According to LaSor et al. (415), scholars generally agree that Malachi was written sometime between the 5th-6th centuries B.C., and there are primarily two arguments used to support this. First, in Malachi 1:8 the word פַּח‎ is used to refer to a civil magistrate, which is a “Persian-era” term. This lends itself to a post-exilic date for Malachi not only because of the Persian influence, but also because Judah had a king (not a governor) prior to being exiled. Second, the whole of 1:1-14 speaks of the sacrificial priesthood as an