Commentary on Malachi 2, Part 4
IV The fourth Conteſtation.
He conteſts with them for their Polygamie. ver. 13, 14, 15, 16. where conſider,
1. The reproofe of the ſinne. ver. 13, 14, 15.
2. A dehortation from the ſinne. ver. 15, 16.
1. Ʋerſe 13 The reproofe of the ſinne, ver. 13, 14. and part of the 15. where,
1. The ſin. That they tooke other wives of the daughters of ſtrangers to their lawfull wives. This is not expreſt in ſo many termes, or in that terme Polygamy by which Divines doe now ordinarily call it, but eaſy to be collected from the context of thoſe 3 verſes named before.
2. The aggravations of this ſinne.
1. Injurious to their lawfull wives.
2. Hurtfull to themſelves.
3. Againſt the ordinance of God.
Firſt, the firſt aggravation of this their ſinne is, that it is injurious to their lawfull wives, who were thereby grieved. This yee have done againe, covering the Altar of the Lord with teares, with weeping, and with crying out] That is, this ſinne you have added, that by bringing in ſtrange wives, you have vexed and grieved your lawfull ones, ſo that you have cauſed them to runne unto the Altar, to complaine and to weepe there.
This you have done againe] Furthermore this you have added: ſo the Tigurine. This you have done ſecondly; ſo the Chald. and Pagn. This ſecond crime (the word is faeminine but put neutrall) Montan. Yee have not onelyonly taken ſtrange wives, but have taken them even to your other wives to vexe them. The Lxx here, ye have done (foreign, Quae oderam) ſuch things as I hate. It ſeemes they had reſpect to foreign To hate, and miſtooke it for foreign ſecondly or ſecond.
Covering the Altar of the Lord with teares] The Geneva note is, yee cauſe the people to lament, becauſe God doth not regard their ſacrifices, ſo that they ſeeme to ſacrifice in vaine. So referring this to the former conteſtations with the Prieſts, An expoſition ſingular, and wide of the whole preſent context, and the matter that the Prophet hath in hand. That of Lyrant: alſo ſeemes to miſſe the ſenſe, you continuing in your ſinne goe to the Altar, and weepe there to beg pardon, but in vaine. That of S Hierom, Cyril, Theodoret, and which out comment. followes, is more agreeable; you ſo vilely uſe your other former wives, that they fly, or you cauſe them to fly, to the temple, and weepe before the Altar. See Levit. 18.18. and 1. Sam. 1.6.10. which texts will give light to this. But for the phraſe, To cover the Altar with teares; It is, either to weepe plentifully, or to weepe over the Altar: to throw themſelves blubbered and ſwolne with teares upon the Altar, even embracing it as it were; which was alſo the uſe of other Nations, in Their calamities, ſolemne othes, and Suplications, to lay hold on the Altars. So Arſinoe in her extreame calamity and ſuſpition of her brother Ptolomies fraud and cruelties, cauſes him to come and lay hold on the Altars in the holyeſt Temple in Macedon, for her further aſſurance and ſafety when ſhee received his oath. As Iuſtin deſcribes the ceremony, li. 24. Thus Virgil Aeneid. lib. 4. brings in Hiarbas the Lybian King imploring Jupiter.
Talibus orantem dictis, Araſque tenentem
Audiit Omnipotens—
And of Aeneas, Aeneid lib. 6.
Talibus orabat dictis, araſque tenebat.
With ſuch words prayed he, and the Altar held.
Upon this neceſſity of laying hold upon the altars when they addreſſed themſelves to the Deity, Robert Stephanus in his Theſaurus alleadge Varro, that the old Latine word for Altars was Anſae (the eares or handles of a pot) and afterward changed into Arae.
The Altar of the Lord] This is an amplifying of their grieſe. Their injury was extreame, that they are driven to the laſt refuge; men repaire unto the Altar when all helpe failes. And further, at the Altar they ſhould rejoyce before the Lord as the cuſtome was when they came up with their wives to the Temple, 1 Sam, 1. yet there, even there they are cauſed to weepe. Tis called, the altar of the Lord, It is his ſtanding place, the ordinary reſidence of God where theſe diſtreſſed women were confident to finde him and to complaine themſelves to him: that is, more ſolemnly, and for a publique witneſſe of their miſerie; for elſe God who is every where doth every where obſerve the teares of them that are oppreſſed.
