Verse (Click for Chapter) 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; 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 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, 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, 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 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; Literal Translations Literal Standard Version“I have loved you, said YHWH, "" And you have said, "" In what have You loved us? Young's Literal Translation I have loved you, said Jehovah, And ye have said, 'In what hast Thou loved us?' Smith's Literal Translation I loved you, said Jehovah. And ye said, In what didst thou love us? Was not Esau brother to Jacob? says Jehovah: and loving Jacob. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleI 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, Catholic Public Domain Version I have loved you, says the Lord, and you have said, “In what way have you loved us?” Was not Esau brother to Jacob, says the Lord? And have I not loved Jacob, New American Bible I love you, says the LORD; but you say, “How do you love us?” 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 Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleI have loved you, says the LORD. But you say, In what way hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? says the LORD; yet I have loved Jacob, and I have not favored Esau; Peshitta Holy Bible Translated 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 OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917I 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; 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, Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The LORD's Love for Israel1This 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 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.” Genesis 27:27-30 So he came near and kissed him. When Isaac smelled his clothing, he blessed him and said: “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. / May God give to you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth—an abundance of grain and new wine. / May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.” ... Genesis 28:13-15 And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie. / Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. / Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Deuteronomy 7:7-8 The LORD did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than the other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. / 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. Genesis 12:1-3 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your kindred, and your father’s household, and go to the land I will show you. / I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. / I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 25:28 Because Isaac had a taste for wild game, he loved Esau; but Rebekah loved Jacob. Genesis 32:28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.” Genesis 33:1-4 Now Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming toward him with four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. / He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear. / But Jacob himself went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. ... Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving devotion. Obadiah 1:10-12 Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame and cut off forever. / On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them. / But you should not gloat in that day, your brother’s day of misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast proudly in the day of their distress. Isaiah 41:8-9 “But you, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham My friend— / I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said, ‘You are My servant.’ I have chosen and not rejected you. Isaiah 43:4 Because you are precious and honored in My sight, and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you and nations in place of your life. Isaiah 44:1-2 But now listen, O Jacob My servant, Israel, whom I have chosen. / This is the word of the LORD, your Maker, who formed you from the womb and who will help you: “Do not be afraid, O Jacob My servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. 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; … Jump to Previous Declares Esau Jacob Jacob's Loved Wasn't WhereinJump to Next Declares Esau Jacob Jacob's Loved Wasn't WhereinMalachi 1 1. Malachi complains of Israel's unkindness;2. of their irreverence and profaneness. I have loved you This phrase is a profound declaration from God to the Israelites, emphasizing His enduring and covenantal love. The Hebrew word for "loved" here is "אָהַב" (ahav), which conveys a deep, abiding affection and commitment. This love is not based on Israel's merit but on God's sovereign choice and faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Historically, this love is demonstrated through God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt, His guidance through the wilderness, and His establishment of them in the Promised Land. This statement sets the tone for the entire book of Malachi, reminding the Israelites of God's unwavering love despite their unfaithfulness. 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 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 Links Malachi 1:2 NIVMalachi 1:2 NLT Malachi 1:2 ESV Malachi 1:2 NASB Malachi 1:2 KJV Malachi 1:2 BibleApps.com Malachi 1:2 Biblia Paralela Malachi 1:2 Chinese Bible Malachi 1:2 French Bible Malachi 1:2 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Malachi 1:2 I have loved you says Yahweh (Malachi Mal Ml) |
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