God’s Word Translation
Psalms 34:13
13Keep your tongue from saying evil things and your lips from speaking deceitful things.
Psalms 34:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
- New International Version (NIV)keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit.
Context of Psalms 34:13
11Come, children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12Which of you wants a full life? Who would like to live long enough to enjoy good things? Keep your tongue from saying evil things and your lips from speaking deceitful things. 14Turn away from evil, and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it! 15The Lord’s eyes are on righteous people. His ears hear their cry for help.
Read all of Psalms 34Psalms 34:13 word by word
נְצֹ֣ר לְשׁוֹנְךָ֣ מֵרָ֑ע וּ֝שְׂפָתֶ֗יךָ מִדַּבֵּ֥ר מִרְמָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 34:13
- Psalms 39:1I said, “I will watch my ways so that I do not sin with my tongue. I will bridle my mouth while wicked people are in my presence.”
- Proverbs 18:21The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love to talk will have to eat their own words.
- Matthew 12:35Good people do the good things that are in them. But evil people do the evil things that are in them.
- James 1:19Remember this, my dear brothers and sisters: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and should not get angry easily.
- James 3:2All of us make a lot of mistakes. If someone doesn’t make any mistakes when he speaks, he would be perfect. He would be able to control everything he does.
- Psalms 55:11Destruction is everywhere. Oppression and fraud never leave the streets.
- Proverbs 12:7Overthrow wicked people, and they are no more, but the families of righteous people continue to stand.
- Proverbs 19:9A lying witness will not go unpunished. One who tells lies will die.
- Isaiah 63:8He said, “They are my people, children who will not lie to me.” So he became their Savior.
- Colossians 3:9Don’t lie to each other. You’ve gotten rid of the person you used to be and the life you used to live,
- 1 Peter 2:1So get rid of every kind of evil, every kind of deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander.
- Revelation 14:4These 144,000 virgins are pure. They follow the lamb wherever he goes. They were bought from among humanity as the first ones offered to God and to the lamb.
Commentaries on Psalms 34:13
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13Keep thy tongue from evil - From speaking wrong things. Always give utterance to truth, and truth alone. The meaning is, that this is one of the methods of lengthening out life. To love the truth; to speak the truth; to avoid all falsehood, slander, and deceit, will contribute to this, or will be a means which will tend to prolong life, and to make it happy. And thy lips from speaking guile - Deceit. Do not “deceive” others by your words. Do not make any…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. 13Godly people choose their words carefully. Speaking evil and telling lies is unwise (see Psalm 10:7; compare 17:1).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 34:13
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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