Romans 16:18

Bible in Basic English (1941)

For such people are not servants of the Lord Christ, but of their stomachs; and by their smooth and well-said words the hearts of those who have no knowledge of evil are tricked.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ οὐ δουλεύουσιν, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἑαυτῶν κοιλίᾳ· καὶ διὰ τῆς χρηστολογίας καὶ εὐλογίας ἐξαπατῶσιν τὰς καρδίας τῶν ἀκάκων.

Transliteration

For the such to-the Kyriō of-us Iēsou Christō not douleuousin, but to-the heautōn koilia; and through the chrēstologias and eulogias they-exapatōsin the kardias of-the akakōn.

Grammar Details

• γὰρ: postpositive conjunction - for/because
• τοιοῦτοι: nominative masculine plural demonstrative - such/such ones
• *Kyriō*: dative masculine singular - Lord
• ἡμῶν: genitive plural pronoun - of us/our
• *Iēsou*: dative masculine singular - Jesus
• *Christō*: dative masculine singular - Christ
• οὐ: negative particle - not
• *douleuousin*: present indicative active, 3rd person plural - serve/are slaves to
• ἀλλὰ: adversative conjunction - but
• *heautōn*: genitive plural reflexive pronoun - their own
• *koilia*: dative feminine singular - belly/appetite
• διὰ: preposition with genitive - through/by means of
• *chrēstologias*: genitive feminine singular - smooth talk/fine-sounding words
• *eulogias*: genitive feminine singular - flattery/praise
• *exapatōsin*: present indicative active, 3rd person plural - deceive/mislead
• *kardias*: accusative feminine plural - hearts
• *akakōn*: genitive masculine plural - innocent/unsuspecting

Word Meanings

• *douleuousin*: serve/are slaves to/render service
• *koilia*: belly/appetite/physical desires
• *chrēstologias*: smooth talk/fine-sounding words/plausible speech
• *eulogias*: flattery/praise/blessing
• *exapatōsin*: deceive/mislead/delude
• *kardias*: hearts/minds/inner being
• *akakōn*: innocent/unsuspecting/naive

