Malachi Chapter 2

Updated: September 14, 2025

A Warning to Priests

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.

Judah's Unfaithfulness

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?

King James Bible

Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.

A Warning to the Priests

1 “Now, you priests, this commandment is for you. 2 If you will not listen, and if you will not lay it to heart, to give glory to my name,” says Yahweh of Armies, “then will I send the curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart. 3 Behold, I will rebuke your seed, and will spread dung on your faces, even the dung of your feasts; and you will be taken away with it. 4 You will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant may be with Levi,” says Yahweh of Armies. 5 “My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him that he might be reverent toward me; and he was reverent toward me, and stood in awe of my name. 6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many away from iniquity. 7 For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Yahweh of Armies. 8 But you have turned aside out of the way. You have caused many to stumble in the law. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says Yahweh of Armies. 9 “Therefore I have also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according to the way you have not kept my ways, but have had respect for persons in the law.

Judah’s Unfaithfulness

10 Don’t we all have one father? Hasn’t one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, profaning the covenant of our fathers? 11 Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the holiness of Yahweh which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god. 12 Yahweh will cut off, to the man who does this, him who wakes and him who answers, out of the tents of Jacob, and him who offers an offering to Yahweh of Armies.

13 This again you do: you cover the altar of Yahweh with tears, with weeping, and with sighing, because he doesn’t regard the offering any more, neither receives it with good will at your hand. 14 Yet you say, ‘Why?’ Because Yahweh has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion, and the wife of your covenant. 15 Did he not make you one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? Why one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. 16 For I hate divorce,” says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with violence!” says Yahweh of Armies. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you don’t deal treacherously.

17 You have wearied Yahweh with your words. Yet you say, ‘How have we wearied him?’ In that you say, ‘Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of Yahweh, and he delights in them;’ or ‘Where is the God of justice?’

A Warning to the Priests

1 “And now this decree is for you, O priests:

2 If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to honor My name,” says the LORD of Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already begun to curse them, because you are not taking it to heart.

3 Behold, I will rebuke your descendants, a and I will spread dung on your faces, the waste from your feasts, and you will be carried off with it.

4 Then you will know that I have sent you this commandment so that My covenant with Levi may continue,” says the LORD of Hosts. 5 “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, which I gave to him; it called for reverence, and he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.

6 True instruction was in his mouth, and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. 7 For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.

8 But you have departed from the way, and your instruction has caused many to stumble. You have violated the covenant of Levi,” says the LORD of Hosts. 9 “So I in turn have made you despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not kept My ways, but have shown partiality in matters of the law.”

Judah’s Unfaithfulness

10 Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us? Why then do we break faith with one another so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?

11 Judah has broken faith; an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem. For Judah has profaned the LORD’s beloved sanctuary by marrying the daughter of a foreign god. 12 As for the man who does this, may the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who is awake and aware—even if he brings an offering to the LORD of Hosts.

13 And this is another thing you do: You cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and groaning, because He no longer regards your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands.

14 Yet you ask, “Why?”

It is because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have broken faith, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.

15 Has not the LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.

16 “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel. “He who divorces his wife covers his garment with violence,” b says the LORD of Hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith.

17 You have wearied the LORD with your words; yet you ask, “How have we wearied Him?”

By saying, “All who do evil are good in the sight of the LORD, and in them He delights,” or, “Where is the God of justice?”

Footnotes:

3 a Or I will blight your grain
16 b Or “For the man who hates his wife and divorces her,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “covers his garment with violence,”

