Gossips (whisperers, secret slanderers) (5588) (psithuristes) is found only here in the NT and describes an evil tongue which secretly conveys information, whether true or false and which is detrimental to the character or welfare of others. This is the man or woman who pours their poison against their neighbor by whispering into the ear.
Haldane writes that...
The person spoken against may as well be absent. It refers to that sort of evil speaking which is communicated in secret, and not spoken in society. It is called whispering, not from the tone of the voice, but from the secrecy. It is common to speak of a thing being whispered, not from being communicated in a low voice, but from being privately spoken to individuals. It refers to sowing divisions. It is one of the most frequent and injurious methods of calumny (a misrepresentation intended to blacken another’s reputation), because, on the one hand, the whisperer escapes conviction of falsehood, and, on the other, the accused has no means of repelling the secret calumny. (Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans)
Barclay adds that whisperers (gossips) (Psithuristes) and slanderers (katalalos)
"both describe people with slanderous tongues; but there is a difference between them. Katalalos, slanderer, describes the man who trumpets his slanders abroad; he quite openly makes his accusations and tells his tales whereas Psithuristes describes the man who whispers his malicious stories in the listeners ear, who takes a man apart into a corner and whispers a character-destroying story. Both are bad, but the whisperer is the worse. A man can at least defend himself against an open slander, but he is helpless against the secret whisperer who delights in destroying reputations." (Daily Study Bible Online)
Gossip [NAVE]
Forbidden
Lev. 19:16; Psa. 15:1-3; Psa. 50:20; 13" class="scriptRef">Prov. 11:13; Prov. 16:28; Prov. 17:9; Prov. 18:8; Prov. 20:19; Prov. 26:20-22; Ezek. 22:9; 1 Tim. 5:11, 13 See: Busybody; Slander; Speaking, Evil.
Instances of
Joseph, Gen. 37:2.
Israelites, 2 Sam. 3:23.
Tobiah, Neh. 6.
Romans 1:30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, (NASB: Lockman)
Greek: katalalous, theostugeis, hubristas, huperephanous alazonas, epheuretas kakon, goneusin apeitheis,
Amplified: Slanderers, hateful to and hating God, full of insolence, arrogance, [and] boasting; inventors of new forms of evil, disobedient and undutiful to parents. (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
Barclay: slanderers, haters of God. They are insolent men, arrogant, braggarts, inventors of evil things, disobedient to their parents (Daily Study Bible)
NLT: They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. (NLT - Tyndale House)
Phillips: They became whisperers-behind-doors, stabbers-in-the-back, God-haters; they overflowed with insolent pride and boastfulness, and their minds teemed with diabolical invention. They scoffed at duty to parents, (Phillips: Touchstone)
Wuest: backbiters; hateful to God, insolent, haughty; swaggerers, inventors of evil things; disobedient to parents, (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: evil-speakers, God-haters, insulting, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
SLANDERERS, HATERS OF GOD: katalalous theostugeis: (Pr 25:23) (haters Ro 8:7,8; Nu 10:35; Deut 7:10; 2Chr 19:2; Ps 81:15; Pr 8:36; Jn 7:7; Jn 15:23,24; Titus 3:3)
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Greek Word Studies ( - )
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