MAL 1:2 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) “I have loved you all,” says Yahweh, but you say, “How have you shown your love for us?”
¶ “Wasn’t Esaw Yacob’s brother?” declares Yahweh. “Yet I’ve loved Yacob

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative, green:YHWH.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Ἠγάπησα ὑμᾶς, λέγει Κύριος· καὶ εἴπατε, ἐν τίνι ἠγάπησας ἡμᾶς; οὐκ ἀδελφὸς ἦν Ἠσαῦ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ ἠγάπησα τὸν Ἰακὼβ,
(Aʸgapaʸsa humas, legei Kurios; kai eipate, en tini aʸgapaʸsas haʸmas; ouk adelfos aʸn Aʸsau tou Yakōb, legei Kurios, kai aʸgapaʸsa ton Yakōb, )

BrTr 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,

ULT “I have loved you,” says Yahweh. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Was not Esau the brother of Jacob?” declares Yahweh. “Yet I have loved Jacob,

UST Yahweh says, “I have loved you.” But I, Malachi, hear you people reply, “How have you shown us that you love us?”
¶ Yahweh replies,
¶ “Is it not true that Esau and Jacob were brothers? Yet I have a covenant with Jacob and his descendants, but I have no covenant with Esau and his descendants. I caused Esau’s region to be abandoned, a place where wild dogs live.”

BSB § “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,

OEB ¶ ‘I have loved you,’ says the Lord. ‘But you ask, “How have you shown love to us?” Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ explains the Lord of hosts, ‘yet I loved Jacob,

WEBBE “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;

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(2-3)God said, “I love you.”
You replied, “Really? How have you loved us?”
“Look at history” (this is God’s answer). “Look at how differently I’ve treated you, Jacob, from Esau: I loved Jacob and hated Esau. I reduced pretentious Esau to a molehill, turned his whole country into a ghost town.”

NET “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

LSV “I have loved you, said YHWH,
And you have said,
In what have You loved us?

FBV I have loved[fn] you, says the Lord.
¶ But you ask, “How have you loved us?”
¶ Wasn't Esau Joseph's brother? the Lord responds. But I loved Joseph

1:2 The tense of the verb indicates not just a past action but a past action that continues in the present.

T4T Yahweh says, “I have always loved you Israeli people.”

LEB “I have loved you,” says Yahweh, but you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is Esau not Jacob’s brother?” declares[fn] Yahweh. “I have loved Jacob,

1:2 Literally “declaration of”

BBE You have been loved by me, says the Lord. But you say, Where was your love for us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? says the Lord: but Jacob was loved by me,

Moff No Moff MAL book available

JPS 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;

ASV 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;

DRA 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,

YLT I have loved you, said Jehovah, And ye have said, 'In what hast Thou loved us?'

Drby I have loved you, saith Jehovah; but ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith Jehovah, and I loved Jacob,

RV 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;

Wbstr 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,

KJB-1769 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,
(I have loved you, saith/says the LORD. Yet ye/you_all say, Wherein hast thou/you loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith/says the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, )

KJB-1611 [fn]I haue loued you, sayth the LORD: yet yee say, Wherein hast thou loued vs? was not Esau Iacobs brother, sayth the LORD? yet I loued Iacob,
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes))

1:2 Rom.9.13.

Bshps I haue loued you saith the Lord: yet ye say, wherein hast thou loued vs? Was not Esau Iacobs brother, saith the Lorde, yet loued I Iacob?
(I have loved you saith/says the Lord: yet ye/you_all say, wherein hast thou/you loved us? Was not Esau Yacobs brother, saith/says the Lord, yet loved I Yacob?)

