Skip to content
mannafest.faith
Read

James 3:6

in James 3

The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell.

KJV

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

⋯

This verse in James 3

Commentary

6 notes on this verse

A commentator

Basil of Caesarea

CATENA · Written before 379.

If you love life, fulfill the commandment of life. "The one who loves me," said Jesus, "keeps my commandments," and the first commandment is this: "Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile." For the sin which is caused by the tongue is very active and many-sided, being active in wrath, lust, hypocrisy, judgment and deception. Do we need to recall the many names which are given to sins of the tongue? For from it come slanders, coarse jokes, idiocies, irrelevant accusations, bitterness, swearing, false witness—the tongue is the creator of all these evil things and more.

This site's exposition

the tongue is a little member

on James 3:5-6

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things applies the bit and the helm directly, small in size and vast in effect, how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity names the tongue's danger at its full height, one member capable of containing a whole world of wrong. It defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, trochos geneseos, the whole wheel of existence, and it is set on fire of hell, the tongue's worst fuel traced to its true source.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

on James 3:5-6

Observe hence, There is a great pollution and defilement in sins of the tongue. Defiling passions are kindled, vented, and cherished by this unruly member. And the whole body is often drawn into sin and guilt by the tongue.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

The snares into which men are sometimes led by the tongue are insufferable to themselves and destructive of others. It setteth on fire the course of nature. The affairs of mankind and of societies are often thrown into confusion, and all is on a flame, by the tongues of men.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

The tongue is a fire - It is often the instrument of producing the most desperate contentions and insurrections. A world of iniquity - This is an unusual form of speech, but the meaning is plain enough; World signifies here a mass, a great collection, an abundance. We use the term in the same sense - a world of troubles, a world of toil, a world of anxiety; for great troubles, oppressive toil, most distressing anxiety.

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

While a man inflames others, he passes out of his own power, being consumed in the flame himself. of hell--that is, of the devil. Greek, "Gehenna"; found here only and in Mt 5:22.

The words behind it

31 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Psalms 120:2–3Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.56 worksProverbs 16:27A worthless man digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.31 worksMark 7:15Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him.”28 worksMatthew 15:11–20A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”17 worksMatthew 5:22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.15 worksProverbs 15:1A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.14 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
James 3:8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.14 worksMark 7:20–22He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him.13 worksLuke 16:24So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’12 worksColossians 3:8–9But now you must put aside all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.10 worksPsalms 64:3who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows,8 worksMatthew 12:32–36Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.8 worksPsalms 140:3They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah8 worksProverbs 6:19a false witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up discord among brothers.8 worksProverbs 26:20Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, a conflict ceases.8 worksProverbs 7:21–23With her great persuasion she entices him; with her flattering lips she lures him.7 worksMark 14:55–57Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but they did not find any.6 works2 Samuel 19:43“We have ten shares in the king,” answered the men of Israel, “so we have more claim to David than you. Why then do you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of restoring our king?” But the men of Judah pressed even harder than the men of Israel.6 works

The walk

8 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Proverbs 15:1

    A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 10:12

      Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions.

    • Proverbs 25:15

      Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

    • Proverbs 15:18

      A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.

    • Proverbs 29:22

      An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.

    • Proverbs 28:25

      A greedy man stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

  • Through

    Mark 7:15

    Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him.”

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 4:23

      Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.

    • Leviticus 11:42–47

      Do not eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it crawls on its belly or walks on four or more feet; for such creatures are detestable.

    • Titus 1:15

      To the pure, all things are pure; but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Indeed, both their minds and their consciences are defiled.

Where this verse is studied

About James

The Feeding of the Multitude — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)
The Feeding of the Multitude — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)
James: the study guide →Read James 3 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Basil of Caesarea, CATENA; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in James 3 →