Elijah Before the Day of the LORD
The prophet Elijah would return before the great and dreadful day of the LORD.
The Prophecy
Malachi 4:5-6
~430 BCE
See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents.
Manuscript Attestation
Dead Sea Scrolls Minor Prophets fragments; all codices.
Ancient Jewish Interpretation
Widely attested in Talmud and Midrash (Pirqe de R. Eliezer ch. 40; Debarim Rabbah 3; numerous others). The Passover tradition of setting a cup for Elijah reflects this ongoing expectation.
The Fulfillment
Matthew 17:10-13
"Elijah has already come," Jesus replied, "and they did not recognize him"... Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist.
Narrative Context
Jesus identified John the Baptist as the Elijah figure who fulfilled Malachi's prophecy — a herald who came in the spirit and power of Elijah.
The Evidence
The expectation of Elijah's return was universal in Second Temple Judaism. Josephus records the widespread popularity of John the Baptist as a prophetic figure. The Passover Seder tradition of Elijah's cup, documented in the Mishnah and Talmud, testifies to how deeply embedded this expectation was in Jewish life.