Romans 1:29

Amplified Bible

until they were filled (permeated, saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice and mean-spiritedness. They are gossips [spreading rumors],

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, greed, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst things about each other. They gossip

Revised Standard Version
They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
beinge full of all vnrighteous doinge of fornicacio wickednes coveteousnes maliciousnes full of envie morther debate disseyte evill codicioned whisperers

Hebrew Names Version
being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers,

International Standard Version
They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, and viciousness. They are gossips,

New American Standard Bible
people having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, and evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice; they are gossips,

New Century Version
They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, selfishness, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst about each other. They gossip

Update Bible Version
being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Webster's Bible Translation
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

English Standard Version
They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips,

World English Bible
being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity:

Weymouth's New Testament
Their hearts overflowed with all sorts of dishonesty, mischief, greed, malice. They were full of envy and murder, and were quarrelsome, crafty, and spiteful.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
malice, fornycacioun, coueitise, weiwardnesse, ful of enuye, mansleyngis, strijf, gile, yuel wille, preuy bacbiteris, detractouris,

English Revised Version
being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Berean Standard Bible
They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,

Contemporary English Version
They are evil, wicked, and greedy, as well as mean in every possible way. They want what others have, and they murder, argue, cheat, and are hard to get along with. They gossip,

American Standard Version
being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Bible in Basic English
Being full of all wrongdoing, evil, desire for the goods of others, hate, envy, putting to death, fighting, deceit, cruel ways, evil talk, and false statements about others;

Complete Jewish Bible
They are filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and vice; stuffed with jealousy, murder, quarrelling, dishonesty and ill-will; they are gossips,

Darby Translation
being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil dispositions; whisperers,

Etheridge Translation
being filled with all wickedness, and uncleanness, and rancour, and malice, and rapacity, and envy, and murder, and contention, and deceit, and evil imaginings, and murmurings,

Murdock Translation
being full of all iniquity, and lewdness, and bitterness, and malice, and covetousness, and envy, and slaughter, and strife, and guile, and evil machinations,

King James Version (1611)
Being filled with all vnrighteousnes, fornication, wickednesse, couetousnes, maliciousnes, full of enuie, murther, debate, deceit, malignitie, whisperers,

New Living Translation
Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.

New Life Bible
They are full of everything that is sinful and want things that belong to others. They hate people and are jealous. They kill other people. They fight and lie. They do not like other people and talk against them.

New Revised Standard
They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Being full of all vnrighteousnesse, fornication, wickednes, couetousnes, maliciousnes, full of enuie, of murther, of debate, of deceit, taking all things in the euill part, whisperers,

George Lamsa Translation
Being filled with all manner of iniquity, fornication, bitterness, malice, extortion, envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil thoughts,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, baseness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil disposition,

Douay-Rheims Bible
Being filled with all iniquity, malice, fornication, avarice, wickedness: full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity: whisperers,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Beyng full of all vnrighteousnes, fornication, craftynesse, couetousnes, maliciousnes, full of enuie, murther, debate, deceite, euyll conditioned, whysperers,

Good News Translation
They are filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip

Christian Standard Bible®
They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips,

King James Version
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

Lexham English Bible
being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greediness, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malevolence. They are gossipers,

Literal Translation
having been filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, iniquity, covetousness, malice, being full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, evil habits, becoming whisperers,

Young's Literal Translation
having been filled with all unrighteousness, whoredom, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil dispositions; whisperers,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
beynge full of all vnrighteousnes, whordome, wickednes, couetousnes, maliciousnes, full of enuye, murthur, strife, disceate, euell codicioned whisperers,

Mace New Testament (1729)
they were full of all injustice, fornication, mischief, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, contention, fraud, malignity;

New English Translation
They are filled with every kind of unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, malice. They are rife with envy, murder, strife, deceit, hostility. They are gossips,

New King James Version
being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, [fn] wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,

Simplified Cowboy Version
They are filled up to the brim on all kinds of trash, wickedness, evil, greed, and hate; they are full of jealousy, killing, fighting, lies, and bad attitudes. They talk trash

New American Standard Bible (1995)
being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,

Legacy Standard Bible
having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips,

