Malachi — Chapter 2

Pactum meum fuit cum eo vitae et pacis

'My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave him fear, and he feared me, and he was afraid before my name.' The covenant with Levi—life, peace, truth, walking in equity—is the ideal of the priestly ministry. À Lapide contrasts this with the corrupt priests of Malachi's day and by extension of any era. He develops the 'covenant of life' as the grace of priestly ordination, conferring a share in Christ's own priesthood.

Uxor pacti tui

'The wife of thy covenant.' À Lapide uses this phrase to establish the covenantal nature of marriage against those who treat it as a merely civil contract. Marriage is a covenant witnessed by God; divorce is treachery (v.14-16) because it violates this divine witness. He cites Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:6, and Ephesians 5:32 to build the argument for marriage's sacramental indissolubility.

Cum odio habueris dimitte dicit Dominus

'When thou hatest her, put her away, saith the Lord.' À Lapide defends the Vulgate rendering against those who read this as permission for divorce, arguing the verse condemns divorce as covering one's garment with iniquity. He cites Jerome and modern Catholic exegetes: the verse is an ironic rhetorical device exposing the heartlessness of divorce, not permitting it. This exegesis supports the Council of Trent's condemnation of absolute divorce.