the seat of the carnal affections (Tit 1:12; Php 3:19; Ro 16:18). The word is used symbolically for the heart (Pr 18:8; 20:27; 22:18, marg.). The "belly of hell" signifies the grave or underworld (Jon 2:2).
For men of that stamp are not bondservants of Christ our Lord, but are slaves to their own appetites; and by their plausible words and their flattery they utterly deceive the minds of the simple.
Their end is destruction, their bellies are their God, their glory is in their shame, and their minds are devoted to earthly things.
One of their own number--a Prophet who is a countryman of theirs--has said, "Cretans are always liars, dangerous animals, idle gluttons."
BELLY is used in Scripture for gluttony, Tit 1:12; Philipians 3:16; Ro 16:18. For the heart, or the secrets of the mind, Pr 20:27,30; 22:18. The "belly of hell" signifies the grave, or some imminent danger, or deep distress, Jon 2:2; Ecclus. 2:5.
For men of that stamp are not bondservants of Christ our Lord, but are slaves to their own appetites; and by their plausible words and their flattery they utterly deceive the minds of the simple.
One of their own number--a Prophet who is a countryman of theirs--has said, "Cretans are always liars, dangerous animals, idle gluttons."