Malachi 4:6

he shall turn the heart of the fathers The "fathers" here are the patriarchs, whom the prophet regards as estranged from their degenerate "children", or descendants, and ceasing to acknowledge them on account of their unworthy character and conduct. (Comp. Isaiah 63:16; Matthew 3:9.) When "the heart of the children is turned to their fathers", so that they seek to imitate their example and walk in their ways, or, in other words, when "the disobedient" are turned "to walkin the wisdom of the just" (Luke 1:17, R.V.), then the heart of the fathers will turn to them again in paternal recognition and love.

Some think (and the rendering with, R.V. margin, instead of to, favours the view), that the prophet refers to a state of discord and dissension between contending sections of the Jewish people, the old conservative, the young revolutionary, such as would need the intervention of a powerful prophet to correct. But is there any proof that this was the state of society with which John Baptist had to deal? Was not rather the whole nation corrupt and in need of being restored to its pristine purity?

with a curse The Masoretic direction is to read again at the end of this Book the last verse but one (Malachi 4:5), in order to avoid concluding with the ominous word "curse" or "ban"; and the LXX., presumably with the same object, place Malachi 4:4 after Malachi 4:5. Yet the dark close of the Old Testament, "Lest I come and smite with the curse", rightly understood, is the truest preparation for the bright opening of the New, "Behold, I am come to bless!"