Deuteronomy 32:33

32:33 Their wine is snakes’ poison,

the deadly venom of cobras.

Psalms 58:4

58:4 Their venom is like that of a snake, ¹ 

like a deaf serpent ²  that does not hear, ³ 

Psalms 140:3

140:3 Their tongues wound like a serpent; ⁴ 

a viper’s ⁵  venom is behind ⁶  their lips. (Selah)

Ecclesiastes 10:11

10:11 If the snake should bite before it is charmed, ⁷ 

the snake charmer ⁸  is in trouble. ⁹ 

Romans 3:13

3:13 “Their throats are open graves, ¹⁰ 

they deceive with their tongues,

the poison of asps is under their lips.” ¹¹ 

Revelation 12:9

12:9 So ¹²  that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him.

[58:4]  ¹ tn Heb “[there is] venom to them according to the likeness of venom of a snake.”

[58:4]  ² tn Or perhaps “cobra” (cf. NASB, NIV). Other suggested species of snakes are “asp” (NEB) and “adder” (NRSV).

[58:4]  ³ tn Heb “[that] stops up its ear.” The apparent Hiphil jussive verbal form should be understood as a Qal imperfect with “i” theme vowel (see GKC 168 §63.n).

[140:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent.” Ps 64:3 reads, “they sharpen their tongues like sword.” Perhaps Ps 140:3 uses a mixed metaphor, the point being that “they sharpen their tongues [like a sword],” as it were, so that when they speak, their words wound like a serpent’s bite. Another option is that the language refers to the pointed or forked nature of a serpent’s tongue, which is viewed metaphorically as “sharpened.”

[140:3]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew term is used only here in the OT.

[140:3]  ⁶ tn Heb “under.”

[10:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “without charming.”

[10:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “the master of the tongue.”

[10:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “has no profit”; ASV, NAB, NRSV “there is no advantage.”

[3:13]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “their throat is an opened grave.”

[3:13]  ¹¹ sn A quotation from Pss 5:9; 140:3.

[12:9]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the war in heaven.