Skip to content
mannafest.faith
Read

Malachi 1:14

in Malachi 1

“But cursed is the deceiver who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am a great King,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and My name is to be feared among the nations.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

But cursed be the deceiver, who hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a blemished thing; for I am a great King, saith Jehovah of hosts, and my name is terrible among the Gentiles.

KJV

But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the heathen.

⋯

This verse in Malachi 1

Commentary

9 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

Cursed be the deceiver - Those who act thus, as they cannot elude God’s notice, so neither shall they escape his curse. And voweth, and sacrificeth - a corrupt thing - The history of Ananias and Sapphira, Act 5:1, etc., is a complete comment on this. It was high time to break up this corrupt service; and after this time God does not appear to have paid any regard to it, for he sent them no other prophet.

This site's exposition

But ye have profaned it

on Malachi 1:12-14

But ye have profaned it turns from the nations' future honour back to Judah's present contempt, the table of the Lord called polluted and its fruit, his meat, contemptible in their own mouths. What a weariness is it, they say, snuffing at the service and bringing the torn, the lame, and the sick as if the Lord could not tell the difference, or would not care. The Lord answers as a great King rather than an indulgent father, cursed be the deceiver who vows a sound animal and sacrifices a corrupt one, for my name is dreadful among the heathen, the same Gentiles of verse 11 now standing as a rebuke to the very people who should have known better.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Didache

The Didache, Chapter 14 · Written before 100.

proposed

But every Lord's day do ye gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. But let no one that is at variance with his fellow come together with you, until they be reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be profaned. For this is that which was spoken by the Lord: In every place and time offer to me a pure sacrifice; for I am a great King, saith the Lord, and my name is wonderful among the nations.

The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

The deceiver - The hypocrite that would seem to offer a sacrifice of the best, but puts God off with the worst. A male - A perfect male, such as God requireth.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

5 And your eyes shall see, and ye shall say, The L ORD will be magnified from the border of Israel. The prophecy of this book is entitled, The burden of the word of the Lord (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

But cursed be the deceiver,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Here is the doom of those who do like these priests, for the sentence on them is a sentence on all such. Observe, (1.) The description of profane and careless worshippers. They are such as vow and sacrifice to the Lord a corrupt thing when they have in their flock a male.
2 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

Mt 5:35). my name . . . dreadful among . . . heathen--Even the heathen dread Me because of My judgments; what a reproach this is to you, My people, who fear Me not (Mal 1:6)! Also it may be translated, "shall be feared among," &c. agreeing with the prophecy of the call of the Gentiles (Mal 1:11).

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

Cursed is the deceiver - o “The fraudulent, hypocritical, false or deceitful dealer, who makes a show of one thing, and doth or intends another, nor doth to his power what he would make a show of doing; as if he could deceive God in doing in His service otherwise than He required, and yet be accepted by Him.” The whole habit of these men was not to break with God, but to keep well with Him on as easy terms as they could. They even went beyond what the law required in making vows, probably for some temporal end, and then substituted for that which had typical perfection, the less valuable animal, the ewe and that, diseased. It was probably, to prevent self-deceit, that the law commanded that the oblation for a vow should be Lev 22:19, Lev 22:21, “a male without blemish, perfect;” lest (which may be a temptation in impulsive vows) repenting of their vow, they should persuade themselves, that they had vowed less than they had. Ordinarily, then, it would not have been allowed to one, who had not the best to offer, to vow at all. But, in their alleged poverty, the prophet supposes that God would so far dispense with His own law, and accept the best which anyone had, although it did not come up to that law. Hence the clause, “which hath in his flock a male.” “If thou hast not a male, that curse in no wise injureth thee. But saying this, he showeth, that they have what is best, and offer what is bad.” They sinned, not against religion only, but against justice also. […]

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

he who deals craftily Plots deceitfully, with guile, before Me, saying, “I have none better than this.”
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Malachi 1:14:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And you say, “Here is a weary one” An emaciated animal, and we are poor and cannot afford the choicest for [our] vows. So did Jonathan render: This is what we have brought from our toil.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on Malachi 1:13:1, via Sefaria, The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 1 further source is cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

