Romans 16:18

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

For these are the kind who do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By their smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of the naive.

📖 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 Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things.
• Col 2:4 : 4 I say this so that no one will deceive you through arguments that sound reasonable.
• Mic 3:5 : 5 This is what the LORD has said about the prophets who mislead my people,“If someone gives them enough to eat, they offer an oracle of peace. But if someone does not give them food, they are ready to declare war on him.
• 1 Tim 6:5 : 5 and constant bickering by people corrupted in their minds and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a way of making a profit.
• 2 Pet 2:3 : 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation pronounced long ago is not sitting idly by; their destruction is not asleep.
• 2 Tim 3:2-6 : 2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God. 5 They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these. 6 For some of these insinuate themselves into households and captivate weak women who are overwhelmed with sins and led along by various passions.
• Matt 7:15 : 15 A Tree and Its Fruit“Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.
• Matt 24:11 : 11 And many false prophets will appear and deceive many,
• Matt 24:24 : 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
• Matt 24:48-51 : 48 But if that evil slave should say to himself,‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards, 50 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, 51 and will cut him in two, and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
• John 12:26 : 26 If anyone wants to serve me, he must follow me, and where I am, my servant will be too. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
• Rom 16:19 : 19 Your obedience is known to all and thus I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.
• 2 Cor 2:17 : 17 For we are not like so many others, hucksters who peddle the word of God for profit, but we are speaking in Christ before God as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God.
• 2 Cor 4:2 : 2 But we have rejected shameful hidden deeds, not behaving with deceptiveness or distorting the word of God, but by open proclamation of the truth we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God.
• 2 Cor 11:3 : 3 But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his treachery, your minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
• 2 Cor 11:13-15 : 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will correspond to their actions.
• Gal 1:10 : 10 Am I now trying to gain the approval of people, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ!
• Phil 2:21 : 21 Others are busy with their own concerns, not those of Jesus Christ.
• 2 Tim 2:16-18 : 16 But avoid profane chatter, because those occupied with it will stray further and further into ungodliness, 17 and their message will spread its infection like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are in this group. 18 They have strayed from the truth by saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are undermining some people’s faith.
• Mal 1:10 : 10 “I wish that one of you would close the temple doors, so that you no longer would light useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies,“and I will no longer accept an offering from you.
• Matt 6:24 : 24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
• Col 3:24 : 24 because you know that you will receive your inheritance from the Lord as the reward. Serve the Lord Christ.
• 2 Thess 2:10 : 10 and with every kind of evil deception directed against those who are perishing, because they found no place in their hearts for the truth so as to be saved.
• 1 Sam 2:12-17 : 12 But the sons of Eli were wicked men. They did not acknowledge the LORD’s authority. 13 This was the priests’ routine with the people. Whenever anyone was making a sacrifice, the priest’s attendant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand, just as the meat was boiling. 14 He would jab it into the basin, kettle, cauldron, or pot. Everything that the fork would bring up the priest would take for himself. This is how they used to treat all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh. 15 Also, before they burned the fat the priest’s attendant would come and say to the person who was making the sacrifice,“Give some meat for the priest to roast! He won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.” 16 If the individual said to him,“They should certainly burn the fat away first, then take for yourself whatever you wish,” he would say,“No! Give it now! If not, I’ll take it by force!” 17 The sin of these young men was very great in the LORD’s sight, for they treated the LORD’s offering with contempt.
• 1 Sam 2:29 : 29 Why are you scorning my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than you have me by having made yourselves fat from the best parts of all the offerings of my people Israel.’
• 2 Chr 18:5 : 5 So the king of Israel assembled 400 prophets and asked them,“Should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” They said,“Attack! God will hand it over to the king.”
• 2 Chr 18:12-17 : 12 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him,“Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success!” 13 But Micaiah said,“As certainly as the LORD lives, I will say what my God tells me to say!” 14 Micaiah came before the king and the king asked him,“Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him,“Attack! You will succeed; they will be handed over to you.” 15 The king said to him,“How many times must I make you solemnly promise in the name of the LORD to tell me only the truth?” 16 Micaiah replied,“I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the LORD said,‘They have no master. They should go home in peace.’” 17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat,“Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?”
• Ps 19:7 : 7 The law of the LORD is perfect and preserves one’s life. The rules set down by the LORD are reliable and impart wisdom to the inexperienced.
• Ps 119:130 : 130 Your instructions are a doorway through which light shines. They give insight to the untrained.
• Prov 8:5 : 5 You who are naive, discern wisdom! And you fools, understand discernment!
• Prov 14:15 : 15 A naive person will believe anything, but the shrewd person discerns his steps.
• Prov 22:3 : 3 A shrewd person saw danger and hid himself, but the naive passed on by and paid for it.
• Isa 30:10-11 : 10 They say to the visionaries,“See no more visions!” and to the seers,“Don’t relate messages to us about what is right! Tell us nice things; relate deceptive messages. 11 Turn aside from the way; stray off the path. Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel.”
