Malachi [mǽləkài 맬러카이] 말라기서

[이창복]

                                                               from : Topical Bible: Malachi       출처 : 주제별 성경: 말라기

Introduction:
Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament and is part of the collection of writings known as the Minor Prophets. The name "Malachi" means "my messenger" or "my angel," and the book is traditionally attributed to a prophet who lived during the post-exilic period of Israel's history, likely around the 5th century BC. Malachi's prophecies address the spiritual and moral decay of the Israelites following their return from Babylonian exile and the rebuilding of the Temple.
소개:
말라기는 구약성경의 마지막 책으로, 소예언서라고 알려진 글 모음집의 일부입니다. “말라기"라는 이름은 ‘나의 사자’ 또는 ‘나의 천사’라는 뜻으로, 이 책은 전통적으로 이스라엘 역사에서 포로기 이후, 아마도 기원전 5세기경에 살았던 선지자가 쓴 것으로 알려져 있습니다. 말라기의 예언은 바빌론 유배에서 돌아온 이스라엘 백성들의 영적, 도덕적 타락과 성전 재건 이후를 다루고 있습니다.

Historical Context:
The book of Malachi is set in a time when the Jewish community in Jerusalem was struggling with issues of faithfulness and obedience to God's covenant. The Temple had been rebuilt, but the fervor and dedication of the people had waned. The Persian Empire was the dominant power, and the Jewish people were under its rule. This period is marked by a sense of disillusionment and spiritual apathy among the Israelites.
역사적 배경:
말라기는 예루살렘의 유대인 공동체가 하나님의 언약에 대한 신실함과 순종의 문제로 어려움을 겪고 있던 시기를 배경으로 합니다. 성전은 재건되었지만 백성들의 열정과 헌신은 약해져 있었습니다. 페르시아 제국이 지배적인 세력이었고 유대 민족은 그 통치 아래 있었습니다. 이 시기는 이스라엘 백성들 사이에 환멸과 영적 무관심이 팽배했던 시기입니다.

Themes and Message:
Malachi's message is a call to repentance and a return to covenant faithfulness. The book addresses several key issues:
주제와 메시지:
말라기의 메시지는 회개와 언약의 신실함으로 돌아갈 것을 촉구하는 것입니다. 이 책은 몇 가지 주요 이슈를 다룹니다:

1. Priestly Corruption: Malachi rebukes the priests for their failure to honor God and for offering blemished sacrifices. He emphasizes the importance of reverence and purity in worship. "For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts" (Malachi 2:7).
1. 제사장들의 부패: 말라기는 제사장들이 하나님을 공경하지 않고 흠 있는 제사를 드린 것에 대해 책망합니다. 그는 예배에서 경건과 순결의 중요성을 강조합니다. “제사장의 입술은 지식을 보존해야 하며, 사람들은 그의 입에서 교훈을 구해야 하는데, 이는 그가 만군의 여호와의 사자이기 때문입니다"(말라기 2:7).

2. Covenant Faithfulness: The prophet condemns the people's unfaithfulness, particularly in matters of marriage and divorce. He calls for a return to the sanctity of marriage and fidelity to one's spouse. "Has not the LORD made them one, with a portion of His Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth" (Malachi 2:15).
2. 성약의 신실함: 선지자는 특히 결혼과 이혼 문제에서 백성들의 불충실을 정죄합니다. 그는 결혼의 신성함과 배우자에 대한 충실함으로 돌아갈 것을 촉구합니다. “주님께서 그분의 영의 일부로 그들을 하나로 만드셨지 않습니까? 왜 하나이겠습니까? 그분은 경건한 자손을 찾으시기 때문입니다. 그러므로 여러분은 마음을 지키고 젊었을 때의 아내와의 믿음을 깨뜨리지 마십시오."(말라기 2:15).

