Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it.
Parallel Translations
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Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it.
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Let him eschue evyll and do good: let him seke peace and ensue it.
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Let him eschew euil, and do good: let him seeke peace, and follow after it.
Cross-references (35)
Passages linked to 1 Peter 3:11 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
- Psalms 34:14 Depart from evil, and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it.
- Hebrews 12:14 Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord,
- Romans 14:19 So then, let’s follow after things which make for peace, and things by which we may build one another up.
- Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful.
- Romans 14:17 for God’s Kingdom is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
- James 4:17 To him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin.
- Romans 12:18 If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.
- 3 John 1:11 Beloved, don’t imitate that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does good is of God. He who does evil hasn’t seen God.
- Romans 8:6 For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace;
- Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,
- Galatians 6:10 So then, as we have opportunity, let’s do what is good toward all men, and especially toward those who are of the household of the faith.
- 1 Timothy 6:18 that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to share;
- Hebrews 13:16 But don’t forget to be doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
- James 3:17-18 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
- Psalms 37:27 Depart from evil, and do good. Live securely forever.
- Matthew 5:45 that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
- Matthew 6:13 Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
- John 17:15 I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one.
- Romans 5:1 Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
- Romans 7:21 I find then the law that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present.
- Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God, and turned away from evil.
- Job 2:3 Yahweh said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil. He still maintains his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin him without cause.”
- Job 28:28 To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’ ”
- Psalms 120:6-7 My soul has had her dwelling too long with him who hates peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.
- Psalms 125:4 Do good, Yahweh, to those who are good, to those who are upright in their hearts.
- Proverbs 3:7 Don’t be wise in your own eyes. Fear Yahweh, and depart from evil.
- Proverbs 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for. By the fear of Yahweh men depart from evil.
- Proverbs 16:17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
- Isaiah 1:16-17 Wash yourselves. Make yourself clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil. Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Defend the fatherless. Plead for the widow.”
- Mark 14:7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want to, you can do them good; but you will not always have me.
- Luke 1:79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
- Luke 6:9 Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you something: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?”
- Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.
- Romans 7:19 For the good which I desire, I don’t do; but the evil which I don’t desire, that I practice.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (10 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 11 Let him seek peace It is not enough…
11 Let him seek peace It is not enough to embrace it when offered to us, but it ought to be followed when it seems to flee from us. It also often happens, that when we seek it as much as we can, others will not grant it to us. On account of these difficulties and hindrances, he bids us to seek and pursue it.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let…
11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
Ver. 11. Seek peace and ensue it] A contentious man never lacks woe. Ut habeas quietum tempus, perde aliquid, was a proverb at Carthage, as Austin relates it; Et concedamus de iure ut careamus lite. For a quiet life let a man part with his right sometimes.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him…
Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him not only in general avoid all sin, and exercise himself in all well-doing, (as the prophet’s meaning, cited in the margin, seems to be), but particularly, let him avoid all sin against his neighbour, not recompensing evil to him, and doing him all the good he can, and overcoming evil with good; and to this the apostle accommodates the prophet’s words.
Let him seek peace; not only with God and his own conscience, but with his neighbours, which is here especially meant.
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And ensue it: either seeking and ensuing signify the same thing, viz. an earnest desire of peace, and use of all lawful means to obtain it; or, ensuing it may signify the difficulty of obtaining it; when we seek it, it may seem to fly from us, men may not let us have peace when we would have peace, Psa 120:7, and therefore we must follow it, Heb 12:14.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Let him eschew evil,.... Avoid all kinds of evil,…
Let him eschew evil,.... Avoid all kinds of evil, hate it, abstain from the appearance of it, and have no fellowship with it; and particularly should avoid rendering evil for evil, or taking revenge on persons for doing him ill:
and do good; everything that is good, all good works, according to the will of God, in the exercise of faith, from a principle of love, and with a view to the glory of God; and without trusting to them, and depending upon them for life and salvation; and particularly do good for evil; do good to all men, acts of kindness and beneficence, even to enemies, and especially to them that are of the household of faith. The Jewish interpreters (w) on the psalm from whence these words are taken observe, that in the first of these clauses are contained all the negative precepts, whose number with them is three hundred, sixty, and five; and in the latter of them, all the affirmative precepts, which amount to two hundred and forty eight:
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let him seek peace and ensue it: "or pursue it"; let him seek after it, in the world, and with all men, as much as possible, yea, with his very enemies; and live a peaceable and quiet life, in the kingdom, city, town, and neighbourhood where he is; and particularly in the church of God, and with the saints; which he should seek with all diligence and eagerness, and pursue with all rigour to the utmost of his power; and endeavour to cultivate all he can, and follow the things which make for it. The note of one of the Jewish commentators (x) on this passage is, "seek peace", in thine own place; "and pursue it", in another place,
(w) Aben Ezra & Kimchi in Psal. xxxiv. 14. (x) Jarchi.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Let him seek - To live peaceably with all…
Let him seek - To live peaceably with all men. And pursue it - Even when it seems to flee from him.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Let him eschew evil - Let him avoid all…
Let him eschew evil - Let him avoid all evil. Compare Job 1:1.
And do good - In any and every way; by endeavoring to promote the happiness of all. Compare the notes at Gal 6:10.
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Let him seek peace, and ensue it - Follow it; that is, practice it. See the Mat 5:9 note; Rom 12:18 note. The meaning is, that a peaceful spirit will contribute to length of days:
A peaceful spirit - a calm, serene, and equal temper of mind - is favorable to health, avoiding those corroding and distracting passions which do so much to wear out the physical energies of the frame; and,
(2)Such a spirit will preserve us from those contentions and strifes to which so many owe their death. Let anyone reflect on the numbers that are killed in duels, in battles, and in brawls, and he will have no difficulty in seeing how a peace fill spirit will contribute to length of days.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain In oldest manuscripts, Greek, "Moreover (besides his words, in…
In oldest manuscripts, Greek, "Moreover (besides his words, in acts), let him."
eschew--"turn from."
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ensue--pursue as a thing hard to attain, and that flees from one in this troublesome world.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 11. let him seek peace, and ensue it] Better,…
11. let him seek peace, and ensue it] Better, perhaps, pursue or follow after, as in 1Ti_6:11. The verb “ensue” has ceased almost, if not altogether, to be used transitively. It implies, both in itself, and by its position in the verse as a climax, the strongest form of seeking.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (11) Let him eschew evil.—Literally swerve out of the…
(11) Let him eschew evil.—Literally swerve out of the way from evil. The two former clauses dealt with the domain of word; these two with the domain of action. It suits St. Peter’s intention better to take the verse, not as an exhortation to virtue in general, but as an instruction how to behave under provocation and in danger. The “good” which the man is to do is what is kind, not merely what is virtuous; and so, by contrast, the “evil” to be eschewed probably means chiefly what is malicious.
Seek peace, and ensue it.—“As much as in you lieth,” says St. Paul, “live peaceably with all men.” It is to be a matter of diligent search; and if it seems to flee away it is to be “ensued”—i.e., pursued. The active practical measures here prescribed confirm the surmise that “blessing” in 1Pe_3:8 covered more ground than benedictory prayers.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Let him eschew evil, and do good; literally, let…
Let him eschew evil, and do good; literally, let him turn away from evil. Let him seek peace, and ensue it. Let him seek it as a hidden treasure, and pursue it as if it might escape from him.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.