Psalms 34:21 (KJV)

Passage

Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

Nearby Context

Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.

Psalms 34:20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

Psalms 34:21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

Psalms 34:22 The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "evil", "shall", "slay", "wicked", "hate", "righteous", and "desolate". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "evil" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "He keepeth all his bones not one..." into verse 22's "The LORD redeemeth the soul of his...", so "evil" and "shall" 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 "evil" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.