Psalms 34:16

16 but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.

Psalms 34:16 in Other Translations

KJV
16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
ESV
16 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
NLT
16 But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth.
MSG
16 God won't put up with rebels; he'll cull them from the pack.
CSB
16 The face of the Lord is set against those who do what is evil, to erase all memory of them from the earth.

Psalms 34:16 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 34:16

The face of the Lord [is] against them that do evil
Not against everyone that sins; for the righteous are not without sin; they have sin in them, and they do no good without it; but against them that live in sin, whose course of life is a series of wickedness, and they are workers of iniquity; and have no sense of sin, nor sorrow for it, go on in it without shame or fear; against these the face of the Lord is, he shows his resentment, and stirs up his wrath. For the Lord to be against a man is dreadful; a fearful thing it is to fill into his hands as a God of vengeance; there is no standing before him when once he is angry: and to have the face of God against a man is intolerable, when it is to destroy, and

to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth;
so that they shall be no more thought of, nor spoken of, but with contempt and reproach; an everlasting mark of infamy being upon their names; see ( Proverbs 10:7 ) .

Psalms 34:16 In-Context

14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Cross References 3

  • 1. Leviticus 17:10; Jeremiah 23:30; Jeremiah 44:11
  • 2. 1 Peter 3:10-12*
  • 3. S Exodus 17:14; Psalms 9:6; Proverbs 10:7
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