Romans 12:14 (KJV)

Passage

Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Nearby Context

Romans 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Romans 12:13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

Romans 12:14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Romans 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bless", "persecute", and "curse". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bless" and "persecute", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Distributing to the necessity of saints given..." into verse 15's "Rejoice with them that do rejoice and...", so "bless" and "persecute" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

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