Passage
And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land, devoting it to destruction.”
Malachi 4:6 (LSB)
Nearby Context
Malachi 4:4 “Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and judgments which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.
Malachi 4:5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahweh.
Malachi 4:6 And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land, devoting it to destruction.”
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "turn", "hearts", "fathers", "children", and "lest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "turn" and "hearts", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The prior verse says "Behold I am going to send you...", giving immediate footing for "turn" and "hearts". 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 "turn" and "hearts" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.