Malachi 4:1-3 meaning

Malachi 4:1 begins with Behold, the day is coming.The term Behold often portends an unexpected event and serves to draw attention to the statement that follows. In our passage, the surprising event will be a pivotal day of judgment in Judah’s history: Therefore, the prophet stated, The day is coming, burning like a furnace. A furnace presumes a fire, and fire usually stands for judgment, as it does here in this passage.

The day that is coming is described later in Chapter 4 as “The great and terrible day of the LORD” (Malachi 4:5). The term “day of the LORD” appears numerous times in scripture and refers to a time of destruction for the wicked and the advent of righteousness reigning on the earth. To provide context for the term, here are some instances where “day of the LORD” is found in scripture:

• Isaiah 13:6: the “day of the LORD” is said to be “destruction from the Almighty” showing God’s hand of judgment.
• Isaiah 13:9 says in the “day of the LORD” God will “exterminate its sinners” from the land showing God will bring righteousness to Israel.
• Isaiah 58:13 refers to the sabbath as the holy day of the LORD showing that the day of the LORD is set apart (sanctified) as holy to God.
• Joel 1:15: “destruction from the Almighty” is said to be what will occur on the “day of the LORD” due to God’s judgment.
• Joel 2:1, 11, 31, 3:14: the “day of the LORD” describes a terrible time of war and destruction. It is said to be “great and very awesome.” It is a time when those who call on the name of the LORD will be given escape. Joel 3:16 says the “heavens and the earth tremble But the LORD is a refuge for His people.”
• Amos 5:18-20 describes the “day of the LORD” as being something that will be the opposite of what the people expect. For them it will be “darkness not light.” This is similar to Malachi, where the people thought God needed to come and judge others when it was they who were being unrighteous (Malachi 2:17).
• Obadiah 1:15 pronounces judgment on Edom, saying the “day of the LORD” “draws near on all the nations,” showing that the “day of the LORD” is to judge and bring righteousness to all nations, not just Israel.
• Zephaniah 1:7, 14-15 prophesies the “day of the LORD” as being when the “LORD has prepared a sacrifice” and “A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress.” Again here the “day of the LORD” has judgment as well as deliverance.
• Malachi 4:5: the Lord says He will send “Elijah the prophet” before the “great and terrible day of the LORD,” likely referring to the advent of Jesus.

In the first advent of Jesus, He gave Himself as a sacrifice for sins. His sacrifice brought deliverance from sin and evil for all who believe, and righteousness to the lives of any who follow His Spirit and walk by faith. In His second advent, Jesus will bring judgment upon the earth as well as everlasting righteousness (2 Peter 3:13).

The previous chapter ended with God speaking about a time when there would be a dividing “between the righteous and the wicked” (Malachi 3:18). Chapter breaks were not included in the original writings, and there is likely not a break in thought between the last verse of Chapter 3 and the first verse of Chapter 4. Judgment of the wicked and their separation from the righteous is inferred in Malachi 4:1:

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch” (v. 1).

The day that is coming is the “day of the LORD” referenced in Malachi 4:5. It generally refers to a specific time when the LORD openly intervenes in human affairs to judge the wicked and deliver the righteous. The ultimate culmination of this “Day” of judgment will be when Jesus returns to earth and judges all nations, separating the sheep (righteous) from the goats (wicked, as in Matthew 25:32 and Malachi 3:17).

In Malachi, the verb is coming is a participle in Hebrew, conveying the imminent nature of God’s looming judgment day (Zechariah 14:1). The prophet Malachi described the day as burning like a furnace. The word furnace (Hebrew, “tannûr”) infers fire that is hot and dangerous (Ezekiel 22:20−22). Such a fire can ravage and destroy; it is a symbol for God’s acts of judgement to destroy sin and evil. In Chapter 3, the LORD announced He would come as a “refiner’s fire,” so the image of a furnace could apply to a refiner’s fire to purify His people (Malachi 3:1-3).

However, here in verse 1, the furnace will specifically serve to burn the evil deeds of the wicked, so all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff.

The terms arrogant and evildoer refer to the wicked people of Judah. The term arrogant describes their behavior as being proud, those who relied on themselves instead of relying on God. Habakkuk 2:4 describes pride as being the opposite of faith. Faith is believing that following God’s ways is for our best. Pride is believing that we know better than God.

