Commentary on Malachi 2, Part 2 – Part 3
II. The ſecond Conteſtation.
This ſecond Conteſtation is onelyonly in the 10th Verſe, Ʋerſe 10 wherin hee conteſts with them for their unequall and unrighteous dealing, arguing it to hee, againſt nature and Religion.
Firſt, againſt nature. All being of one fleſh. Have we not all one Father?] God (faith Deodate) or, Abraham, according to others, and ſo he takes it. We come all of Iacob, or ar leaſt of Abraham, or at leaſt of Adam.
Secondly, againſt Religion. Being all of one Church. Hath not one God created us?] or, made us? wee ſerve the ſame God, the Creator.
Thirdly, another evidence againſt nature. We are brothers of the ſame ſtock. Why doe wee deale treacherouſly every man againſt his brother?]
Why doe we] the Prophet includes himſelfe, that his reproofe may bee the milder; a rhetoricall communicating; Why doe we, that is, Why doe yee.
Deale treacherouſly] the Geneva, why doe wee tranſgreſſe every one againſt his brother? our old Engliſh. Why is every one deceived of his brother? and ſo Mont. But Pagn. otherwiſe, every one deſpiſeth his brother.
Fourthly, another evidence that their dealing was againſt Religion. By prophaning the Covenant of our Fathers?] They broke or violated the Covenant that their Fathers and Anceſtors entered into, to which they ſhould have had regard, and been anſwerable unto it in all equall and righteous converſation.
S. Hierome and ſome others, take this verſe as a particular reproofe of their injurious dealing with their wives and taking others; and that here two arguments are brought to reconcile their love, the Communion of blood, and the Communion of Religion. And that it is the violation of the particular covenant of marriage, or the Covenant againſt marrying of ſtrangers which is here reproved, That they dealt treacherouſly againſt their Brethren, that is, either the brethren of their wives, or their wives themſelves, the females alſo among the Hebrewes being included under the terme of Brethren. But I reſt in the ſenſe above, which is that alſo which Deodate in his margin prefers, though hee give the other alſo, which is that of S. Hierome and comes in the next verſe to bee conſidered. The reader may finde another interpretation in the learned Tarnovius the younger, which to me gives no ſatisfaction, let the reader judge. And thus much of the ſecond Conteſtation.
III. The third Conteſtation.
Thirdly, hee conteſts with them for their marrying with ſtrangers and infidels. verſe 11.12. we have,
1. The ſinne diſcovered. ver. 11.
2. The ſinne threatned ver. 12.
I. Ʋerſe. 11 The ſinne diſcovered. The marrying the daughter of a ſtrange God. verſe. 11. It is diſcovered in many aggravations,
1. From the perſons.
2. From the ſubject place.
3. From the quality of the ſinne.
4. From the effect.
Firſt, from the Berſons, Iudah hath dealt treacherouſly and an abomination is committed in Iſrael and, Ieruſalem] Hee exaggerates the ſame with more and ſharper words; for Iſrael was now no other then Iudah. Iudah, that is, The Iewiſh people, the people of the returne from the captivity of whatſoever Tribe, as, Eſth. 2.5. Mordecai though of the tribe of Benjamin, is called foreign Iudaeus, A Iew. The word is here in the Faeminine Gender, it being uſuall to compare a Nation to a woman, and hence that ordinary phraſe, The daughter of Tyre, The daughter of Zion, &c. The aggravation from the perſons here is this, Iudah the ſonne of praiſe or confeſſion (as wee finde the reaſon of the name in the impoſition, Geneſ. 29.35. of foreign Confeſsus eſt, laudavit) he even Iudah the ſonne of praiſe, and he in whom I am well knowne, Pſal. 76.2. hee hath done that which is unto my diſhonour.
