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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Malachi 2:16

"I hate divorce," says the God of Israel. God -of-the-Angel-Armies says, "I hate the violent dismembering of the ‘one flesh' of marriage." So watch yourselves. Don't let your guard down. Don't cheat.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Divorce;   Hatred;   Husband;   Marriage;   Scofield Reference Index - Deity;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Divorce;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Malachi;   Marriage;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Divorce;   Elijah;   Hate, Hatred;   Violence;   Woman;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Malachi;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Alliances;   Divorce;   Malachi;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Hate, Hatred;   Malachi;   Violence;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Family;   Marriage;   Mattathias;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Husband ;   Old Testament (Ii. Christ as Student and Interpreter of).;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Lamech;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Nehemiah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Divorce;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Husband;   Malachi;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hatred;   Marriage;  

Devotionals:

- Faith's Checkbook - Devotion for January 12;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“If he hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord God of Israel, “he covers his garment with injustice,” says the Lord of Armies. Therefore, watch yourselves carefully, and do not act treacherously.
King James Version (1611)
For the Lord the God of Israel saith, that he hateth putting away: for one couereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts, therfore take heed to your spirit, that ye deale not treacherously.
King James Version
For the Lord , the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
English Standard Version
"For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the Lord , the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless."
New American Standard Bible
"For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with violence," says the LORD of armies. "So be careful about your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously."
New Century Version
The Lord God of Israel says, "I hate divorce. And I hate people who do cruel things as easily as they put on clothes," says the Lord All-Powerful. So be careful. And do not break your trust.
Amplified Bible
"For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong and violence," says the LORD of hosts. "Therefore keep watch on your spirit, so that you do not deal treacherously [with your wife]."
Geneva Bible (1587)
If thou hatest her, put her away, sayeth the Lorde God of Israel, yet he couereth the iniurie vnder his garment, saieth the Lord of hosts: therefore keepe your selues in your spirite, and transgresse not.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says the LORD of hosts. "So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously."
Legacy Standard Bible
For I hate divorce," says Yahweh, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with wrong," says Yahweh of hosts. "Be careful then to keep your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously."
Berean Standard Bible
"For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Israel, "and I hate when a man covers himself and his garment with violence," says the LORD of Hosts. Therefore guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith.
Contemporary English Version
The Lord God All-Powerful of Israel hates anyone who is cruel enough to divorce his wife. So take care never to be unfaithful!
Complete Jewish Bible
"For I hate divorce," says Adonai the God of Isra'el, "and him who covers his clothing with violence," says Adonai -Tzva'ot. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and don't break faith.
Darby Translation
(for I hate putting away, saith Jehovah the God of Israel;) and he covereth with violence his garment, saith Jehovah of hosts: take heed then to your spirit, that ye deal not unfaithfully.
Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord , the God of Israel, says, "I hate divorce, and I hate the cruel things that men do. So protect your spiritual unity. Don't cheat on your wife."
George Lamsa Translation
For the LORD, the God of Israel, says that no one should conceal the iniquity in his robe; therefore take heed to your spirit, and do not deal treacherously.
Good News Translation
"I hate divorce," says the Lord God of Israel. "I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife."
Lexham English Bible
"For I hate divorce," says Yahweh, the God of Israel, "and he who covers his clothing with violence," says Yahweh of hosts. "You must be attentive to your spirit and you must not be unfaithful."
Literal Translation
Jehovah, the God of Israel, says, He hates sending away, and to cover with violence on his garment, says Jehovah of Hosts. Then guard your spirit and do not act treacherously.
American Standard Version
For I hate putting away, saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, and him that covereth his garment with violence, saith Jehovah of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
Bible in Basic English
For I am against the putting away of a wife, says the Lord, the God of Israel, and against him who is clothed with violent acts, says the Lord of armies: so give thought to your spirit and do not be false in your acts.
Hebrew Names Version
For I hate divorce," says the LORD, the God of Yisra'el, "and him who covers his garment with violence!' says the LORD of Hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you don't deal treacherously.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For I hate putting away, saith the LORD, the God of Israel, and him that covereth his garment with violence, saith the LORD of hosts; therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
If thou hatest her, put her away, saith the lorde God of Israel: yet he couereth the iniurie vnder his garment, saith the Lorde of hoastes, and be ye kept in your spirite, and transgresse not.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But if thou shouldest hate thy wife and put her away, saith the Lord God of Israel, then ungodliness shall cover thy thoughts, saith the Lord Almighty: therefore take ye heed to your spirit, and forsake them not,
English Revised Version
For I hate putting away, saith the LORD, the God of Israel, and him that covereth his garment with violence, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
World English Bible
For I hate divorce," says Yahweh, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with violence!' says Yahweh of Hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you don't deal treacherously.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
whanne thou hatist hir, leue thou hir, seith the Lord God of Israel. Forsothe wickidnesse schal kyuere the closyng of hym, seith the Lord of oostis; kepe ye youre spirit, and nyle ye dispise.
Update Bible Version
For he hates divorce, says Yahweh, the God of Israel, and him that covers his garment with violence, says Yahweh of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.
Webster's Bible Translation
For the LORD, the God of Israel, saith, that he hateth putting away: for [one] covereth violence with his garment, saith the LORD of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously.
New English Translation
"I hate divorce," says the Lord God of Israel, "and the one who is guilty of violence," says the Lord who rules over all. "Pay attention to your conscience, and do not be unfaithful."
New King James Version
"For the LORD God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one's garment with violence," Says the LORD of hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously."
New Living Translation
"For I hate divorce!" says the Lord , the God of Israel. "To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty," says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. "So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife."
New Life Bible
"For I hate divorce," says the Lord, the God of Israel. "And I hate the man who does wrong to his wife," says the Lord of All. "So be careful in your spirit, and be one who can be trusted."
New Revised Standard
For I hate divorce, says the Lord , the God of Israel, and covering one's garment with violence, says the Lord of hosts. So take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For he hateth divorce, saith Yahweh, God of Israel, him also who covereth with violence his own clothing, saith Yahweh of hosts, - therefore should ye take heed to your spirit, and not deal treacherously.
Douay-Rheims Bible
When thou shalt hate her put her away, saith the Lord, the God of Israel: but iniquity shalt cover his garment, saith the Lord of hosts, keep your spirit, and despise not.
Revised Standard Version
"For I hate divorce, says the LORD the God of Israel, and covering one's garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So take heed to yourselves and do not be faithless."
Young's Literal Translation
For [I] hate sending away, said Jehovah, God of Israel, And He [who] hath covered violence with his clothing, said Jehovah of Hosts, And ye have been watchful over your spirit, And ye do not deal treacherously.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf thou hatest her, put her awaye, sayeth the LORDE God of Israel and geue her a clothinge for the scorne, sayeth the LORDE of hoostes. Loke well then to youre sprete, and despyse her not.

