Malachi 2:10

INTRODUCTION

The word “treacherously” in context of Malachi 2:10, is a complaint God has with Israel concerning “covenant,” violating against each other and mixed marriages. God summons the Jews pertaining to their identity, “Have not we all had one father? Has not one God created us?” The goal of this message is to address 3 questions concerning the word “treacherously.” What is God trying to illustrate in Malachi 2:10? When did God use “treacherously” to illustrate His meaning? How should that culture respond to such claim?

TREACHEROUSLY

Comparing various Bible translations we’ve discovered five different words used for “treacherously” The Living Translation for the word “treacherously” means to “betray.” In the English Translation the word “treacherously” means “profaning.” The Jerusalem Bible interprets the word “treacherously” as “brake.” In the International Standard translation “treacherously” is “deceitfully.” The Douay-Rheims Bible meaning for “treacherously” is “violating.”

Summarizing the conclusion from various Bible translations out of the five different Bible translations we’ve discovered that there is one word that illustrates God’s meaning of the word “treacherously” is “violate.” The English Dictionary defines the word “treacherously,” as a betrayal of truths; deceptive action or nature: Then there’s the word profaning “profane” which is relating or devoted to that which is not sacred or biblical; secular rather than religious: a talk that tackled topic both sacred and profane. The word “brake,” means “broken,” separate or cause to separate into pieces as a results of a blow, shock, or strain. It is also define as an interruption of continuity or uniformity. An act of separating oneself from a state or affairs: a break with the past. The word “deceit,” is the action or practice of deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth: dishonest act or statement. Now the word “violate,” means to brake or fail to comply with a rule or formal agreement: fail to respect, treat, with irreverence or disrespect.

The Hebrew word for “treacherously,” is bah-gad’ is the prim root word means to cover with garment convertly; deal deceitfully, unfaithfully, offend, transgressor: to be unfaithful, be faithless; to betray. The word “treacherously” has other possible Hebrew definitions, “Ma’ al” means to act unfaithfully, transgress, and commit a trespass. To act unfaithfully or treacherously against man, against God, against devoted things, and against husband. The Hebrew word “Ramah” means to cast, hurl to throw bow-shooters, bowmen to throw down to beguile, deceive, mislead, deal treacherously, to beguile, deceive, mislead, trick to deal treacherously with, betray.

In context of Malachi 2:10, the word “treacherously,” is defined in other occurrences in the Old Testament. In Lamentations 1:2, she weeps bitterly in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; she as none to comfort her among all her friends have dealt “treacherously” with her; they have become her enemies. Then in Jeremiah 3:8, “Surely, as a woman “treacherously” departs from her lover, so you have dealt “treacherously” with Me, O house of Israel” declares the Lord. In Malachi 2:11, “Judah has deal “treacherously,” and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord which He loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.” Also in Malachi 2:14, yet you say, “For what reason? Because the Lord has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt “treacherously,” though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. The proper definition for the Hebrew word for “treacherously” in context of Malachi 2:10, is the word “violated.” The reason I chose this definition opposed to the others is because of the covenant God made with Israel which was “violated” by His chosen people. Also in view of their common brotherhood in the family of God, it was inappropriate for the Israelites to treat each other as enemies and “violate” each other.

Contextually the covenant commands that the Jewish men were not to marry non-Israelites women. God was illustrating the special relationship He had with the Jews as their father. In fact God warned that the heathen women would bring foreign gods into the Jewish homes. Exodus 34:14, God gave a command, “For you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”

In Deuteronomy 4:3-4 says, “Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons. “For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the angel of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will quickly destroy you. As a result men who broke this covenant would be cut off from the tents of Jacob. Therefore, those who “violated” God’s covenant must cover themselves on the alter of the Lord with their tears, with weeping and with groaning, because he no longer regarded the offering or accepted it with favor from their hands (Malachi 2:13). To validate this claim in Malachi 2:10, the word “treacherously” means to reproof those who contracted marriages with foreigners and repudiated their Jewish wives. Have we not all one father? Why, seeing we all have one common origin, “Do we deal treacherously against one another?” His brother” being a general expression implying that all “brethren” and “sister” are children of the same Father above, and so women to wife, and so “violating” the covenant made by Jehovah their fathers, by which it was ordained that they should be separated from the other people of the world.