Malachi

Malachi is the name of several figures in the Hebrew Bible and other religious texts. The most prominent is the prophet Malachi, whose book is the last in the Nevi'im section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and the Old Testament. The name Malachi (מַלְאָכִי) in Hebrew means "my messenger" or "my angel." In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the name is rendered as Malachias, and in Latin, it appears as Malachias. The book of Malachi is believed to have been written in the post-exilic period, around the 5th century BCE, addressing issues of religious complacency and calling for repentance and renewal among the Jewish people. The prophet Malachi emphasizes themes of divine justice, the importance of proper worship, and the coming of a messenger who will prepare the way for the Lord, a passage later interpreted in Christianity as referring to John the Baptist.