3. Social Justice and Tithing: Malachi addresses issues of social justice and the neglect of tithes and offerings. He challenges the people to bring the full tithe into the storehouse, promising that God will bless them abundantly if they do so. "Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this," says the LORD of Hosts. "See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure" (Malachi 3:10).
3. 사회 정의와 십일조: 말라기는 사회 정의의 문제와 십일조와 헌금을 소홀히 하는 문제를 다룹니다. 말라기는 백성들에게 온전한 십일조를 창고로 가져오라고 도전하며, 그렇게 하면 하나님께서 풍성한 축복을 주실 것이라고 약속합니다. “온전한 십일조를 창고로 가져와서 내 집에 양식이 있게 하라. 이것으로 나를 시험해 보십시오.” 만군의 여호와께서 말씀하십니다. “내가 하늘의 창문을 열고 너희에게 복을 쌓을 곳이 없도록 부어주지 않겠느냐"(말라기 3:10).

4. The Day of the LORD: The book concludes with a promise of the coming "day of the LORD," a time of judgment and purification. Malachi foretells the coming of Elijah the prophet before this great and dreadful day, a prophecy that Christians believe is fulfilled in John the Baptist. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD" (Malachi 4:5).
4. 여호와의 날: 말라기는 심판과 정결의 시간인 다가오는 “여호와의 날”에 대한 약속으로 마무리됩니다. 말라기는 이 크고 두려운 날 이전에 선지자 엘리야가 오실 것을 예언하는데, 기독교인들은 이 예언이 세례 요한에게서 성취되었다고 믿습니다. “보라 여호와의 크고 두려운 날이 이르기 전에 내가 선지자 엘리야를 너희에게 보내리니"(말라기 4:5).

Significance in the Canon:
Malachi serves as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments, setting the stage for the coming of the Messiah. The themes of covenant faithfulness, worship, and the anticipation of a future messenger resonate throughout the New Testament. Malachi's call to repentance and renewal remains relevant for believers, emphasizing the need for sincere devotion and obedience to God.
정경에서의 중요성:
말라기는 구약과 신약을 잇는 다리 역할을 하며 메시아의 오심을 위한 무대를 마련합니다. 언약의 신실함, 예배, 미래의 메신저에 대한 기대라는 주제는 신약 성경 전체에 걸쳐 공명합니다. 회개와 쇄신에 대한 말라기의 요청은 신자들에게 여전히 유효하며, 하나님에 대한 진실한 헌신과 순종의 필요성을 강조합니다.

Conclusion:
While the book of Malachi is brief, its message is profound and enduring. It challenges God's people to examine their hearts, renew their commitment to His covenant, and live in anticipation of His promises.

결론:
말라기는 짧지만 그 메시지는 심오하고 오래 지속됩니다. 말라기는 하나님의 백성들이 자신의 마음을 돌아보고, 하나님의 언약에 대한 헌신을 새롭게 하며, 하나님의 약속을 기대하며 살도록 도전합니다.

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1. Name of the Prophet:
The last book of the Old Testament. Nothing is known of the person of Malachi. Because his name does not occur elsewhere, some scholars indeed doubt whether "Malachi" is intended to be the personal name of the prophet. But none of the other prophetic books of the Old Testament is anonymous. The form mal'akhi, signifies "my messenger"; it occurs again in 3:1; compare 2:7. But this form of itself would hardly be appropriate as a proper name without some additional syllable such as Yah, whence mal'akhiah, i.e. "messenger of Yahweh."

구약성경의 마지막 책입니다. 말라기라는 인물에 대해서는 알려진 바가 없습니다. 그의 이름이 다른 곳에 나오지 않기 때문에 일부 학자들은 “말라기”가 선지자의 개인 이름인지 의심하기도 합니다. 하지만 구약성경의 다른 예언서 중 익명의 이름은 없습니다. 말아키라는 형태는 “나의 사자”라는 뜻으로 3:1에서 다시 등장합니다(2:7과 비교). 그러나 이 형태 자체는 “야훼의 사자”라는 뜻의 야와 같은 추가 음절이 없으면 고유명사로서 적절하지 않습니다.

