‘As it is written,
There is none righteous,
No, not one,
There is none who understands,
There is none who seeks after God,
They have all turned aside,
They are together become unprofitable,
There is none who does good,
No, not, so much as one. (Psalms 14:1 b, Psalms 14:2-3)
Their throat is an open sepulchre,
With their tongues they have used deceit, (Psalms 5:9)
The poison of asps is under their lips (Psalms 140:3),
Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, (Psalms 10:7)
Their feet are swift to shed blood, (Psalms 59:7-8)
Destruction and misery are in their ways,
And the way of peace have they not known. (Isaiah 59:7 ff)
There is no fear of God before their eyes.' (Psalms 36:1)
It will be noted that this citation is in fact a miscellany of quotations taken from different parts of Scripture, and that it can be divided up into two sections. The first section is a general description of man's sinfulness ending up with the fact that not a single person does good. It is a paraphrase of Psalms 14:1 b, Psalms 14:2-3. The second section is a series of citations which particularise individual sins.
All Men Have Committed Particular Sins (3:13-18).
He then goes on to demonstrate this with regard to particular sins. It will be noted that the first four lines are related to sins of speech, and the next three to sins of violence, whilst the list ends up with the claim that there is no fear of God before their eyes, for if there was they would not commit such sins.
Their throat is an open sepulchre,
With their tongues they have used deceit, (Psalms 5:9 LXX)
The poison of asps is under their lips (Psalms 140:3 LXX),
Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness, (Psalms 10:7)
Their feet are swift to shed blood, (Psalms 59:7-8)
Destruction and misery are in their ways,
And the way of peace have they not known. (Isaiah 59:7 ff LXX)
There is no fear of God before their eyes.' (Psalms 36:1)
It is noteworthy that the list begins by dealing with sins of the tongue, sins of which all are guilty. The idea of the throat being an open sepulchre reflects ‘uncleanness'. Open sepulchres were to be avoided for that reason. Thus the idea may be that out of men's mouths came what was unclean and would defile others. But the idea may also possibly be that whereas sepulchres normally hide their corruption and uncleanness, being closed up and sealed, man, by what he says, opens up his corruption and uncleanness for all to see and hear. In this gossipers and backbiters may well be especially in mind. There may also be the indication that such a person's words are a trap for the unwary, for a careless man could easily fall into an open sepulchre.
This is then especially related to their tongues using deceit, in order to deceive men and corrupt them, and bring them down. All of us are at times glib with our tongues, and all of us at some time seek to deceive others (although we often excuse it in ourselves). So man with his mouth and his words is seen as working untold harm in the world (compare Romans 1:29-30). The poison of asps under their lips emphasises the fact that their words are poisonous and destructive. Here the thought is mainly of the maliciousness of men and women, a maliciousness which can result in cruel and hurtful words, backbiting, slanderous accusations, and the murdering of other people's reputations by gossip and tale bearing.
Their mouths being ‘full of cursing and bitterness' brings out their attitude towards their fellowmen. They seek to bring curses on them and speak bitterly of them. Such people curse and swear and reveal their own bitterness of heart in the bitter things that they say. But, as James points out, with the same tongue they bless God and curse men, and he adds, ‘my brothers, these things ought not to be' (James 3:9-10).
It will be noted up to this point that the emphasis has been on the effect of what people say. For what people say is of such importance that Jesus said that, ‘For every idle word that men shall speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment' (Matthew 12:36). Compare ‘The tongue is a little member -- set on fire of Hell' (James 3:5-6). No wonder James says that if anyone does not sin with his tongue, he is a perfect man (James 3:2).
‘Their feet are swift to shed blood' (Proverbs 1:16; Isaiah 59:7). Their feet being swift to shed blood indicates an unhealthy eagerness for violence. Men move at a run because they are so eager to hurt and kill each other. Here the emphasis is on people's violence and its consequences.
‘Destruction and misery are in their ways' (Isaiah 59:7). Here the concentration is on the harm that people do to each other, and the misery that people bring to each other, by the way in which they behave. Men who meet up with them can expect nothing but harm and belligerence. For they know nothing of the path of peace.
‘And the way of peace have they not known' (Isaiah 59:8). Such people have no desire to bring peace into the world in which they live, nor to seek peace. Rather they bring trouble and distress. It was in contrast to this that Jesus said, ‘blessed are the peace-makers, for they will be called sons of God' (Matthew 5:9).
‘There is no fear of God before their eyes' (Psalms 36:1). This final statement both sums men and women up and is a final indictment on them. They live without regard for God and for His judgment, and that fact comes out in their lives and in the way that they behave. All this is of course the very opposite of ‘loving your neighbour as yourself'. And they do all this because they do not truly ‘believe'. For if they did believe they would fear God and avoid such things.