The term evildoer speaks of the fruit of their pride; they practiced evil and lived contrary to God’s standard of righteousness. In the covenant/treaty between Israel and the LORD, the people vowed to follow God’s commands (Exodus 19:8). Therefore, they promised to love rather than exploit their neighbors (Leviticus 19:18).

But as we have seen in Malachi, the priests have swindled the people (Malachi 1:14), dealt treacherously with their brothers (Malachi 2:10), and practiced sexual exploitation in His sanctuary (Malachi 2:11). These behaviors are all consistent with the pagan ethic of seeking to exploit others to satisfy their own appetites—the opposite of God’s command to love their neighbors (Leviticus 19:18).

Accordingly, the arrogant and the evildoer were those Judeans who transgressed the divine commandments and forsook their vow to obey the terms of their covenant/treaty with the LORD. They were doing this while going through the motions of religious devotion (Malachi 2:13). Further, they had disregarded the prophetic messages. Their conduct would lead to their destruction, and they would be chaff put into a furnace—they will be consumed.

The chaff is the outer skin that covers a wheat kernel. On a threshing floor, wheat kernels that contained the chaff were tossed up in the air to allow the wind to carry away the chaff, and then the comparatively heavy (and nutritious) wheat kernel would fall to the ground. Since the chaff burns rapidly, its burning can portray the judgment of the wicked; the wicked are fully consumed by God’s judgment fire (Obadiah 1:18; Nahum 1:10).

Paul uses a similar picture to refer to deeds of believers not done as unto the LORD being burned at the judgment seat of Christ; the deeds are burned but the people are not consumed (1 Corinthians 3:12-14). God refines but always preserves His people (Malachi 3:1-3, 1 Corinthians 3:15).

Malachi used the image of throwing chaff into a hot furnace to show the certainty, swiftness, and totality with which the LORD will judge the wicked. The day that is coming will set them ablaze, meaning that the fire will burn them up. They will not survive God’s judgment fire. The LORD’s judgment consumes the wicked, those who are God’s adversaries (Hebrews 10:27).

The prophet paused to insert the phrase, says the LORD of hosts, to confirm the source of his message as the LORD Himself.

John the Baptist similarly used the wheat and chaff analogy to describe God’s looming judgment:

“His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
(Matthew 3:12)

John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah (Matthew 3:3). At the end of this book, God will announce the coming of John the Baptist, who came in the spirit and power of Elijah (Malachi 4:5).

The Hebrew term for LORD in the phrase says the LORD of hosts is “Yahweh,” the covenant name of God. That name speaks of God’s character and His covenant relationship with the Israelites, His chosen people (Exodus 3:14; 34:6). In our passage, the prophet told his audience that the word came from the LORD, thus giving credibility to the message. He wanted the post-exilic Jews to know he received a word from their covenant partner, the LORD of hosts.

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). In prophetic literature, the phrase LORD of hosts describes God’s power as a warrior leading His army to defeat His adversaries (Amos 5:16, 9:5; Habakkuk 2:17). Here in Malachi, the phrase demonstrates God’s power as the supreme, Suzerain/ruler who is Judah’s judge as well as the ruler over all human affairs.

The LORD as supreme ruler would intervene to destroy the wicked so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. This pictures total destruction.

The terms root and branch evoke the image of a tree. A plant’s growth depends on a firm root system. If the root lacks water, the plant will dry and die (Job 8:16-19). Likewise, branches depict a healthy and productive tree. A healthy tree with strong roots and branches symbolize strength and prosperity. Since the expression root and branch encompasses the beginning and end of a tree, the LORD used it to inform His covenant people that He will completely eliminate the wicked from the land, from beginning to end. There will be no wickedness remaining in the land on the “great and terrible Day” of His judgment (Malachi 4:5).

Malachi then shifts from the third person perspective to the second person to address the devout who follow God’s ways, allowing them to hear the message directly from God’s mouth. This is consistent with the last verse of Chapter 3, which connects to the first verse of Chapter 4; each continues the prophecy that God will separate the wicked from the righteous. Unlike the judgment fire for the wicked, the LORD promises a great benefit for the righteous:

But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall (v. 2).

