MAL 2:15 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—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). 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 to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Didn’t Yahweh make you and your wife one and give you some of his spirit because he wanted godly children to come from your marriage? So guard yourselves in your spirit, and don’t be unfaithful to the woman you married when you were young.

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative, blue:Elohim.
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 Καὶ οὐ καλὸν ἐποίησε; καὶ ὑπόλειμμα πνεύματος αὐτοῦ· καὶ εἴπατε, τί ἄλλο ἢ σπέρμα ζητεῖ ὁ Θεός; καὶ φυλάξασθε ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ὑμῶν, καὶ γυναῖκα νεότητός σου μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς.
(Kai ou kalon epoiaʸse; kai hupoleimma pneumatos autou; kai eipate, ti allo aʸ sperma zaʸtei ho Theos; kai fulaxasthe en tōi pneumati humōn, kai gunaika neotaʸtos sou maʸ egkatalipaʸs. )

BrTr And did he not do well? and there was the residue of his spirit. But ye said, What does God seek but a seed? But take ye heed to your spirit, and forsake not the wife of thy youth.

ULT And did he not make one, and a remnant of spirit was to him? And why one? He was seeking seed of God. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not deal treacherously with the wife of your youth.

UST God has united husbands and wives so that they are one, and he has made their marriage a spiritual relationship. God made them one because he wants them to have children who are faithful to him. So be careful. Do not break your promise to the wife you married when you were a young man.

OEB Did not the one God make everyone, so that all both flesh and spirit is his? And what does that one God seek but godly children? Therefore keep watch over your spirit, and let none of you deal faithlessly with the wife of your youth.

WEBBE Did he not make you one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? Why one? He sought godly offspring. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET No one who has even a small portion of the Spirit in him does this. What did our ancestor do when seeking a child from God? Be attentive, then, to your own spirit, for one should not be disloyal to the wife he took in his youth.

LSV And He did not make one [only],
And a remnant of the Spirit [is] for him. And what [is] the one [alone]! He is seeking a godly seed. And you have been watchful over your spirit,
And with the wife of your youth,
None deal treacherously.

FBV Did he not make you one, and give some of his Spirit to you? And what does he want? Children of God.[fn] So watch what you do, and don't be unfaithful to the wife you married when you were young.

2:15 This is one of the most obscure verses in the Old Testament, and consequently there are many very different interpretations. Some take this line to refer to the man and wife become one flesh, as noted in Genesis. Others see the “not one” as the subject of the sentence and so another possible translation would be something like: “No one would have acted like that if he had a remnant of the spirit.” Some have seen the “one” as referring to Abraham as the father of Israel, and the fact that he divorced Hagar may have cited as a precedent by some for their divorces. The response then would be that Abraham was protecting the “children of God” through Isaac. Whatever the case, it seems best to leave some of the ambiguity present, though in the context of discussing marriage relationships it would seem that the original design for marriage in Eden would be a relevant aspect for Malachi to mention.

T4T It is certainly [RHQ] Yahweh who joined you together. Your spirits and your bodies belong to him. So what he wants [RHQ] from you are godly children. So make sure that each of you men remain ◄with/loyal to► the woman that you married when you were young.

LEB _⌊Did not one God make them?_⌋[fn] But a remnant of the spirit is his.[fn] And what does the one God desire? An offspring of God.[fn] _⌊You must be attentive to_⌋[fn] your spirit, and you must not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.

2:15 Literally “Not one did he make”

2:15 The meaning of this sentence is difficult; literally “And a remnant of the spirit to him”

2:15 Or “a godly offspring”

2:15 Literally “You must keep watch on”

BBE ... So give thought to your spirit, and let no one be false to the wife of his early years.

Moff Not one of you has any trace of moral sense. Not one desires to have children from God. Take heed to yourselves, and let none prove unfaithful to the wife of his youth,

JPS And not one hath done so who had exuberance of spirit! For what seeketh the one? a seed given of God. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

ASV And did he not make one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? And wherefore one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

DRA Did not one make her, and she is the residue of his spirit? And what doth one seek, but the seed of God? Keep then your spirit, and despise not the wife of thy youth.

