Four verses from the fourth chapter of Malachi play an interesting role in Joseph Smith’s restoration movement and deserve a closer look:

“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall…. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” Malachi 4:1-2, and 5-6 (KJV).

Malachi in the Book of Mormon (1829)

• Most of Mal. 4:1-2 is found in:
1 Nephi 7:33 (RLDS)
2 Nephi 11:65
2 Nephi 11:69
2 Nephi 11:73
2 Nephi 11:21-22

• Malachi was written about 450 b.c. after the Jews returned to Jerusalem from their Babylonian captivity. 1 & 2 Nephi, however, were supposed to have been written at least 120 years before Malachi. Biblical authors quote earlier works to which they have access, but who could quote later works?

• 3 Nephi 10:33 claims that Jesus filled in missing scriptures which the Nephites did not have. It then has Him quote the entire third and fourth chapters of Malachi as found in the KJV Bible (3 Nephi 11:2, 4-27).

• Didn’t the Lord of All know that two verses of Malachi 4 were essentially already in 1-2 Nephi?

• If Malachi 3-4 was so important, and part of it was already given before Malachi’s time, why wasn’t the rest given earlier in 1-2 Nephi?

• Was 1-2 Nephi actually plagiarized from the Bible in 1828-29?

Malachi in the Doctrine and Covenants (1831-1842)

• 1831: Malachi 4:1 KJV is quoted word-for-word in Sect. 108:12b.

• 1833: Malachi 4:6 is given with major alterations in Sect. 95:3d-e.

Strikeouts = deleted from Malachi,
italics = added to Malachi:

“…seek diligently to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, children to their fathers, and the hearts of the children to their fathers fathers to the children. And again, the hearts of the Jews unto the prophets; and the prophets unto the Jews, lest I come and smite the whole earth with a curse, and all flesh be consumed before me.”

• 1842: Malachi 4:5-6 is quoted word-for-word from KJV in Sect. 110: 17b, but Joseph follows that quote with: “I might have rendered a plainer translation to this [for example, Sect. 95:3d-e, given above?], but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands….” Joseph then goes on to link these Malachi verses to baptism for the dead.

Malachi in the History of the Church (1838)

• Joseph Smith’s official history of his earliest experiences include a spiritual visitor in 1823 who quoted Malachi 4, “though with a little variation from the way it reads in our Bibles.” In 1838, Joseph is still able to precisely quote this 15-year-old memory: “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be burn as stubble: and the day for they that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch… Behold, I will send you reveal unto you the priesthood by the hand of Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: And he shall turn plant in the hearts of the fathers to the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers; lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. if it were not so the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.”

• Why is this 1838 (1823) variation different from Section 95:3d-e?

• Why didn’t Jesus use one of these variations when He gave Malachi 4 to the Nephites in 3 Nephi 11:4-27?

Malachi in the Inspired Version (1833)

• Joseph labeled the entire book of Malachi as “Correct” in the KJV Bible that served as the master manuscript for today’s Inspired Version.

• Why are one of these two “inspired” variations not used in the Inspired Version?

• Did Joseph just quote or alter some favorite Malachi verses as he went along?