Mark 9:4

9:4 Then Elijah appeared before them along with Moses, ¹  and they were talking with Jesus.

Malachi 3:1

3:1 “I am about to send my messenger, ²  who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord ³  you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger ⁴  of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the Lord who rules over all.

Malachi 4:5

4:5 Look, I will send you Elijah ⁵  the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord arrives.

Matthew 11:14

11:14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, who is to come.

Matthew 17:10-11

17:10 The disciples asked him, ⁶  “Why then do the experts in the law ⁷  say that Elijah must come first?” 17:11 He ⁸  answered, “Elijah does indeed come first and will restore all things.

¹ sn Commentators and scholars discuss why Moses and Elijah are present. The most likely explanation is that Moses represents the prophetic office (Acts 3:18-22) and Elijah pictures the presence of the last days (Mal 4:5-6), the prophet of the eschaton (the end times).

² tn In Hebrew the phrase “my messenger” is מַלְאָכִי (mal’akhi), the same form as the prophet’s name (see note on the name “Malachi” in 1:1). However, here the messenger appears to be an eschatological figure who is about to appear, as the following context suggests. According to 4:5, this messenger is “Elijah the prophet,” whom the NT identifies as John the Baptist (Matt 11:10; Mark 1:2) because he came in the “spirit and power” of Elijah (Matt 11:14; 17:11-12; Lk 1:17).

³ tn Here the Hebrew term הָאָדוֹן (ha’adon) is used, not יְהוָה (yÿhvah, typically rendered Lord). Thus the focus is not on the Lord as the covenant God, but on his role as master.

⁴ sn This messenger of the covenant may be equated with my messenger (that is, Elijah) mentioned earlier in the verse, or with the Lord himself. In either case the messenger functions as an enforcer of the covenant. Note the following verses, which depict purifying judgment on a people that has violated the Lord’s covenant.

⁵ sn I will send you Elijah the prophet. In light of the ascension of Elijah to heaven without dying (2 Kgs 2:11), Judaism has always awaited his return as an aspect of the messianic age (see, e.g., John 1:19-28). Jesus identified John the Baptist as Elijah, because he came in the “spirit and power” of his prototype Elijah (Matt 11:14; 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36).

⁶ tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.

⁷ tn Or “do the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

⁸ tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This has been simplified in the translation.