Haggai, in fact, is expressly designated "messenger of Yahweh" (Haggai 1:13). Besides, the superscriptions prefixed to the book, in both the Septuagint and the Vulgate, warrant the supposition that Malachi's full name ended with the syllable -yah. At the same time the Septuagint translates the last clause of Malachi 1:1, "by the hand of his messenger," and the Targum reads, "by the hand of my angel, whose name is called Ezra the scribe." Jerome likewise testifies that the Jews of his day ascribed this last book of prophecy to Ezra (V. Praef. in duodecim Prophetas). But if Ezra's name was originally associated with the book, it would hardly have been dropped by the collectors of the prophetic Canon who, lived only a century or two subsequent to Ezra's time.

사실 학개는 명시적으로 “야훼의 사자”(학개 1:13)로 지정되어 있습니다. 게다가 70인역과 벌게이트 모두에서 책 앞에 붙은 위 첨자는 말라기의 전체 이름이 -야 음절로 끝났다는 가정을 뒷받침합니다. 동시에 70인역은 말라기 1장 1절의 마지막 절을 “그의 사자의 손으로”라고 번역하고, 타르검은 “내 천사의 손으로, 그의 이름은 서기관 에스라”라고 읽습니다. 제롬도 당시 유대인들이 이 마지막 예언서를 에스라에게 돌렸다고 증언합니다(V. Praef. 듀오데심 예언서). 그러나 에스라의 이름이 원래 이 책과 관련이 있었다면, 에스라 시대 이후 불과 한두 세기밖에 살지 않았던 예언 정경 수집가들이 그 이름을 빼놓지는 않았을 것입니다.

Certain traditions ascribe the book to Zerubbabel and Nehemiah; others, still, to Malachi, whom they designate as a Levite and a member of the "Great Synagogue." Certain modern scholars, however, on the basis of the similarity of the title (1:1) to Zechariah 9:1; Zechariah 12:1, declare it to be anonymous; but this is a rash conclusion without any substantial proof other than supposition. The best explanation is that of Professor G.G. Cameron, who suggests that the termination of the word "Malachi" is adjectival, and equivalent to the Latin angelicus, signifying "one charged with a message or mission" (a missionary). The term would thus be an official title; and the thought would not be unsuitable to one whose message closed the prophetical Canon of the Old Testament, and whose mission in behalf of the church was so sacred in character (1-vol HDB).
어떤 전통에서는 이 책을 스룹바벨과 느헤미야에게 돌리기도 하고, 다른 전통에서는 말라기를 레위인이자 “대 회당”의 일원으로 지칭하기도 합니다. 그러나 일부 현대 학자들은 제목(1:1)과 스가랴 9:1, 스가랴 12:1의 유사성을 근거로 이 책이 익명의 저자라고 주장하지만, 이는 추측 외에는 실질적인 증거가 없는 성급한 결론입니다. 가장 좋은 설명은 G.G. 카메론 교수의 설명인데, 그는 “말라기”라는 단어의 어미는 형용사이며 라틴어 엔젤리쿠스와 동일하며 “메시지 또는 사명을 맡은 자”(선교사)를 의미한다고 제안합니다. 따라서 이 용어는 공식적인 직함이 될 것이며, 구약의 예언자 정경을 마무리하는 메시지를 전하고 교회를 대신하여 그토록 성스러운 사명을 맡은 사람에게 적합하지 않다고 생각했습니다(1-vol HDB).

