Psalms 34:14 (GNV)

Passage

Eschewe euill and doe good: seeke peace and follow after it.

Nearby Context

Psalms 34:12 What man is he, that desireth life, and loueth long dayes for to see good?

Psalms 34:13 Keepe thy tongue from euill, and thy lips, that they speake no guile.

Psalms 34:14 Eschewe euill and doe good: seeke peace and follow after it.

Psalms 34:15 The eyes of the Lord are vpon the righteous, and his eares are open vnto their crie.

Psalms 34:16 But the face of the Lord is against them that doe euill, to cut off their remembrance from the earth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "eschewe", "euill", "good", "seeke", "peace", "follow", and "after". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "eschewe" and "euill", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Keepe thy tongue from euill and thy..." into verse 15's "The eyes of the Lord are vpon...", so "eschewe" and "euill" 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 "eschewe" and "euill" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.