Bible Strands
Malachi 4:5
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The LORD speaks in first person to Israel, closing the book of Malachi. This is the final prophetic word in the Old Testament, addressed to the post-exilic community.
The words — שֹׁלֵ֣חַ (sho.le.ach), Qal imperfect of שׁלח, "to send," carries the verse: the divine subject commits to a future act not yet executed. לִפְנֵי (li.f.Nei), "before the face of," anchors that act to a fixed point — the coming of the Day of the LORD.
The thread — The scribes cite this expectation as settled fact (Matthew 17:10; Mark 9:11), and Luke 1:17 applies the "before" language to John the Baptist, identifying him as the Elijah-figure who precedes the Lord.
Why it lands — The verse sets a verifiable sequence: a named figure must appear before the Day of the LORD. It places the reader in a position to check whether the sequence has been fulfilled, not merely to receive reassurance.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
Cross-references
- Luke 1:17 And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
- Matthew 17:10 The disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
- Mark 9:11 And they asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
- Matthew 11:13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.
- Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.
- Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
- Joel 2:31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
- John 1:21 “Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”
- Malachi 4:1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”
- Matthew 27:47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He is calling Elijah.”