Contextual Overview

10 Don't we all come from one Father? Aren't we all created by the same God? So why can't we get along? Why do we desecrate the covenant of our ancestors that binds us together? 11Judah has cheated on God —a sickening violation of trust in Israel and Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the holiness of God by falling in love and running off with foreign women, women who worship alien gods. God 's curse on those who do this! Drive them out of house and home! They're no longer fit to be part of the community no matter how many offerings they bring to God -of-the-Angel-Armies. 13And here's a second offense: You fill the place of worship with your whining and sniveling because you don't get what you want from God . Do you know why? Simple. Because God was there as a witness when you spoke your marriage vows to your young bride, and now you've broken those vows, broken the faith-bond with your vowed companion, your covenant wife. God , not you, made marriage. His Spirit inhabits even the smallest details of marriage. And what does he want from marriage? Children of God, that's what. So guard the spirit of marriage within you. Don't cheat on your spouse. 16 "I hate divorce," says the God of Israel. God -of-the-Angel-Armies says, "I hate the violent dismembering of the ‘one flesh' of marriage." So watch yourselves. Don't let your guard down. Don't cheat. 17 You make God tired with all your talk. "How do we tire him out?" you ask. By saying, " God loves sinners and sin alike. God loves all." And also by saying, "Judgment? God 's too nice to judge."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the Lord: Deuteronomy 24:1-4, Isaiah 50:1, Matthew 5:31, Matthew 5:32, Matthew 19:3-9, Mark 10:2-12, Luke 16:18

that he hateth putting away: or, if he hate her, put her away, Heb. to put away

covereth: Proverbs 28:13, Isaiah 28:20, Isaiah 59:6, Micah 7:2, Micah 7:3

Reciprocal: Isaiah 46:4 - even to your Matthew 19:7 - and to 1 Corinthians 7:14 - else

Cross-References

Genesis 2:1
Heaven and Earth were finished, down to the last detail.
Genesis 2:2
By the seventh day God had finished his work. On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day Because on that day he rested from his work, all the creating God had done. This is the story of how it all started, of Heaven and Earth when they were created.
1 Samuel 15:22
Then Samuel said, Do you think all God wants are sacrifices— empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him! Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production. Not doing what God tells you is far worse than fooling around in the occult. Getting self-important around God is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors. Because you said No to God 's command, he says No to your kingship.
1 Timothy 6:17
Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For the Lord the God of Israel saith, that he hateth putting away,.... The divorcing of wives; for though this was suffered because of the hardness of their hearts, it was not approved of by the Lord; nor was it from the beginning; and it was disagreeable, and even hateful to him, Matthew 19:8 in the margin of some Bibles the words are rendered, "if he hate her, put her away"; and so the Targum,

"but if thou hatest her, put her away;''

to which agree the Vulgate Latin, Septuagint, and Arabic versions; and this sense made mention of in both Talmuds, and is thought to be agreeable to the law in Deuteronomy 24:3 though the law there speaks of a fact that might be, and not of what ought to be; wherefore the former sense is best; and this other seems to have been at first calculated to favour the practice of the Jews, who put away their wives through hatred to them. The Jews were very much inclined to divorce their wives upon very trivial occasions; if they did not dress their food well, were not of good behaviour, or not so modest as became the daughters of Israel; if they did not find favour with their husbands; and, especially, if they had entertained a hatred of them: so says R. Judah k,