YLT And He did not make one [only], And He hath the remnant of the Spirit. And what [is] the one [alone]! He is seeking a godly seed. And ye have been watchful over your spirit, And with the wife of thy youth, None doth deal treacherously.

Drby And did not one make [them]? and the remnant of the Spirit was his. And wherefore the one? He sought a seed of [fn]God. Take heed then to your spirit, and let none deal unfaithfully against the wife of his youth,

2.15 Elohim

RV And did he not make one, although he had the residue of the spirit? And wherefore one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

SLT And did he not make one? And the remainder of the spirit to him. And why one? Seeking a seed of God. And ye matched in your spirit, and he shall not deal faithlessly against the wife of thy youth.

Wbstr And did he not make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And why one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.

KJB-1769 And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.[fn][fn][fn]

2.15 residue: or, excellency

2.15 godly…: Heb. seed of God

2.15 treacherously: or, unfaithfully

KJB-1611 [fn][fn][fn]And did not he make one? yet had he the residue of the spirit: and wherefore one? that hee might seeke a godly seed: therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deale treacherously against the wife of his youth.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes)

2:15 Or, excellencie.

2:15 Heb. a seed of God.

2:15 Or, vnfaithfully.

Bshps And did not he make one? yet had he aboundaunce of spiritie: And wherfore one? Because he sought a godly seede: therefore kepe your selues in your spirite, and let none transgresse against the wyfe of his youth.
(And did not he make one? yet had he abundance of spiritie: And wherefore one? Because he sought a godly seed: therefore keep yourselves in your spirit, and let none transgress against the wife of his youth.)

Gnva And did not hee make one? yet had hee abundance of spirit: and wherefore one? because he sought a godly seede: therefore keepe your selues in your spirit, and let none trespasse against the wife of his youth.
(And did not he make one? yet had he abundance of spirit: and wherefore one? because he sought a godly seed: therefore keep yourselves in your spirit, and let none trespass against the wife of his youth. )

Cvdl So dyd not the one, & yet had he an excellent sprete. What dyd then the one? He sought the sede promised of God. Therfore loke well to youre sprete, & let no man despyse ye wife of his youth.
(So did not the one, and yet had he an excellent spirit. What did then the one? He sought the seed promised of God. Therefore look well to your(pl) spirit, and let no man despise ye/you_all wife of his youth.)

Wycl Whether oon made not, and residue of spirit is his? and what sekith oon, no but the seed of God? Therfore kepe ye youre spirit, and nyle thou dispise the wijf of thi yongthe;
(Whether one made not, and residue of spirit is his? and what seeketh/seeks one, no but the seed of God? Therefore keep ye/you_all your(pl) spirit, and won’t thou/you despise the wife of thy/your youth;)

Luth Also tat der Einige nicht und war doch eines großen Geistes. Was tat aber der Einige? Er suchte den Samen von GOtt (verheißen). Darum so sehet euch vor vor eurem Geiste, und verachte keiner das Weib seiner Jugend!
(So did the/of_the Einige not and what/which though/but one/a large spirit. What did but the/of_the Einige? He searched the seed(s) from God (promised). Therefore so see you before/in_front_of before/in_front_of yours(pl) spirits, and verachte none/no_one the woman his youth!)

ClVg Nonne unus fecit, et residuum spiritus ejus est? et quid unus quærit, nisi semen Dei? custodite ergo spiritum vestrum, et uxorem adolescentiæ tuæ noli despicere.
(Isn't_it one he_did, and residuum spirit his it_is? and what one seeks, except seed of_God? keep_safe therefore spirit of_you, and wife of_adolescence yours don't despicere. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:10–16: Malachi rebuked the people of Israel because they had been unfaithful to the LORD

This section contains the central message of the book. It highlights its main theme: that is, that both the priests and the people had been unfaithful to the LORD. The LORD here called them to repent and to follow him again.

