Romans 3:13 (KJV)

Passage

Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

Nearby Context

Romans 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

Romans 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Romans 3:13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

Romans 3:14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

Romans 3:15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "throat", "open", "sepulchre", "tongues", "used", "deceit", "poison", and "asps". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "throat" and "open", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "They are all gone out of the..." into verse 14's "Whose mouth is full of cursing and...", so "throat" and "open" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "throat" and "open" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.