Gnva I haue loued you, sayth the Lord: yet yee say, Wherein hast thou loued vs? Was not Esau Iaakobs brother, saith the Lord? yet I loued Iaakob,
(I have loved you, saith/says the Lord: yet ye/you_all say, Wherein hast thou/you loved us? Was not Esau Yacobs brother, saith/says the Lord? yet I loved Yacob, )

Cvdl I haue loued you, sayeth ye LORDE: ad yet ye saye: wherin hast thou loued vs? Was not Esau Iacobs brother, sayeth the LORDE? yet haue I loued Iacob,
(I have loved you, sayeth ye/you_all LORD: ad yet ye/you_all say: wherin hast thou/you loved us? Was not Esau Yacobs brother, sayeth the LORD? yet have I loved Yacob,)

Wycl Y louyde you, seith the Lord, and ye seiden, In what thing louydist thou vs? Whether Esau was not the brother of Jacob, seith the Lord, and Y louyde Jacob,
(I loved you, saith/says the Lord, and ye/you_all said, In what thing louydist thou/you us? Whether Esau was not the brother of Yacob, saith/says the Lord, and I loved Yacob,)

Luth Ich hab euch lieb, spricht der HErr. So sprechet ihr: Womit hast du uns lieb? Ist nicht Esau Jakobs Bruder? spricht der HErr; noch hab ich Jakob lieb
(I hab you lieb, says the/of_the LORD. So sprechet ihr: Womit have you us/to_us/ourselves lieb? Is not Esau Yakobs brother? says the/of_the LORD; still hab I Yakob lieb)

ClVg Dilexi vos, dicit Dominus, et dixistis: In quo dilexisti nos? Nonne frater erat Esau Jacob? dicit Dominus: et dilexi Jacob,
(Dilexi vos, dicit Master, and dixistis: In quo dilexisti nos? Isn't_it frater was Esau Yacob? dicit Master: and dilexi Yacob, )

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

God’s Love for Israel

The prophet Malachi’s message to the people of Israel begins, “‘I have always loved you,’ says the Lord” (Mal 1:2). Indeed, God’s love for Israel is evidenced throughout the Old Testament. Malachi’s call to examine the events of history for evidence of God’s love and power connects his book to the larger story of salvation in the Bible. The psalmist, for instance, boldly proclaims the glorious deeds of the Lord to the next generation, so that each generation might “set its hope anew on God, . . . obeying his commands” (Ps 78:2-4, 7). The touchstone for God’s activity in Old Testament history was the exodus from Egypt (see Pss 78:12-13; 105:26-38; 106:7-12). Israel commemorated that event annually in the Festival of Passover and included a catechism for instructing the next generation in the mighty deeds of God (Exod 12–13), so that they would always remember his loving action toward them.

Unfortunately, the people of Israel frequently forsook God and broke their covenant with him. Even so, his love for them never completely dissipated (see Hos 3:1). Their apostasy resulted in God’s judgment—culminating in exile from their land—but even in the midst of this catastrophe, he preserved a remnant of his people and pledged to restore them (Isa 65:8-9).

The Old Testament prophets anticipated a future time when God would display his love for Israel by sending a Branch of David (Isa 11:1-5), a righteous King (Zech 9:9-10), a Sun of Righteousness (Mal 4:1-3). The fulfillment of these prophecies came through Christ, whose death produced another central event for God’s people, also commemorated with a meal—the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:20-34). This redemptive act of God provided the ultimate demonstration of love for his people—both Jews and Gentiles.

Passages for Further Study

Exod 12:1–13:16; Pss 47:4; 78:2-4, 7, 12-13; 98:3; 105:26-27, 37; 106:7-8; Hos 3:1; 11:1; Mal 1:2; 1 Cor 5:7; 11:20-34; 15:1-4

Preaching to a Tough Crowd

Sometimes God calls individuals to proclaim his word to a difficult audience. The listeners may be resistant to God’s truth and may reject both the message and the messenger. This was especially true of the Old Testament prophets, who often proclaimed messages the people did not want to hear (see Jer 26:7-9; 38:1-6; Amos 7:10-13).