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2. The Prophet's Times:
Opinions vary as to the prophet's exact date, but nearly all scholars are agreed that Malachi prophesied during the Persian period, and after the reconstruction and dedication of the second temple in 516 B.C. (compare Malachi 1:10; Malachi 3:1, 10). The prophet speaks of the people's governor" (Hebrew pechah, Malachi 1:8), as do Haggai and Nehemiah (Haggai 1:1 Nehemiah 5:14; Nehemiah 12:26). The social conditions portrayed are unquestionably those also of the period of the Restoration. More specifically, Malachi probably lived and labored during the times of Ezra and Nehemiah. Serious abuses had crept into Jewish life; the priests had become lax and degenerate, defective and inferior sacrifices were allowed to be offered upon the temple altar, the people were neglecting their tithes, divorce was common and God's covenant was forgotten and ignored; just such abuses as we know from the Book of Ne were common in his day (compare Nehemiah 3:5; Nehemiah 5:1-13).

2. 선지자의 시대:
선지자의 정확한 연대에 대해서는 의견이 분분하지만, 거의 모든 학자들은 말라기가 페르시아 시대와 기원전 516년에 두 번째 성전이 재건되고 봉헌된 이후에 예언했다는 데 동의합니다(말라기 1:10, 말라기 3:1, 10 비교). 선지자는 학개와 느헤미야(학개 1:1 느헤미야 5:14, 느헤미야 12:26)와 마찬가지로 “백성의 총독”(히브리어 페차, 말라기 1:8)에 대해 이야기합니다. 묘사된 사회적 상황은 의심할 여지없이 유신 시대의 상황입니다. 좀 더 구체적으로 말하자면 말라기는 에스라와 느헤미야 시대에 살면서 수고했을 것입니다. 제사장들이 느슨해지고 타락했으며, 성전 제단에서 결함이 있는 열등한 제물이 드려지고, 백성들이 십일조를 소홀히 하고, 이혼이 흔하고, 하나님의 언약이 잊혀지고 무시되는 등, 우리가 느헤미야서를 통해 알고 있는 것과 같은 심각한 폐단이 그 시대에 흔했습니다(느 3:5; 느 5:1-13 비교). 
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Yet, it is doubtful whether Malachi preached during Nehemiah's active governorship; for in Malachi 1:8 it is implied that gifts might be offered to the "governor," whereas Nehemiah tells us that he declined all such (Nehemiah 5:15, 18). On the other hand, the abuses which Malachi attacked correspond so exactly with those which Nehemiah found on his 2nd visit to Jerusalem in 432 B.C. (Nehemiah 13:7) that it seems reasonably certain that he prophesied shortly before that date, i.e. between 445 and 432 B.C. As Dr. J.M.P. Smith says, The Book of Malachi fits the situation amid which Nehemiah worked as snugly as a bone fits its socket" (ICC, 7). That the prophet should exhort the people to remember the law of Moses, which was publicly read by Ezra in the year 444 B.C., is in perfect agreement with this conclusion, despite the fact that Stade, Cornill and Kautzsch argue for a date prior to the time of Ezra. On the other hand, Nagelsbach, Kohler, Orelli, Reuss and Volck rightly place the book in the period between the two visits of Nehemiah (445-432 B.C.).
그러나 말라기 1:8에는 “총독”에게 예물을 바칠 수 있음을 암시하는 반면, 느헤미야는 그러한 예물을 모두 거절했다고 말합니다(느헤미야 5:15, 18). 반면에 말라기가 공격한 학대는 주전 432년 느헤미야가 예루살렘을 두 번째 방문했을 때 발견한 학대와 너무나 정확하게 일치하므로(느헤미야 13:7), 그 직전에, 즉 주전 445년에서 432년 사이에 예언했다는 것이 상당히 확실해 보입니다.“(ICC, 7) J.M.P. Smith 박사의 말처럼, 말라기서는 뼈가 소켓에 맞는 것처럼 꼭 맞는 상황과 맞물려 있습니다.”"말라기는 느헤미야가 일했던 상황에 잘 맞는다. 선지자가 백성에게 모세의 율법을 기억하라고 권면해야 한다는 것은 주전 444년에 에스라가 공개적으로 읽은 것으로, 스타데, 코닐, 카우츠쉬는 에스라 시대 이전의 날짜를 주장하지만 이 결론과 완전히 일치합니다. 반면에 나겔스바흐, 콜러, 오렐리, 로이스, 볼크는 이 책을 느헤미야의 두 차례 방문(주전 445-432년) 사이의 시기로 보는 것이 옳다고 주장합니다.