A Warning to Priests

1And now, to you is this charge, O priests, 2If ye hearken not, and if ye lay it not to heart, To give honour to My name, said Jehovah of Hosts, I have sent against you the curse, And I have cursed your blessings, Yea, I have also cursed it, Because ye are not laying it to heart. 3Lo, I am pushing away before you the seed, And have scattered dung before your faces, Dung of your festivals, And it hath taken you away with it. 4And ye have known that I have sent unto you this charge, For My covenant being with Levi, Said Jehovah of Hosts. 5My covenant hath been with him of life and of peace, And I make them to him a fear, and he doth fear Me, And because of My name he hath been affrighted. 6The law of truth hath been in his mouth, And perverseness hath not been found in his lips, In peace and in uprightness he walked with Me, And many he brought back from iniquity. 7For the lips of a priest preserve knowledge, And law they do seek from his mouth, For a messenger of Jehovah of Hosts he is. 8And ye, ye have turned from the way, Ye have caused many to stumble in the law, Ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, Said Jehovah of Hosts. 9And I also, I have made you despised and low before all the people, Because ye are not keeping My ways, And are accepting persons in the law.

Judah's Unfaithfulness

10Have we not all one father? Hath not our God prepared us? Wherefore do we deal treacherously, Each against his brother, To pollute the covenant of our fathers? 11Dealt treacherously hath Judah, And abomination hath been done in Israel, and in Jerusalem, For polluted hath Judah the holy thing of Jehovah, That He hath loved, and hath married the daughter of a strange god. 12Cut off doth Jehovah the man who doth it, Tempter and tempted -- from the tents of Jacob, Even he who is bringing nigh a present to Jehovah of Hosts.

13And this a second time ye do, Covering with tears the altar of Jehovah, With weeping and groaning, Because there is no more turning unto the present, Or receiving of a pleasing thing from your hand. 14And ye have said, 'Wherefore?' Because Jehovah hath testified between thee And the wife of thy youth, That thou hast dealt treacherously against her, And she thy companion, and thy covenant-wife. 15And He did not make one only, And He hath the remnant of the Spirit. And what is the one alone! He is seeking a godly seed. And ye have been watchful over your spirit, And with the wife of thy youth, None doth deal treacherously. 16For 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.

17Ye have wearied Jehovah with your words, And ye have said: 'In what have we wearied Him?' In your saying: 'Every evil-doer is good in the eyes of Jehovah, And in them He is delighting,' Or, 'Where is the God of judgment?'

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The F.O.G Commentary

When God’s People Break His Heart: The Raw Truth About Covenant Unfaithfulness

What’s Malachi 2 About?

This chapter is God’s unfiltered response to religious leaders who’ve corrupted worship and broken their most sacred promises. It’s about what happens when the people meant to represent God’s heart instead break it—and why that should make us look in the mirror.

The Full Context

Picture this: It’s around 430 BC, and the Jewish people have been back from Babylon for nearly a century. The temple’s rebuilt, sacrifices are happening again, but something’s gone terribly wrong. The priests—God’s appointed representatives—have become spiritually lazy. They’re offering diseased animals, treating worship like a chore, and worst of all, they’re divorcing their wives to marry younger pagan women. Into this mess steps Malachi, whose name literally means “my messenger.”

The book of Malachi reads like a courtroom drama where God presents His case against His people through a series of accusations and responses. Malachi 2 sits at the heart of this legal proceeding, addressing two massive covenant violations: corrupted worship and broken marriages. This isn’t just ancient history—it’s a mirror reflecting how easily we can drift from genuine relationship with God into mere religious routine, and how our horizontal relationships (especially marriage) reveal the true state of our vertical relationship with Him.

What the Ancient Words Tell Us

The Hebrew in this chapter practically vibrates with emotion. When God says in verse 2 that He will curse their blessings, the word ’arar doesn’t just mean “curse”—it means to bind with a spell, to make ineffective. God is saying, “The very things you think make you successful? I’ll make them backfire.”

Grammar Geeks

The phrase “you do not lay it to heart” in verse 2 uses the Hebrew sim al-lev, literally meaning “to place upon the heart.” It’s the same expression used for someone deeply considering something important. The priests weren’t just forgetting God’s name—they were refusing to take it seriously.

But here’s where it gets really intense. In verse 3, God says He’ll spread peresh (dung) on their faces—specifically the dung from their festival sacrifices. This isn’t random gross-out imagery. In ancient Israel, animal waste from sacrifices was burned outside the camp as something unclean. God is essentially saying, “You want to treat My worship like garbage? Fine—I’ll treat you the same way.”

