Includes bibliographical references (p. 344-380) and indexes.

Preliminary material -- Introduction -- Chapter One: The Interpretative Context of Malachi 2:10-16 -- Chapter Two: \'Covenant [ברית]\' in Malachi 2:14: Does it Refer to Marriage? -- Chapter Three: Malachi 2: 16 and Divorce -- Chapter Four: Malachi 2:10-16 and the Toleration of Polygyny Elsewhere in the Old Testament -- Chapter Five: Malachi 2:15: Malachi‘s Appeal to Adam and Eve for His Understanding of Marriage as a \'Covenant [ברית]\' -- Chapter Six: \'Covenant [ברית]\' and \'Oath\' Defined -- Chapter Seven: Verba Solemnia and Sexual Union: The Requisite Covenant-Ratifying Oath and Oath-Sign for Marriage -- Chapter Eight: Marriage as a Covenant Elsewhere in the Old Testament -- Summary and Conclusions -- Bibliography -- Index of Sources -- Index of Terms -- Index of Authors -- Index of Subjects.

Available to subscribing member institutions only.

This book focuses on the interpretation of Malachi 2:10-16, which censures the lax marital practice of its contemporaries. In particular, Hugenberger investigates Malachi's identification of marriage as a \'covenant\' in response to recent scholarly challenges to this identification. Taking the issues raised by Malachi as his point of departure, Hugenberger examines the nature of covenant and oath (including verba solemnia and oath-signs), and, in light of these findings, explores the theory of marriage implied elsewhere in the Old Testament. Included in this investigation are an analysis of the concentric literary structure of Malachi and a study of the Old Testament's ethical perspectives on divorce, polygamy, and sexual fidelity. An extensive bibliography and indices complete the book.