Judah has been faithless: Judah is strictly speaking the name of the country, but here it stands for “The people of Judah” (Good News Translation), and many translators will need to make this clear. The word translated faithless is a form of the same Hebrew root b-g-d that occurred in verse 10. The way the people behaved toward each other is a mirror of the way they behaved toward God. A possible model is “… have been unfaithful to the LORD” (Contemporary English Version). Idiomatic ways of expressing this will be natural in some languages; for example, “The people of Judah have not followed the LORD with one heart.”

Abomination has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: The word translated abomination is a strong term, and is used in other contexts of both ritual and moral offenses (compare Lev 18.22; 20.13; Deut 7.26; 14.3; 18.9-14; 22.5; 32.16). Translators should try to use a term that is strong but not too narrow, as the nature of the offense will not be stated until the end of the verse; Good News Translation has “a horrible thing,” and Contemporary English Version has “the disgusting sin.” For the verb has been committed, it will probably be necessary in languages with no passive to carry over the subject from the previous clause and say, for example, “The people of Judah have been unfaithful to the LORD and have committed a disgusting [or, horrible] sin.” Israel here stands for the Holy Land in general, not for the northern kingdom of that name (which of course no longer existed). The mention of both Israel and Jerusalem may have one of two rhetorical effects. Good News Translation takes it to mean “in Jerusalem and all over the country” (similarly Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). However, the word order could also carry the sense of “in the whole country and even in Jerusalem,” with the mention of the capital coming as a climax (compare Verhoef). Translators should avoid any wording that gives the impression that Jerusalem is not in Israel. For instance, they could say “in Israel and in its capital Jerusalem.”

For Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD, which he loves: As at the beginning of the verse, Judah refers to the people. The clause as a whole supplies the description of the faithlessness, and the abomination that resulted from it. In some languages an appropriate connective would be “namely” or “that is to say” rather than for. The word translated profaned is the same Hebrew root that occurred in verse 10 in connection with the covenant. The main problem is to decide the meaning in this context of the Hebrew word that Revised Standard Version renders as sanctuary. This rendering refers of course to the Temple, and is the interpretation followed by a large majority of modern versions. A number of commentators, however, such as Driver, Baldwin, and Verhoef, believe that the Hebrew word refers to the Jewish people, chosen by God to be his holy people. The only version we have seen that takes this view is Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1. Edition. A few versions, perhaps influenced by the Septuagint, translate it as “holiness” (King James Version, Revised Version, New English Bible). New King James Version translates it as “holy institution,” presumably referring to marriage.

All these views are plausible in different degrees. However, if the prophet is speaking literally about marriage with foreign women, then it seems likely that he is also speaking literally about the Temple. The line of reasoning is that marriage with non-Jews leads to compromise with non-Jewish religious practices, and this defiles the worship of the LORD. When the priests and Levites are among those who contract such marriages, then the Temple itself is also defiled. A literal understanding, however, does not exclude the possibility of symbolic meaning as well. But probably translators are best advised to regard the Hebrew term as referring to the Temple, so it is possible to translate the first part of the expression here as “they have defiled [or, disgraced] the Temple.” The relative clause which he loves would apply equally well to the Temple, the people, or the institution of marriage.

And has married the daughter of a foreign god: The phrase daughter of a foreign god is unusual, and seems to mean “a woman who worships a foreign god.” The whole clause explains how the people profaned the sanctuary. The relationship of this clause with the previous one is well expressed in New International Version “by marrying the daughter of a foreign god” and New Living Translation “by marrying women who worship idols.” Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version do not express this relationship explicitly. In some languages it may be necessary to change the sequence of clauses, and say, “the men of Judah have married foreign women who worship their own gods, and in this way have defiled the Temple of the LORD, which he loves.”

An alternative translation model for this whole verse is:

• The people of Judah have been unfaithful to the LORD, and have committed a disgusting [or, horrible] sin all over the country and even in Jerusalem. They have married foreign women who worship their own gods, and in this way have defiled the Temple of the LORD, which he loves.

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Malachi. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2002. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .