Those who support Malachi as the author typically refute those arguments as follows:

• “Malachi” could be a shorted form of “Malachiah” or “Malachiyyah,” which is definitely a proper name. The Bible does contain other examples of such name-shortening (Kings 18:2 / 2 Chr. 29:1; 1 Kings 4:19 / 1 Chr. 11:41).
• Neither Ezra nor Mordecai are likely authors of the book, so a tradition of ascribing it to them is largely irrelevant.
• The use of “Malachi” in Mal. 3:1 appears to be a play on words, which can only be the case if Malachi is the name (or a form of the name) of the author.
• Malachi uses a different introduction than Zechariah; also, other prophets referred to their books as “oracles” (Nah. 1:1; Hab. 1:1)

Also, per Constable:

If Malachi is not the prophet’s name, this would be the only prophetic book in the Old Testament that is anonymous, which seems very unlikely.

On balance, it seems most likely that Malachi is a proper name, and the author of the book.

Malachi was written for the Jews who had returned from exile in Babylon and fallen into a state of spiritual apathy.

DATE

Although we don’t have a precise date for Malachi, we do have a number of clues from the text. Constable has a lengthy but excellent explanation:

Malachi referred to no datable persons or events in his prophecy, so we must draw our conclusions from implications in the text and traditional understandings of it. Malachi’s place at the end of the twelve Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible and modern translations argues for a late date. The Talmud grouped Malachi with Haggai and Zechariah as postexilic prophets.[Yoma 9b; Sukkah 44a; Rosh Hashannah 19b; Megillah 3a, 15a, et al.]

Malachi’s reference to “your governor” (1:8) indicates that he wrote after 538 B.C. when Cyrus the Persian allowed the Jews to return to their land, which was under Persian control. The word translated “governor” is pehah, a Persian title (cf. Ezra 5:3, 6, 14; 6:6-7, 13; Dan. 3:2-3, 27; 6:7). Zerubbabel bore this title (Hag. 1:1, 14; 2:2, 21), as did Nehemiah (Neh. 5:14; 12:26). Malachi must have written after the temple had been rebuilt since he referred to worship there (Mal. 1:6-14; 2:7-9, 13; 3:7-10). This would force a date after 515 B.C. when temple restoration was complete.

Since Malachi addressed many of the same matters that Nehemiah tried to reform, it is tempting to date Malachi during Nehemiah’s governorship. Both Malachi and Nehemiah dealt with priestly laxity (Mal. 1:6; Neh. 13:4-9), neglect of tithes (Mal. 3:7-12; Neh. 13:10-13), and intermarriage between Israelites and foreigners (Mal. 2:10-16; Neh. 13:23-28). Some have conjectured that Malachi ministered while Nehemiah was away from Jerusalem.[E.g., Robert L. Alden, “Malachi,” in Daniel-Minor Prophets, vol. 7 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, pp. 701-2.] In the twelfth year of his governorship, Nehemiah returned to Persia for an unknown period of time (Neh. 5:14; 13:6). Malachi probably wrote during the years Nehemiah served (445-420 B.C), and perhaps between 432 and 431 B.C., the years when Nehemiah was away from Jerusalem.

Just to reiterate the point, the MSB concurs:

Looking solely at internal evidence, the date of the prophecy points to the late fifth century B.C., most likely during Nehemiah’s return to Persia ca. 433–424 B.C. (cf. Neh. 5:14; 13:6). Sacrifices were being made at the second temple (Mal. 1:7–10; 3:8), which was finished in 516 B.C. (cf. Ezra 6:13–15). Many years had passed since then as the priests had increasingly become complacent and corrupt (Mal. 1:6–2:9). Malachi’s reference to “governor” (Mal. 1:8) speaks of the time of Persian dominance in Judah when Nehemiah was revisiting Persia (Neh. 13:6), while his emphasis on the law (Mal. 4:4) coincides with a similar focus by Ezra and Nehemiah (cf. Ezra 7:14,25,26; Neh. 8:18). They shared other concerns as well, such as marriages to foreign wives (Mal. 2:11–15; cf. Ezra 9,10; Neh. 13:23–27), withholding of tithes (Mal. 3:8–10; cf. Neh. 13:10–14), and social injustice (Mal. 3:5; cf. Neh. 5:1–13). Nehemiah came to Jerusalem in 445 B.C. to rebuild the wall, and returned to Persia in 433 B.C. He later returned to Israel (ca. 424 B.C.) to deal with the sins Malachi described (Neh. 13:6). So it is likely that Malachi was written during the period of Nehemiah’s absence, almost a century after Haggai and Zechariah began to prophesy. Similar to Rev. 2,3, in which Christ writes what He thinks about the conditions of the churches, here God writes through Malachi to impress upon Israel His thoughts about the nation.

BACKGROUND & SETTING

See DATE.

HISTORICAL & THEOLOGICAL THEMES

There are two main themes that pervade the book of Malachi.

• Israel’s Unfaithfulness. Malachi rebuked the people of Israel for lapsing into unfaithfulness. The priests were offering God second-rate and diseased animals (Mal. 1:6-14), and violating the covenant. The men of Israel were marrying Gentile women and divorcing Israelite wives (Mal. 2:10-16). Everyone was failing to honor God by tithing (Mal. 3:8-12). Malachi reminded them that God demands his people’s best in their service and lifestyle (Mal. 1:7-8).
• Judgment. God will judge those who practice evil (Mal. 2:17-3:5; 4:1), but save and reward those who honor Him (Mal 3:16-18; 4:2-3).

INTERPRETIVE CHALLENGES

The only interpretive issue in Malachi is the reference to the second coming of Elijah. The MSB explains:

The meaning of Elijah being sent “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD” (4:5) has been debated. Was this fulfilled in John the Baptist or is it yet future? Will Elijah be reincarnated? It seems best to view Malachi’s prophecy as a reference to John the Baptist and not to a literally-returned Elijah. Not only did the angel announce that John the Baptist would “go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), but John the Baptist himself said he was not Elijah (John 1:21). Thus John was like Elijah, internally in “spirit and power” and externally in rugged independence and nonconformity. If the Jews would receive the Messiah, then he would be the Elijah spoken of (cf. Matt. 11:14; 17:9–13); if they refused the King, then another Elijah-like prophet would be sent in the future, perhaps as one of the two witnesses (cf. Rev. 11:1–19).

LITERARY FEATURES

Per the ESVSB:

The content of the book of Malachi places it in the category of prophecy, but the form in which that content is packaged is out of the norm for OT prophecy. The book is written entirely in prose. Further, the material is not embodied in the conventional format of oracles of judgment and salvation. The dominant genre is satire—an attack on vice in a discernible literary form, and with a satiric norm by which the criticism is conducted. The object of attack is halfhearted and negligent religious service, which in the prophet’s day took multiple forms (e.g., inappropriate offerings, untruth promoted by the priests, and the prevalence of divorce). The satiric norm is God’s law. The primary vehicle in which the satire is embodied is a rhetoric of question and answer, as the people of Judah are pictured as asking a series of questions that God answers in an accusatory and condemning way.

OBJECTIONS

There are no objections to Malachi that I’m aware of.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES

• Malachi 3:1
• Malachi 4:2

DID YOU KNOW?

• Malachi would record the last words that God would speak to his people for over 400 years…until the coming of John the Baptist.
• Marriages to pagan women were forbidden under covenant law, due to the risk of apostasy (Mal. 2:11).

Other Works Referenced

• Apologetics Study Bible, “Malachi”
• Archaeological Study Bible, “Introduction to Malachi”
• ESV Study Bible, “Introduction to Malachi”
• MacArthur Study Bible, “Malachi”
• NET Bible, Malachi
• NIV Study Bible, Malachi
• Reformation Study Bible, “Malachi”
• The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, “Malachi”
• Dever, The Message of the Old Testament
• Driscoll, A Book You’ll Actually Read On the Old Testament
• Knight, The Layman’s Bible Handbook