Psalms 34:12

“Who is the man who desires life, who loves days to see good?”

Psalms 34:12 · direct translation from the Hebrew
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Whoever wants a good life must keep their tongue from deceitThe Tongue

With the Hebrew beneath

12

Quotation · 1 Peter 3:10-12

Go to 1 Peter 3:10-12

Peter quotes Psalm 34:12-16 without a formula, in the third person.

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: ὁ γὰρ θέλων ζωὴν ἀγαπᾶν καὶ ἰδεῖν ἡμέρας ἀγαθὰς παυσάτω τὴν γλῶσσαν ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ χείλη τοῦ μὴ λαλῆσαι δόλον ἐκκλινάτω δὲ ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ ποιησάτω ἀγαθόν ζητησάτω εἰρήνην καὶ διωξάτω αὐτήν ὅτι ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ὦτα αὐτοῦ εἰς δέησιν αὐτῶν πρόσωπον δὲ κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακά

Hebrew (Masoretic text): מִי הָאִישׁ הֶחָפֵץ חַיִּים אֹהֵב יָמִים לִרְאוֹת טוֹב נְצֹר לְשׁוֹנְךָ מֵרָע וּשְׂפָתֶיךָ מִדַּבֵּר מִרְמָה סוּר מֵרָע וַעֲשֵׂה טוֹב בַּקֵּשׁ שָׁלוֹם וְרָדְפֵהוּ עֵינֵי יְהוָה אֶל צַדִּיקִים וְאָזְנָיו אֶל שַׁוְעָתָם פְּנֵי יְהוָה בְּעֹשֵׂי רָע לְהַכְרִית מֵאֶרֶץ זִכְרָם

Septuagint (Psalms 33:13-17 in the Septuagint numbering): τίς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὁ θέλων ζωήν, ἀγαπῶν ἰδεῖν ἡμέρας ἀγαθάς παῦσον τὴν γλῶσσάν σου ἀπὸ κακοῦ, καὶ χείλη τοῦ μὴ λαλῆσαι δόλον· ἔκκλινον ἀπὸ κακοῦ καὶ ποίησον ἀγαθόν, ζήτησον εἰρήνην καὶ δίωξον αὐτήν. ὅτι ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους. καὶ ὦτα αὐτοῦ εἰς δέησιν αὐτῶν· πρόσωπον δὲ Κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακά, τοῦ ἐξολεθρεῦσαι ἐκ γῆς τὸ μνημόσυνον αὐτῶν.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 18 consecutive words: “αὐτήν ὅτι ὀφθαλμοὶ κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ὦτα αὐτοῦ εἰς δέησιν αὐτῶν πρόσωπον δὲ κυρίου ἐπὶ ποιοῦντας κακά.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Psalms 34:12, word by word

is the manאִישׁish

man

An adult male person; also each man of a people, a trade or a place.

Where else “ish” appears
who desiresחָפֵץchafets

delighting in, desiring

Wanting, delighting in something; one who has pleasure in or desire for a thing.

Where else “chafets” appears
lifeחַיִּיםchayim

life

The span and strength of being alive, which come from God.

Where else “chayim” appears
who lovesאֹהֵבohev

love

To care for someone from the heart and seek their good.

Where else “ohev” appears
daysיָמִיםyamim

time

Literally "the days": a period, an age, or the span of someone's life.

Where else “yamim” appears
to seeרְאוֹתreot

see

To see with one's eyes.

Where else “reot” appears
goodטוֹבtov

good

What is as it should be and gives delight: sound, useful, beautiful or valuable.

Where else “tov” appears

Translation note

1 Peter 3:10-12 quotes verses 12 to 16.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · 1 Peter 3:10-12

Peter quotes Psalm 34:12-16 without a formula, in the third person.

See them side by side

Psalms 34:12

12Who is the man who desires life, who loves days to see good?

1 Peter 3:10-12

10For Whoever wants to love life and to see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit;

The context

11Come, children, listen to me; the fear of YHWH I will teach you.

12 · This verse (above)

13Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.

Read all of Psalms 34

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