There are a few passages in 1st and 2nd Nephi that seem to quote or paraphrase Malachi. Since Malachi lived after Nephi, this is a problem that critics like to point out. However, 3rd Nephi makes it clear that the Book of Mormon authors did not have the words of Malachi until Christ appeared. In 3rd Nephi 23:6, the Savior tells the Nephites that he will give them scriptures that they don’t have. In 3rd Nephi 24:1, he commands them to write the words of Malachi, “which he should tell unto them”.
If Joseph Smith were the author of the Book of Mormon, it is evident that he knew the Nephites could not have the words of Malachi because he lived after Lehi left Jerusalem.
Another relevant fact is that most scholars agree that 3rd Nephi was dictated before 1st and 2nd Nephi. That is, the Book of Mormon displays the knowledge of the Nephites not having access to Malachi’s words before those quotes in 1st and 2nd Nephi. Even to a non-believer, that should be a bit puzzling. Did Joseph Smith know that Malachi was written after 600 B.C. and then just forget a few weeks later? I think that seems very strange. But Malachi is never mentioned by name in 1st or 2nd Nephi. Did he quote or paraphrase him without mentioning him and hope nobody would notice? I also think that seems very strange.
What about believers? For them, there are two common explanations. The first is that Nephi is not quoting or paraphrasing Malachi at all, they both just tend to use some of the same words and expressions. I am not quite sure what I think of that. Personally, I believe that the English translation of the Book of Mormon is given directly by God, but in a way that resembles familiar scriptural (i.e. KJV Bible) terms and phrases. So perhaps Jeff Lindsay is right. But I still feel that the texts are sufficiently similar to display some relationship.
The other explanation is that the Book of Mormon translation was Joseph Smith only getting ideas revealed to him that he needed to phrase in his own language, and he happened to be familiar with those passages in Malachi. I’m not going into details about that now, but I am not a big fan of this theory due to research on the Book of Mormon language, which does not seem to come from Joseph Smith at all.
I don’t think any of these explanations are completely satisfactory. That’s life sometimes. We want reasonable answers but we don’t get them.
However, a closer study of the passages in 1st and 2nd Nephi that resemble Malachi, has led me to an interesting observation: Every passage seems to be linked to the prophet, Zenos!
Let’s first look at Malachi. Chapter 4, verses 1 and 2:
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. 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 in the stall.
Colored phrases are the ones which have an exact or close match in certain 1st and 2nd Nephi passages. These are 1st Nephi 22:15, 1st Nephi 22:23-24, 2nd Nephi 25:10 and 2nd Nephi 26:4,6,9.
1st Nephi 22:15 reads like this:
…for the day soon cometh that all the proud and they who do wickedly shall be as stubble; and the day cometh that they must be burned.
1st Nephi 22, last part of verse 23 and first part of verse 24, read like this:
they are those who must be consumed as stubble; and this is according to the words of the prophet. And the time cometh speedily that the righteous must be led up as calves of the stall.
We observe many similarities with Malachi 4:1-2. But to put this in context, let us back up three chapters. In 1st Nephi 19:10-17, Nephi is quoting Zenos, but he often refers to him as “the prophet”. Then he goes on to quote Isaiah in chapters 20 and 21. In chapter 22, he comments on what he just quoted from Isaiah. He also keeps paraphrasing Isaiah as he comments in verses 1-14. Then from verse 15, he quotes “the prophet” several times. These quotes are not found in Isaiah. But since verse 15 and some of verses 23-24 resemble Malachi 4:1-2, many people think that this unnamed prophet is Malachi.
There are several problems with this interpretation, however. As explained before, the Book of Mormon text makes it clear that the Nephites didn’t have the words of Malachi. Also, when Nephi continues to quote “the prophet” from verse 15, there are quotes which are neither from Isaiah nor Malachi. For instance, in verse 17: “thus saith the prophet, they shall be saved, even if it so be as by fire.” This wording is not found anywhere in the Old Testament.
But what about Zenos? Since we don’t have his writings (other than what Book of Mormon prophets quote) we would not recognize if he was quoted. Also, we know he was quoted 3 chapters earlier before Nephi started quoting Isaiah and he was referred to several times as “the prophet”. It makes sense that when Nephi starts quoting “the prophet” again and we know it is not Isaiah, he is really going back to Zenos. It seems that Zenos was highly regarded on the brass plates. Except for Isaiah, he is the prophet quoted the most in the Book of Mormon. Notice in 3rd Nephi 10:16 how Zenos is “the prophet” and Zenock is… just Zenock.
It gets even more interesting when we consider the other “Malachi” quotes in the Book of Mormon. In 2nd Nephi 25:13, we read:
Behold, they will crucify him; and after he is laid in a sepulchre for the space of three days he shall rise from the dead, with healing in his wings;…
“with healing is his wings” is again a unique phrase in Malachi 4:2. But what is also unique is the notion of Christ in a sepulchre (the other colored phrase), which is not mentioned anywhere in the Old Testament and only one other place in the Book of Mormon: In 1st Nephi 19:10 where Nephi is quoting Zenos!
be buried in a sepulchre, according to the words of Zenos, which he spake concerning the three days of darkness, which should be a sign given of his death
Again, there seems to be a relation between Zenos and an apparent Malachi quote.
Finally, the last passage with wording that resembles Malachi 4:1-2 is found in 2nd Nephi 26, verse 4, the end of verse 6 and beginning of verse 9:
Wherefore, all those who are proud, and that do wickedly, the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, for they shall be as stubble… they shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall consume them, saith the Lord of Hosts. But the Son of Righteousness shall appear unto them; and he shall heal them
Interestingly, this passage can be tied to Zenos too. The part between verse 4 and the end of verse 6 as quoted above, reads:
And they that kill the prophets, and the saints, the depths of the earth shall swallow them up, saith the Lord of Hosts; and mountains shall cover them, and whirlwinds shall carry them away, and buildings shall fall upon them and crush them to pieces and grind them to powder. And they shall be visited with thunderings, and lightnings, and earthquakes, and all manner of destructions, for the fire of the anger of the Lord shall be kindled against them, and they shall be as stubble…
Notice the similarities between this and the Zenos quote in 1st Nephi 19:11
For thus spake the prophet: The Lord God surely shall visit all the house of Israel at that day, some with his voice, because of their righteousness, unto their great joy and salvation, and others with the thunderings and the lightnings of his power, by tempest, by fire, and by smoke, and vapor of darkness, and by the opening of the earth, and by mountains which shall be carried up.And all these things must surely come, saith the prophet Zenos…
It may seem that Nephi is paraphrasing Zenos in 2nd Nephi 26:5-6 where he also seems to be paraphrasing Malachi. For further evidence that this is "Zenos-language", see this previous post.
So what is going on here? Why can all the passages from 1st and 2nd Nephi, which use Malachi 4:1-2 language, be connected to Zenos? To me the answer is getting more and more obvious: Nephi is really quoting and paraphrasing Zenos and so is Malachi. If Malachi 4:1-2 borrows from Zenos, this all makes sense.
- This is something we know prophets did, even Old Testament prophets borrowing from each other. (See e.g. Isaiah 2:2-3 and Micah 4:1-2)
- The impossibility of the brass plates 600 B.C. quoting Malachi 400 B.C. is no longer an issue
- It explains why all “Malachi-like” quotes in the Book of Mormon can be tied to Zenos
- Zenos seems to have been an important prophet on the brass plates and it would make sense that he is “the prophet”, rather than Malachi, especially since we know he is referred to as such several times in the Book of Mormon