Psalms 5:9

5:9 For ¹  they do not speak the truth; ² 

their stomachs are like the place of destruction, ³ 

their throats like an open grave, ⁴ 

their tongues like a steep slope leading into it. ⁵ 

Psalms 10:7

10:7 His mouth is full of curses and deceptive, harmful words; ⁶ 

his tongue injures and destroys. ⁷ 

Psalms 12:2-3

12:2 People lie to one another; ⁸ 

they flatter and deceive. ⁹ 

12:3 May the Lord cut off ¹⁰  all flattering lips,

and the tongue that boasts! ¹¹ 

Psalms 36:3-4

36:3 The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful;

he does not care about doing what is wise and right. ¹² 

36:4 He plans ways to sin while he lies in bed;

he is committed to a sinful lifestyle; ¹³ 

he does not reject what is evil. ¹⁴ 

Psalms 55:12

55:12 Indeed, ¹⁵  it is not an enemy who insults me,

or else I could bear it;

it is not one who hates me who arrogantly taunts me, ¹⁶ 

or else I could hide from him.

Psalms 55:21

55:21 His words are as smooth as butter, ¹⁷ 

but he harbors animosity in his heart. ¹⁸ 

His words seem softer than oil,

but they are really like sharp swords. ¹⁹ 

Psalms 64:3-5

64:3 They ²⁰  sharpen their tongues like a sword;

they aim their arrow, a slanderous charge, ²¹ 

64:4 in order to shoot down the innocent ²²  in secluded places.

They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation. ²³ 

64:5 They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed. ²⁴ 

They plan how to hide ²⁵  snares,

and boast, ²⁶  “Who will see them?” ²⁷ 

Isaiah 59:3-4

59:3 For your hands are stained with blood

and your fingers with sin;

your lips speak lies,

your tongue utters malicious words.

59:4 No one is concerned about justice; ²⁸ 

no one sets forth his case truthfully.

They depend on false words ²⁹  and tell lies;

they conceive of oppression ³⁰ 

and give birth to sin.

Hosea 4:2

4:2 There is only cursing, lying, murder, stealing, and adultery.

They resort to violence and bloodshed. ³¹ 

Romans 3:13-14

3:13 “Their throats are open graves, ³² 

they deceive with their tongues,

the poison of asps is under their lips.” ³³ 

3:14 “Their mouths are ³⁴  full of cursing and bitterness.” ³⁵ 

James 3:5-9

3:5 So too the tongue is a small part of the body, ³⁶  yet it has great pretensions. ³⁷  Think ³⁸  how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze. 3:6 And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents ³⁹  the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It ⁴⁰  pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence – and is set on fire by hell. ⁴¹ 

3:7 For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature ⁴²  is subdued and has been subdued by humankind. ⁴³  3:8 But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless ⁴⁴  evil, full of deadly poison. 3:9 With it we bless the Lord ⁴⁵  and Father, and with it we curse people ⁴⁶  made in God’s image.

Revelation 21:8

21:8 But to the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, ⁴⁷  idol worshipers, ⁴⁸  and all those who lie, their place ⁴⁹  will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. ⁵⁰  That ⁵¹  is the second death.”

[5:9]  ¹ tn Or “certainly.”

[5:9]  ² tn Heb “for there is not in his mouth truthfulness.” The singular pronoun (“his”) probably refers back to the “man of bloodshed and deceit” mentioned in v. 6. The singular is collective or representative, as the plural in the next line indicates, and so has been translated “they.”

[5:9]  ³ tn Heb “their inward part[s] [is] destruction.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse.

[5:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “their throat is an open grave.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse. The metaphor is suggested by the physical resemblance of the human throat to a deeply dug grave; both are dark chasms.

[5:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “they make smooth their tongue.” Flattering, deceitful words are in view. See Ps 12:2. The psalmist’s deceitful enemies are compared to the realm of death/Sheol in v. 9b. Sheol was envisioned as a dark region within the earth, the entrance to which was the grave with its steep slopes (cf. Ps 88:4-6). The enemies’ victims are pictured here as slipping down a steep slope (the enemies’ tongues) and falling into an open grave (their throat) that terminates in destruction in the inner recesses of Sheol (their stomach). The enemies’ קרב (“inward part”) refers here to their thoughts and motives, which are destructive in their intent. The throat is where these destructive thoughts are transformed into words, and their tongue is what they use to speak the deceitful words that lead their innocent victims to their demise.

