The Meaning of Malachi 4:5 Explained

Malachi 4:5

KJV: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

YLT: Lo, I am sending to you Elijah the prophet, Before the coming of the day of Jehovah, The great and the fearful.

Darby: Behold, I send unto you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and terrible day of Jehovah.

ASV: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.

Discover Malachi 4:5

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Malachi 4:5?

MEANING: What does Malachi 4:5 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Malachi 4:5 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Malachi 4:5?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Behold, I will send  you Elijah  the prophet  before  the coming  of the great  and dreadful  day  of the LORD: 

What does Malachi 4:5 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord promised to send His people Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord arrived. An angel later told John the Baptist"s parents that their son would minister in the spirit and power of Elijah ( Luke 1:17). Yet John denied that he was Elijah ( John 1:21-23). Jesus said that John would have been the Elijah who was to come if the people of his day had accepted Jesus as their Messiah ( Matthew 11:14). Since they did not, John did not fulfill this prophecy about Elijah coming, though he did fulfill the prophecy about Messiah"s forerunner ( Malachi 3:1).
This interpretation has in its favor Jesus" words following the Transfiguration, which occurred after John the Baptist"s death. Jesus said that Elijah would come and restore all things ( Matthew 17:11). Whether the original Elijah will appear before the day of the Lord or whether an Elijah-like figure, similar to John the Baptist, will appear remains to be seen. Since Jesus went on to say that Elijah had come and the Jews failed to recognize him, speaking of John ( Matthew 17:12-13), I prefer the view that an Elijah-like person will come.
What John did for Jesus at His first coming, preparing the hearts of people to receive Him, this latter-day Elijah will do for Him at His second coming. Evidently the two witnesses in the Tribulation will carry out this ministry ( Revelation 11:1-13). Who the witnesses will be is a mystery. Evidently one of them will be an Elijah-like person. These men will do miracles as Elijah and Elisha did.

Context Summary

Malachi 4:1-6 - Wickedness And Pride Shall Find Judgment
The day cometh! either in the fall of Jerusalem or in some terrible catastrophe yet future. Whenever it comes may we be reckoned as God's peculiar treasure, preserved as a woman preserves her jewels in the day of calamity, Malachi 3:17. Sorrow and disaster are perpetually befalling the proud, or those that do wickedly; while on those who fear God's name the dawn of the sun of righteousness is forever breaking and growing to the perfect day. In the beams of the sun there are not only light and color, but rays which bear health and vitality to the world and to men; so in Jesus there is power to salvation. Notice how the Old Testament ends with the word curse, while the Christ's proclamation opens with Blessed.
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Chapter Summary: Malachi 4

1  God's judgment on the wicked;
2  and his blessing on the good
4  He exhorts to the study of the law;
5  and tells of Elijah's coming and office

What do the individual words in Malachi 4:5 mean?

Behold I will send you - Elijah the prophet Before the coming of day of Yahweh the great and dreadful
הִנֵּ֤ה אָֽנֹכִי֙ שֹׁלֵ֣חַ לָכֶ֔ם אֵ֖ת אֵלִיָּ֣ה הַנָּבִ֑יא לִפְנֵ֗י בּ֚וֹא י֣וֹם יְהוָ֔ה הַגָּד֖וֹל וְהַנּוֹרָֽא

הִנֵּ֤ה  Behold 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
שֹׁלֵ֣חַ  will  send 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלַח  
Sense: to send, send away, let go, stretch out.
אֵ֖ת  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אֵלִיָּ֣ה  Elijah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵלִיָּה 
Sense: the great prophet of the reign of Ahab.
הַנָּבִ֑יא  the  prophet 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
לִפְנֵ֗י  Before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
בּ֚וֹא  the  coming 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
י֣וֹם  of  day 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
יְהוָ֔ה  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
הַגָּד֖וֹל  the  great 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: גָּבֹול 
Sense: great.
וְהַנּוֹרָֽא  and  dreadful 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָרֵא 
Sense: to fear, revere, be afraid.

What are the major concepts related to Malachi 4:5?

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Similar Scriptures for Malachi 4:5

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