Contextual Overview

¹⁹because that which is known about God is evident within them [in their inner consciousness], for God made it evident to them. ²⁰For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense. ²¹For even though they knew God [as the Creator], they did not honor Him as God or give thanks [for His wondrous creation]. On the contrary, they became worthless in their thinking [godless, with pointless reasonings, and silly speculations], and their foolish heart was darkened. ²²Claiming to be wise, they became fools, ²³and exchanged the glory and majesty and excellence of the immortal God for an image [worthless idols] in the shape of mortal man and birds and four-footed animals and reptiles. ²⁴Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their own hearts to [sexual] impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them [abandoning them to the degrading power of sin], ²⁵because [by choice] they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. ²⁶For this reason God gave them over to degrading and vile passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural [a function contrary to nature], ²⁷and in the same way also the men turned away from the natural function of the woman and were consumed with their desire toward one another, men with men committing shameful acts and in return receiving in their own bodies the inevitable and appropriate penalty for their wrongdoing. ²⁸And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or consider Him worth knowing [as their Creator], God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do things which are improper and repulsive,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

filled: Romans 3:10

whisperers: Psalms 41:7, Proverbs 16:28, Proverbs 26:20, 2 Corinthians 12:20

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 28:9 - serve him Psalms 5:6 - the bloody Psalms 5:9 - For Psalms 10:3 - and blesseth Psalms 74:20 - the dark Proverbs 12:20 - Deceit Proverbs 14:30 - envy Proverbs 27:4 - but Ecclesiastes 9:3 - also Jeremiah 22:17 - covetousness Daniel 11:23 - work Acts 13:45 - they Romans 6:13 - unrighteousness 1 Corinthians 13:4 - envieth Ephesians 4:31 - evil speaking Ephesians 5:3 - fornication Colossians 3:5 - fornication 1 Thessalonians 4:3 - that 2 Timothy 3:2 - covetous Titus 3:3 - living Hebrews 13:5 - conversation James 3:14 - if James 4:5 - The spirit 1 Peter 2:1 - envies

Cross-References

Genesis 1:14
Then God said, "Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God's provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years;

Genesis 1:15
and let them be useful as lights in the expanse of the heavens to provide light on the earth"; and it was so, [just as He commanded].

Genesis 1:16
God made the two great lights—the greater light (the sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night; He made the [galaxies of] stars also [that is, all the amazing wonders in the heavens].

Genesis 1:24
Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to (limited to, consistent with) their kind: livestock, crawling things, and wild animals of the earth according to their kinds"; and it was so [because He had spoken them into creation].

Genesis 1:25
So God made the wild animals of the earth according to their kind, and the cattle according to their kind, and everything that creeps and crawls on the earth according to its kind; and God saw that it was good (pleasing, useful) and He affirmed and sustained it.

Genesis 1:26
Then God said, "Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth."

Genesis 1:27
So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth."

Genesis 2:16
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may freely (unconditionally) eat [the fruit] from every tree of the garden;

Genesis 9:3
"Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; I give you everything, as I gave you the green plants and vegetables.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Being filled with all unrighteousness,.... From hence, to the end of the chapter, follows a large and black list and catalogue of the sad characters of the Gentiles, and of the best men they had among them; for the apostle is all along speaking, not of the common people, but of their wise professors, and moral instructors; than which there never was a more wicked set of men that ever lived upon the face of the earth; who under the guise of morality were guilty of the greatest pride and covetousness, and of the most filthy debaucheries imaginable: they were "filled with all unrighteousness". This word includes in it all manner of sin and wickedness in general; fitly expresses the condition of fallen men, destitute of a righteousness; designs every violation of the law respecting our neighbour; and is opposed to that vain conceit of righteousness which these men had: particular branches of it follow; as,

fornication; which sometimes includes adultery and an unchastity; simple fornication was not reckoned a sin among the Gentiles:

wickedness; or mischief, which intends not so much the internal wickedness of the heart, as that particular vice, by which a man is inclined and studies to do hurt, to others, as Satan does:

covetousness; this may intend every insatiable lust, and particularly the sin which goes by this name, and is the root of all evil, and was a reigning sin among the Gentiles. Seneca, the famous moralist, was notoriously guilty of this vice, being one of the greatest usurers that ever lived:

maliciousness; the word denotes either the iniquity of nature in which men are conceived and born; or that desire of revenge in men, for which some are very notorious:

envy; at the superior knowledge and learning, wealth and riches, happiness, and outward prosperity of others:

murder: which sometimes arose from envy, wherefore they are put together. There is an elegant "paranomasia" in the Greek text:

debate; strife about words more than things, and more for vain glory, and a desire of victory, than for truth:

deceit; through their empty notions of philosophy; hence "philosophy and vain deceit" go together, Colossians 2:8; making large pretences to morality, when they were the vilest of creatures:

malignity; moroseness; having no courteousness nor affability in them, guilty of very ill manners; as particularly they were who were of the sect of the Cynics. Now they are said to be "filled with", and "full of", these things; not filled by God, but by Satan and themselves; and it denotes the aboundings of wickedness in them, and which was insatiable. The apostle goes on to describe them, as

whisperers; who made mischief among friends, by privately suggesting, and secretly insinuating things into the mind of one to the prejudice of another.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Being filled - That is, the things which he specifies were common or abounded among them. This is a strong phrase, denoting that these things were so often practiced as that it might be said they were full of them. We have a phrase like this still, when we say of one that he is full of mischief, etc.

