God Says: I Hate Divorce

In the last book of the Hebrew Bible — the last prophetic word before 400 years of silence — God lists his accusations against Israel. Among them: the men have divorced their wives to marry foreign women. God's statement is unequivocal: 'I hate divorce.' He calls the divorced wife 'the wife of your covenant.' 'The man who hates and divorces his wife does violence to the one he should protect.' The passage is used in marriage ceremonies. It is contested by scholars — the translation of the key verb is disputed. But the sentiment is unmistakable, and it lands at the end of the Old Testament like a final verdict.