Malachi’s sermons were directed to a tough audience. Among those in his congregation were the disillusioned (Mal 1:2), the cynical (1:7; 2:2), the callous (2:13-16), the dishonest (3:5), the apathetic (3:14-15), the doubters and skeptics, and the truly wicked (see 4:1). What does a preacher say to this kind of crowd?

Malachi engaged his audience rhetorically through dialogue in a series of disputations. The prophet’s strong rebuke and clever anticipation of his audience’s rebuttals was a wake-up call that hit the mark: “Those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said” (3:16).

Like the prophets, both Jesus and his followers found themselves proclaiming messages to resistant audiences (see, e.g., Luke 4:16-30; John 10:22-40; Acts 5:26-40; 22:30–23:10). But such resistance did not provide impetus for neglecting the God-ordained task of proclaiming his word (see Acts 5:41-42). While those who preach a message from the Lord can hope for a positive response, as in the case of Malachi, such receptivity is by no means guaranteed.

Passages for Further Study

Gen 19:6-11; Exod 17:1-13; Judg 9:1-21; 1 Kgs 22:8-28; Jer 28:1-17; Mal 3:14-18; John 10:24-39; Acts 22:30–23:10

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-quotations

אָהַ֤בְתִּי אֶתְ⁠כֶם֙ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה

loved DOM,you_all he/it_had_said YHWH

In your translation, use a natural way of introducing direct quotations in your language. Alternate translation: “Yahweh says, ‘I have loved you’”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / yousingular

אֶתְ⁠כֶם֙

DOM,you_all

The word you is plural here because Yahweh is addressing the Israelites as a group, so use the plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction. The words “you,” “your,” and “yourselves” are usually plural in this book when they refer to the Israelites. These notes will indicate any exceptions. The word “you” is always singular when it refers to Yahweh.

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וַ⁠אֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם

and,say

Malachi is probably not quoting an actual response from the Judeans. Rather, he is anticipating an objection, stating it, and then answering it. See the further discussion in the General Introduction to Malachi. Alternate translation: “Now you may object”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

הֲ⁠לוֹא־אָ֨ח עֵשָׂ֤ו לְ⁠יַֽעֲקֹב֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה וָ⁠אֹהַ֖ב אֶֽת־יַעֲקֹֽב

am=not brother ˊĒsāv to,Jacob declares YHWH and,loved DOM Yaakob

If it would be more natural in your language, you could change the order of these phrases so that the speaker, Yahweh, is identified before we read the words which he speaks. Alternate translation: “Yahweh declares, “Was not Esau a brother to Jacob? Yet I loved Jacob”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

הֲ⁠לוֹא אָ֨ח עֵשָׂ֤ו לְ⁠יַֽעֲקֹב֙

am=not brother ˊĒsāv to,Jacob

Yahweh is using the question form for emphasis. If a speaker of your language would not use the question form for that purpose, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Now Esau was Jacob’s brother”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

הֲ⁠לוֹא אָ֨ח עֵשָׂ֤ו לְ⁠יַֽעֲקֹב֙

am=not brother ˊĒsāv to,Jacob

Yahweh is using the names Esau and Jacob by association to mean their descendants. Alternate translation: “Are the Edomites not a related people group to you Israelites?” or “Now the Edomites are a related people group to you Israelites”

Note 7 topic: writing-quotations

נְאֻם יְהוָ֔ה

declares YHWH

This phrase indicates that this is a direct quotation from Yahweh. In your translation, use a natural way of introducing direct quotations in your language. Alternate translation: “Yahweh declares”

Note 8 topic: grammar-collectivenouns

וָ⁠אֹהַ֖ב אֶֽת יַעֲקֹֽב

and,loved DOM Yaakob

Yahweh is referring to the Israelites as a group by using the name of their ancestor, Jacob. Alternate translation: “Yet I loved you Israelites”

Parallel MAL 1:2