by John Dummelow

Introduction

1. Author. Of the author of this book nothing is known apart from the book itself. Even the name 'Malachi' is not in reality a proper name at all, but a common noun with the possessive pronoun of the first perssing, appended, signifying 'My Messenger.' It has indeed been supposed that the word is a contraction of Malachijah ('Messenger of Jehovah'), but it is improbable that any man ever bore such a name. The oldest Jewish tradition, though without adequate reason, identifies the author of this book with 'Ezra the Scribe,' understanding the word 'Malachi' as an honourable title conferred by Jehovah upon His prophet: cp. Haggai 1:13; Malachi 2:7.

The headings of the various sections of the prophetical books generally bear evidence of being the work of later editors, and it is probable that Malachi 1:1 is from the same hand as Zechariah 9:1; Zechariah 12:1. Since the most striking prophecy in this book is that in Malachi 3:1 (cp. Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:76), it is not improbable that the book, being anonymous, came to be known as 'The prophecy of “My Messenger” (Malachi),' whence the idea arose that 'Malachi' was a proper name.