Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?
Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers? - why, seeing we all have one common origin, 'do we deal treacherously against one another,' especially in respect to the marriage relation (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6). "His brother" is a general expression, implying that all are "brethren" and sisters, as children of the same Father above, and thus includes the wives so injured. "We deal treacherously" by putting away our Jewish wives and taking foreign women to wife (cf. Malachi 2:14 and Malachi 2:11; Ezra 9:1-9); and so we violate "the covenant" made by Yahweh with "our fathers," by which it was ordained that we should be a people separated from the other peoples of the world (Exodus 19:5; Leviticus 20:24; Leviticus 20:26; Deuteronomy 7:3). While there is an ulterior reference to the common Fatherhood of God in relation to all mankind, the primary reference is here to His common Fatherhood in relation to all alike of the covenant-people Israel (in the more special sense as their God and Father peculiarly). To inter-marry with the pagan would defeat this purpose of Yahweh, who was the common Father of the Israelites, in a special sense in which He was not Father of the pagan. The "one Father" is Yahweh (Job 31:15; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6). "Created us" implies not merely physical creation, but "created us" to be His special and chosen people. So "created" is elsewhere used (Psalms 102:18; Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 45:8; Isaiah 60:21; Ephesians 2:10). (Calvin.) How marked the contrast between the honour here done in the Word of God to the female sex, and the degradation to which Oriental females are generally subjected. Such a marked difference can only be accounted for by the fact that the Jews were under a direct divine guidance, such as the Gentiles did not enjoy.