Malachi 1:2
New International Version
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob,

New Living Translation
“I have always loved you,” says the LORD. But you retort, “Really? How have you loved us?” And the LORD replies, “This is how I showed my love for you: I loved your ancestor Jacob,

English Standard Version
“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

Berean Standard Bible
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you ask, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved,

King James Bible
I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,

New King James Version
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. “Yet you say, ‘In what way have You loved us?’ Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved;

New American Standard Bible
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was Esau not Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob;

NASB 1995
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob;

NASB 1977
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How hast Thou loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob;

Legacy Standard Bible
“I have loved you,” says Yahweh. But you say, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares Yahweh. “Yet I have loved Jacob;

Amplified Bible
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How and in what way have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I loved Jacob (Israel);

Christian Standard Bible
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. Yet you ask, “How have you loved us? ” “Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother? ” This is the LORD’s declaration. “Even so, I loved Jacob,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you ask: “How have You loved us?"” Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” This is the LORD’s declaration. “Even so, I loved Jacob,

American Standard Version
I have loved you, saith Jehovah. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother, saith Jehovah: yet I loved Jacob;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
I have loved you, says LORD JEHOVAH, and you were saying: ”In what have you loved us?” Was not Esau the brother of Yaqob, says LORD JEHOVAH? I have loved Yaqob and Esau I have hated

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I have loved you, saith the Lord. And ye said, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob,

Contemporary English Version
Israel, I, the LORD, have loved you. And yet you ask in what way have I loved you. Don't forget that Esau was the brother of your ancestor Jacob, but I chose Jacob

Douay-Rheims Bible
I have loved you, saith the Lord: and you have said: Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau brother to Jacob, saith the Lord, and I have loved Jacob,

English Revised Version
I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"I loved you," says the LORD. "But you ask, 'How did you love us?' "Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the LORD. "I loved Jacob,

Good News Translation
The LORD says to his people, "I have always loved you." But they reply, "How have you shown your love for us?" The LORD answers, "Esau and Jacob were brothers, but I have loved Jacob and his descendants,

International Standard Version
"I've loved you," says the LORD. "But you ask, 'How have you loved us?' "Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the LORD, "yet I loved Jacob,

JPS Tanakh 1917
I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say: 'Wherein hast Thou loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother? Saith the LORD; Yet I loved Jacob;

Literal Standard Version
“I have loved you, said YHWH, | And you have said, | In what have You loved us?

Majority Standard Bible
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you ask, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved,

New American Bible
I love you, says the LORD; but you say, “How do you love us?”

NET Bible
"I have shown love to you," says the LORD, but you say, "How have you shown love to us?" "Esau was Jacob's brother," the LORD explains, "yet I chose Jacob

New Revised Standard Version
I have loved you, says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” Is not Esau Jacob’s brother? says the LORD. Yet I have loved Jacob

New Heart English Bible
"I have loved you," says the LORD. Yet you say, "How have you loved us?" "Wasn't Esau Jacob's brother?" says the LORD, "Yet I loved Jacob;

Webster's Bible Translation
I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, In what hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,

World English Bible
“I have loved you,” says Yahweh. Yet you say, “How have you loved us?” “Wasn’t Esau Jacob’s brother?” says Yahweh, “Yet I loved Jacob;

Young's Literal Translation
I have loved you, said Jehovah, And ye have said, 'In what hast Thou loved us?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The LORD's Love for Israel
1This is the burden of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi: 2“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you ask, “How have You loved us?” “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet Jacob I have loved, 3but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”…

Cross References
John 15:12
This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Romans 9:13
So it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

Genesis 25:23
and He declared to her: "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger."

Deuteronomy 4:37
Because He loved your fathers, He chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by His presence and great power,

Deuteronomy 7:8
But because the LORD loved you and kept the oath He swore to your fathers, He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Deuteronomy 23:5
Yet the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.

Deuteronomy 33:3
Surely You love the people; all the holy ones are in Your hand, and they sit down at Your feet; each receives Your words--


Treasury of Scripture

I have loved you, said the LORD. Yet you say, Wherein have you loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? said the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,

I have.

Malachi 1:2-5
I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, …

Deuteronomy 7:6-8
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth…

Deuteronomy 10:15
Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.

Deuteronomy 32:8-14
When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel…

Wherein.

Malachi 1:6,7
A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? …

Malachi 2:17
Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

Malachi 3:7,8,13,14
Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return? …

yet I.

Genesis 25:23
And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.

Genesis 27:27-30,33
And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed: …

Genesis 28:3,4,13,14
And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; …

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Declares Esau Jacob Jacob's Loved Wasn't Wherein
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Declares Esau Jacob Jacob's Loved Wasn't Wherein
Malachi 1
1. Malachi complains of Israel's unkindness;
2. of their irreverence and profaneness.














(2) I have loved--i.e., shown abundant proof of my love. The prophet goes on to show how God has shown so great proofs of His love.

Was not Esau Jacob's brother?--And would not one suppose from that fact they would have similar privileges? But not so.

I loved Jacob, (3) and I hated Esau . . .--The ethical reason for God's love of Jacob and hatred of Esau is not touched upon here, nor is it necessary to the argument. It is God's love for Israel that the prophet wishes to dwell on, and he mentions the hatred towards Esau merely for the sake of a strong contrast. The nations, Israel and Edom, are here referred to, not the individuals, Jacob and Esau. This passage receives a graphic illustration from the words of Psalm 137:7, composed after the return from the captivity: "Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof." (On St. Paul's application of the words of Malachi, see Notes on Romans 9:13.)

Laid his mountains . . . waste . . .--It is a somewhat disputed point to what historical fact this refers. But, on the whole, we may reasonably infer from Jeremiah 49:7; Jeremiah 49:17-21, compared with Jeremiah 25:9; Jeremiah 25:21, that the subjugation of the Edomites by Nebuchadnezzar is here referred to. . . .

Verse 2-5. - § 2. The prophet declares God's special love for Israel Verse 2. - I have loved you. The prophet, desiring to bring home to the people their ingratitude, lays down his thesis; then, in his characteristic manner, repeats the objection of the sceptics in an interrogatory form, and refutes it by plain argument. God had shown his love for Israel by electing them to be his people, and by his treatment of them during the whole course of their history. Wherein hast thou loved us! This was the inward feeling of the people at this time. They doubted God's love and faithfulness. Events had not turned out as they expected. They had, indeed, returned from captivity, and the temple was rebuilt; but none of the splendid things announced by the prophets had come to pass. They were not great and victorious; Messiah had not appeared. Therefore they repined and murmured: they were ungrateful for past favours, and questioned God's power and providence. Was not Esau Jacob's brother? God refutes their unjust charge by referring them to a palpable fact, viz. the different fate of the descendants of the twin brothers, Esau and Jacob. How miserable the destiny of the Edomites! how comparatively fortunate the condition of the Israelites! Yet I loved Jacob.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“I have loved you,”
אָהַ֤בְתִּי (’ā·haḇ·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 157: To have affection f

says
אָמַ֣ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

the LORD.
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

But you ask,
וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם (wa·’ă·mar·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“How
בַּמָּ֣ה (bam·māh)
Preposition-b | Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

have You loved us?”
אֲהַבְתָּ֑נוּ (’ă·haḇ·tā·nū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular | first person common plural
Strong's 157: To have affection f

“Was not
הֲלוֹא־ (hă·lō·w-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

Esau
עֵשָׂ֤ו (‘ê·śāw)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6215: Esau -- oldest son of Isaac

Jacob’s
לְיַֽעֲקֹב֙ (lə·ya·‘ă·qōḇ)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3290: Jacob -- a son of Isaac, also his desc

brother?”
אָ֨ח (’āḥ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 251: A brother, )

declares
נְאֻם־ (nə·’um-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5002: An oracle

the LORD.
יְהוָ֔ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

“Yet Jacob
יַעֲקֹֽב׃ (ya·‘ă·qōḇ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3290: Jacob -- a son of Isaac, also his desc

I have loved,
וָאֹהַ֖ב (wā·’ō·haḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 157: To have affection f


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OT Prophets: Malachi 1:2 I have loved you says Yahweh (Malachi Mal Ml)
Malachi 1:1
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