But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to wipe out all memory of them from the earth.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh’s face is against those who do evil, to cut off their memory from the earth.
- KJV The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
- NKJV The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
- NASB The face of the Lord is against evildoers, To eliminate the memory of them from the earth.
- NLT But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Lord sets his face against evildoers to cut off their memory from the earth.
Overview
In contrast to his care for the righteous, God opposes those who do evil, bringing their memory to an end. His justice ensures that wickedness does not finally prevail. This solemn warning underscores the need for the refuge from judgment found in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Prov 10:7The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
- Jer 17:13O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who abandon You will be put to shame. All who turn away will be written in the dust, for they have abandoned the LORD, the fountain of living water.
- Jer 44:11Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: I will set My face to bring disaster and to cut off all Judah.
- Job 18:17The memory of him perishes from the earth, and he has no name in the land.
- Lev 17:10If anyone from the house of Israel or a foreigner living among them eats any blood, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from among his people.
- Amos 9:4Though they are driven by their enemies into captivity, there I will command the sword to slay them. I will fix My eyes upon them for harm and not for good.”
- Ezek 14:7–8For when any Israelite or any foreigner dwelling in Israel separates himself from Me, sets up idols in his heart, and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet to inquire of Me, I the LORD will answer him Myself.
- Lev 26:17And I will set My face against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee when no one pursues you.
- Eccl 8:10Then too, I saw the burial of the wicked who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they had done so. This too is futile.
- Ps 10:16The LORD is King forever and ever; the nations perish from His land.
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 34:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.