The people are questioning God's love in the present, but He points to the foundational, unconditional love He chose for Jacob's line from the very beginning. This isn't about deserving love based on current circumstances, but about an ancient, sovereign choice that sets His people apart.
“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals of the desert.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
God's prophet Malachi begins by boldly declaring God's enduring love for Israel, but immediately confronts their cynical response: "How have You loved us?" To answer this, Malachi draws a stark contrast between Israel (descendants of Jacob) and their close relatives, the Edomites (descendants of Esau), highlighting God's preferential choice of Jacob and the resulting differing destinies of their peoples.
Have you ever felt like God's love is distant or even absent, especially when things are tough? Israel felt this way, asking, 'Wherein have you loved us?'
The people of Israel, despite all God had done for them, were questioning His love. They were looking at their current hardships and forgetting the long history of God's faithfulness.
The Heart of Their Doubt
This wasn't just a casual question; it was a deep-seated doubt stemming from their circumstances. After returning from exile, life wasn't the grand, victorious experience they might have expected. The rebuilding was slow, and promised glories hadn't materialized. It's easy to understand how, in the face of ongoing challenges, they could overlook or dismiss the evidence of God's past and present mercies.
God's Unwavering Answer
Malachi records God's response: 'I have loved you.' This isn't a question or a negotiation; it's a declaration of an eternal truth. God's love isn't dependent on our feelings or our circumstances. It's an unchanging, foundational aspect of His being. He reminds them that His love has always been there, even before they could perceive it.
Why would God choose one brother over another, especially when they're twins? This is the heart of God's argument with Israel.
God uses the stark contrast between Jacob and Esau to illustrate His sovereign choice. These weren't just individuals, but the fathers of two nations: Israel and Edom.
The Basis of God's Choice
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God asks, 'Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?' Implying they were alike by birth, same parents, same grandfather. By natural standards, there was no reason to favor Jacob. Yet, God declares, 'I have loved Jacob.' This wasn't based on anything Jacob did (he was even the younger brother!) but on God's own purpose and grace.
Love as a Divine Decision
This 'love' for Jacob, in contrast to Esau, speaks of a divine election – a choice to set apart and bestow special favor. It’s not that God hated Esau in a human sense of malice, but that His elective love was focused on Jacob, bringing with it unique privileges, promises, and a covenant relationship. This highlights that God's calling and favor are not earned; they are freely given.
Understand the original words
'ahab · Hebrew Verb
The steadfast, loyal, and covenantal love of God (hesed), which is persistent and chosen rather than merely an emotional reaction. It is the foundational basis for God's redemptive work.
Esav · Hebrew Noun
The son of Isaac and twin brother of Jacob, representing the nation of Edom. Biblically, he is often used to illustrate those outside the covenantal blessings of God.
Ya'aqov · Hebrew Noun
The patriarch chosen by God to inherit the covenantal promise, through whom the nation of Israel was formed. His election demonstrates God's sovereign prerogative.
sane' · Hebrew Verb
In a biblical context, this indicates divine rejection, judicial withdrawal of covenantal favor, or the setting aside of a person or group in favor of another for redemptive purposes.
Malachi's message comes at a time when the returned exiles, despite rebuilding the Temple, felt a disconnect between prophetic promises and their current reality. Their questioning of God's love stems from a period of national hardship, the memory of exile, and perceived ongoing injustices, particularly from their kin, the Edomites.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire, leading to the exile of its people and the scattering of the ten tribes. This event deeply impacted the collective memory and sense of identity of the remaining Southern Kingdom of Judah.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian Exile
The Babylonians conquer Judah, destroy Jerusalem and the Temple, and exile a significant portion of the population. This marks a period of profound national trauma and questioning of God's faithfulness.
538 BC
Cyrus's Decree and Return from Exile
Cyrus the Great of Persia allows the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. While a momentous event, the reality of the rebuilt Jerusalem and Temple fell short of the grand prophetic visions of restoration.
c. 450 BC— this verse
Malachi's Ministry
The prophet Malachi delivers his message to the post-exilic Jewish community in Jerusalem, addressing their spiritual apathy, corrupt worship, and doubts about God's love and justice.
c. 410 BC
Edomite Hostility during Exile
Historical accounts suggest that the Edomites took advantage of Jerusalem's destruction and the Babylonian exile to attack and occupy southern Judah, deepening the animosity between the two nations.
This passage directly quotes and reflects on Malachi's distinction between Jacob and Esau, explaining it as an instance of God's sovereign choice and election, not based on merit.
Genesis 25:23This is the foundational Old Testament passage where God declares, 'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from your body shall be separated; the older shall serve the younger,' directly setting up the distinction between Jacob and Esau that Malachi highlights.
Jeremiah 49:7-10This prophetic oracle against Edom describes their pride and downfall, which aligns with Malachi's assertion of God's judgment on Esau's descendants and, by contrast, His favor toward Jacob's descendants.
Psalm 137:7This psalm expresses deep bitterness towards the Edomites for their role in Jerusalem's destruction, providing historical context for the animosity between Jacob's and Esau's descendants that Malachi draws upon.
1 John 4:19This New Testament verse states, 'We love because he first loved us,' echoing Malachi's opening declaration of God's initiative in love and highlighting the importance of recognizing and responding to that divine love.
clarkeMalachi 1:2: "I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,"
Was not Esau Jacob's brother? - Have I not shown a greater partiality to the Israelites than I have to the Edomites? I loved Jacob - My love to Jacob has been proved by giving him greater privileges and a better inheritance than what I have given to Esau.
barnesMalachi 1:2: "I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,"
I have loved you, saith the Lord - What a volume of God's relations to us in two simple words, "I-have-loved you" . So would not God speak, unless He still loved. "I have loved and do love you," is the force of the words. When? And since when? In all eternity God loved; in all our past, God loved. Tokens of His love, past or present, in good o…
The people are questioning God's love in the present, but He points to the foundational, unconditional love He chose for Jacob's line from the very beginning. This isn't about deserving love based on current circumstances, but about an ancient, sovereign choice that sets His people apart.
God's prophet Malachi begins by boldly declaring God's enduring love for Israel, but immediately confronts their cynical response: "How have You loved us?" To answer this, Malachi draws a stark contrast between Israel (descendants of Jacob) and their close relatives, the Edomites (descendants of Esau), highlighting God's preferential choice of Jacob and the resulting differing destinies of their peoples.
God's prophet Malachi begins by boldly declaring God's enduring love for Israel, but immediately confronts their cynical response: "How have You loved us?" To answer this, Malachi draws a stark contrast between Israel (descendants of Jacob) and their close relatives, the Edomites (descendants of Esau), highlighting God's preferential choice of Jacob and the resulting differing destinies of their peoples.
"“I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have you loved us?” “Is not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the LORD. “Yet I have loved Jacob but Esau I have hated. I have laid waste his hill country and left his heritage to jackals o…" — The people are questioning God's love in the present, but He points to the foundational, unconditional love He chose for Jacob's line from the very beginning. This isn't about deserving love based on…
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Last reviewed October 2026