Secondly, from the ſubject place. In Iſrael and Ieruſalem] of Iſrael ſee verſe. 1. Ieruſalem was the Metropolis of Iudaea. It was firſt called Salem where Melchiſedec was King, Geneſ. 14.18. Afterwards it was called Iebus, Judg. 19.10. being in the hands of the Iebuſites; (which made our Minſheiu compound it of Iebus and Salem, as if the name were Iebuſalem, and for better ſound the B changed into R.) But when David got it out of the Iebuſites hands, he called it Ieruſalem of foreign and foreign Videbunt pacem, They ſhall ſee peace. And I the rather aſſent to this derivation (then to that of G. Paſor in his Etyma nom. propr. at the end of his Lexic. in N.T. who would derive it of foreign and foreign Timete Schalemum, Feare yee Salem, A name as hee thinkes given by the Iebuſites to the place out of the confidence of their ſtrength; which cannot bee made evident, neither doe his other reaſons hold. See the place in verbo foreign.) I the rather I ſay aſſent to the former derivation, becauſe David built to the old City of Iebus or Salem, a new addition unto mount Sion, which was mount Moriah lying in the midſt betwixt Sion and Salem, the very place which Abraham long before had named Iireh, will See, as it is Geneſ. 22.14. Hee called the name of that place Iehovah-Iireh, The Lord will ſee. Which haply is the reaſon why the name of this City hath a duall forme (foreign but ordinarily without Iod as it is here, foreign) though it bee ſingular, becauſe it was made up of two parts or two Citties, the upper and lower. Concerning the Situation ſee I. Weemſe, Expoſ. of Moſes Lawes. vol. 2. lib. 1. Exercit 6.7. and, Lud. Capell. Hiſt. Apoſt. pag. 146, &c. The meaning of the place as it is an aggravation of their ſinne, is cleare enough of it ſelfe.
Thirdly, From the qualitie of the ſinne. Iudah hath dealt treacherouſly, An abomination is committed—And hath married the daughter of a ſtrange God.] Their marrying of ſtrange women, the worſhippers of an heathen Idoll, was a treachery againſt the wives of their owne tribes, and againſt God; & an Abomination or an hatefull thing in Gods ſight; a thing that he loathes. Concerning the queſtion, De diſparitate cultue, (whether it bee to bee reckoned Inter Impedimenta Matrimonii; beſides what we ſhall finde in the following commentary, I referre to Reginald praxis Fori. lib. 31. cap. 21. Num. 168. and other Caſuiſts, who anſwer negatively. So doe the Geneva Divines in their anſwer to the 8 queſtions propoſed to them which are inſerted among Zanchy's epiſtles lib. 1 ad finem Epiſtolae 58. and Lucas Oſiander ad hunc loc. This queſtion divided S. Auguſtine and S. Hierom as P. Mart. affirmes, comment. in 1. Reg. 3.1. Where hee hath a very large diſcourſe againſt marriage contracted by thoſe of diverſe religions, yet allowes it in concluſion; ſo that both parties doe meet in the beliefe of the maine Articles of the Creed; which he ſaith, hee puts in for the mitigation of the ſeverer ſentence; which yet was the ſentence of the Ancients admitting no marriage with any of another faith: as it collected by Gratian, canſa 28. qu. 1. cave, &c. and, non oportet, &c. But of this obiter.
Hath married.] foreign. The Ʋnlg. Hath had. Pagn. Hath had to doe with. Montan. Hath tooke to wife. Piſcat. Hath had an husbandly dominion over. The Lxx, foreign, Hath loved. Schindler, Deamavit, hath greatly beloved. The word will beare all theſe and more, but ours have tranſlated it according to the prime, and moſt uſed ſignification of the word.
The daughter of a ſtrange God] They are called, 1 King. 11.1. ſtrange women. As the heathen Idolls are called, Gen. 35.2. foreign Strange Gods. No nation formerly but the Iewes did worſhip the true God; ſo that any woman of another Nation might bee called, The daughter of a ſtrange God: which I ſuppoſe was the reaſon of Deodates note, A woman of a ſtrange Nation or religion. The Lxx here take no notice of foreign Filia, or ſeem to have miſtaken it for ſome other word, and have rendred the place, foreign, Hath beene diligent towards other Gods.
Fourthly, the laſt aggravation of their ſinne, is from the effect of it. For Iudah hath profaned the holineſſe of the Lord which hee loved Or, ought to love.] Kodeſch. The Holines, that is, the holy and ſeparate land of Iudaea, the Country that God had choſen to bee holy and peculiar to him, they had defiled, and their owne dignity, who were a people holy unto the Lord and beloved. This interpretation is given by the commentary, which is that alſo of S. Hier. Remigius, Hugo, &c. There are others, the Vulg. reades. The Sanctification. Pagnin. and the Tigur: the holy place. The Chalde Paraphraſe, They have defiled their owne ſoule; which was ſanctified to the Lord, or before him, and beloved of him. The Lxx, The holy things. Some underſtand the Temple; ſo Oſiander; ſome, the Law; ſome, Their Religion and the worſhip of God; ſome, as, Vatabl: Piſcat: and many others, The holy or ſanctified ordinance of Marriage made by the Lord. I aſſent to S. Hierom, as above.
II. The ſinne thus diſcovered, is threatned, Verſe 12. Ʋerſe. 12 The Lord will cut off the man that doth this: the maſter and the ſcholar out of the tabernacles of Jacob, and him that offereth an offering unto the Lord of hoſts] He threatens an utter diſperſion even of the whole families of ſuch.
The Lord will cut off] The Lord will ſcatter him, ſo the Lxx, foreign, or cut him downe, or, loppe off his boughes. Piſcator expreſſeth it thus, The Lord will cut off his children that doth thus, the children that he begets, of the daughter of a ſtrange God. Haply hee had reſpect to thoſe Rabbins who interpret this phraſe To be cut off, To dye without children: which the Reader may ſee in a peculiar diſcourſe of Sixt. Amama Antib. Bibl. appendice ad Geneſ. 17.14. pag. 954, &c. Where there is more of this phraſe. Our commentary makes it a Metaphor from the uſe of Phyſitians, who cut off rotten members, or of the Sword or Axe which cuts off the head; and ſo wee have the word, 1. Sam. 31.9. foreign. They cut off his head.
The man that doth this] foreign The word is faeminine, but uſed Neutrally, and ſo it is by all interpreted. The Lxx, in the purall, foreign, Hee that doth ſuch, or theſe things; but it is meant particularly of this ſinne of marrying Idolaters.
The maſter and the ſcholar. Or, him that wakeneth, and him that anſwereth] foreign. The maſter and the ſervant, ſo the Geneva. The rayſer up (or, the queſtion-mover) and the anſwerer; ſo our old Engliſh Bible. He that is the author, and he that follows him; ſo the Tignrine. He that wakeneth, that is, he that ſtudiouſly obſerves ſtrange women, that he may marry where hee likes; and hee that defends, that is, that defends this kinde of marriage; ſo Piſcator. The French, As well him that begins as him that anſweres. The Italian, Him that wakes or watches and him that anſwers: which Deodate in his margin underſtands of the keepers, porters, and ſingers of the Temple, (who anſwered in courſe in ſinging according to the order of that ſacred muſicke) who had polluted themſelves with ſuch marriages. Others expreſſe it otherwiſe; I encline to S. Hierom, Montanus, Tarnovius, and our commentary, as I have given it above, That it is meant of a diſperſion even of the whole families of ſuch, one and other, Prieſt and people, maſter and ſcholler; which ſeemes to bee ſo out of the following words, Out of the Tabernacles (or Tents) of Iacob. And what if it were a proverbiall and ordinary phraſe among the Iewes, to which the Prophet might haply allude and make uſe of it; But I ſubmit the conjecture. Only here the interpretation of the Septuag. ſeemes to be ſingular, I will cut off him that doth theſe, untill he be brought low out of the tents of Iacob. Taking foreign Aduſque, untill; for foreign, and miſſing the ſenſe of the other word, foreign ſignifying both, To anſwer, and To bring low.
And him that offereth an offring.] That is, I will cut him off, yea though hee bee a prieſt that is faulty in this kind: ſo the Chald: and Cyrill. Or, though he offer an offering to reconcile me to him againe being diſpleaſed with ſuch marriages; ſo others. And thus much for the third conteſtation.