Malachi 4:3

3 And ye shall tread the unpious men, when they shall be ashes under the sole(s) of your feet, in the day in which I do, saith the Lord of hosts. (And ye shall tread upon the unrighteous, or upon the wicked, when they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day in which I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.)

Malachi 4:3 Meaning and Commentary

Malachi 4:3

And ye shall tread down the wicked
As grapes in the winepress, as Christ did before them, ( Isaiah 63:2 Isaiah 63:3 ) and they by virtue of him; who makes them more than conquerors through himself, over all their enemies, spiritual and temporal: for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet;
this refers to the burning of them, ( Malachi 4:1 ) and may be literally understood of their being burnt with the city and temple; when afterwards, as Grotius observes, the city of Jerusalem being in some measure rebuilt, and called Aelia, there was a Christian church in it, governed by bishops, who were converted Jews; and so might be literally said to trample upon the ashes of the wicked, who had persecuted them in times past, they being upon the very spot where these men were destroyed by fire: in the day that I shall do [this], saith the Lord of hosts:
or "in the day which I make" ^F13; that is, by the rising of the sun of righteousness, the Gospel day. The Talmud ^F14 interprets this verse of the bodies of the wicked in hell, which after twelve months will be consumed, and the wind will scatter them under the soles of the feet of the righteous.

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FOOTNOTES:

F13 (hve yna rva Mwyb) "eo die, quem ego facio", Cocceius.
F14 T. Bab. Roshhashanah, fol. 17. 1.

Malachi 4:3 In-Context

1 For lo! a day shall come, burning as a chimney; and all proud men, and all that do unpiety shall be stubble; and the day coming shall enflame them, saith the Lord of hosts, which shall not leave to them root and burgeoning. (For lo! a day shall come, burning like a chimney; and all who be proud, and all who do unrighteousness, or wickedness, shall become stubble; and this coming day shall enflame them, or shall set all of them ablaze, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall not leave them with any roots, or with any burgeoning.)

2 And to you dreading my name the sun of rightwiseness shall rise, and health in (the) pens of him; and ye shall go out, and shall leap, as a calf of the drove. (And to those of you who fear my name/And to those who revere my name, the Sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in his wings; and ye shall go out, and shall leap, like a calf of the herd.)

3 And ye shall tread the unpious men, when they shall be ashes under the sole(s) of your feet, in the day in which I do, saith the Lord of hosts. (And ye shall tread upon the unrighteous, or upon the wicked, when they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day in which I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.)

4 Bethink ye on the law of my servant Moses, which I commanded to him in Horeb, to all Israel commandments and dooms. (Remember ye the Law of my servant Moses, which I commanded to him at Mount Sinai, yea, my ordinances and judgements, or laws, for all the people of Israel.)

5 Lo! I shall send to you Elijah, the prophet, before that the great day and horrible of the Lord come. (Lo! I shall send you the prophet Elijah, before that the great and terrible day of the Lord shall come.)