Faithlessness and Violation of the Marriage Covenant
Malachi 2:10-16
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Mal.2.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הלוא: PART
- אב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- לכלנו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,1,pl
- הלוא: PART
- אל: NEG
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- בראנו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מדוע: ADV
- נבגד: VERB,nip,impf,3,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- באחיו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,poss:3ms
- לחלל: VERB,qal,inf
- ברית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אבתינו: NOUN,m,pl,suff:1pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 32:6 (verbal): Uses the same rhetorical question—‘Is he not your father who created you?’—linking divine fatherhood and divine creator as a rebuke for unfaithfulness to the covenant.
- Matthew 23:9 (verbal): ‘You have one Father…’ echoes Malachi’s assertion of one heavenly Father for all, undercutting pride and divisions among people.
- Acts 17:26 (thematic): Affirms one creator who made all nations from one man, paralleling Malachi’s stress on a single God/creator and the implication of human unity.
- Romans 3:29 (thematic): Challenges exclusivist attitudes—‘Is God only the God of Jews?’—resonating with Malachi’s rebuke of betrayal among brothers despite one God for all.
- Galatians 3:28 (thematic): Proclaims unity (‘you are all one in Christ Jesus’), reflecting Malachi’s concern that recognition of one Father/Creator should prevent divisions and covenant-betrayal.
Alternative generated candidates
- Have we not all one Father? Has not one God created us? Why then does one man act treacherously toward his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers?
- Is there not one Father for us all? Is there not one God who created us? Why do we deal treacherously, one with another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?
Mal.2.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בגדה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ותועבה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נעשתה: VERB,nip,perf,3,f,sg
- בישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובירושלם: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- חלל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהודה: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- קדש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אהב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ובעל: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- אל: NEG
- נכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ezra 9:1-2 (verbal): Leaders and priests are accused of taking foreign wives, defiling the holy community — a direct contemporaneous response to the same issue of intermarriage profaning God's people.
- Nehemiah 13:23-27 (verbal): Nehemiah condemns Judah's men for marrying women of Ashdod, Ammon and Moab and calls this action treachery against the people and temple — a concrete postexilic parallel to Malachi's charge.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (structural): Law forbids intermarriage with surrounding nations because it leads Israel to 'turn away' to other gods; provides the legal/theological basis for Malachi's denunciation of marrying 'the daughter of a foreign god.'
- Ezekiel 16:15-22 (thematic): God castigates Jerusalem as an unfaithful wife who lusted after foreigners and profaned herself and God's name — a prophetic marriage-idolatry motif parallel to Malachi's language of adultery and profaning the sanctuary.
- Psalm 106:35-39 (thematic): The psalm recounts Israel mingling with the nations, adopting their gods and sacrificing their children — a retrospective indictment of intermarriage leading to idolatry like that charged in Malachi 2:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- Judah has been faithless; an abomination has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem— for Judah has profaned the holy one of the LORD whom he loved, and has taken a daughter of a foreign god.
- Judah has been faithless, and an abomination has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has profaned the holy thing that the LORD loved, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.
Mal.2.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יכרת: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לאיש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יעשנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ער: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- וענה: CONJ+PN,m,sg,abs
- מאהלי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- יעקב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ומגיש: CONJ+VERB,hiph,ptcp,ms,sg
- מנחה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Malachi 2:11 (structural): Same immediate context condemning Judah's faithlessness and intermarriage with foreign women; explains the covenantal breach that makes offerings unacceptable.
- Deuteronomy 7:3-4 (thematic): Israel forbidden to intermarry with foreign nations because such marriages lead the heart away to other gods—same concern about mixing with foreign wives and idolatry.
- Ezra 10:10-11 (thematic): Community response to Israelites who married foreign women, calling such unions a breach of covenant and ordering separation—parallels Malachi’s denunciation of mixed marriages and covenant unfaithfulness.
- Isaiah 1:11-15 (thematic): God rejects the people’s sacrifices because of their sinful conduct; parallels Malachi’s linking of covenant unfaithfulness with offerings that the LORD will not accept.
- Hosea 2:2-5 (thematic): Uses marital unfaithfulness as a metaphor for Israel’s spiritual adultery and predicts judgment/alienation from God—similar language of covenant breach and consequences for unfaithfulness.
Alternative generated candidates
- May the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob any man who does this, even the man who brings a sacrifice to the LORD of hosts.
- May the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob anyone who does this—any man who brings an offering to the LORD of hosts.
Mal.2.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וזאת: CONJ+DEM,f,sg
- שנית: ADV
- תעשו: VERB,qal,impv,2,pl
- כסות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- דמעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- מזבח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בכי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואנקה: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- מאין: ADV,interrog
- עוד: ADV
- פנות: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- אל: NEG
- המנחה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ולקחת: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- רצון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מידכם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Malachi 1:10-14 (structural): Same prophetic critique within Malachi: priests and people treat the altar and offerings with contempt; God declares He will not accept their offerings, directly echoing 2:13’s theme of rejected sacrifices.
- Isaiah 1:11-15 (verbal): God rejects ritual sacrifices because of hypocrisy and sin—'When you spread out your hands I will hide my eyes'—paralleling Mal.2:13’s idea that outward offerings/tears are not regarded by the LORD.
- Amos 5:21-24 (thematic): Amos condemns empty worship—God hates their feasts and will not accept their songs—insisting that justice, not ritual, is required; parallels Malachi’s rebuke of unacceptable offerings.
- Psalm 51:16-17 (thematic): Contrasts formal sacrifices with true repentance: 'the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit'—echoes Mal.2:13’s implication that mere outward lament or offerings without genuine contrition are unacceptable to God.
