Back to 1 Peter 3

1 Peter 3:12

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears open to their prayer; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

World English Bible · Public Domain

Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears open to their prayer; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

  • TYNDALE Tyndale New Testament (1534)

    For the eyes of the Lorde are over the righteous and his eares are open vnto their prayers. But the face of the Lorde beholdeth the that do evyll.

  • GNV Geneva Bible (1599)

    For the eyes of the Lord are ouer the righteous, and his eares are open vnto their prayers: and the face of the Lord is against them that do euil.

View more translations →

Examined in Scripture Analysis

Contradictions (1)

Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.

Explore Contradictions →

Cross-references (19)

Passages linked to 1 Peter 3:12 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.

  • Psalms 34:15-16 Yahweh’s eyes are toward the righteous. His ears listen to their cry. Yahweh’s face is against those who do evil, to cut off their memory from the earth.
  • John 9:31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.
  • Proverbs 15:29 Yahweh is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
  • Proverbs 15:3 Yahweh’s eyes are everywhere, keeping watch on the evil and the good.
  • 2 Chronicles 7:15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to prayer that is made in this place.
  • Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
  • James 5:16 Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.
  • 2 Chronicles 16:9 For Yahweh’s eyes run back and forth throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. You have done foolishly in this; for from now on you will have wars.”
  • Psalms 65:2 You who hear prayer, all men will come to you.
  • Ezekiel 15:7 I will set my face against them. They will go out from the fire, but the fire will devour them. Then you will know that I am Yahweh, when I set my face against them.
  • Deuteronomy 11:12 a land which Yahweh your God cares for. Yahweh your God’s eyes are always on it, from the beginning of the year even to the end of the year.
  • Leviticus 20:3 I also will set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given of his offspring to Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
  • Leviticus 26:17 I will set my face against you, and you will be struck before your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you; and you will flee when no one pursues you.
  • Psalms 80:16 It’s burned with fire. It’s cut down. They perish at your rebuke.
  • Leviticus 17:10 “ ‘Any man of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who eats any kind of blood, I will set my face against that soul who eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
  • Leviticus 20:6 “ ‘The person that turns to those who are mediums and wizards, to play the prostitute after them, I will even set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people.
  • Psalms 11:4 Yahweh is in his holy temple. Yahweh is on his throne in heaven. His eyes observe. His eyes examine the children of men.
  • Jeremiah 21:10 For I have set my face on this city for evil, and not for good,” says Yahweh. “It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.” ’
  • Zechariah 4:10 Indeed, who despises the day of small things? For these seven shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. These are Yahweh’s eyes, which run back and forth through the whole earth.”

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

↑ Top

Explain this verse (16 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over…

12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, or, on the righteous. It ought to be a consolation to us, sufficient to mitigate all evils, that we are looked upon by the Lord, so that he will bring us help in due time. The meaning then is, that the prosperity which he has mentioned depends on the protection of God; for were not the Lord to care for his people, they would be like sheep exposed to wolves. And that we for little reason raise a clamor, that we suddenly kindle unto wrath, that we burn with the passion of revenge, all this, doubtless, happens, because we do not consider that God cares for us, and because we do not acquiesce in his aid. Thus in vain we shall be taught patience, except our minds are first imbued with this truth, that God exercises such care over us, that he will in due time succor us. When, on the contrary, we are fully persuaded that God defends the cause of the righteous, we shall first attend simply to innocence, and then, when molested and hated by the ungodly, we shall flee to the protection of God. And when he says, that the ears of the Lord are open to our prayers, he encourages us to pray.

But the face of the Lord By this clause he intimates that the Lord will be our avenger, because he will not always suffer the insolence of the ungodly to prevail; and at the same time he shews how it will be, if we seek to defend our life from injuries, even that God will be an adversary to us. But it may, on the other hand, be objected and said, that we experience it daily far otherwise, for the more righteous any one is, and the greater lover of peace he is, the more he is harassed by the wicked. To this I reply, that no one is so attentive to righteousness and peace, but that he sometimes sins in this respect. But it ought to be especially observed, that the promises as to this life do not extend further than as to what is expedient for us to be fulfilled. Hence, our peace with the world is often disturbed, that our flesh may be subdued, in order that we may serve God, and also for other reasons; so that nothing may be a loss to us.

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.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain This word (Face) after the manner of the Hebrews,…
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain For the eyes of the Lord are over the…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain For the eyes of the Lord are over the…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 12. The eyes of the Lord are over…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain For the eyes of the Lord are over the…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Ground of the promised present and eternal life of…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 12. For—Besides the natural tendency of this course, God…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 12. For the eyes of the Lord are over…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (12) For.—Or, Because. In the Psalm there is no…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain For the eyes of the Lord are over the…
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 12. The eyes of the Lord. He ceases not…
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain (See Scofield "Rom 10:10").

↑ Top

Share