God Doesn't Hate Divorce (at least in Malachi)
MAL.2.17
The Hebrew of v. 16 is best understood as continuing the subject of the treacherous husband rather than a direct statement that God hates divorce. The man “hates [sending away]” his wife (i.e., he refuses to grant her a writ of divorce) while simultaneously failing in his covenant duties to provide food, clothing, and conjugal rights (cf. Exod 21:10–11). This refusal traps her, constituting “violence” (חָמָס) against the wife of his youth. The word “treacherously” (בָּגַד, bāgad) repeats from earlier in the passage and echoes the covenant-breaking language of Exodus.
A plain reading of the Hebrew indicates that the one who “covers his garment with violence” is the unfaithful husband, not a declaration of God’s attitude toward all divorce. Many English translations insert “the LORD” as the subject, but this is an interpretive choice that obscures the natural flow and the prophetic rebuke of the priests and men of Judah who were dealing faithlessly with their wives while still bringing offerings. God’s concern here is the protection of the vulnerable covenant partner and the pursuit of “godly offspring” through faithful marriages.
The passage closes with the people’s cynical challenge to God’s justice (v. 17), setting the stage for the coming messenger and the day of the Lord in chapter 3.