Psalms 34:14 · Bible study
Psalms 34:14 Commentary: Study: Depart from Evil, Do Good, Pursue Peace
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine Psalm 34:14: turn from evil, do good, and chase after peace. Scholarly insights, historical context, and pastoral application for believers.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A threefold ethical imperative rooted in the fear of God: turn from evil, actively do good, and relentlessly chase after peace.
- Key words: “Depart,” “do good,” “seek,” “pursue”, all action verbs, with “pursue” implying a hunter’s persistence.
- Main debate: Little interpretive debate; the verse is widely accepted as a straightforward call to godly living across Jewish and Christian traditions.
- Theological theme: The fear of the Lord is expressed not only in worship but in concrete ethical choices that build community and bring God’s blessing.
- Best use: As a memory verse, a children’s catechism text, or a cornerstone for teaching peacemaking and personal holiness.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Depart from evil, and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it.
KJV King James Version 1769
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Depart from evil, and do good; Seek peace, and pursue it.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Turn aside from evil and do good, Seek peace and pursue it.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
As a neighbour and as an own brother, so did I please: as one mourning and sorrowful so was I humbled.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Apártate del mal, y haz el bien; busca la paz, y síguela.
Desvia-te do mal, e faze o bem; busca a paz, e segue-a.
Préserve ta langue du mal,
Laß vom Bösen und tue Gutes; suche Frieden und jage ihm nach.
Nun. Bewaar uw tong van het kwaad, en uw lippen van bedrog te spreken.
Dipartiti dal male e fa’ il bene; cerca la pace, e procacciala.
Strzeż języka twego od złego, a warg twoich, aby nie mówiły zdrady.
Я поступал, как бы это был друг мой, брат мой; я ходил скорбный, с поникшею головою, как бы оплакивающий мать.
要離 惡 行 善，尋求 和睦，一心追趕。
Be turned from evil, and do good; make a search for peace, desiring it with all your heart.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Psalm 34:14 is a clear, threefold call to practical holiness grounded in the fear of the Lord. Barnes emphasises departing from all evil and doing good to all people, while pursuing peace as a constant goal. Calvin places the verse within David’s thanksgiving after escaping from Achish, presenting it as instruction for lifelong godliness. Gill expands “evil” to include evil company, words, and works, and “good” to be every act Scripture commands. Cambridge notes that the first line echoes Psalm 37:27 and that the verb “pursue” suggests sustained effort, like chasing a prize. Matthew Henry sees David here as a teacher of children, taking time amid duty to counsel the young. The consensus is clear: the verse gives a concrete pattern for fearing God, active rejection of evil, active practice of good, and an aggressive, never-giving-up chase after peace.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse calls believers to turn from evil, do good, and actively pursue peace as an expression of the fear of the Lord.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of peace | Peace includes both harmonious relationships with others and inner tranquility before God. | Some traditions (e.g., Anabaptist) emphasize nonresistance and pacifism from this verse; others (Reformed, Catholic) allow for just war while still pursuing peace where possible. |
| Order of commands | The commands are sequential: turning from evil precedes doing good, and both support the pursuit of peace. | A few commentators (Geneva Bible) treat the three imperatives as simultaneous rather than strictly sequential, arguing that believers do all three at once. |
| Role of grace | Human effort is required, but the fear of God (v.11) is the foundation, obedience flows from reverence. | Catholic and Orthodox traditions see this as cooperation with grace; Protestant traditions stress that good works are evidence of saving faith, not its cause. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 34 carries a title linking it to a dangerous moment in David’s life: “when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.” The event is recorded in 1 Samuel 21:10, 15. Fleeing from Saul, David sought refuge in Philistine territory at Gath. The king there (named Achish in Samuel; “Abimelech” may be a royal title, as Calvin notes) recognized him as Israel’s warrior. Fearing for his life, David feigned madness, letting saliva run down his beard. The king dismissed him as a madman, and David escaped to the cave of Adullam.
Calvin calls this deliverance a “memorable instance of God’s favour” that David later set to song for the whole church’s instruction. The psalm moves from personal testimony (verses 4, 10) into didactic poetry (from verse 11 onward). Verse 14 sits in that teaching section, where David, like a wise father, answers the question “Who desires life?” with the path of fearing God. Keil and Delitzsch note that the shift to a teaching tone is characteristically Davidic. The historical setting thus gives the verse weight: it is wisdom not from a safe distance, but from a man who had just escaped death by God’s help. The peace David urges his listeners to pursue was one he himself had been forced to chase under extreme threat.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Psalm 34:14. The Hebrew Masoretic Text is consistent across manuscripts, and the verse reads uniformly in the ancient versions (Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac). The only variation in English translations is lexical: “Depart” (KJV, WEB) versus “Turn away” (BSB) or “Turn aside” (YLT), but the underlying Hebrew verb (סוּר) is the same, meaning to turn aside or withdraw.
