... The priestly context is similar, but in Numbers 25 Yhwh establishes an everlasting covenant of priesthood with the line of Phinehas (later known as the Zadokite priests) and not with the wider tribe of Levi. If Malachi intended an allusion to Numbers 25.10-13, then it has the potential to grant privilege inadvertently to the Zadokite priests at the expense of the wider Levitical priesthood. Such a move would appear contrary to Malachi’s egalitarian agenda for priest and Levite. Moreover, the reasons behind the covenant grant appear different in each case. In Numbers 25, Yhwh inaugurates a covenant of peace with Phinehas as a result of his jealous act for God; in Malachi, a covenant of life and peace was made with Levi without prior obedience (2.5). Levi’s fear and respect for Yhwh’s name came in response to the covenant already established (2.6); it was not a priority before the covenant came into existence, which points to another difference. Phinehas’ covenant is purely a covenant of promise; there are no commands attached to it, unlike the covenant with Levi. ...