Malachi 2:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

A thorough account of this situation can be found in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

The all-powerful God rebuked them for despising the wives of Israel and for forming unholy alliances with the daughters of foreigners, despite the prohibitions laid out in the law against such unions. It is perplexing how they disregarded this esteemed commandment, perhaps drawn by the allure of their wives or seeking alliances to avoid conflict with these nations. This behavior was ultimately an affront to God, showing a lack of faith, as He could neither remove their adversaries nor grant victory over the cruelty of the foreign nations. The actions of the Israelites grieved God deeply. He questioned their choices, asking, “Is not one God the Creator of you all? Is not one Father of all? Why have you forsaken your brethren?” For God is Creator of all, desiring unity among His creations in love. If there were multiple gods, it would be natural for His creations to be divided, but since there is but one God who is present and sovereign over all, what could justify their discord? Additionally, since all Jews share a common earthly father in Abraham, what led them to disregard their family ties? Shouldn’t they have seen it as their duty to extend love to those who are their own flesh? Was it not unreasonable to pursue foreign women passionately while neglecting their own kin and defiling the covenant with their ancestors?

They continued to violate divine decrees regarding foreign wives, being reminded by the law that they were warned against such unions: “Thou shalt not give thy daughter unto his son, neither shalt thou take his daughter unto thy son: for she will turn away thy son from following me, and he will serve other gods.” Yet, disregarding this revelation, they broke the law and rendered their covenant null and tainted, thereby insulting the very essence of the laws given to them. In astonishment, he remarks that Judah has been forsaken and that the inhabitants of Jerusalem are affected. He finds it astonishing that this abomination is committed not against Assyrians, Persians, or enemies, but against Israel and the inhabitants of Jerusalem themselves, specifically the lineage descending from Judah, a people marginalized by unjust hatred. It is important to recognize that he refers to the ten tribes, settled in Samaria before their captivity and expelled by Salmanasar, as well as those from Jerusalem taken to Babylon during Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of the holy city and temple.

He condemns them further for having turned away from their Jewish wives and unlawfully coveting foreign partners, who adhered firmly to their corrupt customs and indulged in idolatrous filth. We, who are justified through Christ and share in the grace of the Holy Spirit by faith, must be cautious about associating with those whose morals are corrupted and whose beliefs are unrighteous. They are strangers, uncivilized, and speak misleading things; as it is written, “He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled.” Thus, if we are to bear good fruit spiritually within the body of Christ, what conceivable reason could there be to seek communion with unclean gatherings or provoke the Almighty against ourselves?