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3. Contents:
The book, in the main, is composed of two extended polemics against the priests (Malachi 1:6-2:9) and the people (Malachi 2:10-4:3), opening with a clear, sharp statement of the prophet's chief thesis that Yahweh still loves Israel (Malachi 1:2-5), and closing with an exhortation to remember the Law of Moses (Malachi 4:4-6). After the title or superscription (Malachi 1:1) the prophecy falls naturally into seven divisions:
3. 내용:
이 책은 크게 제사장(말라기 1:6-2:9)과 백성(말라기 2:10-4:3)에 대한 두 개의 확장된 논쟁으로 구성되어 있으며, 야훼께서 여전히 이스라엘을 사랑하신다는 예언자의 주요 논지를 명확하고 날카롭게 진술하는 것으로 시작하고(말라기 1:2-5) 모세의 율법을 기억하라는 권고로 마무리합니다(말라기 4:4-6). 제목 또는 부제(말라기 1:1) 뒤에 나오는 예언은 자연스럽게 일곱 부분으로 나뉩니다:

(1) Malachi 1:2-5, in which Malachi shows that Yahweh still loves Israel because their lot stands in such marked contrast to Edom's. They were temporarily disciplined; Edom was forever punished.
(1) 말라기 1:2-5, 말라기는 야훼께서 이스라엘을 여전히 사랑하신다는 것을 보여 주는데, 그 이유는 그들의 처지가 에돔과 현저하게 대조적이기 때문입니다. 그들은 일시적으로 징계를 받았지만 에돔은 영원히 벌을 받았습니다.

(2) Malachi 1:6-2:9, a denunciation of the priests, the Levites, who have become neglectful of their sacerdotal office, indifferent to the Law, and unmindful of their covenant relationship to Yahweh.
2) 말라기 1:6-2:9, 제사장 직분을 소홀히 하고 율법에 무관심하며 야훼와의 언약 관계를 망각한 레위인 제사장들을 비난하는 내용입니다.

(3) Malachi 2:10-16, against idolatry and divorce. Some interpret this section metaphorically of Judah as having abandoned the religion of his youth (2:11). But idolatry and divorce were closely related. The people are obviously rebuked for literally putting away their own Jewish wives in order to contract marriage with foreigners (2:15). Such marriages, the prophet declares, are not only a form of idolatry (2:11), but a violation of Yahweh's intention to preserve to Himself a "godly seed" (2:15).
(3) 말라기 2:10-16, 우상 숭배와 이혼에 대한 반대. 어떤 이들은 이 부분을 유다가 젊은 시절의 종교를 버린 것으로 은유적으로 해석하기도 합니다(2:11). 그러나 우상 숭배와 이혼은 밀접한 관련이 있습니다. 백성들이 이방인과 결혼하기 위해 말 그대로 유대인 아내를 버린 것에 대해 분명히 책망하고 있습니다(2:15). 예언자는 그러한 결혼은 우상 숭배의 한 형태일 뿐만 아니라(2:11), “경건한 씨”(2:15)를 보존하려는 야훼의 의도에 위배되는 행위라고 선언합니다.

(4) Malachi 2:17-3:6, an announcement of coming judgment. Men are beginning to doubt whether there is longer a God of justice (2:17). Malachi replies that the Lord whom the people seek will suddenly come, both to purify the sons of Levi and to purge the land of sinners in general. The nation, however, will not be utterly consumed (3:6).
(4) 말라기 2:17-3:6, 다가오는 심판에 대한 선포. 사람들은 더 이상 공의의 하나님이 계신지 의심하기 시작합니다(2:17). 말라기는 백성들이 찾는 주님께서 갑자기 오셔서 레위 자손을 정결케 하시고 죄인들의 땅을 일반적으로 정결케 하실 것이라고 대답합니다. 그러나 나라가 완전히 멸망하지는 않을 것입니다(3:6).

