What is the meaning of Romans 3:14?

Their mouths

- Scripture often links the mouth to the heart: “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). What proceeds from the lips exposes what rules the inner person.

- Paul, quoting Psalm 10:7, highlights humanity’s universal problem—speech is a window revealing sin’s deep roots (James 3:6–8).

- The verse does not describe only a few exceptionally wicked people; it is part of Paul’s sweeping indictment that “there is no one righteous” (Romans 3:10). Every unredeemed mouth testifies against its owner.

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are full

- “Full” signals saturation, not the occasional slip. Like a cup brimming over, the unregenerate heart cannot help but spill poisonous words (Luke 6:45).

- This fullness shows sin’s dominance. Until Christ cleanses a person, corruption permeates every faculty—including speech (Ephesians 4:17–19).

- God’s law demands purity even in conversation (Exodus 20:7; Colossians 4:6), so a mouth packed with venom stands condemned.

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of cursing

- Cursing in Scripture is more than profanity; it is speech that calls down harm, demeans, or rebels against God and neighbor (Psalm 59:12).

- Such language opposes the created purpose of the tongue—to bless the Lord and build up others (Proverbs 18:21; 1 Peter 3:10).

- Paul’s citation exposes hearts that instinctively curse rather than bless, confirming the desperate need for the gospel (Romans 12:14).

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and bitterness

- Bitterness colors words with resentment, hostility, and unforgiveness (Ephesians 4:31).

- It springs from a heart hardened by sin’s injuries and self-centeredness (Hebrews 12:15).

- Jesus offers the opposite: gracious speech seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6) and forgiveness rooted in His own mercy (Luke 23:34).

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summary

Romans 3:14 paints a stark portrait of fallen humanity: hearts so enslaved to sin that mouths overflow with curses and bitter hostility. Paul stacks this evidence to prove universal guilt and to drive every listener to the only remedy—justification by faith in Christ (Romans 3:22–24). Redeemed by Jesus, believers exchange cursing for blessing and bitterness for grace, showcasing the transforming power of the gospel in everyday speech.