Referenced Verses

• Phil 3:19 : 19 Whose end is destruction, whose god is the stomach, and whose glory is in their shame, whose minds are fixed on the things of the earth.
• Col 2:4 : 4 I say this so that you may not be turned away by any deceit of words.
• Mic 3:5 : 5 This is what the Lord has said about the prophets by whom my people have been turned from the right way; who, biting with their teeth, say, Peace; and if anyone puts nothing in their mouths they make ready for war against him.
• 1 Tim 6:5 : 5 Bitter talk of men who, being evil in mind and dead to what is true, take the faith to be a way of making profit.
• 2 Pet 2:3 : 3 And in their desire for profit they will come to you with words of deceit, like traders doing business in souls: whose punishment has been ready for a long time and their destruction is watching for them.
• 2 Tim 3:2-6 : 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, uplifted in pride, given to bitter words, going against the authority of their fathers, never giving praise, having no religion, 3 Without natural love, bitter haters, saying evil of others, violent and uncontrolled, hating all good, 4 False to their friends, acting without thought, lifted up in mind, loving pleasure more than God; 5 Having a form of religion, but turning their backs on the power of it: go not with these. 6 For these are they who go secretly into houses, making prisoners of foolish women, weighted down with sin, turned from the way by their evil desires,
• Matt 7:15 : 15 Be on the watch for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside they are cruel wolves.
• Matt 24:11 : 11 And a number of false prophets will come, causing error.
• Matt 24:24 : 24 For there will come up false Christs, and false prophets, who will do great signs and wonders; so that if possible even the saints might be tricked.
• Matt 24:48-51 : 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, My lord is a long time in coming; 49 And is cruel to the other servants, taking his pleasure with those who are overcome with wine; 50 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he is not looking for him, and in an hour of which he has no knowledge, 51 And will have him cut in two, and will give him a part in the fate of the false ones: there will be weeping and cries of sorrow.
• John 12:26 : 26 If any man is my servant, let him come after me; and where I am, there will my servant be. If any man becomes my servant, my Father will give him honour.
• Rom 16:19 : 19 For all have knowledge of how you do what you are ordered. For this reason I have joy in you, but it is my desire that you may be wise in what is good, and without knowledge of evil.
• 2 Cor 2:17 : 17 For we are not like the great number who make use of the word of God for profit: but our words are true, as from God, being said as before God in Christ.
• 2 Cor 4:2 : 2 And we have given up the secret things of shame, not walking in false ways, and not making use of the word of God with deceit; but by the revelation of what is true, as before God, we have the approval of every man's sense of right and wrong.
• 2 Cor 11:3 : 3 But I have a fear, that in some way, as Eve was tricked by the deceit of the snake, your minds may be turned away from their simple and holy love for Christ.
• 2 Cor 11:13-15 : 13 For such men are false Apostles, workers of deceit, making themselves seem like Apostles of Christ. 14 And it is no wonder; for even Satan himself is able to take the form of an angel of light. 15 So it is no great thing if his servants make themselves seem to be servants of righteousness; whose end will be the reward of their works.
• Gal 1:10 : 10 Am I now using arguments to men, or God? or is it my desire to give men pleasure? if I was still pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
• Phil 2:21 : 21 For they all go after what is theirs, not after the things of Christ.
• 2 Tim 2:16-18 : 16 But take no part in wrong and foolish talk, for those who do so will go farther into evil, 17 And their words will be like poisoned wounds in the flesh: such are Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 Men whose ideas are all false, who say that the coming back from the dead has even now taken place, overturning the faith of some.
• Mal 1:10 : 10 If only there was one among you who would see that the doors were shut, so that you might not put a light to the fire on my altar for nothing! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of armies, and I will not take an offering from your hands.
• Matt 6:24 : 24 No man is able to be a servant to two masters: for he will have hate for the one and love for the other, or he will keep to one and have no respect for the other. You may not be servants of God and of wealth.
• Col 3:24 : 24 Being certain that the Lord will give you the reward of the heritage: for you are the servants of the Lord Christ.
• 2 Thess 2:10 : 10 And with every deceit of wrongdoing among those whose fate is destruction; because they were quite without that love of the true faith by which they might have salvation.
• 1 Sam 2:12-17 : 12 Now the sons of Eli were evil and good-for-nothing men, having no knowledge of the Lord. 13 And the priests' way with the people was this: when any man made an offering, the priest's servant came while the flesh was being cooked, having in his hand a meat-hook with three teeth; 14 This he put into the pot, and everything which came up on the hook the priest took for himself. This they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 And more than this, before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was making the offering, Give me some of the flesh to be cooked for the priest; he has no taste for meat cooked in water, but would have you give it uncooked. 16 And if the man said to him, First let the fat be burned, then take as much as you will; then the servant would say, No, you are to give it to me now, or I will take it by force. 17 And the sin of these young men was very great before the Lord; for they gave no honour to the Lord's offerings.
• 1 Sam 2:29 : 29 Why then are you looking with envy on my offerings of meat and of meal which were ordered by my word, honouring your sons before me, and making yourselves fat with all the best of the offerings of Israel, my people?
• 2 Chr 18:5 : 5 So the king of Israel got together all the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, Am I to go to Ramoth-gilead to make war or not? And they said, Go up: for God will give it into the hands of the king.
• 2 Chr 18:12-17 : 12 Now the servant who had gone to get Micaiah said to him, See now, all the prophets with one voice are saying good things to the king; so let your words be like theirs, and say good things. 13 And Micaiah said, By the living Lord, whatever the Lord says to me I will say. 14 When he came to the king, the king said to him, Micaiah, are we to go to Ramoth-gilead to make war or not? And he said, Go up, and it will go well for you; and they will be given up into your hands. 15 And the king said to him, Have I not, again and again, put you on your oath to say nothing to me but what is true in the name of the Lord? 16 Then he said, I saw all Israel wandering on the mountains like sheep without a keeper; and the Lord said, These have no master: let them go back, every man to his house in peace. 17 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not say that he would not be a prophet of good to me, but of evil?
• Ps 19:7 : 7 The law of the Lord is good, giving new life to the soul: the witness of the Lord is certain, giving wisdom to the foolish.
• Ps 119:130 : 130 The opening of your words gives light; it gives good sense to the simple.
• Prov 8:5 : 5 Become expert in reason, O you simple ones; you foolish ones, take training to heart.
• Prov 14:15 : 15 The simple man has faith in every word, but the man of good sense gives thought to his footsteps.