The word for “covenant” (berith) appears multiple times in this chapter, creating a drumbeat of broken promises. But notice something beautiful: even while addressing their failures, God recalls His covenant with Levi in verses 4-5. The Hebrew word shalom appears here—not just peace, but wholeness, completeness. God’s original design for priesthood was life and peace.

What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?

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When these words were first read aloud in the temple courts, they would have hit like a thunderclap. The priests hearing this weren’t just religious functionaries—they were descendants of Aaron, men who’d inherited one of the most sacred roles in Israel. For generations, their families had been the bridge between God and His people.

Did You Know?

In ancient Israel, a priest’s divorce would have been absolutely scandalous. While divorce was permitted for other Israelites under certain circumstances, priests were held to higher standards. When Malachi 2:14-16 talks about divorce, it’s not just addressing marital problems—it’s calling out spiritual leaders who were abandoning their covenant responsibilities on every level.

The marriage imagery here would have been particularly powerful because Israel understood their relationship with God in covenant terms—like a marriage contract. When the priests divorced their Israelite wives to marry foreign women, they weren’t just breaking human relationships; they were acting out on a personal level the same unfaithfulness they were showing God corporately.

The phrase “wife of your youth” in verse 14 carries extra weight in Hebrew culture. These weren’t just marriages that had grown stale—these were relationships that began in love and hope, now being discarded for something that seemed more attractive or advantageous.

Wrestling with the Text

Here’s where this passage gets uncomfortable for modern readers: God’s language about divorce in verses 16-17. The Hebrew text is notoriously difficult here, and scholars debate whether God is saying “I hate divorce” or “If you hate and divorce…” The grammar is complex, but the heart behind it is clear—God is grieved by the casual way these men are discarding their covenant commitments.

Wait, That’s Strange…

Why does God focus so intensely on marriage in a chapter that starts with corrupted worship? Because in Hebrew thought, your relationship with your spouse is a reflection of your relationship with God. If you can’t keep faith with the person you see every day, how can you claim to be faithful to the God you can’t see?

But here’s what’s really wrestling-worthy: God doesn’t just condemn—He explains His heart. Verse 15 gives us God’s purpose for marriage: “He seeks godly offspring.” The Hebrew word zera’ means seed or descendants, but it’s not just about biological children. God is looking for spiritual legacy, for relationships that produce faith in the next generation.

This raises uncomfortable questions: What kind of spiritual legacy are our relationships producing? Are our marriages, friendships, and professional relationships pointing people toward God or away from Him?

How This Changes Everything

The most devastating line in this entire chapter might be verse 17: “You have wearied the LORD with your words.” The Hebrew word yaga’ suggests exhaustion from carrying a heavy burden. Think about that—God, who doesn’t grow tired, is weary. Not from their sins, but from their excuses for those sins.

They were saying, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD,” and “Where is the God of justice?” Sound familiar? It’s the age-old question: “If there’s really a God, why do bad people seem to prosper?”

“The moment we start judging God instead of letting God judge us, we’ve switched places with Him—and that never ends well.”

But here’s the life-changing insight: God’s response to their spiritual unfaithfulness isn’t to abandon them but to send a messenger. Malachi 3:1 immediately follows this chapter with the promise: “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.”

This transforms everything about how we read Malachi 2. It’s not God’s final word of condemnation—it’s His loving diagnosis that leads to His ultimate solution. The covenant they broke, He will restore. The marriage they corrupted, He will redefine through His own covenant love.

For us today, this means that spiritual drift isn’t inevitable, and broken relationships aren’t irreparable. When we recognize that we’ve grown casual with sacred things—whether in worship, marriage, or any relationship—God’s heart isn’t to destroy but to restore.

Key Takeaway

The condition of your closest human relationships reveals the true condition of your relationship with God—and God cares about both because He designed them to reflect each other.

Malachi Chapter 2

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