(5) Malachi 3:7-12, in which the prophet pauses to give another concrete example of the people's sins: they have failed to pay their tithes and other dues. Accordingly, drought, locusts, and famine have ensued. Let these be paid and the nation will again prosper, and their land will become "a delightsome land."
(5) 말라기 3:7-12에서 선지자는 십일조와 기타 회비를 내지 않은 백성들의 죄에 대한 또 다른 구체적인 예를 들며 잠시 멈춥니다. 그 결과 가뭄과 메뚜기, 기근이 이어졌습니다. 이를 납부하면 국가는 다시 번영할 것이며 그들의 땅은 “즐거운 땅”이 될 것입니다.

(6) Malachi 3:13-4:3, a second section addressed to the doubters of the prophet's age. In 2:17, they had said, "Where is the God of justice?" They now murmur: "It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept his charge?" The wicked and the good alike prosper (3:14, 15). But, the prophet replies, Yahweh knows them that are His, and a book of remembrance is being kept; for a day of judgment is coming when the good and the evil will be distinguished; those who work iniquity will be exterminated, while those who do righteously will triumph.
(6) 말라기 3:13-4:3, 선지자 시대의 의심하는 자들을 향한 두 번째 섹션. 2:17에서 그들은 “공의의 신은 어디 있느냐?”라고 말했습니다. 그들은 이제 원망합니다: “하나님을 섬기는 것이 헛되니 우리가 그의 책임을 지킨 것이 무슨 유익이 있으리이까?” 악인과 선인 모두 번영합니다(3:14, 15). 그러나 선지자는 대답합니다. 야훼께서는 그분께 속한 자들을 알고 계시며, 기억의 책이 보관되어 있습니다. 선과 악이 구별되는 심판의 날이 오고 있으며, 죄악을 행하는 자는 멸망하고 의롭게 행하는 자는 승리할 것이기 때문입니다.

(7) Malachi 4:4-6, a concluding exhortation to obey the Mosaic Law; with a promise that Elijah the prophet will first come to avert, if possible, the threatened judgment by reconciling the hearts of the nation to one another, i.e. to reconcile the ideals of the old to those of the young, and vice versa.
(7) 말라기 4:4-6, 모세 율법에 순종하라는 결론적인 권면, 즉 선지자 엘리야가 먼저 민족의 마음을 서로 화해시켜, 즉 노인의 이상과 젊은이의 이상을 화해시키고 그 반대의 경우도 마찬가지로 화해시켜 위협적인 심판을 피하기 위해 오겠다는 약속이 담겨 있습니다.