• Prov 22:3 : 3 The sharp man sees the evil and takes cover: the simple go straight on and get into trouble.
• Isa 30:10-11 : 10 Who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Do not give us word of what is true, but say false things to give us pleasure: 11 Get out of the good way, turning from the right road; do not keep the Holy One of Israel before our minds.
• Isa 56:10-12 : 10 His watchmen are blind, they are all without knowledge; they are all dogs without tongues, unable to make a sound; stretched out dreaming, loving sleep. 11 Yes, the dogs are for ever looking for food; while these, the keepers of the sheep, are without wisdom: they have all gone after their pleasure, every one looking for profit; they are all the same. 12 Come, they say, I will get wine, and we will take strong drink in full measure; and tomorrow will be like today, full of pleasure.
• Jer 8:10-11 : 10 So I will give their wives to others, and their fields to those who will take them for themselves: for everyone, from the least to the greatest, is given up to getting money; from the priest even to the prophet, everyone is false. 11 And they have made little of the wounds of the daughter of Zion, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
• Jer 23:17 : 17 They keep on saying to those who have no respect for the word of the Lord, You will have peace; and to everyone who goes on his way in the pride of his heart, they say, No evil will come to you.
• Jer 28:1-9 : 1 And it came about in that year, when Zedekiah first became king of Judah, in the fourth year, in the fifth month, that Hananiah, the son of Azzur the prophet, who came from Gibeon, said to Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, before the priests and all the people, 2 These are the words of the Lord of armies, the God of Israel: By me the yoke of the king of Babylon has been broken. 3 In the space of two years I will send back into this place all the vessels of the Lord's house which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, took away from this place to Babylon: 4 And I will let Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, come back to this place, with all the prisoners of Judah who went to Babylon, says the Lord: for I will have the yoke of the king of Babylon broken. 5 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, before the priests and all the people who had come into the house of the Lord, 6 The prophet Jeremiah said, So be it: may the Lord do so: may the Lord give effect to the words which you have said, and let the vessels of the Lord's house, and all the people who have been taken away, come back from Babylon to this place. 7 But still, give ear to this word which I am saying to you and to all the people: 8 The prophets, who were before me and before you, from early times gave word to a number of countries and great kingdoms about war and destruction and disease. 9 The prophet whose words are of peace, when his words come true, will be seen to be a prophet whom the Lord has sent.
• Jer 28:15-17 : 15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah the prophet, Give ear, now, Hananiah; the Lord has not sent you; but you are making this people put their faith in what is false. 16 For this reason the Lord has said, See, I will send you away from off the face of the earth: this year death will overtake you, because you have said words against the Lord. 17 So death came to Hananiah the prophet the same year, in the seventh month.
• Ezek 13:16 : 16 Even the prophets of Israel who say words to Jerusalem, who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace, says the Lord.
• Ezek 13:19 : 19 And you have put me to shame among my people for a little barley and some bits of bread, sending death on souls for whom there is no cause of death, and keeping those souls living who have no right to life, by the false words you say to my people who give ear to what is false.
• Hos 4:8-9 : 8 The sin of my people is like food to them; and their desire is for their wrongdoing. 9 And the priest will be like the people; I will give them punishment for their evil ways, and the reward of their acts. 10 They will have food, but they will not be full; they will be false to me, but they will not be increased, because they no longer give thought to the Lord. 11 Loose ways and new wine take away wisdom.
• Titus 1:10-12 : 10 For there are men who are not ruled by law; foolish talkers, false teachers, specially those of the circumcision, 11 By whom some families have been completely overturned; who take money for teaching things which are not right; these will have to be stopped. 12 One of their prophets has said, The men of Crete are ever false, evil beasts, lovers of food, hating work.
• Jas 1:1 : 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, sends words of love to the twelve tribes of the Jews living in all parts of the earth.
• 2 Pet 2:10-15 : 10 But specially those who go after the unclean desires of the flesh, and make sport of authority. Ready to take chances, uncontrolled, they have no fear of saying evil of those in high places: 11 Though the angels, who are greater in strength and power, do not make use of violent language against them before the Lord. 12 But these men, like beasts without reason, whose natural use is to be taken and put to death, crying out against things of which they have no knowledge, will undergo that same destruction which they are designing for others; 13 For the evil which overtakes them is the reward of their evil-doing: such men take their pleasure in the delights of the flesh even in the daytime; they are like the marks of a disease, like poisoned wounds among you, feasting together with you in joy; 14 Having eyes full of evil desire, never having enough of sin; turning feeble souls out of the true way; they are children of cursing, whose hearts are well used to bitter envy; 15 Turning out of the true way, they have gone wandering in error, after the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who was pleased to take payment for wrongdoing;
• 2 Pet 2:18-20 : 18 For with high-sounding false words, making use of the attraction of unclean desires of the flesh, they get into their power those newly made free from those who are living in error; 19 Saying that they will be free, while they themselves are the servants of destruction; because whatever gets the better of a man makes a servant of him. 20 For if, after they have got free from the unclean things of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again taken in the net and overcome, their last condition is worse than their first.
• 1 John 4:1-3 : 1 My loved ones, do not put your faith in every spirit, but put them to the test, to see if they are from God: because a great number of false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you may have knowledge of the Spirit of God: every spirit which says that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit which does not say this is not from God: this is the spirit of Antichrist, of which you have had word; and it is in the world even now.
• Jude 1:1 : 1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and the brother of James, to those of God's selection who have been made holy by God the Father and are kept safe for Jesus Christ:
• Jude 1:12 : 12 These men are unseen rocks at your love-feasts, when they take part in them with you, keepers of sheep who without fear take the food of the sheep; clouds without water rushing before the wind, wasted trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots,
• Jude 1:16 : 16 These are the men who make trouble, ever desiring change, going after evil pleasures, using high-sounding words, respecting men's position in the hope of reward.
• Rev 1:1 : 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him so that his servants might have knowledge of the things which will quickly take place: and he sent and made it clear by his angel to his servant John;