- Jeremiah 6:20 (verbal): Jeremiah asks what use incense and burnt offerings are to God, saying their offerings are not acceptable—language and concern closely parallel Mal.2:13’s statement that the LORD does not receive their gift.
Alternative generated candidates
- And this again you do: you cover the LORD’s altar with tears— with weeping and lamentation— so that he no longer regards the offering or receives favor from your hand.
- And again you do this: you cover the LORD's altar with tears—weep and lament! You make mockery of the offering; you have no more regard for the offering, and the LORD will not accept it from you.
Mal.2.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואמרתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- על: PREP
- מה: PRON,int
- על: PREP
- כי: CONJ
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- העיד: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,sg
- בינך: PREP,2,m,sg
- ובין: CONJ+PREP
- אשת: NOUN,f,sg,cns
- נעוריך: NOUN,m,pl,abs+2,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- בגדתה: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg+3,f,sg
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- והיא: CONJ+PRON,3,f,sg
- חברתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+2,m,sg
- ואשת: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,sg
- בריתך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+2,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 5:18 (verbal): Commands rejoicing in the “wife of your youth,” echoing Malachi’s language and theme of marital fidelity to one’s early spouse.
- Genesis 2:24 (thematic): Establishes the one‑flesh, covenantal nature of marriage that Malachi invokes when condemning treachery against the wife of one’s youth.
- Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (thematic): Laws governing divorce and remarriage relate to the covenantal and legal issues behind Malachi’s rebuke of unfaithfulness to a spouse.
- Matthew 19:4-6 (quotation): Jesus cites Genesis about marriage’s indissoluble, covenantal bond when addressing divorce—directly relevant to Malachi’s condemnation of marital treachery.
- Hosea 2:2-13 (thematic): Uses the metaphor of an unfaithful wife to depict covenantal breach; parallels Malachi’s portrayal of marital infidelity as treachery against a covenant partner.
Alternative generated candidates
- Yet you say, “Why?” — because the LORD has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your covenant wife.
- You say, “Why?” — because the LORD has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your covenant wife.
Mal.2.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולא: CONJ
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ושאר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רוח: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- ומה: CONJ+PRON,int
- האחד: PRON,indef,sg,m
- מבקש: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
- זרע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ונשמרתם: CONJ+VERB,nip,perf,2,m,pl
- ברוחכם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,pl
- ובאשת: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cs
- נעוריך: NOUN,m,sg,cs+PRON,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- יבגד: VERB,qal,impf,juss,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Genesis 2:24 (allusion): Malachi appeals to the original creation unity—‘one’ made of two—to argue that husband and wife are one flesh and should not be separated, echoing Genesis’ marriage ordinance.
- Proverbs 5:18 (verbal): Proverbs counsels to ‘rejoice in the wife of your youth,’ a near-verbal parallel to Malachi’s phrase and both passages use that language to promote marital fidelity.
- Matthew 19:4-6 (thematic): Jesus cites the creation account about male and female becoming one flesh and uses it to oppose casual divorce; this echoes Malachi’s use of the one-flesh motif to condemn treacherous putting away.
- Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (thematic): Mosaic law on divorce and remarriage addresses the consequences and limits of repudiation of a wife—background legal material for Malachi’s critique of divorcing the ‘wife of your youth.’
- 1 Corinthians 7:10-11 (thematic): Paul’s instruction that a spouse must not divorce and should remain reconciled mirrors Malachi’s insistence on preserving the marital covenant and not dealing treacherously with one’s wife.
Alternative generated candidates
- Did not he make them one, having a remnant of the spirit? And what was the one seeking but godly offspring? So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.
- Did he not make them one, with a remnant of the Spirit? And what did the one seek? Godly offspring. Therefore guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless to the wife of your youth.
Mal.2.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- שנא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- שלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וכסה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- חמס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- לבושו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+pronominal,3,m
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- צבאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ונשמרתם: CONJ+VERB,nip,perf,2,m,pl
- ברוחכם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+pronominal,2,m
- ולא: CONJ
- תבגדו: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Genesis 2:24 (structural): Establishes the 'one flesh' basis of marriage that undergirds the prophetic insistence on marital permanence and fidelity which Malachi invokes.
- Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (allusion): Mosaic legislation that permits divorce as a concession; provides the legal background against which prophets and later Jesus contrast God’s original intent.
- Matthew 19:3-9 (thematic): Jesus affirms God’s design against divorce and cites Moses’ concession for hardness of heart—echoes Malachi’s condemnation of divorce and call to faithfulness.
- Mark 10:2-12 (thematic): Parallel to Matthew’s teaching: condemns divorce and remarriage as violating God’s marriage purpose, resonating with Malachi’s denunciation and warning to guard one’s spirit.
- Hosea 3:1 (thematic): Uses marital unfaithfulness as a metaphor for Israel’s betrayal of Yahweh; thematically parallels Malachi’s depiction of divorce/unfaithfulness as violence against the covenant relationship.
Alternative generated candidates
- “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with violence,” says the LORD of hosts. Therefore guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not deal treacherously.
- For I hate divorce, says the LORD, the God of Israel, and I loathe him who covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.
Is there not one Father for us all? Is there not one God who created us? Why then does one betray his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers?
Judah has acted treacherously, and an abomination has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem—because Judah has profaned the holy of the LORD whom he loved, by marrying the daughter of a foreign god.
May the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob the man who does this, and him who brings an offering to the LORD of hosts. And this again you do: you cover the LORD’s altar with tears—crying and groaning—so that he no longer regards the offering or takes pleasure in it from your hand. And you say, “Why?” Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you were faithless, though she is your companion and the wife of your covenant.
Did he not make them one? And what was the one seeking but godly offspring? Therefore guard your spirit, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.
For I hate divorce, says the LORD, the God of Israel, and I detest him who cloaks himself in violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard your spirit; do not act faithlessly.