I finished the reading the Bible Dictionary, (see some of my old posts on that topic) and wanted to do something different for scripture study. I decided to go through the Topical Guide, looking for scriptures that had unusual meanings. For my first entry, I thought I would discuss the word Abhor, which says immediately after, “See also Despise ; Hate ; Loathe“. I know what abhor means, but this scripture was kind of strange.
In Leviticus 26, God says
9 For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.
10 And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new.
11 And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.
12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.
God seemingly says he loves Israel, so it seems a little strange that He says “my soul shall not abhor you.” I mean, when I talk to my wife, I tell her I love her. I never think to say “my soul shall not abhor you.” It seems to take away from the expression of love, IMO. It just seems like a strange thing to say.
But then again, later, God says in Psalm 78,
59 When God heard this, he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel:
Does Despise, Hate, or Loathe not really capture what God is saying here? Is God breaking his promise in Leviticus?
Wheat & Tares 
I thought maybe some other translations might soften Jehovah’s abhorrence of Israel, but no such luck! W’eve also got “despise you,” “loathe you,” “reject you,” and my favorite, from the God’s Word Translation: “look at you with disgust.”
Like you noted the word is also translated as reject. An alternate translation is cast away. It seems consistent with many of the thoughts in the D&C where God stipulates certain conditions before “accepting” his people and their sacrifices. In the OT there are many prophets who get on Israel’s back for not acting in accordance with God’s commands and threatening that God will abandon them if they don’t shape up. Hosea’s symbolism of casting away a flagrantly unfaithful wife with both force and shame very much illlustrates this idea of disgust and rejection. In passages of the OT that I’ve studied, though, this idea of God’s abhorrence and rejection is almost always paired with some sort of redemption, either by changing actions now to prevent the rejection, or talking about a future time when God will reverse course and accept his previously unfaithful people (like in the case of Hosea’s analogy).
I would add that Israel is used collectively in these phrases. I don’t think we need to read it that God abhors each Israelite individually, rather what Israel collectively is or has become, as opposed to what it ought to be.
Agree with Hedgehog. Basically the idea of God’s love and respect in this sense is tied to those who act appropriately in their role as God’s covenant people. Therefore God “loved” Jacob by establishing a covenant relationship and Jacob honoring said relationship, but he “hated” Esau in that Esau’s actions did not merit his line to be associated with the covenant at that time. It is hard for us to think in terms like this because we understand God’s love now more as parental/unconditional, unassociated with our actions in relation to the covenants we make. In the OT, God’s “love” was more contractual, like a marriage relationship. The word that meant idolotry could also be translated as infidelity. This is why he is described as jealous and vengeful in the OT, traits you’d expect in a slighted lover.