Reception History
Psalm 34:14 has been a staple of ethical instruction throughout church history. The early church, following 1 Peter 3:10, 12 (which quotes the surrounding verses), read it as a baptismal catechetical text, teaching new believers the practical shape of conversion. The medieval church used it in penitential contexts, emphasizing departure from sin. The Reformers, especially Calvin and Luther, highlighted it as a summary of the second table of the law, showing that faith produces real conduct. In modern times, the verse is often cited in peacemaking curricula and in Christian counseling for conflict resolution. Its brevity and parallelism have made it a favourite memory verse across many denominations.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Turn from evil, Not just sin in general, but every form: evil companions, evil words, evil deeds. The fear of the Lord starts with hating evil (Proverbs 8:13).
- Do good, Active righteousness, not mere avoidance. Do good to all people (Barnes), from right motives and to God’s glory (Gill).
- Pursue peace, Peace must be sought and then chased when it flees. Wesley says follow hard after it even when it seems to run away.
Five-point outline
- Context: David teaches from his own deliverance, godliness is learned in crisis.
- Gates of the tongue: Verse 13 shows peacemaking starts with words (no deceit, no slander).
- Departure and arrival: “Depart from evil, do good”, every exit is an entrance.
- Pursuit mode: The Hebrew verb suggests hunting, peace is a quarry we run after.
- Promise attached: Verses 15, 22 assure that God sees, hears, and rescues those who live this way.
Illustration hooks
- A gardener pulling weeds and planting seeds: departure and doing good are two sides of the same work.
- A runner who doesn’t stop when the finish line seems far, peace might require repeated apologies, patience in a strained relationship.
- A child learning that “not hitting” is only half the lesson; sharing the toy completes it.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How do I pursue peace with someone who keeps stirring up conflict?
- Does “depart from evil” mean I avoid non-Christians altogether?
- What if doing good doesn’t produce peace, have I failed?
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 34:14 packs a life pattern into four commands. David wrote it after a close call with death, so these are not calm suggestions; they are survival wisdom from the fear of God. As you gather your group, start by reading the whole psalm (verses 4, 22) to hear the urgent, grateful tone behind this single verse.
Discussion questions
- Read aloud verses 11, 14. What does the question in verse 12 reveal about human longing? How does David answer it?
- The verse names three actions: depart, do good, seek and pursue. Which of these do you find hardest in daily life? Why?
- Why do you think David specifically makes peace the last and most urgent command (pursue it)?
- Compare this verse with 1 Peter 3:10, 12. How does the New Testament writer use the same passage to address Christian suffering and witness?
- What practical things does “depart from evil” mean for your workplace, home, or online habits this week?
- How can a small group help each other “pursue peace” when a member is in conflict with someone outside the group?
- David’s own story involved feigning madness to survive. How do we distinguish wise peacemaking from cowardly avoidance?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 28:28 | To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’” |
| Psalms 37:27 | Depart from evil, and do good. Live securely forever. |
| Psalms 120:7 | I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war. |
| Proverbs 3:7 | Don’t be wise in your own eyes. Fear Yahweh, and depart from evil. |
| Proverbs 8:13 | The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth. |
| Proverbs 13:14 | The teaching of the wise is a spring of life, to turn from the snares of death. |
| Proverbs 16:16 | How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! Yes, to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. |
| Proverbs 16:17 | The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He who keeps his way preserves his soul. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes the practical, life-extending wisdom of the command to seek peace. He notes that countless lives are cut short by quarrels, revenge, duels, and wars, so pursuing peace actively is shrewd counsel for anyone who wants to live long.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights how improbable David's escape was, since he had fled to his deadliest enemy and could only save himself by feigning madness. The deliverance was so remarkable that David intended it as an instruction for the whole Church. Calvin also notes that Abimelech was a royal title, not a personal name.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Eschewe euill and doe good: seeke peace and follow after it.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill emphasizes that evil is not distant but presses close, so departing from it means shunning all kinds: evil men, company, words, works, and even appearances. This departure flows from the fear of the Lord, which shows itself in hatred of evil, and is paired with actively doing good from right motives and earnestly pursuing peace with everyone.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch observe that David addresses his hearers as "children" not because they are young but as a tender form from a master experienced in God's ways. They highlight David's habit of posing a question and then answering it himself to make the truth more forceful. The commentator emphasizes avoiding sins of the tongue and pursuing peace with the same eagerness a hunter chases game.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the Psalm's title connecting it to David feigning madness is questionable because the song's content is far too general and contains no direct reference to that event. He suggests the Psalm was likely composed later by David as a reflective, instructional poem based on memory of his preservation, not as an immediate outpouring.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that David, though a warrior and king burdened with cares, still made time to teach children about the fear of the Lord. That he instructed the children of his people, not his own, shows his pastoral heart for the next generation.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley treats each command as an active, strenuous pursuit: depart from every sin, not just obvious ones; do good to everyone you meet; and most distinctively, chase after peace when it slips away, not merely accept it when offered. For him, peace requires determined effort against reluctance.