God’s Word Translation
Romans 3:13
13Their throats are open graves. Their tongues practice deception. Their lips hide the venom of poisonous snakes.
Romans 3:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
- New International Version (NIV)“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)"Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips."
- New King James Version (NKJV)“Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”;
Context of Romans 3:13
11No one understands. No one searches for God. 12Everyone has turned away. Together they have become rotten to the core. No one does anything good, not even one person. Their throats are open graves. Their tongues practice deception. Their lips hide the venom of poisonous snakes. 14Their mouths are full of curses and bitter resentment. 15They run quickly to murder people.
Read all of Romans 3Romans 3:13 word by word
τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν, ταῖς γλώσσαις αὐτῶν ἐδολιοῦσαν· ἰὸς ἀσπίδων ὑπὸ τὰ χείλη αὐτῶν·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Theirαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- throatὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- throatλάρυγξlarugx · throatG2995
- an openἀνοίγωanoigō · to openG455
- sepulchreτάφοςtaphos · graveG5028
- withγλῶσσαglōssa · tongueG1100
- they have used deceitδολιόωdolioō · to deceiveG1387
- the poisonἰόςios · poison/rustG2447
- of aspsἀσπίςaspis · aspG785
- underὑπόhupo · by/under: underG5259
- lipsχεῖλοςcheilos · lipG5491
Cross-references for Romans 3:13
- Psalms 5:9Nothing in their mouths is truthful. Destruction comes from their hearts. Their throats are open graves. They flatter with their tongues.
- Jeremiah 5:16Their arrow quivers are like open graves. They are all mighty warriors.
- Matthew 23:27“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed graves that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead people’s bones and every kind of impurity.
- Romans 3:4That would be unthinkable! God is honest, and everyone else is a liar, as Scripture says, “So you hand down justice when you speak, and you win your case in court.”
- Psalms 12:3May the Lord cut off every flattering lip and every bragging tongue
- Psalms 36:3The words from his mouth are ⌞nothing but⌟ trouble and deception. He has stopped doing what is wise and good.
- Psalms 52:2Your tongue makes up threats. It’s like a sharp razor, you master of deceit.
- Psalms 57:4My soul is surrounded by lions. I must lie down with man-eating lions. Their teeth are spears and arrows. Their tongues are sharp swords.
- Isaiah 59:3Your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers are stained with sin. You speak lies, and you mutter wicked things.
- Jeremiah 9:3They use their tongues like bows that shoot arrows. Lies and dishonesty rule the land. They go from one evil thing to another, and they don’t know me,” declares the Lord.
- Ezekiel 13:7Prophets of Israel, haven’t you seen false visions and predicted things that don’t come true? Don’t you say, “The Lord said this,” even though I haven’t said anything?
- Matthew 12:34You poisonous snakes! How can you evil people say anything good? Your mouth says what comes from inside you.
- James 3:5In the same way the tongue is a small part of the body, but it can brag about doing important things. A large forest can be set on fire by a little flame.
- Deuteronomy 32:33Their wine is snake venom, the deadly poison of cobras.
- Job 20:14the food in his belly turns sour. It becomes snake venom in his stomach.
- Psalms 140:3They make their tongues as sharp as a snake’s ⌞fang⌟. Their lips hide the venom of poisonous snakes. Selah
Commentaries on Romans 3:13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13Their throat is an open sepulchre - This and all the following verses to the end of the 18th are found in the Septuagint, but not in the Hebrew text; and it is most evident that it was from this version that the apostle quoted, as the verses cannot be found in any other place with so near an approximation to the apostle's meaning and words. The verses in question, however, are not found in the Alexandrian MS. But they exist in the Vulgate, the Ethiopic…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13Their throat - This expression is taken from Psalm 5:9, literally from the Septuagint. The design of the psalm is to reprove those who were false, traitorous, slanderous, etc. Psalm 5:6. The psalmist has the sin of deceit, and falsehood, and slander particularly in his eye. The expressions here are to be interpreted in accordance with that. The sentiment here may be, as the grave is ever open to receive all into it, that is, into destruction, so the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-18Verses 9-18 Here again is shown that all mankind are under the guilt of sin, as a burden; and under the government and dominion of sin, as enslaved to it, to work wickedness. This is made plain by several passages of Scripture from the Old Testament, which describe the corrupt and depraved state of all men, till grace restrain or change them. Great as our advantages are, these texts describe multitudes who call themselves Christians. Their principles and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13-14Paul here speaks about sins of speech. In each of the four lines, he mentions a different part of the body used for speaking.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1813-18. Their, &c.--From generals, the apostle here comes to particulars, culling from different parts of Scripture passages which speak of depravity as it affects the different members of the body; as if to show more affectingly how "from the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness" in us. throat is an open sepulchre--(Psa 5:9); that is, "What proceeds out of their heart, and finds vent in speech and action through the throat, is like the…Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 3:13
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Romans 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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