Malachi 2:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This represents the straightforward and literal interpretation. However, those called by faith to a life of holiness must remain vigilant against being entangled in corrupt doctrines, akin to being drawn to women who are hostile to God and to foreign wives. In terms of spiritual productivity, the sound and pure guidance from the Church's Teachers can enable individuals to become fathers of virtuous offspring, who, from a sincere heart, bear forth a magnificent love for God.

So keep your spirit and do not forsake her.”

Let us examine past events and, tailoring a brief discourse to each segment of scripture, discern what has been handed down to us from the Hebrews. The forsaken wives of Israel, witnessing foreign women in the beds of their husbands, turned to God alone, humbling themselves day and night with tears before His altar, imploring Him through their lamentations, as if He were indifferent to human affairs, neglecting the plight of the downtrodden. Therefore, God announced that He could not accept the offerings and sacrifices presented by the priests who allowed this, for such acceptance is obstructed by the bitter cries of these women. When they asked, "Why does He not accept our sacrifices?" He answered, "Because the Lord has testified against you and the wife of your youth whom you have disregarded; thus a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." (Gen. 2:24) Hence, she is called a partner and wife by covenant, formed by God from the rib of her husband, and her spirit remains united with his, suggesting that they possess, in some sense, a shared soul, interconnected in spirit and inseparable in thought.

Since the same Creator fashioned both husband and wife, their union was intended by God for the purpose of procreation. For what does God desire, if not godly offspring, that is, children from the seed of Israel? If you have fruitful partners and enjoy progeny, why pursue the beauty of women more suited for mistresses than wives? Therefore, God, through the prophet, commanded you to guard your spirit against lust and not to fall in love with foreign women. Do not disregard the wife of your youth, who was united with you in virgin marriage, and should remain by your side until old age. Yet, the leaders, priests, Levites, and the people might have replied, "God commanded through Moses that if we greatly despise our wives, we should let them go." (Deut. 24:1 ff.) "You say to me, 'Look, it is written, when you vehemently dislike your wife, let her go,' says the Lord God of Israel." (Deut. 24:1 ff.) To this, He directly responds: "Indeed, it is written in the law, but it is due to your hard-heartedness." Anyone who, except for the grounds of adultery, unjustly divorces his wife (Matthew 15:32), will have unrighteousness cover his garment, that is, his body, which envelops the soul, declares the Lord of Hosts; thus, he will reap the consequences of his sins.

Having addressed this matter, He reiterates by urging you to guard your spirit, not to be negligent—this may refer either to nurturing your spirit or perhaps to your wife, even if she is humble in appearance. What we interpret in alignment with the teachings of Ezra regarding forsaken wives is sometimes understood more broadly to encompass those who unlawfully take what belongs to others and, collecting the unjustly gained, daringly offer such gifts to God, which He will not accept at all because the cries of the robbed are a hindrance. These interpreters link this passage to the well-known scripture: "Honor the Lord with your possessions." (Proverbs 3:9). They also discern that some, due to the loss of wealth, children, or due to shipwrecks and other tragedies leading to the loss of material blessings, succumb to tears and entirely immerse themselves in grief, failing to rise above it with fortitude, sustained by hope in God and the promise of future rewards. Such individuals, even as they turn their prayers to God, will not be heard by Him because they bring dishonor upon themselves through excessive weeping, which befits neither men nor their faith.

The subsequent verse, "For the Lord has testified against you and the wife of your youth whom you have scorned; she is your companion, your partner by covenant, and she embodies the essence of your spirit," implies that the "wife of your youth" signifies the innate reasoning and the law inscribed upon the heart, present in all men, through which they instinctively recognize lawful actions even without the law. This wife is referenced also in parables: "A wife is a gift from the Lord" (Proverbs 19:14), and we are instructed to draw water only from our own wells and springs, without sharing our drink with others, to rejoice with the wife of our youth. This figure compels even non-believers to declare, "Let God be the judge" (Judges 11:27), and I will let Him discern all matters between us. Of this wife, Ecclesiastes states, "Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your fleeting life." (Ecclesiastes 9:9). This wife remains continually with our spirit, being ever joined to our affections; if she withdraws, we directly offend God and invite sorrow upon ourselves.

Thus, it is reiterated: "Guard your spirit," not your flesh, for those who live in the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8:8), nor simply the lower soul, because the natural man does not accept the things that belong to the spirit (1 Cor. 2:14), but the spirit, for the spirit intercedes for us with groans that cannot be articulated (Rom. 8:26).

Knowing the obstinate nature of the Jews, who might, in their desire to rid themselves of an unwelcome wife and under the constraints of the law, resort to murder, God allowed a lesser wrongdoing to prevent a greater one, instructing, “If you hate her, let her go,” so she could be joined to another rather than living in despair. In the Holy Gospel, the Lord straightforwardly teaches righteousness, proclaiming: "Everyone who lets his wife go, except for the word of an adulterer, makes her commit adultery, and whoever lets her go understands commits adultery" (Matthew 5:32). This should be understood in the same spirit. The deepest intentions of your heart will be laid bare, ‘says the Lord Almighty.’ If you dissolve the marriage without a rightful and honorable reason, the Sovereign of all will judge you. Thus, "guard your spirit, and do not forsake" the covenant. Resist the inclinations towards evil, and maintain the integrity of your marriage vows. After denouncing their transgressions and offering a remedy for their distress, the Prophet begins to condemn the blasphemies they have dared to commit, declaring: