The best Malachi commentaries are listed below. There are exegetical commentaries, scholarly and technical commentaries, as well as commentaries that are easy to understand. The “Top 10” list is based on aggregate reviews.
This list of commentaries is intended to help the reader understand and apply the author’s message in the book of Malachi. They are not suggested as a replacement for prayer, the Holy Spirit, and the reader’s own diligent study of Scripture.
It is hoped that these books will aid the Christian pastor, preacher, teacher, student, as well as any Bible reader that wants to understand more about Malachi.
May each reader’s aim be to glorify God in Jesus Christ; to strengthen Christ’s bride, the Church; and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost.
After browsing the commentaries below, please see Best Bible Commentaries: Top 50. Based on aggregate reviews.
10 Best Malachi Commentaries
Please read: The “Top 10” list below is a starting point for learning about Malachi commentaries. It is not intended to be the “final word” because of its limitations.
Nevertheless, a list based on aggregate reviews is likely to point many people in the right direction to find the right resource for their purposes.
#1
Malachi
The Minor Prophets:
An Exegetical and Expository Commentary
by Douglas Stuart
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Reviews and Accolades:
• Desiring God: #1 commentary on The Minor Prophets
• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “particularly good in connecting the prophet to covenant curses and blessings”
• Keith Mathison: #1 ranked commentary on Malachi, “This commentary continues [Stuart’s] excellence”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “With their messages of doom and judgment, the Minor Prophets have not been popular subjects in the history of biblical interpretation.
Here noted evangelical scholars — such as Bruce Waltke, Tremper Longman III, F. F. Bruce, and J. Alec Motyer — remedy this neglect by offering an authoritative, evangelical treatment of the prophets.
In this edition, which now combines three volumes into one, the authors not only provide meticulous exegesis of the Hebrew text but also relate the message of the ancient prophets to contemporary life in practical and meaningful ways.”
Also see the best one-volume bible commentaries, based on aggregate reviews.
#2
Haggai and Malachi
New International Commentary on the Old Testament
by Pieter A. Verhoef
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Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: “recommended as a scholarly guide to both of these prophetic books”
• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “Very good introductory discussions of author, date, historical background, style, and text.”
• Keith Mathison: #2 ranked commentary on Malachi, “For those who lack a knowledge of Hebrew, and are seeking a thorough commentary on Malachi, this volume is highly recommended.”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “All of the NICOT volumes combine superior scholarship, an evangelical view of Scripture as the Word of God, and concern for the life of faith today.
Each volume features an extensive introduction treating the biblical book’s authorship, date, purpose, structure, and theology.
The author’s own translation of the original Hebrew and verse-by-verse commentary follow.
The commentary itself carefully balances coverage of technical matters with exposition of the biblical text’s theology and implications.”
See more about the New International Commentary on the Old Testament series.
#3
Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi
Tyndale Old Testament Commentary
by Joyce Baldwin
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Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: “a very insightful, conservative commentary”
• Keith Mathison: #3 ranked commentary on Malachi, “clear and concise without being shallow”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: This series is “designed to help readers understand what the Bible actually says and what it means… [each commentary] examines the text section by section, drawing out its main themes.
It also comments on individual verses and deals with problems of interpretation. The aim throughout is to get at the true meaning of the Bible and to make its message plain to readers today.”
See more about the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series.
#4
Micah-Malachi
Word Biblical Commentary
by Ralph L. Smith
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Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: “solid and competent”
• Keith Mathison: #5 ranked commentary on Malachi, “worth consulting”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “WBC series delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation.
It emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence.
The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology.”
See more about the Word Biblical Commentary series.
#5
Joel, Obadiah, Malachi
NIV Application Commentary
by David W. Baker
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Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “skillfully exposits the meaning and application of these three Minor Prophets”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the General Editor: The primary goal of the NIV Application Commentary Series is to help you with the difficult but vital task of bringing an ancient message into a modern context.
The series not only focuses on application as a finished product but also helps you think through the process of moving from the original meaning of a passage to its contemporary significance.”
See more about the NIV Application Commentary series.
#6
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi
Focus on the Bible
by John L. Mackay
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Reviews and Accolades:
• Keith Mathison: #4 ranked commentary on Malachi, “helpful for pastors seeking a way to communicate the meaning of this book to a contemporary audience”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes
Purpose: From the publisher: “These commentaries are popular level commentaries especially useful for pastors and small group leaders. They are useful for personal devotions and spiritual growth.
Many of the authors of the commentaries are leading expositors of God’s Word on their specialty subjects. The series holds to the inerrancy of scripture and the uniqueness of Christ in salvation.”
See more about the Focus on the Bible commentary series.
#7
Haggai
The Forms of the Old Testament Literature
by Michael H. Floyd
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Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: 5 out of 5 stars, “this excellent work will only be helpful to scholars”
Best for: students, pastors, teachers, professors, and scholars with training in Hebrew who can follow a technical commentary
Purpose: From the publisher: “The Forms of the Old Testament Literature (FOTL) is a series of volumes that seeks to present, according to a standard outline and methodology, a form-critical analysis of every book or unit of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible).
