Aaron Schart - Malachi

International Exegetical Commentary on

the Old Testament (IECOT)

Edited by:

Walter Dietrich, David M. Carr, Adele Berlin, Erhard Blum, ­Irmtraud Fischer, Shimon Gesundheit, Walter Groß, Gary Knoppers (†), Bernard M. Levinson, Ed Noort, Helmut Utzschneider and Beate Ego (Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books)

Cover:

Top: Panel from a four-part relief on the “Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III” (859–824 BCE) depicting the Israelite king Jehu (845–817 BCE; 2 Kings 9f) paying obeisance to the Assyrian “King of Kings.” The vassal has thrown himself to the ground in front of his overlord. Royal servants are standing behind the Assyrian king whereas Assyrian officers are standing behind Jehu. The remaining picture panels portray thirteen Israelite tribute bearers carrying heavy and precious gifts. Photo © Z.Radovan/BibleLandPictures.com Bottom left: One of ten reliefs on the bronze doors that constitute the eastern portal (the so-called “Gates of Paradise”) of the Baptistery of St. John of Florence, created 1424–1452 by Lorenzo Ghiberti (c. 1378–1455). Detail from the picture “Adam and Eve”; in the center is the creation of Eve: “And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.” (Gen 2:22) Photograph by George Reader Bottom right: Detail of the Menorah in front of the Knesset in Jerusalem, created by Benno Elkan (1877–1960): Ezra reads the Law of Moses to the assembled nation (Neh 8). The bronze Menorah was created in London in 1956 and in the same year was given by the British as a gift to the State of Israel. A total of 29 reliefs portray scenes from the Hebrew bible and the history of the Jewish people.

Aaron Schart

Malachi

Verlag W. Kohlhammer

Translation: Linda M. Maloney

Editorial collaboration: Jonathan M. Robker

1. Edition 2022

All rights reserved

© W. Kohlhammer GmbH, Stuttgart

Production: W. Kohlhammer GmbH, Stuttgart

Print:

ISBN 978-3-17-028852-2

E-Book-Formate:

pdf: ISBN 978-3-17-028853-9

epub: ISBN 978-3-17-028854-6

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, microfilm/microfiche or otherwise—without prior written permission of W. Kohlhammer GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany.

Any links in this book do not constitute an endorsement or an approval of any of the services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. W. Kohlhammer GmbH bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links.

This commentary proceeds by first offering a synchronic view of the canonical final text of Malachi, especially the argumentation in the disputation speeches. Then the history of the text's origins is reconstructed, revealing an originally independent collection of disputation speeches. The additions provide some precision, introduce motifs from other writings, or accommodate the text to changing historical frameworks. In a third move the reader's view is directed beyond the Malachi document itself: as the last writing in the Book of the Twelve Prophets, Malachi refers back to other prophetic writings. The New Testament in turn adopts sayings from Malachi and develops them further. Finally, Schart investigates the theological relevance of the book.

Professor Aaron Schart teaches Old and New Testament at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Editors’ Foreword

Author’s Foreword

Introduction

Malachi in the Canon

The Text of the Malachi Document

The Greek Translation

Poetic Analysis of the Malachi Document

Disputation Speech (Contentious Refutation)

Structure of the Writing

The Document’s Origins

The Malachi Document as the Final Section of the Book of the Twelve Prophets

The Historical Situation of the Malachi Document

Ideas about God in the Malachi Document

Malachi 1:1 Superscription

Translation

Synchronic Analysis

Diachronic Analysis

Summary Interpretation (Synthesis)

Malachi 1:2–5 Love for Jacob, Hatred for Esau

Translation

Synchronic Analysis

Diachronic Analysis

Summary Interpretation (Synthesis)

Malachi 1:6–2:9 Worship without Reverence for God

Translation

Synchronic Interpretation

Diachronic Interpretation

Summary Interpretation (Synthesis)

Malachi 2:10–16 Faithless Actions

Translation

Synchronic Analysis

Diachronic Analysis

Summary Interpretation (Synthesis)

Malachi 2:17–3:5 Violation of the Law

Translation

Synchronic Analysis

Diachronic Analysis

Summary Interpretation (Synthesis)

Malachi 3:6–12 Keeping Nothing Back from God

Translation

Synchronic Interpretation

Diachronic Analysis

Summary Interpretation (Synthesis)

Malachi 3:13–21 [3:13–4:3 ET]Justice for Those Who Revere

Translation

Synchronic Analysis

Diachronic Analysis

Summary Interpretation (Synthesis)

Malachi 3:22–24 [4:4–6] The Sending of Elijah

Translation

Synchronic Analysis

Diachronic Analysis

Summary Interpretation (Synthesis)

Bibliography

Indexes

Index of Hebrew Words

Index of Key Words

Index of Biblical Citations

Genesis

Exodus

Deuteronomy

Ezra

Nehemiah

Psalms

Proverbs

Isaiah

Jeremiah

Ezekiel

Hosea

Joel

Amos

Micah

Nahum

Zephaniah

Haggai

Zechariah

Malachi

Matthew

Mark

John

Romans

1 Corinthians

Plan of volumes

The International Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament (IECOT) offers a multi-perspectival interpretation of the books of the Old Testament to a broad, international audience of scholars, laypeople and pastors. Biblical commentaries too often reflect the fragmented character of contemporary biblical scholarship, where different geographical or methodological sub-groups of scholars pursue specific methodologies and/or theories with little engagement of alternative approaches. This series, published in English and German editions, brings together editors and authors from North America, Europe, and Israel with multiple exegetical perspectives.

From the outset the goal has been to publish a series that was “international, ecumenical and contemporary.” The international character is reflected in the composition of an editorial board with members from six countries and commentators representing a yet broader diversity of scholarly contexts.

The ecumenical dimension is reflected in at least two ways. First, both the editorial board and the list of authors includes scholars with a variety of religious perspectives, both Christian and Jewish. Second, the commentary series not only includes volumes on books in the Jewish Tanach/Protestant Old Testament, but also other books recognized as canonical parts of the Old Testament by diverse Christian confessions (thus including the Deuterocanonical Old Testament books).

When it comes to “contemporary,” one central distinguishing feature of this series is its attempt to bring together two broad families of perspectives in analysis of biblical books, perspectives often described as “synchronic” and “diachronic” and all too often understood as incompatible with each other. Historically, diachronic studies arose in Europe, while some of the better known early synchronic studies originated in North America and Israel. Nevertheless, historical studies have continued to be pursued around the world, and focused synchronic work has been done in an ever greater variety of settings. Building on these developments, we aim in this series to bring synchronic and diachronic methods into closer alignment, allowing these approaches to work in a complementary and mutually-informative rather than antagonistic manner.