19 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וְאָר֣וּרand [be] cursed

    vearurH779 →63 times

  • נוֹכֵ֗ל[one who] deals deceptively

    nokhelH5230 →

  • וְיֵ֤שׁand there

    veyeshH3426 →

  • בְּעֶדְרוֹ֙among flock his

    beedroH5739 →

  • זָכָ֔ר[is] a male

    zakharH2145 →

  • וְנֹדֵ֛רand [one who] makes a vow

    venoderH5087 →

  • וְזֹבֵ֥חַand [one who] sacrifices

    vezoveachH2076 →

  • מָשְׁחָ֖תa blemished [animal]

    mashechatH7843 →146 times

  • לַֽאדֹנָ֑יto [the] Lord

    ladonaiH136 →

  • כִּי֩for

    kiH3588 →4482 times

  • מֶ֨לֶךְ[am] a king

    melekhH4428 →

  • גָּד֜וֹלgreat

    gadolH1419 →526 times

  • אָ֗נִיI

    ʾaniH589 →874 times

  • אָמַר֙he says

    ʾamarH559 →5305 times

  • יְהוָ֣הYahweh

    yahwehH3068 →6520 times

  • צְבָא֔וֹתof hosts

    tzevaotH6635 →485 times

  • וּשְׁמִ֖יand name my

    ushemiH8034 →864 times

  • נוֹרָ֥א[is] feared

    nora'H3372 →315 times

  • בַגּוֹיִֽם׃among the nations

    vagoyimH1471 →561 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Isaiah 44:6Thus says the LORD, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me.20 worksExodus 12:5Your lamb must be an unblemished year-old male, and you may take it from the sheep or the goats.9 worksActs 5:1–10Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.8 worksLeviticus 1:3If one’s offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to present an unblemished male. He must bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for its acceptance before the LORD.8 works2 Corinthians 8:12For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.7 worksEcclesiastes 5:4–5When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, because He takes no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow.7 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Psalms 47:2How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!7 worksJohn 10:29My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.7 worksMalachi 1:8When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present the lame and sick ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.5 worksPsalms 76:12He breaks the spirits of princes; He is feared by the kings of the earth.5 worksLuke 12:46The master of that servant will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not anticipate. Then he will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.5 worksJoshua 7:11–12Israel has sinned; they have transgressed My covenant that I commanded them, and they have taken some of what was devoted to destruction. Indeed, they have stolen and lied, and they have put these things with their own possessions.4 worksJeremiah 10:10But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.4 worksLuke 12:1–2In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.4 worksMalachi 1:11For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Hosts.4 worksRevelation 21:8But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”4 worksLeviticus 22:18–21“Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites and tell them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or any foreign resident who presents a gift for a burnt offering to the LORD, whether to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering,4 worksZechariah 14:9On that day the LORD will become King over all the earth—the LORD alone, and His name alone.4 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Malachi 1:8

    When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present the lame and sick ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased…

    it leads to

    • Deuteronomy 15:21

      But if an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.

    • Leviticus 22:19–25

      must offer an unblemished male from the cattle, sheep, or goats in order for it to be accepted on your behalf.

    • Hosea 8:13

      Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to Me, and though they eat the meat, the LORD does not accept them. Now He will remember their iniquity and punish their sins: They will return to…

  • Through

    2 Corinthians 8:12

    For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

    it leads to

    • Mark 12:42–44

      Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius.

    • Exodus 35:29

      So all the men and women of the Israelites whose hearts prompted them brought a freewill offering to the LORD for all the work that the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.

    • Luke 21:1–4

      Then Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury,

    • 2 Corinthians 9:7

      Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.

    • Exodus 35:21–22

      And everyone whose heart stirred him and whose spirit prompted him came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its services, and for the…

Where this verse is studied

About Malachi

Ezra Reads the Law to the People, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Ezra Reads the Law to the People, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Malachi: the study guide →Read Malachi 1 →
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Didache, The Didache, Chapter 14; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Malachi 1 →