The Prophets · Old Testament

Malachi 2

Malachi 2: the covenant with Levi, and treachery against the wife of thy youth

General context

A commandment is given to the priests. If they will not lay it to heart and give glory to his name, he will curse them and their blessings, and says he has cursed them already. He will corrupt their seed and spread the dung of their feasts on their faces. The commandment is sent so that his covenant might be with Levi. That covenant was of life and peace, given for the fear with which Levi feared him: truth in his mouth, no iniquity in his lips, peace and equity in his walk, many turned from iniquity. The priest's lips should keep knowledge, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts. But these priests have departed from the way, caused many to stumble and corrupted the covenant of Levi, so the Lord has made them contemptible before all the people for being partial in the law. The address widens: have we not all one father, has not one God created us, and why then does each man deal treacherously against his brother? Judah has dealt treacherously, an abomination is committed in Israel and Jerusalem, and Judah has profaned the Lord's holiness and married the daughter of a strange god; the Lord will cut off the man who does this out of the tabernacles of Jacob. They cover the altar with tears so the offering is no longer regarded, and when they ask why, the answer is that the Lord was witness between a man and the wife of his youth, his companion and the wife of his covenant. The Lord says he hates putting away and tells them to take heed to their spirit. They have wearied him, the chapter ends, by calling evildoers good in his sight and asking where the God of judgment is.

Cited passages: Malachi 2:1, Malachi 2:2, Malachi 2:3, Malachi 2:4, Malachi 2:5, Malachi 2:6, Malachi 2:7, Malachi 2:8, Malachi 2:9, Malachi 2:10, Malachi 2:11, Malachi 2:12, Malachi 2:13, Malachi 2:14, Malachi 2:15, Malachi 2:16, Malachi 2:17

Malachi 2 (KJV)

¹And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you.

²If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

³Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of your solemn feasts; and one shall take you away with it.

⁴And ye shall know that I have sent this commandment unto you, that my covenant might be with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.

⁵My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared me, and was afraid before my name.

⁶The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.

⁷For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

⁸But ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts.

⁹Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.

¹⁰Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

¹¹Judah hath dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah hath profaned the holiness of the Lord which he loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god.

¹²The Lord will cut off the man that doeth this, the master and the scholar, out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of hosts.

¹³And this have ye done again, covering the altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.

¹⁴Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.

¹⁵And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

¹⁶For 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.

¹⁷Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

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Historical context

No date, king or place of writing appears in this chapter, and no priest is named. Levi is named as the one with whom the covenant was made, and the description in verses 5 and 6 is given in the singular, "him" and "his mouth," without recounting any episode from his life. "The covenant of our fathers" in verse 10 is named without content. Judah, Israel and Jerusalem are named in verse 11 as places where the abomination is committed; "the daughter of a strange god" is the only description given of the marriage, and the chapter does not say who she is, what nation she belongs to, or how many such marriages there are. "The master and the scholar" in verse 12 are roles, not names. Verse 15 is compressed in this wording, "And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed," and the chapter supplies no explanation of it. Verse 16 states, "he hateth putting away," with no procedure, exception or case described. The complaint in verse 17 is quoted as the hearers' own words and no speaker is identified among them.

Cited passages: Malachi 2:4, Malachi 2:5, Malachi 2:6, Malachi 2:10, Malachi 2:11, Malachi 2:12, Malachi 2:15, Malachi 2:16, Malachi 2:17, Malachi 2:9

Literary context

The chapter works by setting a portrait beside an accusation. Levi is described entirely in positives, truth in the mouth, no iniquity in the lips, walking in peace and equity, turning many from iniquity, and the present priests are then described in the same terms reversed, departed, causing stumbling, corrupting, partial. The threat in verse 3 is deliberately degrading, the dung of their own feasts on their own faces, and it is placed before the ideal rather than after it. The second half moves from the altar to the household without announcing the change, using one word, treacherously, five times across the chapter to hold the two together. The questions in verse 10 are asked in the first person plural by the speaker rather than put in the hearers' mouths, which is unusual in this book. The wife is named three ways in one verse, the wife of thy youth, thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant, and the covenant language is the same word used for Levi. The chapter ends on the hearers' own sentence about the God of judgment, which chapter 3 answers by sending someone.

Cited passages: Malachi 2:3, Malachi 2:5, Malachi 2:6, Malachi 2:7, Malachi 2:8, Malachi 2:10, Malachi 2:11, Malachi 2:14, Malachi 2:15, Malachi 2:16, Malachi 2:17, Malachi 3:1

Key moments

A commandment for the priests (Malachi 2:1). The address turns directly to the priests with a commandment.
Dung upon your faces (Malachi 2:3). The Lord threatens to spread the dung of their feasts on their faces.
The covenant with Levi (Malachi 2:5). The covenant of life and peace is recalled as given for fear of the Lord.
The priest’s lips keep knowledge (Malachi 2:7). The priest is called the messenger of the Lord of hosts.
Have we not all one father (Malachi 2:10). Questions widen the charge from priests to every man against his brother.
Tears on the altar (Malachi 2:13). Weeping covers the altar and the offering is no longer regarded.
The wife of thy youth (Malachi 2:14). The Lord names himself witness between a man and the wife of his covenant.

For reflection

The same word for dealing treacherously covers the priests at the altar and a man with the wife of his youth. What is the text claiming by refusing to keep those two failures apart?