The Meaning of Psalms 34:14 Explained

Psalms 34:14

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

YLT: Turn aside from evil and do good, Seek peace and pursue it.

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

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

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Psalms 34:14 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 34:11-22 - The Salvation Of The Contrite
Psalms 34:11-14 : The gist of this exhortation is quoted by Peter in his first Epistle. See 1 Peter 3:10. We need not fret to defend ourselves or to answer false accusations. Let us refrain our lips, hold our peace, as Jesus did, and go on doing what is right and good. God will see to it that our needs are supplied, that our enemies are silenced, and that our soul is redeemed.
Psalms 34:15 : Do you feel unable to claim the designation of righteous? Remember that Paul was glad to reject his own, that he might be clad in Another's righteousness. That still avails for us. See Philippians 3:9.
Psalms 34:17 : We are not kept from trouble, but delivered out of it.
Psalms 34:20 : You do not recognize Him, but the Great Gardener passes by the plants that have braved the wind and storm to bend over you who are beaten to the earth. See the literal fulfillment of this in John 19:36. How much we owe to God's continuous care!
Psalms 34:22 : Observe the present tenses in which the psalmist records God's redeeming love. It never grows old. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 34

1  David praises God, and exhorts others thereto by his experience
8  They are blessed who trust in God
11  He exhorts to the fear of God
15  The privileges of the righteous

What do the individual words in Psalms 34:14 mean?

Depart from evil and do good Seek peace and pursue it
ס֣וּר מֵ֭רָע וַעֲשֵׂה־ ט֑וֹב בַּקֵּ֖שׁ שָׁל֣וֹם וְרָדְפֵֽהוּ

ס֣וּר  Depart 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
מֵ֭רָע  from  evil 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
וַעֲשֵׂה־  and  do 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
ט֑וֹב  good 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
בַּקֵּ֖שׁ  Seek 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.
שָׁל֣וֹם  peace 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.
וְרָדְפֵֽהוּ  and  pursue  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: רָדַף  
Sense: to be behind, follow after, pursue, persecute, run after.