Most scholars date the Book of Malachi to the mid‑fifth century BCE, usually around 450–400 BCE, with many narrowing it to roughly 450–430 BCE during the Persian period after the Second Temple was rebuilt.

Quick timeline

  • The book clearly assumes the Second Temple in Jerusalem is already rebuilt and sacrificial worship is ongoing, so it must be after 515 BCE.
  • Its social and religious problems line up closely with those addressed by Ezra and Nehemiah, who were active around 445–430 BCE.
  • Because of this, many scholars place Malachi’s composition in that same general window, often summarized as “around 450–430 BCE” or “between 440 and 400 BCE.”

Scholarly range

  • Conservative and evangelical references commonly say “between 440 and 400 B.C.” as a round estimate.
  • Academic and reference sources often specify “around 450–430 BCE” in post‑exilic Judah under Persian rule.
  • There is no precise year, but the consensus is that Malachi is one of the latest Old Testament prophetic books, written in the late fifth century BCE.

In forum‑style discussions, you will often see the short answer given as: Malachi was probably written around 450–430 BCE, in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, after the Second Temple was rebuilt.

TL;DR: When people ask “when was Malachi written,” the historically grounded answer is: late fifth century BCE, roughly 450–400 BCE, most likely around 450–430 BCE in post‑exilic, Persian‑period Judah.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.