Chapter
1 2 3 4
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Malachi 1:3
ESV but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert."
NIV but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals."
NASB but I have hated Esau, and I have made his mountains a desolation and given his inheritance to the jackals of the wilderness.'
CSB but I hated Esau. I turned his mountains into a wasteland, and gave his inheritance to the desert jackals."
NLT but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.'
KJV And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
NKJV But Esau I have hated, And laid waste his mountains and his heritage For the jackals of the wilderness.”

What does Malachi 1:3 mean?

Verses 2 through 5 contrast the destruction of Edom with the survival of Israel. Esau was the father of the nation of Edom. His brother, Jacob, was the father of the nation of Israel. These nations are as closely related as possible. However, God has not favored Edom the way He has Israel. The prophet Obadiah predicted the destruction of Edom (Obadiah 1:1–9), in judgment for their sins (Obadiah 1:10–14). The reference here to Edom's cities being abandoned shows that Obadiah's prophecy has been fulfilled. Israel's struggles have also been the result of their sins, but God has kept them alive and intact.

This is an example of the ancient use of extreme contrasts. In English, the terms "love" and "hate" have an emotional impact. They imply completely opposite attitudes. In biblical use, this is not always the case (Romans 9:10–13). Here, the extremes are meant to show a clear contrast between God's actions, not His emotions, towards two different nations. God has loved Israel in the sense that He has given great blessing and care to them. In contrast, He has destroyed Edom for their sins.
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