Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras.
Parallel translations
- WEB Their wine is the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps.
- KJV Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
- NKJV Their wine is the poison of serpents, And the cruel venom of cobras.
- NASB “Their wine is the venom of serpents, And the deadly poison of vipers.
- NLT Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Their wine is the venom of serpents and the cruel poison of asps. It matters because it intensifies the picture of how deadly the enemies' corruption is.
Overview
Extending the vine imagery, their 'wine' is portrayed as lethal poison. The serpent venom evokes deadly danger and recalls the deceiver from Eden. This vivid depiction of corruption's deadliness underscores the seriousness of sin, against which God acts in judgment and from which He delivers His people through Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Ps 58:4Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,
- Rom 3:13“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”
- Jer 8:14Why are we just sitting here? Gather together, let us flee to the fortified cities and perish there, for the LORD our God has doomed us. He has given us poisoned water to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
- Job 20:14–16yet in his stomach his food sours into the venom of cobras within him.
- Ps 140:3They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).
How Deuteronomy 32:33 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.