Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
Their words are like walking into a graveyard, nothing but death comes out of their mouths. They speak lies like it's their native language, and every word they say is toxic, like poison waiting to strike.
Some people's words are straight-up poisonous, they only bring death and lies wherever they go.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Romans, written by the apostle Paul around AD 57 to the Christian community in Rome, this verse is part of a larger argument proving that all people, both Jews and Gentiles, are under sin. Paul quotes from Old Testament passages like Psalm 5:9 and 140:3 to illustrate how human speech is corrupted, using metaphors such as an open grave and poisonous asp venom to show the deadly and deceptive nature of words in a culture that valued rhetorical skill but often saw it abused. This section of Romans emphasizes the universal need for redemption through faith in Christ.
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