Malachi 4:1 (DBY)

Passage

For behold, the day cometh, burning as a furnace; and all the proud and all that work wickedness shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Jehovah of hosts, so that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Nearby Context

Malachi 4:1 For behold, the day cometh, burning as a furnace; and all the proud and all that work wickedness shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Jehovah of hosts, so that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Malachi 4:2 And unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and leap like fatted calves.

Malachi 4:3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I prepare, saith Jehovah of hosts.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "cometh", "burning", "furnace", "proud", "wickedness", "shall", and "stubble". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "cometh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "And unto you that fear my name...", so "behold" and "cometh" should be read forward into that movement. In Malachi context, the local focus is covenant faithfulness, priestly corruption, divine justice, and the coming day of the LORD.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "behold" and "cometh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.