Fundamentally exegetical, each volume examines the structure, genre, setting, and intention of the biblical literature in question.
The series also endeavors to study the history behind the form-critical discussion of the material, to bring consistency to the terminology for the genres and formulas of the biblical literature, and to expose the exegetical procedure in such a way as to enable students and pastors to engage in their own analysis and interpretation.”
#8
Haggai and Malachi
Everyman’s Bible Commentary
by Herbert Wolf
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Reviews and Accolades:
• John H. Walton and Andrew E. Hill: “Brief, easy to read, yet well researched. Accessible and useful, especially for the nonspecialist.”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes
Purpose: From the publisher: “With this Everyman’s Bible Commentary as your guide, you can discover rich truths about the Lord Jesus Christ found in the minor prophets. Use it in your personal study or as the basis of group or Sunday school study.”
#9
Malachi
The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries
by Andrew E. Hill
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Reviews and Accolades:
• Tremper Longman: 4 out of 5 stars, “an extensive and excellent analysis of the introductory issues connected with this book”
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: students, pastors, teachers, professors, and scholars with training in Hebrew who can follow a technical commentary
Purpose: From the publisher: “The Anchor Yale Bible Series, previously the Anchor Bible Series, is a renowned publishing program that for more than 50 years has produced books devoted to the latest scholarship on the Bible and biblical topics.”
The series “vigorously pursues the goal of bringing to a wide audience the most important new ideas, the latest research findings, and the clearest possible analysis of the Bible.” See more about the Anchor Bible Commentary series.
#10
Zephaniah, Haggai, and Malachi
Reformed Expositional Commentary
by Iain M. Duguid and Matthew P. Hanson
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Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes
Purpose: The REC series has “four fundamental commitments. First, these commentaries aim to be biblical… Second, these commentaries are unashamedly doctrinal… Third, these commentaries are redemptive-historical… Fourth, these commentaries are practical…” All authors are “pastor-scholars.”
See more about the Reformed Expository Commentary series.
More Book of Malachi Commentaries for Christian Ministry
Please read: Why are the Malachi commentaries below not in the “Top 10”? It’s not because they have received poor reviews or because people haven’t found them helpful. The reasons vary:
- Some are relatively new and haven’t been widely reviewed, read, or used yet.
- Others haven’t been widely distributed, so it is difficult to get enough information to aggregate.
- Still others may be outdated in relation to biblical scholarship or out of print and difficult to acquire.
The “Top 10” list is reviewed annually. Readers are encouraged to consider the volumes in this section before making a purchase. These 10 are not in any particular order.
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Interpretation
by Elizabeth Achtemeier
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Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “This series of commentaries offers an interpretation of the books of the Bible. It is designed to meet the need of students, teachers, ministers, and priests for a contemporary expository commentary.
These volumes will not replace the historical critical commentary or homiletical aids to preaching.
The purpose of this series is rather to provide a third kind of resource, a commentary which presents the integrated result of historical and theological work with the biblical text.”
See more about the Interpretation Bible commentary series.
The Minor Prophets
by Charles L. Feinberg
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Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes
Purpose: From the publisher: “A comprehensive commentary on all twelve of the minor prophets Free of footnotes and devotional in style.”
The Message of Malachi
The Bible Speaks Today
by Peter Adam
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Interview: See Best Bible Commentaries’ interview with Peter Adam on this volume
Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Audience: From the publisher: The “the three distinctives of The Bible Speaks Today series are (1) “BST authors are committed to a serious study of the text in its own integrity,” (2) that “expositors should not be antiquarians, living only in the remote past” but suggest application for living, and (3) “each book is intended to be both readable in style and manageable in size.”
See more about the Bible Speaks Today commentary series.
Malachi
New American Commentary
by E. Ray Clendenen
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Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “The New American Commentary is introduced to bridge the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.”
This “series has been designed primarily to enable pastors, teachers, and students to read the Bible with clarity and proclaim it with power.”
See more about the New American Commentary series.
Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi
Apollos Old Testament Commentary
by Anthony R. Petterson
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Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “The Apollos Old Testament Commentary (AOTC) aims to take with equal seriousness the divine and human aspects of Scripture.
It expounds the books of the Old Testament in a scholarly manner accessible to non-experts, and it shows the relevance of the Old Testament to modern readers.
Written by an international team of scholars and edited by David W. Baker and Gordon J. Wenham, these commentaries are intended to serve the needs of those who preach from the Old Testament, as well as scholars and all serious students of the Bible.”
See more about the Apollos Old Testament Commentary series.
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Abingdon
by Julia M. O’Brien
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Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “The Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries series offers compact, critical commentaries on all the books of the Old Testament.
In addition to providing fundamental information on and insights into Old Testament writings, these commentaries exemplify the tasks and procedures of careful, critical exegesis so as to assist students of the Old Testament in coming to an informed engagement of the biblical texts themselves.
These commentaries are written with special attention to the needs and interests of theology students, but they will also be useful for students in upper-level college or university settings, as well as for pastors and other church leaders.”
See more about Abingdon commentaries.
Malachi
Expositor’s Bible Commentary Revised
by Eugene H. Merrill
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Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “Written primarily by expositors for expositors… its stance is that of a scholarly evangelicalism committed to the divine inspiration, complete trustworthiness, and full authority of the Bible… the chief principle followed in this commentary is the grammatico-historical.”
See more about the Expositor’s Bible Commentary series.
Malachi
Tyndale Old Testament Commentary
by Andrew E. Hill
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Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: This series is “designed to help readers understand what the Bible actually says and what it means… [each commentary] examines the text section by section, drawing out its main themes.
It also comments on individual verses and deals with problems of interpretation. The aim throughout is to get at the true meaning of the Bible and to make its message plain to readers today.”
See more about the Tyndale Old Testament Commentary series.
Malachi Then and Now
by Allen Ross
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Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: A rich and satisfying commentary on Malachi that unfolds its powerful message.
Since Malachi deals with topics such as money, marriage, worship, and the love of God, contemporary Christians can learn much from this ancient book.
In addition to commenting on the book of Malachi, this volume shows how to develop biblical expositions from a solid exegetical analysis of the text.
“I have chosen the book of Malachi,” writes the author, “because it is short and can be easily expounded in a short series, and because it has a good variety of forms and constructions that provide test cases for a practicum in exegesis.
But most of all, because the messages recorded here are needed just as much today as in Malachi’s day.”
A Commentary on the Book of the Twelve
Kregel Exegetical Library
by Michael Shepherd
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Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “The books of the twelve Minor Prophets are some of the least studied by Christians today, but they contain some of the great themes of Scripture, such as God’s mercy and judgment, His covenant with Israel, the day of the Lord, and the coming of the Messiah.
Arguing for a canonical unity that recognizes the Minor Prophets as one cohesive composition, Michael Shepherd explains the historical meaning of each verse of the twelve books and also provides guidance for application and preaching.
Pastors, teachers, and serious students of Scripture will find a wealth of insights for understanding the Minor Prophets.“
See more about Kregel Exegetical Library series.
Malachi: An Exegetical Commentary
by Eugene H. Merrill
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Approach to Scripture: Evangelical
Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “Zechariah not only shared Haggai’s burden about the inertia of the postexilic community, but by vision and dream saw the unfolding of Divine purpose for all of God’s people and for all the ages to come.
Rich in apocalyptic imagery and packed with messianic prediction and allusion, Zechariah’s writings became a favorite of the New Testament evangelists and apostles.
The glorious hope expounded by the prophet was viewed by them as being fulfilled in the saving work and witness of Jesus Christ.
No Minor Prophet excels Zechariah in the clarity and triumph by which he looks to the culmination of God’s program of redemption.”
The Minor Prophets II
Understanding the Bible Commentary Series
by John Goldingay and Pamela J. Scalise
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Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “Each volume in the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series breaks down the barriers between the ancient and modern worlds so that the power and meaning of the biblical texts become transparent to contemporary readers.
They present a careful section-by-section exposition of the biblical books with key terms and phrases highlighted and all Hebrew transliterated.
Notes at the close of each chapter provide additional textual and technical comments for those who want to dig deeper.”
See more about the Understanding the Bible Commentary Series.
Zechariah 9-13 and Malachi
The Old Testament Library
by David L Petersen
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Best for: expository preachers, Bible college and seminary students, church elders and teachers, experienced Bible readers
Purpose: From the publisher: “The Old Testament Library provides fresh and authoritative treatments of important aspects of Old Testament study through commentaries and general surveys. The contributors are scholars of international standing.”
See more about the Old Testament Library commentary series.
Classic Malachi Commentaries
Minor Prophets
Ironside Expository Commentaries
by H.A. Ironside
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Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes
Purpose: H.A. Ironside (1876-1951) was an internationally acclaimed Bible teacher and preacher, as well as the author of more than sixty books.
His writings include addresses or commentaries on the entire New Testament, all of the Old Testament prophetic books, and a great many volumes on other biblical topics.
For eighteen of his fifty years of ministry, Dr. Ironside was pastor of the historic Moody Memorial Church in Chicago, Ill.
Malachi
Geneva Series of Commentaries
by T.V. Moore
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Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes
Purpose: From the publisher: “This book, as suggested by C.H. Spurgeon, is ‘A capital book’, providing exegesis of the text. In addition, at the end of each section, Moore lists a series of practical inferences.
These, rather than ‘spoon-feed’ the reader, indicate how Scripture should be developed in practical application.
‘My object’, writes Moore, ‘has been to furnish such an exposition of the meaning of the text as would be intelligible to any thinking layman who wished to understand the Scriptures thoroughly, and also to aid my brethren in the ministry.'”
The Minor Prophets
Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
edited by Alberto Ferreiro
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Best for: individual study, devotional reading, Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes
Purpose: See more about the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture series.
Also see:
Compare 75 different commentary series on the Bible Commentary Series Comparison Chart