Malachi 2:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Thus it is written: ‘Say ye,’ says He, ‘why has the Lord witnessed between you and the wife of your youth, whom you have forsaken?’ If you wish to argue this for the sake of witness and question why He forbade the dismissal of a companion, I would say: consider that ‘she is your companion and the wife of your covenant,’ being one flesh with you (Genesis 2:23-24), and lives according to the law, as she was created by God in this manner. Additionally, she is, I believe, ‘the rest of his spirit,’ and the husband’s essence is entwined both physically and emotionally with the one bound in this covenant. Just as they are united as one body, they also become united in a certain sense as one soul, as love unites them and divine law fosters harmony amongst them. When he refers to the wife as a remnant of the husband’s spirit and a part of his soul due to their oneness, it indicates that through the harmony of love, they become unified. Therefore, do not charge God with being unreasonable, as if He unjustly rebuked those who reject the wife of their youth and sever the bond of covenant and spirit that unites them. I believe even the wise Paul, inspired by this understanding, wrote in his epistle to believers in Christ, ‘Are you bound to a wife? Seek not resolution’ (1 Corinthians 7:27). The Savior Himself taught: ‘If any man puts away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, he causes her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced commits adultery’ (Matthew 5:31-32; cf. Matthew 19:9). In addressing the Sadducees who inquired why ‘Moses commanded to give a certificate of divorce’ and separate from their spouses (Matthew 19:7), He replied: ‘Moses permitted it because of your hardness of heart; but from the beginning it was not so’ (Matthew 19:8) — for the One who created ‘male and female I created’ (Matthew 19:4) — ‘what God has joined together, let not man put asunder’ (Matthew 19:6).

Therefore, take heed to your spirit, and do not abandon her.’

Let us elaborate on previous occurrences, and by tailoring a concise reflection on each distinct phrase, discern what has been conveyed to us from the Hebrews. The forsaken women of Israel, upon witnessing foreign nationals in the beds of their husbands, turned solely to God for help, humbling themselves day and night with tears at the altar of the Lord, expressing their anguish and lament as though He overlooked human affairs and neglected the afflicted and sorrowful. It is for this reason that God states He cannot accept the priests’ offerings and sacrifices; their acceptance is obstructed by the deep lamentation of the women. Furthermore, when they questioned, ‘Why will He not receive the sacrifices from us?’ God directly responds, ‘Because the Lord has testified against you and the wife of your youth, whom you have disregarded; consequently, a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and they shall become one flesh’ (Gen. 2:24). Hence, she is acknowledged as a partner and wife through the covenant and union ordained by God from the side of her husband; the spirit of the husband remains with her, suggesting that they share a singular essence, united in spirit and thought. Since they were both created by the same God, their union was intended for procreation. What then does God desire, if not the offspring of Israel? When you have fruitful spouses and enjoy a blessed progeny, why seek out the allure of women more suited for mistresses than for wives? Therefore, God, through the prophet, commands, Guard your spirit against lust and the infatuation with foreign women. Do not spurn the wife of your youth, who was joined with you in a sacred marriage and should remain with you until old age.

However, it may be that the leaders, priests, Levites, and the people replied, ‘God commanded through Moses that if we greatly despise our wives, we should send them away’ (Deut. 24:1 ff.). You assert, Look, it is written, When you greatly hate your wife, let her go, says the Lord God of Israel (Deut. 24:1 ff.). To this objection, He directly counters: ‘Indeed, it is written in the law, but because of the hardness of your hearts.’ And whoever dismisses his wife unjustly, except in cases of adultery (Matthew 15:32), shall bear the penalty of unrighteousness upon himself; unrighteousness shall cover his garment, meaning his body, which encompasses the soul, says the Lord of Hosts; thus, he shall be judged by his own sins. Having settled this matter, He reiterates: Guard your spirit, and do not neglect it, referring either to your inner self or perhaps to your wife, regardless of her condition.

What we have interpreted aligns precisely with the book of Ezra regarding abandoned wives. Others understand it to apply generally to those who unlawfully take what belongs to others and, among the unrighteous, boldly attempt to offer gifts to God—gifts which He cannot accept because the sorrow, tears, and cries of those wronged stand as a barrier. These interpreters connect this to the well-known saying in Scripture: Honor the Lord from your righteous labors (Proverbs 3:9). Furthermore, they see in this a notion that some individuals, suffering the loss of wealth, children, or enduring shipwrecks and other misfortunes, succumb to tears and excessive lamentation. They lack the fortitude to rise with hope in God and the promises of future rewards. Such individuals may turn their prayers to God but will find themselves unheard, as their shameful weeping—a display unfit for men—disgraces them. The subsequent words: For the Lord has testified against you and the wife of your youth, whom you have slighted; she is your partner, your portion and covenant wife, and not another created her, for she is the remnant of your spirit.

They interpret that the wife of your youth symbolizes innate reasoning and the divine law inscribed upon every heart, which guides people to act justly even without formal commandments. Concerning this wife, it seems to be stated in the parables: From the Lord comes a wife for the husband (Proverbs 19:14), and we are admonished to draw only from our own wells and springs, rejoicing solely with the wife of our youth. This wife even prompts the unfaithful to say, Let God judge between us (Judges 11:27), and to her, I permit all judgment of matters between us. Ecclesiastes also affirms, Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your vanity given you under the sun (Ecclesiastes 9:9). This wife remains united with our spirit, ever corresponding with our affections; if she withdraws, we offend God and encase ourselves in affliction. The repetition to ‘Keep your spirit,’ rather than the flesh—of which those remaining solely in it cannot please God (Rom. 8:8)—and not the lower soul, since the natural man does not discern spiritual truths (1 Cor. 2:14)—is emphasized; rather, it is the spirit that calls out on our behalf with inexpressible groans (Rom. 8:26).