• Isa 56:10-12 : 10 All their watchmen are blind, they are unaware. All of them are like mute dogs, unable to bark. They pant, lie down, and love to snooze. 11 The dogs have big appetites; they are never full. They are shepherds who have no understanding; they all go their own way, each one looking for monetary gain. 12 Each one says,‘Come on, I’ll get some wine! Let’s guzzle some beer! Tomorrow will be just like today! We’ll have everything we want!’
• Jer 8:10-11 : 10 So I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. For from the least important to the most important of them, all of them are greedy for dishonest gain. Prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. 11 They offer only superficial help for the hurt my dear people have suffered. They say,“Everything will be all right!” But everything is not all right!
• Jer 23:17 : 17 They continually say to those who reject what the LORD has said,‘Things will go well for you!’ They say to all those who follow the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts,‘Nothing bad will happen to you!’
• Jer 28:1-9 : 1 Jeremiah Confronted by a False Prophet The following events occurred in that same year, early in the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah. To be more precise, it was the fifth month of the fourth year of his reign. The prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, spoke to Jeremiah in the LORD’s temple in the presence of the priests and all the people. 2 “The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says,‘I will break the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon. 3 Before two years are over, I will bring back to this place everything that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took from it and carried away to Babylon. 4 I will also bring back to this place Jehoiakim’s son King Jeconiah of Judah and all the exiles who were taken to Babylon.’ Indeed, the LORD affirms,‘I will break the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon.’” 5 Then the prophet Jeremiah responded to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the LORD’s temple. 6 The prophet Jeremiah said,“Amen! May the LORD do all this! May the LORD make your prophecy come true! May he bring back to this place from Babylon all the valuable articles taken from the LORD’s temple and the people who were carried into exile. 7 But listen to what I say to you and to all these people. 8 From earliest times, the prophets who preceded you and me invariably prophesied war, disaster, and plagues against many countries and great kingdoms. 9 So if a prophet prophesied peace and prosperity, it was only known that the LORD truly sent him when what he prophesied came true.”
• Jer 28:15-17 : 15 Then the prophet Jeremiah told the prophet Hananiah,“Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send you! You are making these people trust in a lie! 16 So the LORD says,‘I will most assuredly remove you from the face of the earth. You will die this very year because you have counseled rebellion against the LORD.’” 17 In the seventh month of that very same year the prophet Hananiah died.
• Ezek 13:16 : 16 those prophets of Israel who would prophesy about Jerusalem and would see visions of peace for it, when there was no peace,” declares the Sovereign LORD.’
• Ezek 13:19 : 19 You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and scraps of bread. You have put to death people who should not die and kept alive those who should not live by your lies to my people, who listen to lies!
• Hos 4:8-9 : 8 They feed on the sin offerings of my people; their appetites long for their iniquity! 9 I will deal with the people and priests together: I will punish them both for their ways, and I will repay them for their deeds. 10 They will eat, but not be satisfied; they will engage in prostitution, but not increase in numbers; because they have abandoned the LORD by pursuing other gods. 11 Judgment of Pagan Idolatry and Cultic Prostitution Old and new wine take away the understanding of my people.
• Titus 1:10-12 : 10 For there are many rebellious people, idle talkers, and deceivers, especially those with Jewish connections, 11 who must be silenced because they mislead whole families by teaching for dishonest gain what ought not to be taught. 12 A certain one of them, in fact, one of their own prophets, said,“Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”
• Jas 1:1 : 1 ¶ Salutation From James, a slave of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings!
• 2 Pet 2:10-15 : 10 especially those who indulge their fleshly desires and who despise authority. Brazen and insolent, they are not afraid to insult the glorious ones, 11 yet even angels, who are much more powerful, do not bring a slanderous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these men, like irrational animals– creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed– do not understand whom they are insulting, and consequently in their destruction they will be destroyed, 13 suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways. By considering it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight, they are stains and blemishes, indulging in their deceitful pleasures when they feast together with you. 14 Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning; they entice unstable people. They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children! 15 By forsaking the right path they have gone astray, because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,
• 2 Pet 2:18-20 : 18 For by speaking high-sounding but empty words they are able to entice, with fleshly desires and with debauchery, people who have just escaped from those who reside in error. 19 Although these false teachers promise such people freedom, they themselves are enslaved to immorality. For whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if after they have escaped the filthy things of the world through the rich knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they again get entangled in them and succumb to them, their last state has become worse for them than their first.
• 1 John 4:1-3 : 1 Testing the Spirits Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses Jesus as the Christ who has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that refuses to confess Jesus, that spirit is not from God, and this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world.
• Jude 1:1 : 1 ¶ Salutation From Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to those who are called, wrapped in the love of God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ.
• Jude 1:12 : 12 These men are dangerous reefs at your love feasts, feasting without reverence, feeding only themselves. They are waterless clouds, carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit– twice dead, uprooted;
• Jude 1:16 : 16 These people are grumblers and fault-finders who go wherever their desires lead them, and they give bombastic speeches, enchanting folks for their own gain.
• Rev 1:1 : 1 ¶ The Prologue The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must happen very soon. He made it clear by sending his angel to his servant John,