Malachi 1:14 (ASV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

Malachi 1:12 But ye profane it, in that ye say, The table of Jehovah is polluted, and the fruit thereof, even its food, is contemptible.

Malachi 1:13 Ye say also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith Jehovah of hosts; and ye have brought that which was taken by violence, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye bring the offering: should I accept this at your hand? saith Jehovah.

Malachi 1:14 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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "cursed", "deceiver", "hath", "flock", "male", "voweth", "sacrificeth", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "cursed" and "deceiver", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "Ye say also Behold what a weariness...", giving immediate footing for "cursed" and "deceiver". In Malachi context, the local focus is covenant faithfulness, priestly corruption, divine justice, and the coming day of the LORD.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "cursed" and "deceiver" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.