2:17
Notice the parallel parts that are similar.
17a who abandons the partner of her youth
17b and forgets the covenant of her God.
2:17a
who abandons the partner of her youth: This phrase indicates that the woman has abandoned her husband, who has been her lifetime friend or companion ever since they were young. Some ways to translate this phrase are:
who leaves her husband, the closest friend of her youth (God’s Word)
-or-
who has abandoned the man whom she married when she was young
In some languages, a translation of this phrase may wrongly imply that the woman has had more than one husband. It may also wrongly stress the woman’s youth or immature judgment at the time when she got married. One way to avoid these wrong implications is to leave the phrase of her youth implied. For example:
She has abandoned her husband (New Living Translation (2004))
2:17b
and forgets the covenant of her God: In this context, the Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as forgets indicates that the woman deliberately ignores, rejects, or breaks the covenant that she made. It does not indicate that she has forgotten information that she once knew. The term covenant here refers to the marriage agreement between the woman and her husband. This agreement was of her God in the sense that God witnessed the agreement. Other ways to translate this whole phrase are:
forgets her sacred vows (Good News Translation)
-or-
ignores the promise she made before God (New Century Version)
-or-
rejects the marriage vows that she made before God
General Comment on 2:17a–b
In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of these two lines. For example:
17b who breaks her wedding vows (Contemporary English Version)
17a and leaves the man she married when she was young (Contemporary English Version)
The relationship between these two lines may also be expressed in other ways. For example:
17b A woman like these has broken/rejected her sacred wedding vows 17a by leaving her husband, whom she married when she was young.
-or-
17a This kind of woman has abandoned her husband, her companion ever since she was young. 17b As a result, she has broken the marriage agreement that she made before God.
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