This section lists three specific ways in which the people of Israel as a nation had broken their covenant with the LORD:

They had married wives who worshipped foreign gods.
They had been unfaithful to their wives.
They had even divorced their wives.

Also the people had been hypocritical. They asked the LORD to help them in order to show that they trusted him. Yet, at the same time, they continued to be unfaithful to him and to disobey him.

The Hebrew word bagad which means “faithless, treacherous” occurs five times in these verses. The repeated use of the word highlights both the unfaithfulness of the people to the LORD and their unfaithfulness to their wives.

This section contains one of the few places in the book in which it was the prophet himself who addressed the people. The prophet rebuked the people of Israel because they had been unfaithful to the LORD. He began his rebuke with a series of rhetorical questions. The first two questions in this section form a doublet, which makes an emphatic beginning, and all the questions indicate strong feeling.

Paragraph 2:13–16

Paragraph 2:10–12 shows that the people were unfaithful to the LORD and unfaithful to his covenant because they had married women who worshipped foreign gods (idols). Paragraph 2:13–16 tells another way that the people of Israel were unfaithful. They were also unfaithful to each other in marriage.

Notice the use of the “Statement, Question, Response” pattern, introducing a new discourse unit. See note 6 in “Literary structure and recurring features in Malachi” in the Introduction.

2:15a

Has not the LORD made them one,

Did not Yahweh make you^(sing) and your^(sing) wife one when you married? Yes, he did.
You^(sing) know that Yahweh united you^(sing) and your^(sing) wife as one person.

Has not the LORD made them one…?: Scholars do not agree about the meaning of this part of the verse because the Hebrew grammar is unclear. The meaning which scholars choose mainly depends on how they interpret the Hebrew word for one:

The word one refers to the bond between a husband and wife that is formed when they marry each other. The implied subject can be expressed as “God” or the LORD. For example:
Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? (NLT) (BSB, NIV, GNT, NJB, GW, CEV, NCV, NLT)
The word one refers to God, so it is the subject of the verb made. English versions that follow this interpretation supply the word “God” or capitalize the word one to clarify that it refers to God. For example:
Has not the one God made… (RSV)NET Bible offers an alternative interpretation: ‘No one does this who has even a small portion of the Spirit in him.’ It interprets the following statement to refer to the example of Abraham’s union with Hagar as a warning. (RSV, NJPS, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It fits the context well and it is an acceptable way to interpret the Hebrew grammar here. Also many scholars support it. From this point onwards in the Notes, this interpretation is assumed.

General Comment on 2:15a

This is a rhetorical question with the implied answer, “Yes, of course he did.” If your language would not use a rhetorical question in this way, it may be best to use an emphatic statement. For example:

God made husbands and wives to become one body and one spirit… (NCV)

2:15b

having a portion of the Spirit?

Your^(plur) body and spirit belong to him.
Your^(plur) united body and spirit are for him.

having a portion of the Spirit?: Scholars do not agree about the meaning of the Hebrew text of this part of the verse either. They also connect 2:15a and 2:15b in different ways. There are many views, but the Notes will discuss only the most likely interpretations:Another view is that no one who has even a little of the Spirit of God would do such a thing. (NET, NASB)

It means that the flesh and spirit of a human and wife belong to the LORD. For example:
[Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife?] In body and spirit you are his. (NLT) (NIV, NRSV, NLT, NCV, GW)
It means that the LORD made a husband and his wife become one in both flesh and spirit. It does not explicitly state that flesh and spirit belong to him. For example:
Didn’t God create you to become like one person with your wife? (CEV) (GNT, CEV, NCV)
It means that the LORD made the human spirit. There are different variations of this view. Some scholars believe that the text refers to both flesh and spirit. Others believe that it refers to the spirit of life. For example:
Did he not create a single being, having flesh and the breath of life? (NJB) (RSV, NJB, NJPS)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This view fits with the LORD’s aim (2:15c) that husband and wife should have godly offspring. So the Display will use the NLT as the Source Line for 2:15b.