With teares, with weeping, and with crying out. Severall words are uſed for the farther amplification of their griefe. They wept, yea they roared out, and made great clamour and noyſe, or ſent out deep groanes, ſo the word is tranſlated Ierem. 51.52.
Secondly, the ſecond aggravation of their ſinne is, that thereby they did alſo hurt themſelves in that they made their owne offerings not to bee accepted. Inſomuch that here gardeth not the offering any more, or receiveth it with good will at your hand.] The teares and groanes of your wives move God more then your ſacrifices doe; ſo that he regards them not, hee will not lookeat them, or turne his face towards them. The adverb of denying is not here in the latter member, but it is to bee repeated foreign from the former member, and ſo to be ſupplyed, as ſerving in common to both; he regards not, nor receives.
Thirdly, the third aggravation of this ſinne, is in verſ. 14, 15. That it is againſt the Ordinance of God. Where obſerve,
I. Ʋerſe 14 The tranſition, or the manner of the Prophets paſſing from the former head of aggravation unto this. God regards not your offering. Yet ye ſay wherefore?] the Vulg. And Mont. But. But yee ſay, why not regard it? An objection it is, proceeding from their blindneſſe or petulancy, not willing to bee convinced. But the anſwer is ready, becauſe the Lord hath ſeene that you have gone againſt his ordinance, as it is in the next words.
II. Ʋerſ. 15 The matter which hee urges againſt them. Becauſe the Lord hath beene witneſſe betweene thee and the wife of thy youth, againſt whom thou haſt dealt treacherouſly; yet ſhee is thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not hee make one? yet had he the reſidue of the ſpirit: And wherefore one? That hee might ſeeke a godly ſeed.] This was their ſinne, that they dealt treacherouſly againſt their wives in taking others, whereas the Lord had appointed and they had made promiſe to one another in marriage, and onelyonly to one another, as God had ordained in the very firſt in ſtitution of marriage, when hee could have made many women for one man, but hee made onelyonly one for one. This is the ſumme, but there are many particular arguments againſt polygamie, which wee ſhall obſerve in the examination of the words in the order as they lye.
Becauſe the Lord hath beene witneſſe betweene thee, and thy wife] Hee alludes to the uſe of contracting Deo teſte, God being called to witneſſe, and his name being called upon in the action. And he as it were proteſted then (the word is foreign and that is as Mont. of foreign Proteſtatus or Ob…eſtatus eſt) that his mind and will was, that marriage ſhould b…e inſoluble to you two; and you two ſhould remaine ſolely to each other. This ſenſe S. Hierom gives, and thoſe that uſually follow him, Theod Remig. Lyr. Hugo, but moſt clearly Ribera.
The wife of thy youth [Hebr. of thy youthes. Thy young wife, ſo Piſcator. Or thy wife whom thou didſt marry when thou wert young. In whom thy firſt love did rejoyce. foreign is that whole age of Adoleſcence or youth, from infancy till the 25th yeare.
The wife] The Lxx every where, foreign The woman. We render it here Wife, and that rightly; for foreign A woman, when a Genitive followes is written foreign, as it is here, and preſently after, and then it conſtantly ſignifies a Woman a Wife. and it is ſo written once, Pſalme 58.9. though not in conſtruction.
Againſt whom thou haſt dealt treacherouſly] The Geneva, tranſgreſſed. The Chald. Lyed. Montan. Praevaricated, dealt cunningly and falſely. The Lxx, foreign, leaveſt or forſakeſt; that is, treacherouſly for another.
Yet is ſhee thy companion] Vulg. Thy partner. Pagn. Thy fellow. The Tigur. thy conſort; the name (as Menochius obſerves) by which the Italians doe call their wives. So Eve was made for Adam, that he might not be alone, Gene 2.18. The Lxx, foreign, (here uſed by them in the Faeminine) ſhee partakes with thee in common.
