Think Wink.

My fellow blogger at Theology for the Masses, Henry Michael Imler, posted a response to my post, My Comfort in Romans 9, that I posted back in early January. In his post, he made the case that a non-calvinistic approach to Romans 9 can raise the same questions that Paul fends off. In that post, he makes mention of Romans 9:13, “As it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’” Paul is quoting Malachi 1:2-3 in that text. Henry mentions that the terms “loved” and “hated” are not to be taken as “loved” and “hated” but that it should be taken as “loved more” and “loved less.” I have been thinking long and hard about this and my eagerness to put my thoughts down about Malachi 1:2-3 and the meaning of “loved” and “hated” so that I what I am going to do here in this post. Does Malachi mean for us to understand him to be saying “loved/hated” or “loved more/loved less?” My contention is that it is as it is translated, “loved/hated.” I am going to base this upon how the Bible uses the Hebrew term sane’ and the immediate context of Malachi 1:2-5.

First, the biblical useage of sane’. The term is only found twice in Malachi and a total of 145 times in the Old Testament. One hundred and twenty-nine of those appearances, the term is translated to be hate or hated or hatred. One time it is translated to mean “hated her intensely.” It speaks of an enemy or foe twice, detest once, three times is speaks of turning against or betrayal, it speaks of enmity once, and being unloved seven times. The basic meaning of the word is not lending itself to loved less but rather not loved at all. This really comes forth in Malachi 2:16, the only other place Malachi uses sane’ for hate. Malachi says, “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her…” (ESV). The NASB translates the Malachi 2:16 as, “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel.” There is no love in this verse, there is a lack of love. So when we come to Malachi 1:3 and “but Esau I have hated,” Yahweh is saying he has no love for Esau, not less love.

But I think the meaning of hatred will come out further in the immediate context of Malachi 1:2-5. Malachi writes to us, “‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have you loved us?’ ‘Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ declares the Lord. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.’ 4 If Edom says, ‘We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,’ the Lord of hosts says, ‘They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called “the wicked country,” and “the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.”‘ 5 Your own eyes shall see this, and you shall say, ‘Great is the Lord beyond the border of Israel!’” In this passage, I see four arguments for translating sane’ as “hate” and not “loved less” aside from the brief lexical survey already mentioned.

The first is in Malachi 1:2, ” ‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord. But you say, ‘How have you loved us?’ ‘Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ declares the Lord. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob.’” God declares his love for Israel, Jacob. But they do not see God’s love for them. So God takes them back to Genesis and the birth of Jacob and Esau. God reminds Israel that he could have chosen to love Esau but instead he has loved Jacob. They were twins and had an equal opportunity at the covenant. But God says he loved Jacob instead of Esau.

The second is in Malachi 1:4, “If Edom says, ‘We are shattered but we will rebuild the ruins,’ the Lord of hosts says, ‘They may build, but I will tear down.’” Here is Edom seeing that she is broken and ruined. But they are planning on rebuilding. If that ever happens, God says that he will tear them back down. He is opposing Esau and will not let her regain her former might and will continue to hold her down. It does not sound like he loves Esau less if he is not letting her recover from her shattered condition.

Third is also found also in Malachi 1:4 in which God says, “The Lord of hosts says, ‘They may build, but I will tear down, and they will be called “the wicked country.”‘” God in his opposition to the Edomites will give them the reputation of being the wicked country. From all the neighboring country, Edom will be known as wicked. God will not work in their borders in such a way that they will spiritually grow and enter into a relationship with him. He is cutting off his holiness from them. How does God just love them less and not hate them?

The final argument that I submit is the end of Malachi 1:4, “they will be called…’the people with whom the Lord is angry forever.’” The Hebrew for “angry” is a very strong word. It is translated here in the NASB as “indignant.” It occurs only twelve times int he Old Testament. It speaks of anger, indignation, rage, abhorance, denouncing, and cursing. This is a strong term to level at Edom for forever.

I am therefore confused at how one can say that the context of Malachi suggests “loved less” versus “hated.” Thus when God says he loves (ahab) Jacob, it isn’t just love more, it means he loves Jacob. It is the same love God spoke to Israel in Deuteronomy 7:7-8. The contrast is love/hate, not loved more/loved less. This is the way Malachi meant for us to read his prophecy and Paul uses his prophecy. God accepted Jacob but rejected Esau in his unconditional election. God loved Jacob and his offspring, he hated Esau and his offspring.

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