"Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."
— Psalm 34:14 (NIV)
Psalm 34:14 gives four short commands, and the last one, "seek peace and pursue it," says peace is something you chase, not something you wait for. This page gives the verse, what the key Hebrew words mean, where it sits in Psalm 34, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about peace.
Free PDF
Get the free 30 Days of Love Verses PDF
Sign up for the daily Bible verse email, and get the free 30 Days of Love Verses PDF. 30 Days of Love Verses · Open the PDF
The verse
The King James reads: "Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it."
"Turn" or "depart" is sur (H5493), to turn aside. "Evil" is ra (H7451) and "good" is tov (H2896). "Seek" is baqash (H1245), to search for. "Peace" is shalom (H7965), wholeness and well-being, not only the absence of a fight. "Pursue" is radaph (H7291), to chase or run after.
Where it sits in Psalm 34
Psalm 34 is a psalm of David. Its heading ties it to the time he pretended to be insane before Abimelek and was driven away. The psalm starts in praise and then turns to teaching: "Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD" (Psalm 34:11).
Verse 14 answers the question in verses 12-13: "Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies." A few verses later comes the promise, "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).
Peter quotes this passage in the New Testament: "They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it" (1 Peter 3:11), right after telling believers not to repay evil with evil (1 Peter 3:9).
What the verse is saying
The verse moves from what to stop to what to start. Turning from evil is not the whole job; doing good fills the space it leaves.
Then it says the same thing about peace, twice. Seeking means looking for it. Pursuing means running after it when it moves away. Peace with people does not usually come to you on its own, and the psalm expects you to go after it.
Questions people ask
What does Psalm 34:14 say?
In the NIV it says, "Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." The KJV says, "Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it."
What does "seek peace and pursue it" mean?
The Hebrew word for pursue, radaph, means to chase or run after. Peace (shalom) is not just waited for; you go looking for it and keep after it.
Where is Psalm 34:14 quoted in the New Testament?
In 1 Peter 3:10-12, which quotes Psalm 34:12-16. Verse 11 reads, "They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it."
Who wrote Psalm 34?
The heading names David and ties it to the time he pretended to be insane before Abimelek (see 1 Samuel 21:10-15, where the king is called Achish).
What verses go with Psalm 34:14?
Romans 12:18 (live at peace with everyone), Hebrews 12:14 (make every effort to live in peace), Matthew 5:9 (blessed are the peacemakers), and 1 Peter 3:9 (do not repay evil with evil) are close companions.
