Psalm 34:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

NIV: Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

NASB: Turn from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

CSB: Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.

NLT: Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

KJV: Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

NKJV: Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.

The summary of David's lesson for how to live a long, good life (Psalm 34:12) is simply another phrasing of what it means to "fear the LORD" (Psalm 34:11). Choosing good over evil, and peace over sin, are part of honoring God properly.

This verse gives both negative and positive commands. Both are significant ways to demonstrate one's fear of God. Our fear of the Lord affects not only what we say but also what we do or don't do. If we fear the Lord, we will avoid evil. This action involves a choice. Solomon counseled, "My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent" (Proverbs 1:10). But wrongdoing is not simply the result of consenting to sinners; it can be a matter of consenting to our own sinful nature. The apostle James wrote: "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire" (James 1:14).

Here, David reminds us how important it is to reject temptation, whether it comes from evildoers or from our own evil nature. Instead of doing wrong, we should do what is good and seek to live a peaceful life. We need to pursue peace, David writes: we ought to strive for it, to try hard to obtain it. Stirring up trouble is out of character for those who fear God (Matthew 5:9), but making peace manifests a God-fearing attitude (James 3:18).

Psalm 34:8–14 invites others to experience the Lord's goodness. David has just praised the Lord for delivering him from the Philistines at Gath (1 Samuel 21:10–15). Now, he celebrates what God does for those who fear Him: He gives His people happiness; He protects them; He provides bountifully for them; and He grants them long life.

David praises the Lord for delivering him from the Philistines, and he invites others to join him in singing joyfully to the Lord. He extols the virtue of fearing the Lord and remembering His goodness. He encourages the Lord's people to respect God and offers wisdom leading to a long and blessed life. At the end of this psalm David emphasizes the distinction the Lord draws between the wicked and the righteous. He cares for the righteous and will not condemn them, but He condemns the wicked.

David composed this psalm after he escaped from the Philistines at Gath. He accomplished this by feigning insanity and later sheltered in the cave of Adullum. This experience is recorded in 1 Samuel 21:10—22:1. Like Psalm 25, this is an acrostic psalm. Every verse except the final one begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. First Peter 2:3 alludes to the psalm's eighth verse, and 1 Peter 3:10–12 quotes verses 12–16 of Psalm 34. John 19:36 refers to Psalm 34:20.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.