SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:13
sepulcro abierto es su garganta; con sus lenguas tratan engaosamente; veneno de spides est debajo de sus labios;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Romans 3:13
Verse 13. Their 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 AEthiopic, and the Arabic. As the most ancient copies of the Septuagint do not contain these verses, some contend that the apostle has quoted them from different parts of Scripture; and later transcribers of the Septuagint, finding that the 10th, 11th, and 12th, verses were quoted from the xivth Psalm, imagined that the rest were found originally there too, and so incorporated them in their copies, from the apostle's text. Their throat is an open sepulchre-By their malicious and wicked words they bury, as it were, the reputation of all men. The whole of this verse appears to belong to their habit of lying, defamation, slandering, &c., by which they wounded, blasted, and poisoned the reputation of others.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 13. Their throat is an open sepulchre , etc..] The several vices of the instruments of speech are here, and in the following verse, exposed: the throat is said to be an open sepulchre, as in ( Psalm 5:9), so called, for its voracity and insatiableness; both as an instrument of speech, for the words of the wicked are devouring ones; and as an instrument of swallowing, and so may denote the sinner's eager desire after sin, the delight and pleasure he takes in it, the abundance of it he takes in, and his insatiable greediness for it; likewise for its filthy stench, the communication of evil men being corrupt; and because, as by an open grave, persons may fall unawares to their hurt, so the evil communications of wicked men, as they corrupt good manners, are dangerous and hurtful: R. Aben Ezra explains it by dym wsa , immediate destruction, or sudden death: with their tongues they have used deceit ; which may design the sin of flattery, for the words in ( Psalm 5:9); the place referred to, are, they flatter with their tongue; either God or men, themselves or others, their princes or their neighbour; for there are flatterers in things sacred and civil, there are self-flatterers, court flatterers, and flattering preachers, and all abominable and mischievous; or the phrase may design the sin of lying, either politically, officiously, perniciously, and religiously; and in this latter way, either with respect to doctrine or practice: the poison of asps is under their lips ; or as in ( <19E003> Psalm 140:3), adders' poison is under their lips. The asp is but a small creature, and so is the tongue, ( James 3:5), but there is a world of mischief in it, signified by poison; which, as that, is latent and secret, is under it; and as that stupefies and kills insensibly, so an evil tongue does, and that in a deadly and incurable manner: oftentimes the Jews speak of the evil imagination, or corruption of nature entering into persons, and operating in them, sw[kb srak as poison in an angry serpent f44 .
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 9-18 - Here again is shown that all mankind are under the guilt of sin, as 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 an depraved state of all men, till grace restrain or change them. Great a our advantages are, these texts describe multitudes who call themselve Christians. Their principles and conduct prove that there is no fear of God before their eyes. And where no fear of God is, no good is to be looked for.
Greek Textus Receptus
ταφος 5028 N-NSM ανεωγμενος 455 5772 V-RPP-NSM ο 3588 T-NSM λαρυγξ 2995 N-NSM αυτων 846 P-GPM ταις 3588 T-DPF γλωσσαις 1100 N-DPF αυτων 846 P-GPM εδολιουσαν 1387 5707 V-IAI-3P ιος 2447 N-NSM ασπιδων 785 N-GPF υπο 5259 PREP τα 3588 T-APN χειλη 5491 N-APN αυτων 846 P-GPM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
13. Open sepulchre (tafov anewgmenov). Lit., a sepulchre opened or standing open. Some explain the figure by the noisome exhalations from a tomb. Others refer it to a pit standing open and ready to devour, comparing Jer. v. 16, where the quiver of the Chaldaeans is called an open sepulchre. So Meyer and Morison. Godet compares the phrase used of a brutal man: "it seems as if he would like to eat you." Compare Dante's vision of the lion:"With head uplifted and with ravenous hunger, So that it seemed the air was afraid of him." "Inferno," 1, 47.
Have used deceit (edoliousan). Hebrew, they smoothed their tongues.
Guile is contrasted with violence in the previous clause. Wyc., with their tongues they did guilingly. The imperfect tense denotes perseverance in their hypocritical professions.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
3:13 {Throat} (larugx). Old word, larynx. {Open sepulchre} (tafos anewigmenos). Perfect passive participle of anoigw, "an opened grave." Their mouth (words) like the odor of a newly opened grave. "Some portions of Greek and Roman literature stink like a newly opened grave" (Shedd). {They have used deceit} (edoliousan). Imperfect (not perfect or aorist as the English implies) active of dolio", only in LXX and here in the N.T. from the common adjective dolios, deceitful (#2Co 11:13). The regular form would be edolioun. The -osan ending for third plural in imperfect and aorist was once thought to be purely Alexandrian because so common in the LXX, but it is common in the Boeotian and Aeolic dialects and occurs in eichosan in the N.T. (#Joh 15:22,24). "They smoothed their tongues" in the Hebrew. {Poison} (ios). Old word both for rust (#Jas 5:3) and poison (#Jas 3:8). {Of asps} (aspid"n). Common word for round bowl, shield, qen the Egyptian cobra (a deadly serpent). Often in LXX. Only here in the N.T. The poison of the asp lies in a bag under the liy (cheil), often in LXX, only here in N.T. Genitive case after gemei (is full).
