"I hate divorce" is more accurately translated "he who hates and puts away." And gives more meaning to a description of hardness of heart.

"I hate divorce" is more accurately translated "he who hates and puts away." And gives more meaning to a description of hardness of heart.

They asked Jesus about a point of Law from Moses.
Why did Moses command a witting of divorce?
It is Because some husbands will "chain wives" with the hardness of their hearts.

A Biblical divorce (Deut.24:1-4) required two things, separation and an official divorce certificate or get. Because without a certificate of divorce the husband can always come back and claim her as his property seeking a profit.
Google "Agunah" to see this has always been a legitimate concern.

"Agunah (Hebrew) literally 'anchored or chained') is a halachic term for a Jewish woman who is "chained" to her marriage. It is also often used nowadays for a woman whose husband refuses or is unable to grant her an official bill of divorce, known as a get.
For a divorce to be effective, Jewish law requires that a man grant his wife a get of his own free will. Without a get or a heter aguna (permission by a halachic authority based on a decision that her husband is presumed dead) no new marriage will be recognized, and any children she might have with another man would be considered illegitimate.
Because of the difficulty of the situation for women in such situations, it has been a task for every generation of Jewish authorities to try to find halachically acceptable means to permit such women to remarry.

In the past, most aguna cases were due to a husband dying without leaving clear evidence of his demise, or becoming mentally ill (insane). Nowadays many aguna cases arise as a result of a husband withholding a get in order to extort money or extract a more favorable divorce settlement or to get even with his wife. Therefore, this "Law of the husband" would become an abusive hardness of heart.
'For the woman that hath a husband is bound by law to the husband while he liveth; but if the husband die, she is discharged from the law of the husband." (Rom.7:2).

"Malachi 2:16 and Hardness of heart..
"The man that "hates and puts away" suggests hardness of heart from the DSS discovered in the 1950's also verifies other ancient manuscripts that contradict the Mosaic (KJV) text. The KJV is based on the Mosaic text. In other words the Dead Sea Scrolls, hidden in caves in 70 ad, is of the same scrolls/bible Jesus used in Nazareth when He stood and quoted Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me." The following compares the Mosaic text with the LXX.

"Malachi 2:16.

Masoretic Text: For he hated [when] dismissing [her], said YHWH the God of Israel, and he covered his garment with violence, said YHWH of hosts. And you should guard your spirit and not deal treacherously.

Septuagint: But, if hating, you should dismiss [her], says the Lord, the God of Israel, then ungodliness will cover your thoughts, says the Lord Almighty. And you must guard your spirit, and by no means forsake [your wife].

The rendering “I hate” found in many modern translations is based on an emendation of the Hebrew, literally reading “he hated.” The partially preserved Dead Sea Scroll text can be translated to read, “For if you hate and divorce.”
The Greek, in the Septuagint, could be rendered, “But if out of hatred you should divorce.” Likely, therefore, the censure is directed against those who manifested a hateful attitude toward their wives and, for no valid reason, divorced them. This basic thought is conveyed in commonly used French and German translations. Examples in German are: "Whoever is grievous to her and dismisses her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with iniquity," (Luther, 1984 edition). "If someone dismisses his wife out of antipathy, [says the Lord, Israel’s God,] then he sullies himself with a violent deed," (Einheitsübersetzung).



When answering a question about divorce, Jesus Christ pointed out the arrangement set forth in the Mosaic Law was a concession. It served to protect the woman from the kind of hateful abuse that would have resulted if divorce had not been permitted. (Matthew 19:3-10) Therefore, if the emendation “I hate divorce” is representative of the original text (though the evidence appears to point to the contrary), it should evidently be understood in the context of the kind of divorcing being censured. It could not mean that YHWH detested the provision about divorce included in his law.

Divine disapproval rested on the man who, out of hatred, callously dismissed or divorced his wife. Instead of using his garment protectively, such a man covered it with violence, depriving his wife of her home and family by divorcing her without valid reason. (Compare Ruth 3:4; Ezekiel 16:8.) The Israelite men generally are again admonished to guard their spirit, resisting the development of a hateful desire that would lead to treacherous action, that is, divorcing their wives.


If this be the case the translation "I hate divorce" is more accurately translated "he who hates and puts away his wife." And gives more meaning to a description of hardness of heart.