But unto you that fear my name shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings,

and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall.

Malachi chapter 4 verse 2.

Hey listeners, this is Nick from Book of Mormon Central, and today's podcast addresses the question, why does Malachi

refer to the Son of Righteousness? The prophet Malachi promised the Israelites that if they

kept God's commandments, they would be blessed. In one such promise, Malachi stated that the Son

of righteousness would arise with healing in his wings.

The imagery of a winged sun was not uncommon throughout the ancient Near East.

Multiple ancient civilizations, including Egypt and Babylon, employed a winged sun disk for centuries as a symbol for divine beings.

Surprisingly, this symbol was also used in ancient Israel during the 8th and 7th centuries BC.

Perhaps the most notable example is found on a royal seal belonging to Hezekiah,

son of Ahaz, King of Judah, that was recently discovered in Jerusalem.

Additional examples of winged sun disks, being used as a symbol

of the Judean monarchy that date to Hezekiah's time, have also been found, leading biblical

scholar Jay Glenn Taylor to conclude that Judah itself should be included among the suggestions

about which cultural realm contributed to the image of Yahweh or Jehovah as a winged

sun. Descriptions of the Lord paired with the sun are found throughout the scriptures,

often evoking connections between the idea of the sun and fertility, righteousness, or justice.

Such imagery could also be applied to the King of Israel,

who was commanded to rule and live as God ruled. In 2 Samuel 23, for instance, the Lord states

that the king, like him, must be just ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light

of the morning, and the sun riseth,

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