"Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness."
Truth to Learn
Other people’s words can be hurtful, but ours shouldn’t be so.
Behind the Words
The word translated “cursing” is ara, which originally meant “a prayer,” but it has come to mean an imprecatory prayer or “a curse.” This word implies a plea made to a deity requesting vengeance or evil upon someone else.
The word “bitterness” is from the Greek word pikria. This word was originally used to indicate the fruits of the wild vine or bitter gourd which are so excessively bitter and acrid as to be a kind of poison. Words can be like that!
Meaning Explained
In this verse (quoting Psalms 10:7) and the previous verse, the Apostle Paul is quoting from Old Testament scriptures (the Greek translation, called the Septuagint). These verses identify some of the characteristics of people’s words when left to themselves without the influence of a Holy God.
Do you notice the commonality between this verse and the previous one? Both of these verses talk about parts of the body associated with harmful speech. In the previous verse Paul talked about their throat as being an open grave. According to Albert Barnes in his Notes on the Bible,
… as the grave is ever open to receive all into it, that is, into destruction, so the mouth or the throat of the slanderer is ever open to swallow up the peace and happiness of all.”
The second quotation (from yesterday’s verse) says that the poison of asps is under their lips. The particular snake referred to could also be the adder, which is one of the most deadly snakes known to man. This snake is small and commonly lies concealed in the sand or loose dirt beside a road, striking the traveler before he sees it. This, again, is a metaphorical reference to the words of man and how quickly they can cause harm when used in a deceitful and intentionally harmful way.
In today’s verse we see that Paul is still talking about intentionally harmful words. These words are full of bitterness, used to express evil toward others. Here’s what James says:
And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. So the tongue is set among our members defiling the whole body, and inflaming the course of nature; and it is inflamed by hell. For all kind of beasts and birds, of creeping things and creatures of the sea, is subdued and has been subdued by mankind. But no man is able to tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth comes forth blessing and cursing. My brothers, it is not fitting for these things to be so. (James 3:6-10)
And Paul is not yet finished with his description of mankind apart from the Spirit of God. There are still four more verses describing us all.
Application
It is easy to recall when others have used words to harm us. It is not so easy to remember when we have used words to harm others. As God’s children we should never intentionally attack others with vicious words. Let us all humble ourselves before God right now, asking for His Spirit to change our words of cursing and bitterness into words of encouragement and love.
In God's service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved