1. Malachi 4:2 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

To what does “the healing” of the sun’s “wings” refer?

Malachi 4:2 (ESV)

2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.

The “wings” of the sun refer to the sun’s rays. In the ancient Near East, the sun was often portrayed with wings. While modern medicine sees health benefits from some exposure to the sun, the “healing” that is referred to here is not so much medical healing as political, social, and economic health. In Isaiah 30:6, the Lord comforts his people with the promise that he would heal the wounds that he inflicted upon the nation of Israel via their enemies. The healing in that context referred to the abundance of rain, instead of drought, and the productivity of the soil rather than barrenness (Isaiah 30:23). In Isaiah 58:8, healing and light are mentioned together, where the healing refers to an abundance of water and rebuilt cities and towns (Isaiah 58:11–12). The healing, then, refers to the lifting of the curse.