Messiah is somehow cloaked from them in Edom/Rome/Christianity based on the following verse:

“Who is this who comes from Edom,
With garments of glowing colors from Bozrah,
This One who is majestic in His apparel,
Marching in the greatness of His strength?
‘It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.’”
(Isaiah 63:1)

If this is accurate, then God’s pronounced judgement of Edom in Malachi could foreshadow a future judgement God will execute upon the earth during the Roman era. When the vision of Daniel 2:36-44 is overlayed with current history, the fourth historical era is the Roman era. That era will continue until “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed” and that kingdom “will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms” (Daniel 2:44). This means that as of this writing, and until Jesus establishes a kingdom on earth, the earth is dwelling in the Roman era of Daniel.

Eventually the Roman era will end and God will establish His kingdom on this earth. This kingdom will last for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-4). The first Adam ruled the earth for almost 1000 years but it was shortened to 930 years (Genesis 5:5). After God’s 1000-year kingdom, God will establish a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1).

The prophet ended this section with words of encouragement for Israel: Your eyes will see this, and you will say, ‘The LORD be magnified beyond the border of Israel!’ (v. 5).

God’s covenant people will witness God’s judgment of boastful Edom. This judgment will be known beyond Israel, causing the LORD to be magnified beyond the border of Israel. Their eyes will see this. This would indicate that God’s judgment will be observable.

This could also foreshadow future events when the nations of the earth will gather against Israel under a leader called the “beast.” That army will be destroyed by Jesus who will return to save His people (Zechariah 14:1-4, Revelation 19:11-16).