Amplified Bible
Psalms 34:14
14Turn away from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
Psalms 34:14 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
- New International Version (NIV)Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.
Context of Psalms 34:14
12Who is the man who desires life And loves many days, that he may see good? 13Keep your tongue from evil And your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. 15The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous [those with moral courage and spiritual integrity] And His ears are open to their cry. 16The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
Read all of Psalms 34Psalms 34:14 word by word
ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲשֵׂה־ט֑וֹב בַּקֵּ֖שׁ שָׁל֣וֹם וְרָדְפֵֽהוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 34:14
- Psalms 37:27Depart from evil and do good; And you will dwell [securely in the land] forever.
- Job 28:28But to man He said, ‘Behold, the reverential and worshipful fear of the Lord—that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”
- Proverbs 3:7Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord [with reverent awe and obedience] and turn [entirely] away from evil.
- Proverbs 8:13The [reverent] fear and worshipful awe of the Lord includes the hatred of evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way, And the perverted mouth, I hate.
- Proverbs 13:14The teaching of the wise is a fountain and source of life, So that one may avoid the snares of death.
- Proverbs 16:16How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.
- Isaiah 1:16“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Get your evil deeds out of My sight. Stop doing evil,
- Romans 12:9Love is to be sincere and active [the real thing—without guile and hypocrisy]. Hate what is evil [detest all ungodliness, do not tolerate wickedness]; hold on tightly to what is good.
- 2 Timothy 2:19Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God [which He has laid] stands [sure and unshaken despite attacks], bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord stand apart from wickedness and withdraw from wrongdoing.”
- 1 Peter 3:11He must turn away from wickedness and do what is right. He must search for peace [with God, with self, with others] and pursue it eagerly [actively—not merely desiring it].
- Acts 10:38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with great power; and He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.
- Galatians 6:10So then, while we [as individual believers] have the opportunity, let us do good to all people [not only being helpful, but also doing that which promotes their spiritual well-being], and especially [be a blessing] to those of the household of faith (born-again believers).
- Hebrews 13:16Do not neglect to do good, to contribute [to the needy of the church as an expression of fellowship], for such sacrifices are always pleasing to God.
- 3 John 1:11Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but [imitate] what is good. The one who practices good [exhibiting godly character, moral courage and personal integrity] is of God; the one who practices [or permits or tolerates] evil has not seen God [he has no personal experience with Him and does not know Him at all].
- Psalms 120:7I am for peace, but when I speak, They are for war.
- Matthew 5:9“Blessed [spiritually calm with life-joy in God’s favor] are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they will [express His character and] be called the sons of God.
Commentaries on Psalms 34:14
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Depart from evil - From all evil; from vice and crime in every form. And do good - Do good to all people, and in all the relations of life. Seek peace - Strive to live in peace with all the world. Compare the notes at Romans 12:18. And pursue it - Follow after it. Make it an object of desire, and put forth constant efforts to live in peace with all human beings. There can be no doubt that this is appropriate advice to one who wishes to lengthen out his…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-22Verses 11-22 Let young persons set out in life with learning the fear of the Lord, if they desire true comfort here, and eternal happiness hereafter. Those will be most happy who begin the soonest to serve so good a Master. All aim to be happy. Surely this must look further than the present world; for man's life on earth consists but of few days, and those full of trouble. What man is he that would see the good of that where all bliss is perfect? Alas!…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14The way of peace leads to harmony and order, whereas evil destroys them (see Psalm 37:11).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1413-14. Sins of thought included in those of speech (Lu 6:45), avoiding evil and doing good in our relations to men are based on a right relation to God.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 34:14
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 34
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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