Unrighteousness - ἀδικία adikia. This is a word denoting injustice, or iniquity in general. The particular specifications of the iniquity follow.

Fornication - This was a common and almost universal sin among the ancients, as it is among the moderns. The word denotes all illicit sexual intercourse. That this was a common crime among the ancient pagan, it would be easy to show, were it proper, even in relation to their wisest and most learned men. They who wish to see ample evidence of this charge may find it in Tholuck’s “Nature and Moral Influence of Heathenism,” in the Biblical Repository, vol. ii. p. 441-464.

Wickedness - The word used here denotes a desire of injuring others; or, as we should express it, malice. It is that depravity and obliquity of mind which strives to produce injury on others. (Calvin.)

Covetousness - Avarice, or the desire of obtaining what belongs to others. This vice is common in the world; but it would be particularly so where the other vices enumerated here abounded, and people were desirous of luxury, and the gratification of their senses. Rome was particularly desirous of the wealth of other nations, and hence, its extended wars, and the various evils of rapine and conquest.

Licentiousness - κακία kakia. This word denotes evil in general; rather the act of doing wrong than the desire which was expressed before by the word “wickedness.”

Full of envy - “Pain, uneasiness, mortification, or discontent, excited by another’s prosperity, accompanied with some degree of hatred or malignity, and often with a desire or an effort to depreciate the person, and with pleasure in seeing him depressed” (Webster). This passion is so common still, that it is not necessary to attempt to prove that it was common among the ancients. It seems to be natural to the human heart. It is one of the most common manifestations of wickedness, and shows clearly the deep depravity of man. Benevolence rejoices at the happiness of others, and seeks to promote it. But envy exists almost everywhere, and in almost every human bosom:

“All human virtue, to its latest breath,

Finds envy never conquered but by death.”

Pope.

Murder - “The taking of human life with premeditated malice by a person of a sane mind.” This is necessary to constitute murder now, but the word used here denotes all manslaughter, or taking human life, except what occurs as the punishment of crime. It is scarcely necessary to show that this was common among the Gentiles. It has prevailed in all communities, but it was particularly prevalent in Rome. It is necessary only to refer the reader to the common events in the Roman history of assassinations, deaths by poison, and the destruction of slaves. But in a special manner the charge was properly alleged against them, on account of the inhuman contests of the gladiators in the amphitheaters. These were common at Rome, and constituted a favorite amusement with the people. Originally captives, slaves, and criminals were trained up for combat; but it afterward became common for even Roman citizens to engage in these bloody combats, and Nero at one show exhibited no less than four hundred senators and six hundred knights as gladiators.

The fondness for this bloody spectacle continued until the reign of Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor, by whom they were abolished about six hundred years after the original institution. “Several hundred, perhaps several thousand, victims were annually slaughtered in the great cities of the empire.” Gibbon’s Decline and Fall, chapter xxx. 404 a.d. As an instance of what might occur in this inhuman spectacle, we may refer to what took place on such an occasion in the reign of Probus (281 a.d.). During his triumph, near 700 gladiators were reserved to shed each other’s blood for the amusement of the Roman people. But “disdaining to shed their blood for the amusement of the populace, they killed their keepers, broke from their place of confinement, and filled the streets of Rome with blood and confusion.” Gibbon’s Decline and Fall, chapter 12. With such views and with such spectacles before them, it is not wonderful that murder was regarded as a matter of little consequence, and hence, this crime prevailed throughout the world.

Debate - Our word debate does not commonly imply evil. It denotes commonly discussion for elucidating truth; or for maintaining a proposition, as the debates in Parliament, etc. But the word in the original meant also contention, strife, altercation, connected with anger and heated zeal; Rom 13:13; 1 Corinthians 1:11; 1Co 3:3; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:20; Philippians 1:15; 1 Timothy 6:4; Titus 3:9. This contention and strife would, of course, follow from malice and covetousness, etc.