4. Style:
Malachi was content to write prose. His Hebrew is clear and forceful and direct; sometimes almost rhythmical. His figures are as numerous as should be expected in the brief remnants of his sermons which have come down to us, and in every case they are chaste and beautiful (1:6; 3:2, 3, 17; 4:1-3). His statements are bold and correspondingly effective. The most original feature in his style is the lecture-like method which characterizes his book throughout; more particularly that of question and answer. His style is that of the scribes. It is known as the didactic-dialectic method, consisting first of an assertion or charge, then a fancied objection raised by his hearers, and finally the prophet's refutation of their objection. Eight distinct examples of this peculiarity are to be found in his book, each one containing the same clause in Hebrew, "Yet ye say" (1:2, 6, 7; 2:14, 17; 3:7, 8, 13). This debating style is especially characteristic of Malachi. Ewald called it "the dialogistic" method. Malachi shows the influence of the schools (compare his use of "also" and "again" in 1:13; 2:13, which is equivalent to our "firstly," "secondly," etc.).
4. 스타일:
말라기는 산문을 쓰는 데 만족했습니다. 그의 히브리어는 명확하고 힘차고 직접적이며 때로는 거의 리드미컬합니다. 그의 비유는 우리에게 전해 내려온 짧은 설교의 잔재에서 기대할 수 있는 만큼 많으며, 모든 경우에 순결하고 아름답습니다(1:6; 3:2, 3, 17; 4:1-3). 그의 진술은 대담하고 그에 상응하는 효과를 발휘합니다. 그의 스타일에서 가장 독창적인 특징은 그의 책 전반에 걸쳐 특징적으로 나타나는 강의와 같은 방식, 특히 질문과 답변의 방식입니다. 그의 스타일은 서기관들의 스타일입니다. 이 방식은 교훈적 변증법으로 알려져 있으며, 먼저 주장이나 주장을 한 다음 청중이 제기하는 공상적인 이의제기, 그리고 마지막으로 그 이의제기에 대한 예언자의 반박으로 구성됩니다. 그의 책에는 이러한 특이한 예가 여덟 가지나 나오는데, 각 예에는 히브리어로 “그러나 너희는 말한다”(1:2, 6, 7; 2:14, 17; 3:7, 8, 13)라는 동일한 구절이 포함되어 있습니다. 이러한 토론 스타일은 말라기의 특징입니다. 이왈드는 이를 “대화적” 방식이라고 불렀습니다. 말라기는 학파의 영향을 보여줍니다(1:13에서 “또한”와 “또”의 사용과 2:13에서 우리의 “첫째로”, “둘째로” 등에 해당하는 “또”의 사용을 비교해 보세요).
Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

5. Message:

Malachi's message has a permanent value for us as well as an immediate value for his own time. He was an intense patriot, and accordingly his message was clean-cut and severe. His primary aim was to encourage a disheartened people who were still looking for Haggai's and Zechariah's optimistic predictions to be fulfilled. Among the lessons of abiding value are the following:

(1) That ritual is an important element in religion, but not as an end in itself. Tithes and offerings are necessary, but only as the expression‎ of sincere moral and deeply spiritual life (Malachi 1:11).

(2) That a cheap religion avails nothing, and that sacrifices given grudgingly are displeasing to God. Better a temple closed than filled with such worshippers (Malachi 1:8-10).

(3) That divorce and intermarriage with heathen idolaters thwarts the purpose of God in securing to Himself a peculiar people, whose family life is sacred because it is the nursery of a "godly seed" (Malachi 2:15).

(4) That there is eternal discipline in the Law. Malachi places the greatest emphasis upon the necessity of keeping the Mosaic Law. The priests, he says, are the custodians and expounders of the Law. At their mouth the people should seek knowledge. "To undervalue the Law is easy; to appraise it is a much harder task" (Welch). With Malachi, no less than with Christ Himself, not one jot or tittle should ever pass away or become obsolete.

LITERATURE.

Driver, "Minor Prophets," II, NewCentury Bible (1906); G. A. Smith, "The Book of the Twelve Prophets," Expositor's Bible (1898); Dods, Post-Exilian Prophets: "Haggai," "Zechariah," "Malachi"; "Handbooks for Bible Classes"; J. M. P. Smith, ICC (1912). Among the numerous other commentaries on Malachi may be mentioned: Eiselen (1907), Marti (1903), Nowack (1903), Orelli (1908), Wellhausen (1898), Van Hoonacker (1908) and Isopeocul (1908). The various Introductions to the Old Testament should also be consulted, notably those by Driver (1910), Strack (1906), Wildeboer (1903), Gautier (1906), Cornill (1907), Konig (1893); and the articles entitled "Malachi" in the various Dicts. and Bible Encs: e.g. in Encyclopedia Biblica (1902), by C. 0. Torrey; in HDB (1901), by A. O. Welch; in 1-vol HDB (1909), by G. G. Cameron; and RE (1905), by Volck.