Those who fear My (the LORD’s) name would submit to His authority as their creator and ruler. They would believe that God knows what is best for them and will, therefore, follow His ways. They would recognize and believe that to follow God’s ways is to seek our own fulfillment. As a result of seeking God, they would gain both wisdom and knowledge, as the fear of the LORD is the beginning of both knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10).

These God-fearers were not among the arrogant of His people. Instead, they were the faithful remnant who sought to please God and serve Him with reverence (Malachi 3:16). And God would greatly reward them; for them the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.

The sun of righteousness refers to the LORD and His Messiah. It appears to refer to the image of the sun that brings light and life to the earth, representing the Messiah who gives light to all people who will receive Him (John 1:4). The light and life of the LORD is what is meant by the term righteousness.

In the ancient world, people often connected solar deities to justice. Malachi might have intended the expression to remind his audience that God will bring divine justice upon the earth. It might be answering the question that many Judeans had asked, “Where is the God of justice?” (Malachi 2:17). In the Greek translation of Malachi (the “Septuagint”), the Greek word “dikeaiosune” is used to translate “justice” in Malachi 2:17 as well as “righteousness” here in Malachi 4:2.

The Greek word “dikaiosune” is the primary subject of the New Testament book of Romans. “Dikaiosune” occurs over thirty times in that letter alone. Righteousness describes us as humans being justified in God’s sight through faith in Jesus (Romans 4:3). When we are justified in God’s sight through faith, it brings us back into relational harmony with God. “Dekajoule” or “righteousness” also describes when believers in Christ walk by faith, living consistently with God’s design for us, thus saving us from the brokenness and futility of living apart from His (good) design (Romans 1:16-17).

Malachi’s answer to the Judeans’ question “Where is the God of justice?” includes the promise that the sun of righteousness would rise with healing in its wings. So now in addition to the “God of justice” sending His Messiah as a refiner’s fire (Malachi 3:1-3) to purify His people, we have the sun of righteousness arising to bring healing to His people.

This sun of righteousness likely also refers to the LORD’s Messiah. Malachi 4:2 is perhaps a Messianic prophecy fulfilled by Jesus when He healed the woman who touched the hem of His garment.

The Hebrew word for “wings” (“kinah”) in the phrase healing in its wings usually speaks of a bird’s wings, but in the book of Numbers it is used to describe the border of a garment,

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners [“kanaph”] of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner [“kanaph”] a cord of blue.”
(Numbers 15:38)

Jesus Himself would have worn a traditional Jewish prayer shawl with fringes or “wings” (“kanaph”) on its borders. When the woman with a flow of blood was healed by Jesus, she grabbed the borders or “wings” of His garment and was healed (Matthew 9:20-22). This act of Jesus could be seen as fulfilling this prophecy that the Messiah would have healing in His wings.

In His first advent to earth, Jesus did not come to judge, but to take upon Himself the judgement of the world (John 12:47). However, in His second advent, Jesus will judge the nations, separating the righteous from the wicked as a herdsman separates sheep from goats (Matthew 25:31). He will bring righteousness to the earth, healing it of the brokenness of sin and death.

Throughout the ancient Near Eastern world, people depicted the rays of the sun (Hebrew, “shemesh”) as the wings of a bird. Scripture also uses this image (Ruth 2:12, Psalm 139:9). The wings denote protective care. Jesus will care for His people and heal their land (Romans 11:26).

The LORD’s Messiah will shine forth righteousness as brightly as the sun shines and gives light (John 8:12). This sun of righteousness would bless and protect the righteous. He would heal them by removing wickedness and restoring righteousness in the land. Similarly, Jesus offers spiritual healing for all who believe in Him.

Just as those in the wilderness who believed enough to look upon the bronze snake lifted on a pole were healed from the venom of vipers, so all who look at Jesus lifted on a cross are healed from the poisonous venom of sin and the spiritual death it brings of being separated from relationship with God (John 3:14-15). Then, each believer in Jesus is indwelt with the Holy Spirit and is given the resurrection power of Jesus that gives them the power to be free from the law of sin and death (Galatians 5:13). Thus, faith in Jesus provides a new birth—to be spiritually born again as a child of God—as well as the enablement to live a new life apart from sin and death. Thus, Jesus brought spiritual healing from the negative effects of the Fall of Man (Genesis 3).