[10:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “[with] a curse his mouth is full, and lies and injury.”

[10:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “under his tongue are destruction and wickedness.” The words translated “destruction and wickedness” are also paired in Ps 90:10. They also appear in proximity in Pss 7:14 and 55:10.

[12:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “falsehood they speak, a man with his neighbor.” The imperfect verb forms in v. 2 describe what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.

[12:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “[with] a lip of smoothness, with a heart and a heart they speak.” Speaking a “smooth” word refers to deceptive flattery (cf. Ps 5:9; 55:21; Prov 2:16; 5:3; 7:5, 21; 26:28; 28:23; Isa 30:10). “Heart” here refers to their mind, from which their motives and intentions originate. The repetition of the noun indicates diversity (see GKC 396 §123.f, IBHS 116 §7.2.3c, and Deut 25:13, where the phrase “weight and a weight” refers to two different measuring weights). These people have two different types of “hearts.” Their flattering words seem to express kind motives and intentions, but this outward display does not really reflect their true motives. Their real “heart” is filled with evil thoughts and destructive intentions. The “heart” that is seemingly displayed through their words is far different from the real “heart” they keep disguised. (For the idea see Ps 28:3.) In 1 Chr 12:33 the phrase “without a heart and a heart” means “undivided loyalty.”

[12:3]  ¹⁰ tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory (“May the Lord cut off”), not indicative (“The Lord will cut off”; see also Ps 109:15 and Mal 2:12). The psalmist appeals to God to destroy the wicked, rather than simply stating his confidence that he will. In this way he seeks to activate divine judgment by appealing to God’s just character. For an example of the power of such a curse, see Judg 9:7-57.

[12:3]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a tongue speaking great [things].”

[36:3]  ¹² tn Heb “he ceases to exhibit wisdom to do good.” The Hiphil forms are exhibitive, indicating the outward expression of an inner attitude.

[36:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “he takes a stand in a way [that is] not good.” The word “way” here refers metaphorically to behavior or life style.

[36:4]  ¹⁴ tn The three imperfect verbal forms in v. 4 highlight the characteristic behavior of the typical evildoer.

[55:12]  ¹⁵ tn Or “for.”

[55:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “[who] magnifies against me.” See Pss 35:26; 38:16.

[55:21]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “the butter-like [words] of his mouth are smooth.” The noun מַחְמָאֹת (makhma’ot, “butter-like [words]”) occurs only here. Many prefer to emend the form to מֵחֶמְאָה (mekhem’ah, from [i.e., “than”] butter”), cf. NEB, NRSV “smoother than butter.” However, in this case “his mouth” does not agree in number with the plural verb חָלְקוּ (kholqu, “they are smooth”). Therefore some further propose an emendation of פִּיו (piv, “his mouth”) to פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”). In any case, the point seems to that the psalmist’s former friend spoke kindly to him and gave the outward indications of friendship.

[55:21]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and war [is in] his heart.”

[55:21]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “his words are softer than oil, but they are drawn swords.”

[64:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “who.” A new sentence was started here in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[64:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “a bitter word.”

[64:4]  ²² tn The psalmist uses the singular because he is referring to himself here as representative of a larger group.

[64:4]  ²³ tn Heb “and are unafraid.” The words “of retaliation” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[64:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “they give strength to themselves, an evil matter [or “word”].”

[64:5]  ²⁵ tn Heb “they report about hiding.”

[64:5]  ²⁶ tn Heb “they say.”

[64:5]  ²⁷ tn If this is a direct quotation (cf. NASB, NIV), the pronoun “them” refers to the snares mentioned in the previous line. If it is an indirect quotation, then the pronoun may refer to the enemies themselves (cf. NEB, which is ambiguous). Some translations retain the direct quotation but alter the pronoun to “us,” referring clearly to the enemies (cf. NRSV).

[59:4]  ²⁸ tn Heb “no one pleads with justice.”

[59:4]  ²⁹ tn Heb “nothing”; NAB “emptiness.”

[59:4]  ³⁰ tn Or “trouble” (NIV), or “harm.”

