Uploaded June 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
So many people believe and repeat the claim: "God Hates Divorce." For most people of faith, it's ingrained in our minds from the day we're born.
But when you look at a Hebrew Interlinear of the text of the Bible (Malachi 2:15-16), you can see that it does not say "I hate divorce." These verses are in a section of Malachi where God is disgusted by hypocritical men who pretend to be righteous and are actually worshipping foreign gods. They bring sacrifices to God, but God doesn't accept them, because of their deceit. They break their covenant with the Lord. Then it goes on ...
"This is another thing you do. You are covering the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning, because he no longer respects your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands. And you ask, “Why?” Because even though the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, you have acted treacherously against her. She was your marriage partner and your wife by covenant." (Malachi 2:13-14 CSB)
These men are faithless to the wives of their youth. God is against those who break their marriage vows, because they do violence by "divorcing without adequate grounds," per David Instone-Brewer. (The Law of Moses listed acceptable grounds for divorce in Exodus 21:10-11 and Deut 24:1-2.)
A more accurate translation would be closer to this: "The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty." (NIV)
📌NIV:
So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth. “The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel,”‘does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful. —Malachi 2:15b-16
📌ESV:
: …let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “covers his garment with violence,” says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.
📌CSB:
So watch yourselves carefully, so that no one acts treacherously against the wife of his youth. “If he hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord God of Israel, “he covers his garment with injustice,” says the Lord of Armies. Therefore, watch yourselves carefully, and do not act treacherously.
This video shows you how key Bible translations, such as the NIV, ESV, and CSB (HCSB) come closer to the meaning of the passage.
Gretchen Baskerville is a Christian who started leading divorce recovery groups in Evangelical churches in 1998, and has done divorce recovery ministry to men and women ever since.
She is the author of the book, "The Life-Saving Divorce," which talks about divorces for very serious reasons: a pattern of chronic emotional abuse, infidelity, domestic violence, sexual immorality, felony behavior, neglect, substance abuse, etc.
-------
How to Get the book, "The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships"
Paperback Book/Kindle via Amazon: amzn.to/3CCBsnr As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
For those who want to buy another way, there’s an alternative:
PDF - gumroad.com/l/jZMQG
ePUB - gumroad.com/l/PnDeu
Follow Gretchen Baskerville:
Facebook: facebook.com/gretchen.baskerville
Twitter: twitter.com/GGBaskerville
Instagram: instagram.com/gretchenbaskerville
Other helpful links
Website and Blog: LifeSavingDivorce.com
Divorce Story Interviews: LifeSavingDivorce.com/interviews
Life-Saving Divorce Email Signup: LifeSavingDivorce.com/courage
So many people believe and repeat the claim: "God Hates Divorce." For most people of faith, it's ingrained in our minds from the day we're born.
But when you look at a Hebrew Interlinear of the text of the Bible (Malachi 2:15-16), you can see that it does not say "I hate divorce." These verses are in a section of Malachi where God is disgusted by hypocritical men who pretend to be righteous and are actually worshipping foreign gods. They bring sacrifices to God, but God doesn't accept them, because of their deceit. They break their covenant with the Lord. Then it goes on ...
"This is another thing you do. You are covering the Lord’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning, because he no longer respects your offerings or receives them gladly from your hands. And you ask, “Why?” Because even though the Lord has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, you have acted treacherously against her. She was your marriage partner and your wife by covenant." (Malachi 2:13-14 CSB)
These men are faithless to the wives of their youth. God is against those who break their marriage vows, because they do violence by "divorcing without adequate grounds," per David Instone-Brewer. (The Law of Moses listed acceptable grounds for divorce in Exodus 21:10-11 and Deut 24:1-2.)
A more accurate translation would be closer to this: "The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty." (NIV)
📌NIV:
So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth. “The man who hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord, the God of Israel,”‘does violence to the one he should protect,” says the Lord Almighty. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful. —Malachi 2:15b-16
📌ESV:
: …let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her,” says the Lord, the God of Israel, “covers his garment with violence,” says the Lord of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.
📌CSB:
So watch yourselves carefully, so that no one acts treacherously against the wife of his youth. “If he hates and divorces his wife,” says the Lord God of Israel, “he covers his garment with injustice,” says the Lord of Armies. Therefore, watch yourselves carefully, and do not act treacherously.
This video shows you how key Bible translations, such as the NIV, ESV, and CSB (HCSB) come closer to the meaning of the passage.
Gretchen Baskerville is a Christian who started leading divorce recovery groups in Evangelical churches in 1998, and has done divorce recovery ministry to men and women ever since.
She is the author of the book, "The Life-Saving Divorce," which talks about divorces for very serious reasons: a pattern of chronic emotional abuse, infidelity, domestic violence, sexual immorality, felony behavior, neglect, substance abuse, etc.
-------
How to Get the book, "The Life-Saving Divorce: Hope for People Leaving Destructive Relationships"
Paperback Book/Kindle via Amazon: amzn.to/3CCBsnr As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
For those who want to buy another way, there’s an alternative:
PDF - gumroad.com/l/jZMQG
ePUB - gumroad.com/l/PnDeu
Follow Gretchen Baskerville:
Facebook: facebook.com/gretchen.baskerville
Twitter: twitter.com/GGBaskerville
Instagram: instagram.com/gretchenbaskerville
Other helpful links
Website and Blog: LifeSavingDivorce.com
Divorce Story Interviews: LifeSavingDivorce.com/interviews
Life-Saving Divorce Email Signup: LifeSavingDivorce.com/courage
