MALACHI: INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY STRUCTURE

Below is an abstract from a chapter in my unpublished book The Structure of Scripture. I will send a copy of the complete chapter to anyone requesting it. Contact me at elmerphd21@hotmail.com.   

In the tripartite Hebrew Bible, Malachi closes out the Law and the Prophet sections, which it fittingly concludes (see especially Malachi 4:4-6). The book in its position in the Christian canon also functions well as an introduction to the NT with its references to a coming prophet as a forerunner. Opinion on the book's essential unity has ranged from the earlier pre-critical view

“The Book of Malachi contains one single prophecy.”

to more disparaging opinions:

“[Malachi] resembles a collection of loosely connected oracles rather than a carefully organized literary work.” 

back to a more favorable reappraisal in recent years:

“There is...wide agreement regarding the essential unity of the book.”

And as an additional complication is the often repeated suggestion that Malachi should more properly be appended to Zechariah 9-14. This subject will be treated separately elsewhere.

Disputational Style

Despite these varying opinions on the book, almost everyone agrees on its present literary structure, at least on one level, even through there are no key words or phrases in the text to mark the limits of each sub-unit. This virtual unanimity is possible because of the unusual prose style employed by the author. “Unique among the prophetic books, Malachi advances its argument almost entirely through dialectic.” (Francine Prose) Aside from an introduction (1:1) and conclusion (4:4-6), the book is structured as a series of disputes with three elements each: (a) the protagonist first states his case by a declaration or question; (b) his audience is then made to reply, prefaced with the words “but you say;” and finally (c) the protagonist supplies a rebuttal, usually containing a threat or promise. There are six such debates in the book, the majority opinion on which is plotted in Fig. 1. Note that in two cases there is a repeated counterpoint.

Figure 1: The Six Disputes

Dispute                   Verses         Accuser         Accused

1                             1:2-5           Yahweh          People

2                             1:6-2:9        Yahweh          Priests

                                                                                      Yahweh          Priests

3                             2:10-16       Prophet          People

4                             2:17-3:5      Prophet          People

5                             3:6-12        Yahweh          People

                                                                                     Yahweh          People

6                             3:13-4:3    Yahweh          People

Exact verse divisions form a subject of some disagreement, but most of the proposed variations have a major disruptive effect on the simple question-and-answer structure:

Chiastic Arrangement of Disputes

Division of Malachi into an introduction, six disputes and a conclusion is about as far as most commentators go in terms of defining an overall structure for the book. However, some go a step further by dividing the book into two parts with the break between chapters 2 and 3. Such a strict separation along these chapter divisions would have the effect of halving the fourth dispute in the book. But any overall two-part structure which groups together disputes 1-3 and 4-6 would also lead to a two-part division. This proposal is strengthened by the often mentioned similarities between disputes 1 and 3 and between 4 and 6.

One format for the book that fits the above data is a chiastic structure, several of which have been previously proposed. A glance at Fig. 1 will show that the disputes fall neatly into symmetrical pairs in terms of the parties involved and number of counterpoints: 1 & 6, 2 & 5, and 3 & 4.

 Another line of reasoning from examination of Malachi's use of the divine name in the book leads to the same conclusion. His favorite term is “LORD of hosts,” or Yahweh Sabaoth, which appears exactly 24 times in the text. Definition of this phrase stresses its designation of God as the Savior and Protector of His people and its indication of Yahweh's power and authority. These themes are definitely present in the Book of Malachi, but not evenly distributed throughout. Yahweh's care for Israel, power and universality are amply discussed in disputes 1, 3, 4 and 6 while disputes 2 and 5 seem more preoccupied with detailing the ritual sins of the priesthood. However, “LORD of hosts” as a divine designation occurs predominantly in disputes 3 and 5:

% of Divine References     % of Verses

Dispute            to LORD of Hosts             with LORD of Hosts

    1                          20                                      20

                            2                          65                                      61

                            3                         20                                       29

                            4                         22                                       29

                            5                         80                                       66

                            6                         36                                       44

Although the specific criteria for the above statistics may be somewhat arbitrary, the results are highly indicative. In the first place, a form of symmetry between the six disputes is indicated. Second, there is an almost perverse mismatch between the subjects of the sections and the respective divine appellations employed. We should be reminded of the Meyers' comments on a passage in Zechariah: “This suggests that the placement and distribution of the divine names are deliberate, because the use of a particular name and its use at all are usually authorial options.” The distribution of “LORD of hosts” thus appears to be mainly employed as a literary pointer strengthening the connections between disputes 1 & 6, 2 & 5, and 3 & 4. Other ties between these pairs are given below:

Disputes 1 and 6: These sections both begin with the only two occurrences of the phrase “says the LORD” in Malachi. The word “wickedness” appears in the book only in these two places (1:4; 3:15; 4:1).

Disputes 2 and 5: Both disputes deal with the subject of improper offerings, but there is a deliberate contrast between the two seen in the following:

Dispute 2                                               Dispute 5

drought and poor harvest                      bounty predicted

“shut doors” (1:10)                               “open a window” (3:10).

“I have no delight in you” (1:10)         “you shall be a delightful land” (3:12).

Disputes 3 and 4: The phrase “offering to Yahweh” occurs only in these sections (2:12; 3:3). The pair “Judah and Jerusalem” similarly appears only here.

Overall Structure

Two sections of Malachi have been thus far ignored: the opening and the conclusion. These are among the most debated portions of the book. Was the name Malachi (“my messenger”) in the first verse affixed to the collection of prophecies in consideration of verse 3:1, or is the influence in the opposite direction? Similarly, should Malachi 4:4-6 be really considered as an original part of the book, or were these verses merely added to form a fitting conclusion to the Book of the Twelve as a whole, or even to the Law and the Prophets? Childs' discussion of these issues is instructive, especially his conclusion that Malachi 1:1 and 4:4-6 are important elements in the canonical form of Malachi.

If (a) the disputed sections of Malachi fit a chiastic pattern and (b) the opening and closing verses are integral portions of the book, one would expect a possible literary and thematic connection between Malachi 1:1 and 4:4-6. One such tie-in is the appearance of “Israel” (two of the only five occurrences in the book) in both these small sections. Another subtle connection appears in the chain of verses 1:1 / 3:1 / 4:5. The opening verse names the author as Malachi – my messenger; this designation occurs again midpoint in the book where Yahweh declares, “Behold, I send my messenger;” and finally, similar words are used to describe the now-named messenger in the penultimate verse of Malachi: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet.”

There is also a thematic connection between the opening and closing verses. The former places the book firmly with the prophetic oracles that have preceded it. However, Malachi 4:4-6 “bears witness to Israel's conviction that the law and the prophets were not in opposition to each other, but constituted an essential unity within the divine purpose.” (Childs)

Overall Structure

The pieces can now be assembled into a whole (see Fig. 2) with appropriate descriptive titles given to each section in light of their literary relationship to one another.

Figure 2: The Structure of Malachi

A. Opening: God's Guidance (1:1)

B. The Disputes (1:2-4:3)

1. Fate of Israel and Edom Contrasted (Election) (1:2-5)

2. The Sins of the Priesthood (Burnt Offerings) (1:6-2:10)

3. God: Creator and Sustainer (2:11-16)

4. God: Purifier and Judge (2:17-3:6)

5. The Sins of the People (Tithes and Offerings) (3:7-12)

6. Fate of God-fearer and Evildoer Contrasted (Free Will) (3:13-4:3)

A'. Conclusion: God's Guidance (4:4-6)

Some additional lessons inferred from this structure are:

1. Although Yahweh has uniquely chosen Israel as His possession, that does not absolve her from obedience to His commands (B1 and 6).

2. Obedience begins with the religious leadership. Thus, there is a greater penalty attached to disobedience in the priesthood than in the laity. Compare “If you will not listen...then I will send the curse upon you” in B2 with “Return to me, and I will return to you...[and] pour down for you an overflowing blessing” in B5.

3. There is no dichotomy between the God of Blessing and the God of Justice (B3 and B4).

4. Kaiser identifies two pivotal concepts in the book, both occurring at key junctures (at the start or conclusion) of sections identified above: “I have loved you” (Mal. 1:2) and “For I the LORD do not change” (Mal. 3:6).