Deceit - This denotes fraud, falsehood, etc. That this was common is also plain. The Cretans are testified by one of the Greek poets to have been always liars. Titus 1:12. Juvenal charges the same thing on the Romans. (Sat. iii. 41.) “What,” says he, “should I do at Rome? I cannot lie.” Intimating that if he were there, it would follow, of course, that he would be expected to be false. The same thing is still true. Writers on India tell us that the word of a Hindu even under oath is not to be regarded; and the same thing occurs in most pagan countries.

Malignity - This word signifies here, not malignity in general, but that particular species of it which consists in misinterpreting the words or actions of others, or putting the worst construction on their conduct.

Whisperers - Those who secretly, and in a sly manner, by hints and inuendoes, detract from others, or excite suspicion of them. It does not mean those who openly calumniate, but that more dangerous class who give hints of evil in others, who affect great knowledge, and communicate the evil report under an injunction of secrecy, knowing that it will be divulged. This class of people abounds everywhere, and there is scarcely any one more dangerous to the peace or happiness of society.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 29. Being filled with all unrighteousness — αδικια, every vice contrary to justice and righteousness.

Fornication — πορνεια, all commerce between the sexes out of the bounds of lawful marriage. Some of the best MSS. omit this reading; and others have ακαθαρσια, uncleanness.

Wickedness — πονηρια, malignity, that which is oppressive to its possessor and to its object; from πονος, labour, toil, c.

Covetousness — πλεονεξια, from πλειον, more, and εξω, I will have the intense love or lust of gain; the determination to be rich; the principle of a dissatisfied and discontented soul.

Maliciousness — κακια, malice, ill-will; what is radically and essentially vicious.

Full of envy — φθονου, from φθινω, to wither, decay, consume, pine away, c. "pain felt and malignity conceived at the sight of excellence or happiness in another." A fine personification of this vice is found in OVID METAM. lib. ii. ver. 768-781, which I shall here insert, with Mr. Addison's elegant and nervous translation.

------------------Videt intus edentem

Vipereas carnes, vitiorum alimenta suorum

Invidiam: visaque oculos avertit. At illa

Surgit humo pigra: semesarumque relinquit

Corpora serpentum, passuque incedit inerti.

Utgue deam vidit formaque armisque decoram,

Ingemuit: vultumque ima ad suspiria duxit.

Pallor in ORE sedet: macies in CORPORE toto:

Nusquam recta acies: livent rubigine dentes:

Pectora felle virent: lingua est suffusa veneno.

Risus abest, nisi quem visi movere dolores:

Nec fruitur somno, vigilacibus excita curis:

Sed videt ingratos, intabescitque videndo

Successus hominum; carpitgue et carpitur una;

Suppliciumque suum est.

-----A poisonous morsel in her teeth she chewed,

And gorged the flesh of vipers for her food.

Minerva loathing, turned away her eye.

The hideous monster, rising heavily,

Came stalking forward with a sullen pace,

And left her mangled offals on the place.

Soon as she saw the goddess gay and bright,

She fetched a groan at such a cheerful sight.

Livid and meagre were her looks, her eye

In foul distorted glances turned awry;

A hoard of gall her inward parts possessed,

And spread a greenness o'er her canker'd breast;

Her teeth were brown with rust, and from her tongue

In dangling drops the stringy poison hung.

She never smiles but when the wretched weep;

Nor lulls her malice with a moment's sleep:

Restless in spite while watchful to destroy,

She pines and sickens at another's joy;

Foe to herself, distressing and distressed,

She bears her own tormentor in her breast.

Murder — φονου, taking away the life of another by any means; mortal hatred; for he that hates his brother in his heart is a murderer.

Debate — εριδος, contention, discord, c. Of this vile passion the Greeks made a goddess.

Deceit — δολου, lying, falsity, prevarication, imposition, c. from δελω, to take with a bait.

Malignity — κακοηθειας, from κακος, evil, and ηθος, a custom bad customs, founded in corrupt sentiment, producing evil habits, supported by general usage. It is generally interpreted, a malignity of mind, which leads its possessor to put the worst construction on every action; ascribing to the best deeds the worst motives.

Whisperers — ψιθυριστος, secret detractors; those who, under pretended secrecy, carry about accusations against their neighbours, whether true or false; blasting their reputation by clandestine tittle-tattle. This word should be joined to the succeeding verse.

The whispering is well expressed by the Greek word ψιθυριστας, psithuristas.