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LXX Psalms

Septuagint

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Psalm 5

1 For the end, a Psalm of David, concerning her that inherits. 2 Listen to my words, Lord, attend to my cry. 3 Attend to the voice of my plea, my King, and my God: for to you, Lord, I will pray. 4 In the morning you shall hear my voice: in the morning I will wait upon you, and will look up. 5 For you are not a god that desires iniquity; neither shall the worker of wickedness dwell with you. 6 Neither shall the transgressors continue in your sight: you hate, Lord, all those that work iniquity. 7 You will destroy all that speak falsehood: the Lord abhors the bloody and deceitful man. 8 But I will enter into your house in the multitude of your mercy: I will worship in your fear toward your holy temple. 9 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way plain before me. 10 For there is no truth in their mouth; their heart is vain; their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have used deceit.⁠ 11 Judge them, God; let them fail of their counsels: cast them out according to the abundance of their ungodliness; for they have provoked you, Lord. 12 But let all that trust on you be glad in you: they shall exult for ever, and you shall dwell among them; and all that love your name shall rejoice in you. 13 For you, Lord, shall bless the righteous: you have surrounded us as with a shield of favor.

Texts in conversation

Compare LXX Psalms 5:10 and Romans 3:13

Septuagint · New Testament

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Summary

Psalm 5 describes the wicked, whose throat is 'an open grave,' as distinct from the faithful. Paul quotes this in Romans to argue no one is righteous, blurring the very distinction the psalm depends on.

Passages

LXX Psalms 5:10

Septuagint
8 But I will enter into your house in the multitude of your mercy: I will worship in your fear toward your holy temple. 9 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way plain before me. 10 For there is no truth in their mouth; their heart is vain; their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have used deceit. 11 Judge them, God; let them fail of their counsels: cast them out according to the abundance of their ungodliness; for they have provoked you, Lord.
100–1 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Psalms

Romans 3:13

New Testament
10 just as it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away; together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.” 13 “Their throats are open graves; they deceive with their tongues; the poison of asps is under their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
55–58 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Romans

References

“... As in the earlier citations, all three psalms (5, 9, 139) make distinctions between the righteous and the wicked that the catena drops (5:5, 12; 9:1-4, 12-14; 139:4, 13). The throat of sinners in v. 13 is described as a “grave that has been opened.” [...] Since an open grave allowed pollution to spread, this metaphor may refer to corrupt and filthy speech. It is also possible that the metaphor of an open grave reflects the ancient view of Mot, the god of death, whose gigantic maw had an “insatiable . . . voracious appetite” to swallow up the living. In that case, the metaphor relates to death-dealing words and indicates the likely future of those who participate in this kind of speech. In the second line of the quatrain, the tongue participates by its deceit in the universal lies of the human race. [...] In the third line the deadly poison of asps is spewed out by lethal words that destroy others as well as one's self. [...] In the final line the mouth utters words of cursing and bitterness against the world. These metaphors are vivid descriptions of unrighteous communication, the “sins of the mouth.” ...”
Robert Jewett, Romans: A Commentary (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007), 262.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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LXX Psalms 5:10 and Romans 3:13

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