Romans 1:29 is a pretty devastating conviction of human nature and verse 39 continues the devastation. People apart from God are slander mongers- katalalos Is a combination of kata, against, and lalo- speaking. Speaking against others is translated as back biting.
Martin Luther (1483-1546) spoke against gossip in his large catechism. It is a common, pernicious plague that everyone would rather hear evil than good about their neighbors. Even though we ourselves are evil, we cannot tolerate it when anyone speaks evil of us; instead, we want to hear the whole world say golden things of us. Yet we cannot bear it when someone says the best things about others.
Luther also said, “Those who are not content just to know but rush ahead and judge are called backbiters. Learning a bit of gossip about someone else, they spread it into every corner, relishing and delighting in the chance to stir up someone else’s dirt like pigs that roll in manure and root around in it with their snouts.”
