Mal 2 | TNotes

2:2 ^a make up your minds: This was an issue of the will, not the emotions.

• terrible curse: Malachi had in mind the utter destruction of those who violated God’s covenant (see Deut 28:20 ^b).
2:4 ^c my covenant with the Levites: If the Levites would give themselves to serving God and forsake their own glory, God would give them life and peace (2:5 ^d; cp. Num 8:5-26 ^e; 25:12-13 ^f). Their special responsibility was to teach God’s instructions (Mal 2:7 ^g).
2:7 ^h The priests had been entrusted with the sacred knowledge of God as revealed in the law of Moses. Through their role as teachers, they were guardians of God’s covenant with Israel (Deut 33:9-10 ⁱ).

• messenger (Hebrew mal’ak): This may be a wordplay on the name Malachi (mal’aki). Usually this title was reserved for Hebrew prophets in the Old Testament, but Malachi ascribes prophetic duties to the priest, since the priests were to interpret God’s word.
2:9 ^j shown favoritism (literally lifted up the face): The expression is also found in 1:8 ^k (“see how pleased he is”). The priests should have administered the law with kindness and fairness, but they had not done so. It was ridiculous for the priests to suppose that God would show them favor when they had shown partiality in discharging the prescribed duties of their office.
Summary for Mal 2:10-16: 2:10-16 ^l Malachi’s third message shows that the failure to keep the covenant extended from the priests to the people as a whole. They did not keep covenant with the Lord or with their fellow countrymen when they married foreign women, and they broke their covenants with their wives when they divorced them. The prophet now speaks to his audience as to fellow citizens, with a striking change in style from adversarial indictment (2:8-9 ^m) to inclusive plea (2:10 ⁿ). 2:10 ^o children of the same Father ... created by the same God (or by one God): These divine titles underscore the Lord’s uniqueness as Creator and his exclusive role as Israel’s Father. One God echoes the Shema, Israel’s creed of monotheism (Deut 6:4-5 ^p).

• betray: The central thesis of this third message is that divorce is a betrayal.

• covenant of our ancestors: The prophet alludes to the covenant formed at Mount Sinai, reminding the people that the law of Moses stipulated responsibility both to God and to one another.
2:11 ^q Judah has been unfaithful (or treacherous), and a detestable thing has been done in Israel and in Jerusalem: Men were divorcing their wives for the economic advantage of intermarriage with non-Israelite women who worshiped idols. Through these marriages, Jewish men gained access to the merchant guilds and trading cartels already in place when the Israelites returned from Babylonia. Malachi equates this adultery with idolatry. Israelite history had shown that intermarriage with foreign women went hand in hand with worship of foreign gods. Loyalty was to be the hallmark of Israel’s covenant relationships, whether with God or with a marriage partner. Divorce treats with contempt the oneness of the marriage covenant (2:15 ^r; see Gen 2:24 ^s).
2:12 ^t cut off: The intent was to blot out or destroy evildoers, in contrast to social banishment or religious excommunication.
2:14 ^u The expression faithful partner identifies a marriage companion (Greek Old Testament koinōnos, “joint partner”). The Hebrew word, used for a seam or a joint in construction (e.g., Exod 26:6-11 ^v), suggests a permanent bond.

• marriage vows (literally covenant): Marriage is a solemn covenant to which God is witness (see Prov 2:17 ^w).
2:16 ^x hate: God hates a broken covenant (see 1:3 ^y; Hos 9:15 ^z). This is appropriate because God’s relationship with people is characterized by faithfulness, and he expected no less from Israel (Exod 34:6 ^aa; Deut 7:9 ^ab).

• To divorce (literally send away) means to expel a marriage partner. Malachi wanted to correct the abuse of the divorce laws (see Deut 24:1-4 ^ac).

• to overwhelm her with cruelty: Cruelty entails acts of violence or wrongdoing. The estrangement of divorce is a violent and cruel social crime. To divorce one’s wife is treachery against her and against the marriage covenant. It breaks the heart, destroys relationships, violates the integrity of the family, damages the children’s well-being, and puts the future in jeopardy.
Summary for Mal 2:17-3:5: 2:17–3:5 ^ad Malachi’s fourth message concerns the disparity between God’s justice and human justice (2:17 ^ae). If the book of Malachi were a courtroom drama, the fourth message would be the formal indictment against Judah. Malachi indicts dutiful but heartless religiosity (see 3:14 ^af) that acts contrary to God’s justice; he appeals for honesty and genuine social concern. 2:17 ^ag Malachi’s audience had wearied God by questioning his justice.