The divine healing given by the sun of righteousness would bring great joy. It would cause God’s people to go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.

The term stall refers to a place where people kept animals and fed them for fattening and slaughter (Amos 6:4). The image of the calves skipping as they leave a stall evokes the image of an animal being set free after having been cooped up for an extended period; perhaps being set free from being led to the slaughter. They are now free to roam and play, so they go forth and skip about, showing their joy. 

Similarly, God’s people will be freed from the constraints and burdens created by wickedness in their land. Malachi used this comparison to show how the faithful will react when they are finally free from the bondage of this world. They will jump for joy like calves released from a stall. They finally get to live without the burden of oppression and injustice, so they will skip for joy.

The New Testament has a similar concept as Paul says in Galatians, “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). As those who are in Christ, we are set free from the law of sin and death. But because we still have a fallen nature we can still choose to “stay in the stall” instead of enjoying running in the yard in freedom. When we walk by faith in the resurrection power of Jesus, we are set free.

Not only will the righteous get to live without being oppressed, they will take part in leading a clean-up of the land. The LORD assures them: “You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the LORD of hosts (v. 3).

This hearkens back to Malachi 3:18 when the LORD told those who feared His name that they would “again distinguish between the righteous and the wicked” indicating that the righteous would play a part in the reign of the sun of righteousness, the LORD’s Messiah. This is consistent with the LORD’s promise that those who are faithful witnesses for Him, those who “overcome” will share in His reign over the earth (Revelation 3:21, Matthew 25:21).

The prophet encouraged them by saying, You will tread down the wicked. The verb translated tread down means to step on or walk over something forcefully to crush it. In the context of war, it means to defeat the enemy. That means the devout believers will accompany the LORD and play a part with Him when He defeats the arrogant people.

We see something like this when Jesus returns to earth a second time to defeat evil. In Revelation 19:14 the “armies” of heaven are said to be “following Him on white horses” as He descends. This heavenly army could include His saints who have overcome. On that day, Jesus and His heavenly army will completely crush (tread down) the wicked of the earth (Revelation 19:15).

Malachi reinforced the statement when he said, For they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day, which I am preparing. Again, the inference is that the righteous will play an active part in bringing the earth to justice. The picture of ashes under the soles of your feet represents total defeat of the wicked. The reference to the day refers to the “great and terrible day of the LORD” spoken of in Malachi 4:5.

God refers to the day of judgment as being one which He is preparing. This infers that God is actively preparing for the day of judgment, even as time and history unfold upon the earth. This could include the recording of all deeds, as was alluded to in Malachi 3:16.

God often promises that the righteous will see the day that the wicked are judged. Though the righteous may long to see this happen in their own earthly lifetime, this promise is probably referring to a Day at the end of the age. In that day, God’s people will see what the psalmist calls, “the recompense of the wicked.”

“You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.”
(Psalm 91:8)

This promise of Psalm 91 is given to those who seek the LORD as a refuge and come under the protective cover of His wings (Psalm 91:1-4).

A recompense or a wage is what is paid to a worker after a day’s work. It is the just receipt of what is due. The New Testament tells us that the wages or consequence that attends sin is death (Romans 6:23). Death is separation, and sin separates us from God’s (good) design, which is for all of humanity to live in harmony with Him, nature, and one another. Each person will receive rewards for the deeds they have done (Psalm 62:12, Romans 2:6). Those who exploit rather than love will receive to themselves what they gave to others.

The just due of the wicked will be made visible to the righteous. Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire, along with the beast and false prophet (Revelation 20:10). Death and Hades will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14). Anyone whose name is not found in the book of life is also cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). For a closer look at the lake of fire, see our article: “What is Hell? The Eternal Punishment and The Lake of Fire.”

On the Day of judgment, the righteous will triumph over the wicked. Revelation shows that the saints in heaven who were martyred on earth for their testimony of faith will grow impatient waiting for justice to be delivered to their murderers (Revelation 6:9-10). The righteous are eager, but the LORD is deferring judgment because He desires all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

The prophet Malachi adds the phrase, says the LORD of hosts, to confirm the divine source of his revelation and give credibility to it. The LORD will accomplish His word, therefore these prophecies are something we can bank on.