Matthew 12:34

BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

“You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

What this verse means

A short, plain-language explanation of Matthew 12:34 goes here — the kind of answer a reader (or an AI assistant) can quote in one breath. Original meaning coming soon.

Compare translations
BSBPD

“You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

Berean Standard Bible · Public Domain (CC0)
KJVPD

“O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

King James Version · Public Domain
ASVPD

“Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

American Standard Version · Public Domain
YLTPD

“`Brood of vipers! how are ye able to speak good things--being evil? for out of the abundance of the heart doth the mouth speak.”

Young's Literal Translation · Public Domain
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Cross references

Other passages that echo Matthew 12:34 — 23 related verses from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  1. 1 Samuel 24:13As the old proverb says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand will never be against you.
  2. Psalms 10:6He says to himself, “I will not be moved; from age to age I am free of distress.”
  3. Psalms 52:2Your tongue devises destruction like a sharpened razor, O worker of deceit.
  4. Psalms 53:1The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their ways are vile. There is no one who does good.
  5. Psalms 64:3who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows,
  6. Psalms 64:5They hold fast to their evil purpose; they speak of hiding their snares. “Who will see them?” they say.
  7. Psalms 120:2Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
  8. Psalms 140:2who devise evil in their hearts and stir up war all day long.
  9. Isaiah 32:6For a fool speaks foolishness; his mind plots iniquity. He practices ungodliness and speaks falsely about the LORD; he leaves the hungry empty and deprives the thirsty of drink.
  10. Isaiah 59:4No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case honestly. They rely on empty pleas; they tell lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
  11. Isaiah 59:14So justice is turned away, and righteousness stands at a distance. For truth has stumbled in the public square, and honesty cannot enter.
  12. Jeremiah 7:2“Stand in the gate of the house of the LORD and proclaim this message: Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who enter through these gates to worship the LORD.
  13. Matthew 3:7But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
  14. Matthew 12:35The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.
  15. Matthew 15:18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man.
  16. Matthew 23:33You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?
  17. Luke 3:7Then John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
  18. Luke 6:45The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
  19. John 8:44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
  20. Romans 3:10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.
  21. Ephesians 4:29Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.
  22. James 3:5In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze.
  23. 1 John 3:10By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Cross-reference data: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain) via OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

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