Psalms 34:16 (ASV)

Passage

The face of Jehovah is against them that do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

Nearby Context

Psalms 34:14 Depart from evil, and do good; Seek peace, and pursue it.

Psalms 34:15 The eyes of Jehovah are toward the righteous, And his ears are [open] unto their cry.

Psalms 34:16 The face of Jehovah is against them that do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

Psalms 34:17 [The righteous] cried, and Jehovah heard, And delivered them out of all their troubles.

Psalms 34:18 Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "face", "jehovah", "against", "evil", "remembrance", and "earth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "face" and "jehovah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "The eyes of Jehovah are toward the..." into verse 17's "The righteous cried and Jehovah heard And...", so "face" and "jehovah" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "face" and "jehovah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.