And the Wife of thy Covenant,] The Wife with whom thou didſt Covenant. foreign as before.
And did not hee make one? foreign. Here is foreign for foreign. The note of interrogation is wanting, which is uſuall in Scripture; 2 Sam. 13.26. 2 King. 5.26. lob. 2.10. As and foreign, for foreign; and foreign for foreign, uſually alſo in the new Teſtament. Matthew. 6.26. and, 17.24. Marke 6.3, and 11.17. 1 Cor. 9.8, 9. 2 Theſ. 2.5. So alſo the Latines ſpeake, as Virgil, Eclog. 3.
Non ego te Vidi Damonis peſſime Caprum
Excipere inſidiis?—Non for Nonne? But beſides, the various interpretation of this hath made the place very obſcure. The Vulg. Did not one thus? Pagnin: boldly inſerted Abraham here, Did not one Abraham thus as you doe? Montan. in his correction of Pagnin leaves out Abraham, yet ſeemes to underſtand it in the ſame manner; ſo doth Vatablus. Hence many ſtumbling at this ſtone interpreted it as a prevention of an objection that they might make for their owne excuſe, that they did but as Abraham did, who had Sarah to his wife, yet hee tooke Hagar alſo. But Abraham did it having an excellent ſpirit, and knowing what hee did, expecting the promiſe of God concerning a bleſſed ſeed, and not knowing that hee ſhould receive him of Sarah, therefore tooke Hagar that the promiſe might not bee voide; and he tooke Hagar with Sarah's conſent; Hee had no children by Sarah, as you have; he deſpiſed not Sarah, as yee doe; ſo that his fact and yours are much unlike. The Chalde paraphraſe ſeemes to have layd this ſtone, and led to this expoſition, and moſt of them that uſe the Vulg. follow it, and among the proteſtants, Winkleman and Oſiander, Lutherans. But S. Hierom found out a righter, and Theodoret, Lyra, Remigius, and of moderns, Junius, Tarnovius, The Italian of Deodate both in the text and margin, the Geneva, our old and our laſt Engliſh doe entertaine it; Did not he (that is, God) make one? God made one Eve for Adam, and therefore the firſt ſanction of unity in marriage, is not to bee infringed. This ſenſe alſo Menochius gives, though the tranſlation that he is tyed unto, will not yield it.
Yet had he the reſidue of the ſpirit] or, The excellence, ſo our margin. But I am not ſatisfied why out moſt learned tranſlators have put it in; for I find not foreign in that ſignification. Yet I will not conceale that the Tigurine, Vatabl. and Pagn. ſo tranſlate it; and not only A lapide; but Conrad: Kircher (in his greeke Concordance, who in the Rootes uſually followes Forſter, but in this Sanct. Pagn. at the Roote foreign) tells us that foreign ſignifies both Remainder or Reſidue, and excellencie. However, the text reading of our laſt tranſlation is here (as for ought I know every where elſe) to be preferd before the marginall. And the meaning is, God made but one Woman for Adam, though hee had the Remainder of the ſpirit or breath, ſo that hee could have made many. Hee gave part to Adam and the reſt to Eve, and made no more in that extraordinary way, though it had bin eaſy unto him: as our old Engliſh and the Geneva expreſſe it, Hee had aboundance of ſpirit. That is, that ſpirit or breath which hee breathed into Man.
And wherefore one? (foreign) That hee might ſeeke a godly ſeed.] or, A ſeed of God. That is, God requires you ſhould cleave to your Wives, and not take the daughters of a ſtrange God, leſt your ſeed bee educated in Idolatry. So S. Hierom? But I ſuppoſe there is more in it. The very iſſue of Polygamy is ſpurious in ſome ſenſe, It is not a godly ſeed, or the ſeed of God, that is, which he appoints, but accurſed. Thus every member of theſe two verſes have afforded ſeverall arguments againſt Polygamie. But all this is to bee underſtood to bee againſt Simultaneous Polygamy, but not Succeſſive; againſt the having two wives at once, not againſt Second marriages, though troopes of the ancients (as Mr. Gataker ſpeakes in his Treat: of Lots cap. 8. ſect. 18.) have condemned them; yet as he ſaith, what Divine or other doth now make doubt of them. Not Proteſtants; See inſtead of all, that Sermon which upon this verſe the late Reverend and godly Biſhop of Bath and Wells, D. Lake, preached and applyed at the pennance of a man that had two Wives together; to which Sermon I refer the Reader for more upon this 15th verſe. Nor Papiſts, See Gregor. Tholoſanus, Syntag. Iuris, lib. 9. cap. 29. Guil. Cantarell. Var. Quaeſt. in Decal. lib. 1. cap. 98. Num. 426.427. And if you will, that great pretender to devotion, Nic. Cauſſin the French Jeſuite, in his Holy Court, pt. 1. lib. 3. ſect. 37. Though hee diſcourſe a long while upon this argument like a Montaniſt; as indeed all the Church of Rome have a little tang of Montaniſme, in that, 1. They deny a bleſſing in the Church to ſecond marriages, (See Canones Aelfrici, can. 9. apud Spelman: Conc. p. 574. but whether it bee agreeable to the Canon of Concil. Neocaeſar. quoted by Gratian. cauſ. 31. qu. 1. De his qui frequenter: let the Reader compare the places with the gloſſe at the letters m and o, and judge) and, 2. That they put Bigamie (even ſucceſſive Bigamie) among Irregularities, as it to be ſeene in their Caſuiſts and Canoniſts. See excerptiones Egberti. ad An. Dom. 750. excerp. 32. and 89. apud. D.H. Spelm. in Conc. …ambrit. p. 261. The reaſon, ſuch as it is, we have in Pet. Damian. a devout Author in a moſt corrupt time, lib. cui titulus, Dominus Nobiſcum. cap. 12. apud. Ioh. Cochlaei, Speculum. p. 156. who yet ſpeakes of it with a Quis non miretur, that Bigamy, (ſucceſſive Bigamie he ſpeaks of) allowed by the ancient Eccleſiaſticall Canons, ſhould bee a greater Irregularitie and ſinne, then Fornication expreſſely condemned in holy writ. But of this alſo enough, being only obiter. And thus much of the reproofe of the ſin: we have next;
2. A dehortation from this ſin, in the latter part of the 15. verſe, and verſ 16. which is,
1. Propounded.
2. Repeated.
Firſt, the dehortation is propounded. verſe 15. Therefore take heed unto your ſpirit, and let none deale treacherouſly againſt the Wife of his youth. Verſe 16 Verſ. 16. For the Lord the God of Iſrael ſaith, That hee hates putting away; for one covereth violence with his garment, ſayth the Lord of hoſts.]
Take heede to your ſpirits.] The Geneva, keepe your ſelves in your ſpirit. Remigius and Lyra, keepe your ſpirit; your Wife is the reſidue of your ſpirit, keepe and cheriſh her. The Tigurine, keepe and preſerve and tender your Wives, as dearely as you doe your owne ſoules. Corn. a lap. Take heede to your breath, you breath on one another, breath not on a ſtranger, keep thy ſelf ſolely to thy Wife. Conceited interpretations. Arias Montanus came nearer the ſenſe, Be wary and not raſh. I like beſt that of our Commentary, Be ſober and containe your ſelves, keep a watch upon your ſpirits and affections, to content your ſelves with your lawfull Wives.
And let none deale treacher ouſly.] Or, unfaithfully. That is, In taking other Wives, and when you are convinced of the ſinfulneſſe of keeping two Wives, deale not treacherouſly to put away your old, pretending law for divorces, and that you may ſafely doe it; for the Lord hates this treachery in making needleſſe divorces, and thereby cloaking your ſin. And this I take to be the meaning of theſe and the next words.
For the Lord the God of Iſrael ſaith, That hee hates putting away, for one covereth violence with his garment, ſaith the Lord,] Deale not treacherouſly with your Wives, after your vexing them by taking other Wives unto them, then to put them away, and pretend that the law allowes you to give them Bills of divorce; for this is but the covering of your violence and injury with that garment or cloake; but the Lord is ſo farre from allowing divorces in ſuch caſes, that he hates them.
The Lord hateth putting away. Or, To put away.] The younger Tarnovius gives here the ſame ſenſe with us. The Lord hates your foreign Dimitte (the imperative in Piel) you have Dimitte, Dimitte, much in your mouthes, Put her away, Put her away: but the Lord hates your Dimitte. So it is an ironicall repetition of their owne uſuall word, which the Lord rejects with indignation. Or elſe, he takes it for the Infinitive in Piel, put for a Noune, Hee hates to put away, that is, putting away. And ſo is our text-reading. Our margin indeed is, If he hate her put her away. Pagnin otherwiſe, If ſhee (that is, thy Wife) hate thee (that is be perverſe) Put her away. The Geneva and our old Engliſh, If thou hateſt her, put her away. And ſo doth Zanchy reade it in that diſcourſe of divorces which he wrote upon occaſion of Andreas Pizzardus his divorce, as indeed agreeing beſt with the matter hee undertooke to defend. And ſo reade, The Vulg. Vatabl: and among others Michael Walther a Lutheran in his Harmonia Scripturae, lib. 2. ſect. 185. Followes this reading of the Vulg. and therefore takes a needleſſe paines in reconciling this place to that of Chriſt, Mat. 19.11. for reading it aright according to our laſt and approved tranſlation, there is no foreign at all between them. And Montanus tells us that Rab. Hananus a Jewiſh interpreter interprets it alſo as we doe, God hates him who puts away his wife.
For one covereth violence with his garments] The Vulg. Latine, But iniquitie will cover his garment. Corn. a Lap. who is bound to follow it, labours much to make good ſenſe of it. Firſt, he tells us, we muſt take, His, for, Thine. Put her away, but iniquity will (or ſhall) cover thy garment. But how is that meant. 1. Iniquity, that is, the puniſhment of thy iniquity ſhall cover thy garment, that is, ſhall be upon thy body in regard of diſeaſes, &c. 2. Upon thy garment, that is, thou ſhalt be puniſhed in thy cloathing, naked, ragged, &c. 3. puniſhment ſhall be upon thee, the garment taken for the man, Thou ſhalt be openly puniſhed. Thus he from others, for the Vulg. of which tranſlation Steph. Menochius a latter Ieſuite, gives another ſenſe. The Iewes excuſe themſelves, Why doe you reprehend us, ſeeing the law permits us to put away our Wives, If thou hate her put her away. But (which he makes the Prophets anſwer) your iniquity ſhall thereby ſo abound and ſwell, that no garment will be able to cover it. The Law permitting it onelyonly for the hardneſſe of your hearts, but not freeing you from ſinne, if raſhly and without cauſe you put them away. A better ſenſe then that of A lapide, but for which he is faine to take his farewell of the authorized Vulgar tranſlation. If thou put her away, give her ſome part of thy garments to cover her, ſomething to live on; So Luther occaſionally expounds it: which ſenſe Oſiander followes, give her a good dowry, that if ſhe be put away ſhee may marry another. Let him put her away, for while hee keepes her he covers his injury, and makes as if he loved her: ſo the Geneva, and Winkleman. Much like to the Chalde paraphraſe, Put her away, and cover not thy hatred with a pretenſe that thou loveſt her and keepeſt her, and makeſt her a drudge. Vatablus is ſingular, as if their fault were, that they put away their Wives and covered their iniquity under a garment, that is, diſcovered not their fault, as the Law required they ſhould, and ſo wanting a formall bill of divorce they were made uncapable of a ſecond marriage, and ſo they added to the injury. Some take it for an Ironic. Put her away, doe ſo, but thy ſinne ſhall overtake thee. All theſe miſtake the ſenſe. I reſt in that above. The Lord hates needleſſe divorces, and the more when the Law is pretended; for one, that is, the man that doth this, doth but daube, and colour and cloake his ſin.
His iniquity] foreign oppreſſion, or injury, or wrong. So Geneſ. 16.5. foreign My wrong be upon thee.
2. The dehortation is againe repeated. Therefore take heed to your ſpirit, that yee deale not treacherouſly.] of which before. And thus much of the 4th Conteſtation.