"if he hate her, let him put her away:''

but this is by some of them restrained to a second wife; for of the first they say,

"it is not proper to be hasty to put away a first wife; but a second, if he hates her, let him put her away l''

and R. Eleazer says m, whoever divorces his first wife, even the altar sheds tears for him, referring to the words in Malachi 2:13 and divorces of this kind they only reckon lawful among the Israelites, and found it upon this passage; for so they make God to speak after this manner n,

"in Israel I have granted divorces; among the nations of the world I have not granted divorces. R. Chananiah, in the name of R. Phinehas, observes, that in every other section it is written, "the Lord of hosts"; but here it is written, "the God of Israel", to teach thee that the holy blessed God does not put his name to divorces (or allow them) but in Israel only. R. Chayah Rabba says, the Gentiles have no divorces.''

But some of them have better understanding of these words, and more truly give the sense of them thus, as R. Jochanan does, who interprets them,

"the putting away of the wife is hateful o;''

it is so to God, and ought not to be done by men but in case of adultery, as our Lord has taught, Matthew 5:32 and which was the doctrine of the school of Shammai in Christ's time, who taught,

"that no man should divorce his wife, unless he found in her filthiness;''

i.e. that she was guilty of adultery; though this Maimonides restrains to the first wife, as before: but the house of Hillell, who lived in the same time, was of a different mind, and taught that

"if she burnt his food;''

either over dressed or over salted it, according to Deuteronomy 24:1. R. Akiba says, if he found another more beautiful than her, according to

Deuteronomy 24:1, he might divorce her p; of the form of a divorce,

Deuteronomy 24:1- :. Those interpreters among Christians that go this way do not look upon this as an approbation of divorce, on account of hatred; but that so to do is better than to retain them with hatred of them, seeing it was connived at, or than to take other wives with them.

For [one] covereth violence with his garment, or "on his garment",

saith the Lord of hosts; as he that puts away his wife does her an open injury, which though he may cover, pretending the law, which connives at divorces; yet the violence done to his wife is as manifest as the garment upon his back: though those who think the former words are an instruction to put away wives, when hated, consider this as a reason why they should do so; because, by retaining them, and yet hating them, and taking other wives to them, is doing them a real injury, whatever cover or pretence may be used; because, if dismissed, they might be loved by, and married to, other men. Aben Ezra seems to have hit the sense of these words, when he makes this to be the object of God's hatred, as well as the former; his note is,

"the Lord hateth him that putteth away his wife that is pure, and he hates him that covereth; or God sees his violence which is done in secret.''

Mr. Pocock proposes a conjecture, which is very ingenious and probable, that as the words will bear the construction Aben Ezra gives, that God hates putting away, and hates that one should put violence upon or over his garment; by "garment" he thinks may be meant a man's lawful wife, which is as a garment to him; and by "violence" a second wife, or other wives, taken to the injury, hurt, and vexation of the former; and the covering, or superinducing violence over the garment, is marrying an unlawful wife, over or with, or above his lawful one: and the sense is, that as God hates divorce, so he hates polygamy:

therefore take heed to your spirit, that you deal not treacherously;

Deuteronomy 24:1- :.

k T. Bab. Gittin, fol. 90. 2. l Maimon. Hilchot Gerushin, c. 10, 21, 22. m T. Bab. Gittin, ib. n T. Hieros. Kiddushin, c. 1. fol. 58. 3. o T. Bab. Gittin, ut supra. p Misn. Gittin, c. 9. sect. 10.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He hateth putting away - o He had allowed it “for the hardness of their hearts,” yet only in the one case of some extreme bodily foulness discovered upon marriage, and which the woman, knowing the law, concealed at her own peril. Not subsequent illness or any consequences of it, however loathsome (as leprosy), were a ground of divorce, but only this concealed foulness, which the husband “found” upon marriage. The capricious tyrannical divorce, God saith, “He hateth:” a word Naturally used only as to sin, and so stamping such divorce as sin.

One covereth violence with his garment - o or, “and violence covereth his garment,” or, it might be, in the same sense, “he covereth his garment with violence” , so that it cannot be hid, nor washed away, nor removed, but envelopes him and his garment; and that, to his shame and punishment.

It was, as it were, an outer garment of violence, as Asaph says Psalms 73:6, “violence covereth them as a garment;” or David Psalms 109:18, “he clothed himself with cursing as with a garment.” It was like a garment with “fretting leprosy,” unclean and making unclean, to be burned with fire. Leviticus 13:47-58. Contrariwise, the redeemed saints had Revelation 7:14 “washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.” Having declared God’s hatred of this their doing, he sums up in the same words, but more briefly; “and this being so, ye shall take heed to your spirit, and not deal treacherously.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Malachi 2:16. For the Lord - hateth putting away — He abominates all such divorces, and him that makes them.

Covereth violence with his garment — And he also notes those who frame idle excuses to cover the violence they have done to the wives of their youth, by putting them away, and taking others in their place, whom they now happen to like better, when their own wives have been worn down in domestic services.


 
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