[4:2]  ³¹ tn Heb “they break out and bloodshed touches bloodshed.” The Hebrew term פָּרַץ (parats, “to break out”) refers to violent and wicked actions (BDB 829 s.v. פָּרַץ 7; HALOT 972 s.v. פרץ 6.c). It is used elsewhere in a concrete sense to describe breaking through physical barriers. Here it is used figuratively to describe breaking moral barriers and restraints (cf. TEV “Crimes increase, and there is one murder after another”).

[3:13]  ³² tn Grk “their throat is an opened grave.”

[3:13]  ³³ sn A quotation from Pss 5:9; 140:3.

[3:14]  ³⁴ tn Grk “whose mouth is.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:14]  ³⁵ sn A quotation from Ps 10:7.

[3:5]  ³⁶ tn Grk “a small member.”

[3:5]  ³⁷ tn Grk “boasts of great things.”

[3:5]  ³⁸ tn Grk “Behold.”

[3:6]  ³⁹ tn Grk “makes itself,” “is made.”

[3:6]  ⁴⁰ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:6]  ⁴¹ sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2, 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36).

[3:7]  ⁴² tn Grk (plurals), “every kind of animals and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures.”

[3:7]  ⁴³ tn Grk “the human species.”

[3:8]  ⁴⁴ tc Most mss (C Ψ 1739^c Ï as well as a few versions and fathers) read “uncontrollable” (ἀκατασχετόν, akatasceton), while the most important witnesses (א A B K P 1739* latt) have “restless” (ἀκατάστατον, akatastaton). Externally, the latter reading should be preferred. Internally, however, things get a bit more complex. The notion of being uncontrollable is well suited to the context, especially as a counterbalance to v. 8a, though for this very reason scribes may have been tempted to replace ἀκατάστατον with ἀκατασχετόν. However, in a semantically parallel early Christian text, ἀκατάστατος (akatastato") was considered strong enough of a term to denounce slander as “a restless demon” (Herm. 27:3). On the other hand, ἀκατάστατον may have been substituted for ἀκατασχετόν by way of assimilation to 1:8 (especially since both words were relatively rare, scribes may have replaced the less familiar with one that was already used in this letter). On internal evidence, it is difficult to decide, though ἀκατασχετόν is slightly preferred. However, in light of the strong support for ἀκατάστατον, and the less-than-decisive internal evidence, ἀκατάστατον is preferred instead.

[3:9]  ⁴⁵ tc Most later mss (Ï), along with several versional witnesses, have θεόν (qeon, “God”) here instead of κύριον (kurion, “Lord”). Such is a predictable variant since nowhere else in the NT is God described as “Lord and Father,” but he is called “God and Father” on several occasions. Further, the reading κύριον is well supported by early and diversified witnesses (̲⁰ א A B C P Ψ 33 81 945 1241 1739), rendering it as the overwhelmingly preferred reading.

[3:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “men”; but here ἀνθρώπους (anqrwpous) has generic force, referring to both men and women.

[21:8]  ⁴⁷ tn On the term φαρμακεία (farmakeia, “magic spells”) see L&N 53.100: “the use of magic, often involving drugs and the casting of spells upon people – ‘to practice magic, to cast spells upon, to engage in sorcery, magic, sorcery.’ φαρμακεία: ἐν τῇ φαρμακείᾳ σου ἐπλανήθησαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ‘with your magic spells you deceived all the peoples (of the world)’ Re 18:23.”

[21:8]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “idolaters.”

[21:8]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “their share.”

[21:8]  ⁵⁰ tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”

[21:8]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “sulfur, which is.” The relative pronoun has been translated as “that” to indicate its connection to the previous clause. The nearest logical antecedent is “the lake [that burns with fire and sulfur],” although “lake” (λίμνη, limnh) is feminine gender, while the pronoun “which” (ὅ, Jo) is neuter gender. This means that (1) the proper antecedent could be “their place” (Grk “their share,”) agreeing with the relative pronoun in number and gender, or (2) the neuter pronoun still has as its antecedent the feminine noun “lake,” since agreement in gender between pronoun and antecedent was not always maintained, with an explanatory phrase occurring with a neuter pronoun regardless of the case of the antecedent. In favor of the latter explanation is Rev 20:14, where the phrase “the lake of fire” is in apposition to the phrase “the second death.”