Psalm 34:16

16 but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to destroy their memorial from the earth. The righteous cried, and the Lord hearkened to them,

Psalm 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 ) .

Psalm 34:16 In-Context

14 Turn away from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer:

16 but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to destroy their memorial from the earth. The righteous cried, and the Lord hearkened to them,

17 and delivered them out of all their afflictions.

18 The Lord is near to them that are of a contrite heart; and will save the lowly in spirit.