The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance 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.
- BSB But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to wipe out all memory 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 just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.
- Jer 17:13O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.
- Jer 44:11Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all Judah.
- Job 18:17His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.
- Lev 17:10And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
- Amos 9:4And though they go into captivity before their enemies, thence will I command the sword, and it shall slay them: and I will set mine eyes upon them for evil, and not for good.
- Ezek 14:7–8For every one of the house of Israel, or of the stranger that sojourneth in Israel, which separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to a prophet to enquire of him concerning me; I the LORD will answer him by myself:
- Lev 26:17And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.
- Eccl 8:10And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.
- Ps 10:16The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of 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.