There has been a development in the ongoing Covenant Wars. For years now there has been an ongoing debate about what is the minimum conditions necessary to form a “marriage”.
The consensus has always been that a covenant of some kind was required. A small but dedicated band of thrill seekers and truth lovers have heroically waged a guerilla campaign against this. The basis for our principled stance was that nowhere in scripture was any description of marriage ever connected to any covenant. A covenant was never commanded or even described in that context and no parameters were ever shown for what should be a valid covenant.
That has changed now. Some how for all these years there was a verse lurking in the background that was missed by both sides. @frederick has brought to our attention Malachi 2:14.
14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
This is the King James Version. Young’s Literal says:
14 And ye have said, 'Wherefore?' Because Jehovah hath testified between thee And the wife of thy youth, That thou hast dealt treacherously against her, And she thy companion, and thy covenant-wife.
The NASB95 phrases it similarly.
14 “Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.
I checked the leprechaun book and the word is indeed in the text. It wasn’t a translation decision. So at first blush it seems like we have a description of a wife having a covenant. This is a big, fat, theology shaking deal.
As usual there are caveats; this is one reference, it’s not a command and we’re still not told what would constitute a valid covenant; a thing on which the death penalty could hinge.
There’s another big problem though. Verse 14 isn’t the only verse in the chapter. It is in fact part of a fascinating passage that has to start at least in verse 11. Which we will do now. For ease of reading I’m using the NASB95 here. We’re entering the weeds in 3…2…1…
There is so much going on here that I can’t wrap my mind around all of it. But let’s look at some of the bigger elements. We are dealing with the kingdom of Judah and weirdly Judah is being represented as a husband. Normally Judah is represented as a wife. Alright, what is Judah doing? Judah married the daughter of a strange god.
This is also an usual switch. Normally when Judah (and Israel more broadly) is represented whoring after strange gods the gods are male and Judah is represented as an adulterous wife. In this case the relationship is presented as being valid. I don’t know how to interpret this.
In the rest of the passage God expresses His anger at this and rejects the sacrifices because of it. Then He indicts Judah with the extraordinary charge of dealing treacherously with the wife of his youth, his covenant wife.
It seems for all the world to me that the covenant wife is set in contrast to the daughter of the strange god in verse 11. It almost seems like the wife of Judah’s youth, the covenant wife, is in fact the Sinai Covenant.
Someone help me out here. We’re definitely dealing with a metaphor; the ultimate purpose of marriage is as a metaphor though so that doesn’t lessen the passage’s application.
Am I right? Is the covenant wife actually The Covenant?
I am not trying to wriggle out of applying the verse to forming a marriage but I have to be able wrap my mind around this extraordinary passage in order to do so.
The consensus has always been that a covenant of some kind was required. A small but dedicated band of thrill seekers and truth lovers have heroically waged a guerilla campaign against this. The basis for our principled stance was that nowhere in scripture was any description of marriage ever connected to any covenant. A covenant was never commanded or even described in that context and no parameters were ever shown for what should be a valid covenant.
That has changed now. Some how for all these years there was a verse lurking in the background that was missed by both sides. @frederick has brought to our attention Malachi 2:14.
14 Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the LORD hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant.
This is the King James Version. Young’s Literal says:
14 And ye have said, 'Wherefore?' Because Jehovah hath testified between thee And the wife of thy youth, That thou hast dealt treacherously against her, And she thy companion, and thy covenant-wife.
The NASB95 phrases it similarly.
14 “Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant.
I checked the leprechaun book and the word is indeed in the text. It wasn’t a translation decision. So at first blush it seems like we have a description of a wife having a covenant. This is a big, fat, theology shaking deal.
As usual there are caveats; this is one reference, it’s not a command and we’re still not told what would constitute a valid covenant; a thing on which the death penalty could hinge.
There’s another big problem though. Verse 14 isn’t the only verse in the chapter. It is in fact part of a fascinating passage that has to start at least in verse 11. Which we will do now. For ease of reading I’m using the NASB95 here. We’re entering the weeds in 3…2…1…
| 11 “Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD fnwhich He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god. |
| 12 “As for the man who does this, may the LORD cut off from the tents of Jacob everyone who awakes and answers, or who presents fnan offering to the LORD of hosts. |
| 13 ¶ “This is fnanother thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the fnoffering or accepts it with favor from your hand. |
| 14 “Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. |
There is so much going on here that I can’t wrap my mind around all of it. But let’s look at some of the bigger elements. We are dealing with the kingdom of Judah and weirdly Judah is being represented as a husband. Normally Judah is represented as a wife. Alright, what is Judah doing? Judah married the daughter of a strange god.
This is also an usual switch. Normally when Judah (and Israel more broadly) is represented whoring after strange gods the gods are male and Judah is represented as an adulterous wife. In this case the relationship is presented as being valid. I don’t know how to interpret this.
In the rest of the passage God expresses His anger at this and rejects the sacrifices because of it. Then He indicts Judah with the extraordinary charge of dealing treacherously with the wife of his youth, his covenant wife.
It seems for all the world to me that the covenant wife is set in contrast to the daughter of the strange god in verse 11. It almost seems like the wife of Judah’s youth, the covenant wife, is in fact the Sinai Covenant.
Someone help me out here. We’re definitely dealing with a metaphor; the ultimate purpose of marriage is as a metaphor though so that doesn’t lessen the passage’s application.
Am I right? Is the covenant wife actually The Covenant?
I am not trying to wriggle out of applying the verse to forming a marriage but I have to be able wrap my mind around this extraordinary passage in order to do so.
