When was Malachi written?

In the fifth century BC, the descendants of the southern kingdom of Judah returned home from exile. They rebuilt Jerusalem, including the temple and later the city wall. The prophet Malachi ministered after the temple’s reconstruction. At this time, he confronted the Israelites’ spiritual apathy, calling them back to God. Through Malachi, God asked, “If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” (Malachi 1:6). Malachi wrote his book around 433 to 424 BC.

Identifying the author of Malachi helps pinpoint when the book was written. The opening verse names the prophet: “A prophecy: The word of the Lord to Israel through Malachi” (Malachi 1:1). Unlike many other Old Testament prophetic books, the book of Malachi reveals no additional biographical details about the prophet. It doesn’t mention his family, tribe, or hometown. The book also doesn’t reference any reigning kings.

Although the prophets Haggai and Zechariah ministered around the same time as Malachi, they don’t mention him. Other prophets don’t mention Malachi, either, because they lived before him. While the New Testament refers to Malachi (e.g., Matthew 11:10), it highlights the book’s message but doesn’t offer details that help date its writing.

The prophet Malachi wrote to the southern kingdom of Judah: “Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god” (Malachi 2:11). Nehemiah referred to this when he rebuked the people of Judah for intermarrying with women from pagan nations, calling it a serious act of unfaithfulness to God (Nehemiah 13:23–27). These descriptions fit with what the Old Testament says about conditions in Judah after the nation’s return in the mid-fifth century BC.

Other internal evidence suggests that Malachi wrote to the descendants of Judah during the time of Persian rule. When he rebuked the people for offering blemished animals in worship, he said, “When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor!” (Malachi 1:8). The word for “governor” here is pechah. This term is of Persian origin and refers to government officials. The use of this term supports the view that Malachi ministered during the Persian period, after the exile.

Furthermore, Malachi also refers to animal sacrifices as if the temple’s ministry were active. When he rebukes the Judeans for improper offerings, he writes, “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. ‘But you ask, “How are we robbing you?” ‘In tithes and offerings’” (Malachi 3:8; cf. 1:7–10). The Judeans who returned home to Israel completed rebuilding the temple in 516 BC. This suggests that Malachi wrote after the temple’s reopening.

Though God warns Israel about their sin, they can still have hope because He is merciful. God says, “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:6–7). Malachi wrote during a time of spiritual complacency in Israel, yet God graciously invited His people to return to Him for restoration.