In the text attributed to Ezra, we find Ezra recounting: The leaders approached me and said, ‘The people of Israel, along with the priests and Levites, have not separated themselves from the foreign nations and their detestable practices, specifically, the Canaanites, Hittites, Perezites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites. They have intermarried, taking daughters for themselves and giving their daughters to their sons, thus corrupting the holy lineage with foreign nations. The authorities, both rulers and subjects, have led this offense.’ Upon hearing these words, I tore my garments, pulled out my hair, and sat in deep anguish (1 Ezra 9:1-3). Furthermore, it is reported that among the sons of the priests, some had taken foreign wives, including the descendants of Jehoshua, son of Josedech, along with others: Maaziah, Eleazar, Jarib, and Gedaliah. They agreed to send away their wives and offered a ram as a sacrifice for their transgressions (1 Ezra 10:18, 19). At the conclusion of the chapter, after listing those who had taken foreign wives, Scripture states: ‘All these married women from alien tribes, and some among them bore children’ (1 Ezra 10:43, 44). Those who returned from Babylonian captivity—the princes, priests, Levites, and the remaining people—rejected their Israelite wives, who, due to poverty, the harshness of their long journey, and the frailty of their nature, were exhausted, weary, and unable to endure hardship; they chose to marry foreign women who were young, beautiful, or notable for their lineage and wealth. Therefore, Ezra sought to correct these men, urging them to dissolve such unions and to restore the wives they had wrongfully cast aside. The prophet asks: Is not Abraham the father of us all? As Isaiah writes: Look to your father Abraham and to Sarah who bore you; for he was one, and I called him (Isaiah 51:2). Did not God alone create us, choosing our heritage from Abraham? So why do we dishonor our former wives and reject the daughters of our brothers, abandoning the covenant made with our forefathers, and marrying outside the law? Judah violated the covenant—this tribe that returned with the priests and Levites from Babylon—and a heinous act was committed, not among the ten tribes in Assyrian captivity, but among those who returned from Babylon under Cyrus' rule led by Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Judah scorned the holy dwelling of the Lord, which he once loved, taking daughters from foreign gods, blending the seed of Israel with pagan women, marrying those born from tribes that worship idols. Therefore, the prophet's words are directed towards them, warning them away from sin through threats. The Lord will bring ruin to anyone who engages in these actions. With extraordinary mercy, He does not altogether reject the hope for forgiveness, nor does He proclaim: ‘The Lord curse him who does this,’ postponing the curse to a later time to call sinners to repentance; thus, both teacher and disciple will be cast from the tents of Judah, irrespective of whether he is a priest or a layman, as the punishment meted out will be the same for all who share in their sins. Furthermore, one who brings a gift—referring to someone wishing to offer a sacrifice to the Lord Almighty for such an individual—will face destruction; the only solution for them is to refrain from their wrongful deeds. Some, lacking understanding and historical context, misconstrue the expression: Is there not one Father for all us, interpreting it in relation to Abraham, claiming he is the father even of the Gentiles, as stated: The Lord is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones (Matthew 3:9). Others argue that it refers to God, based on Deuteronomy: Is He not the one Father who bought you, made you, and created you (Deuteronomy 32:6)? Furthermore, it is written: I have begotten sons and raised them; they have forsaken me (Isaiah 1:2). And in the Psalms we find: The children of foreigners have lied before me; they have become desolate and have strayed from their paths (Psalm 17:46). Those who sinned, distancing themselves from this one Father, have instead made many fathers for their vices; for all who engage in sin are born of the devil (John 3:8). The query: Why does each of us despise his brother, breaching the covenant of our ancestors? is interpreted to mean that we, having been born of one father, should be united and share one voice in faith. However, through pride and the construction of the tower of Babel in revolt against God, we were ultimately divided into many nations (Genesis 11:8), both in tongue and thought. They also relate this to almsgiving, asserting that we dishonor our brethren when we fail to share what God has entrusted us for sustenance. They even refer to our brother as the Lord, as evidenced by His command to Mary Magdalene to inform His brethren of His Resurrection (John 20:17), and the Psalmist proclaims: I will declare Your name to my brethren, and in the congregation I will sing Your praises (Psalm 21:23). Consequently, the Jews rejected their brethren and ignored the covenant of their forefathers established by God with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through which all nations are to be blessed through their seed, understood to be Christ. They offer various interpretations, struggling to find clarity. Additionally, when the LXX mentions: Judah was forsaken, and a detestable thing was done in Israel and in Jerusalem, it is interpreted to mean that the Jews were forsaken due to blaspheming the Lord Saviour, consequently subjected to the verse: Cast them out for the multitude of their wickedness, for they have provoked You, O Lord! (Psalms 5:2), thereby scattering them across the earth as fugitives. Indeed, they profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, turning their love away from the Son of God to create idols for themselves; for anyone who does not embrace the Son does not accept the Father who sent Him (John 15:23). Now, since these wrongs have occurred, let them be pursued until they are subdued either by the calamities of captivity or by the weight of their own sins, and let them be cast out of the tents of Judah, ensuring that after the destruction of the temple and altar, no sacrifices or animals may be offered there. Those who seek an alternative interpretation—considering that Judah means ‘confession of the Lord’ rather than repentance—reflect the mindset of one who, having sinned after confession, commits abomination in Israel and Jerusalem, perceiving God while witnessing the world. Indeed, he has desecrated the sacrament of Christ by unworthily partaking in His body and blood (1 Cor. 11:27), for he has cherished vices and fashioned idols for himself, corresponding to the number of his sins, as the Apostle Paul notes that for the greedy, the belly serves as a god (Philippians 3:19), or in the words of the Apostle Peter or James: Whoever is overcome by whom, yields to him (2 Peter 2:19). Those who follow this path will be cast out from the Church and from the tents of James, bearing the weight of their vices and sins—until they humble themselves for their own benefit and until a sacrifice is presented to the Lord Almighty on their behalf.