General Comment on 2:15a–b

In Hebrew there are no pronouns in this part of the verse. Malachi was expressing a general fact about marriage that applies to every husband and wife. The NLT uses the pronouns “you,” “your,” and “you” to indicate this general reference. In some languages it may be more natural to use different pronouns or nouns to express this fact. For example:

Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. (NIV)

Didn’t the LORD make husbands and wives one? In body and spirit they are his.

2:15c

And why one?

Why did he unite you^(sing) and your^(sing) wife like this?
What was his purpose/desire in making you^(plur) one?

And why one?: Scholars disagree about what this verse part means also. It is likely that Malachi was introducing God’s purpose in uniting husbands and wives. English versions express this meaning in different ways: For example:

What was his purpose in this? (GNT)

And what does he want? (NLT)

This verse part is another rhetorical question. Its purpose is to introduce a new point. If you would not use a rhetorical question in that way in your language, it may be best to use a statement.

2:15d

Because He seeks godly offspring.

He did this because he wants you^(plur) to have children who will follow/obey/respect him.

Because He seeks godly offspring: The text refers here to children that a faithful husband and “the wife of your youth” (2:14b, 15f) may have. It is more likely that children who are raised by godly parents will follow and obey God.

2:15e

So guard yourselves in your spirit

Therefore watch yourselves^(plur),
Therefore, be careful how you^(plur) behave,

So: The Hebrew word which the BSB translates as So is the conjunction w-. Here it introduces a statement about the way the people should act to please God and fulfill his desire for godly offspring.

2:15f

and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.

and let none of you^(plur) be unfaithful/disloyal to the wife whom he married when he was young.
and let none of you^(plur) break the promise that he made to the wife whom he married when he was young.

break faith with: This is the same word which was used in 2:10, 11, 14. See the notes on 2:10c and 2:14c.

the wife of your youth: See the note on 2:14b.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

וְ⁠לֹא־אֶחָ֣ד עָשָׂ֗ה וּ⁠שְׁאָ֥ר ר֨וּחַ֙ ל֔⁠וֹ

and=not one(ms) he/it_had_made and,a_remnant_of spirit to=him/it

Malachi 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. See the General Notes to this chapter for a discussion of this sentence. Alternate translation: [After all, he made one, and a remnant of spirit was to him!]

Note 2 topic: writing-pronouns

וּ⁠שְׁאָ֥ר ר֨וּחַ֙ ל֔⁠וֹ

and,a_remnant_of spirit to=him/it

The pronoun him refers back to the pronoun one, meaning the husband and the wife. It may be more natural in your language to use a plural pronoun. See the General Notes to this chapter for a discussion of this clause. Alternate translation: [and a remnant of spirit was to them]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

וּ⁠מָה֙ הָֽ⁠אֶחָ֔ד מְבַקֵּ֖שׁ זֶ֣רַע אֱלֹהִ֑ים

and,what? the=one seeking seed/offspring ʼElohīm

Malachi is not asking the question And why one? to get information. Rather, he is asking and then answering his own question. This was a common practice of Jewish public speakers in this time period (and also in New Testament times). Alternate translation: [And I will tell you why he made one: he was seeking seed of God]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

זֶ֣רַע אֱלֹהִ֑ים

seed/offspring ʼElohīm

Malachi is using this possessive form to mean offspring that would be faithful to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: [offspring that would be faithful to God]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠נִשְׁמַרְתֶּם֙ בְּ⁠ר֣וּחֲ⁠כֶ֔ם

and,you(pl)_will_take_heed in,your_of,spirit

Malachi is speaking as if a person’s spirit were a physical place where they could be guarded. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [So be careful about your attitudes]

Parallel MAL 2:15