1:2 I loved Jacob. Note Romans 9:11-13, where God’s choice of Jacob over Esau, even before they were born, is cited as an evidence and example of God’s sovereign choice. Their later lives, of course, confirmed the wisdom of God’s selection. However, as far as Malachi’s prophecy is concerned, this fact is given mainly as evidence of God’s undying love for the chosen nation descended from Jacob.

1:3 dragons of the wilderness. These “dragons” (Hebrew tannin) are mentioned fairly frequently in Scripture—first in Genesis 1:21, where the word is translated “whales.” It is best understood as a generic term for what we now call “dinosaurs,” either great marine reptiles or land dinosaurs, depending on context.