Psalms 34:16 (LSB)

Passage

The face of Yahweh is against evildoers, To cut off the memory 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 Yahweh are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry for help.

Psalms 34:16 The face of Yahweh is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

Psalms 34:17 The righteous cry, and Yahweh hears And delivers them out of all their troubles.

Psalms 34:18 Yahweh is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "The eyes of Yahweh are toward the..." into verse 17's "The righteous cry and Yahweh hears And...", so "face" and "yahweh" 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 "yahweh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.