Bible Strands
Psalms 5:4
For You are not a God who delights in wickedness; no evil can dwell with You.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the LORD during a morning plea at daybreak, framing his expectation of divine response.
The words — חָפֵץ (cha.Fetz) = desirous of, and רֶשַׁע (Re.sha') = wickedness.
The thread — This theme of divine opposition to wickedness appears in Psalms 11:5, Hebrews 12:14, and Malachi 2:17.
Why it lands — The text states God does not delight in wickedness and will not tolerate evil in His presence, requiring readers to align their conduct with His moral nature rather than assume proximity guarantees favor.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
Cross-references
- Psalms 11:5 The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked; His soul hates the lover of violence.
- Hebrews 12:14 Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
- Malachi 2:17 You have wearied the LORD with your words; yet you ask, “How have we wearied Him?” By saying, “All who do evil are good in the sight of the LORD, and in them He delights,” or, “Where is the God of justice?”
- Psalms 50:21 You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But now I rebuke you and accuse you to your face.
- Revelation 21:27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who practices an abomination or a lie, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
- Psalms 92:15 to proclaim, “The LORD is upright; He is my Rock, and in Him there is no unrighteousness.”
- Psalms 101:7 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who tells lies shall stand in my presence.
- Psalms 140:13 Surely the righteous will praise Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.
- Habakkuk 1:13 Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do You tolerate the faithless? Why are You silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
- 2 Peter 3:13 But in keeping with God’s promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.