James 3:8
in James 3but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
but the tongue can no man tame; it is a restless evil, it is full of deadly poison.
KJV
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
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This verse in James 3
Commentary
3 notes on this verseHowever, no man can tame the tongue. This sentence can be correctly understood in two ways: both that none of the good teachers can tame the tongues of those who neglect to restrain themselves from foolish prattling, and that there is no speaker who does …
This site's exposition
every kind of beasts
on James 3:7-8
For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind surveys man's dominion over creation, Genesis 1's mandate still standing after the fall. But the tongue can no man tame draws the contrast sharply, the one creature within man's own head resisting the dominion he holds over every creature outside it. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, the serpent's own venom borrowed as the last word on what the untamed tongue carries.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
But the tongue wan no man tame - No cunning, persuasion, or influence has ever been able to silence it. Nothing but the grace of God, excision, or death, can bring it under subjection. It is an unruly evil - Ακατασχετον κακον· An evil that cannot be restrained; it cannot be brought under any kind of government; it breaks all bounds. Full of deadly poison - He refers here to the tongues of serpents, supposed to be the means of conveying their poison into wounds made by their teeth.
The words behind it
12 Greek wordsEvery 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.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δὲ | de | but | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| γλῶσσαν | glossan | tongue | G1100 → | 49 times |
| οὐδεὶς | oudeis | no [one] | G3762 → | |
| δαμάσαι | damasai | to subdue | G1150 → | 4 times |
| δύναται | dunatai | is able | G1410 → | 207 times |
| ἀνθρώπων· | anthropon | of men; | G444 → | 549 times |
| ἀκατάστατον | akatastaton | [it is] an unruly | G182 → | |
| κακόν, | kakon | evil, | G2556 → | |
| μεστὴ | meste | full | G3324 → | |
| ἰοῦ | iou | of poison | G2447 → | |
| θανατηφόρου. | thanatephorou | deadly. | G2287 → |
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
δὲbut
deG1161 →2765 times
γλῶσσανtongue
glossanG1100 →49 times
οὐδεὶςno [one]
oudeisG3762 →
δαμάσαιto subdue
damasaiG1150 →4 times
δύναταιis able
dunataiG1410 →207 times
ἀνθρώπων·of men;
anthroponG444 →549 times
ἀκατάστατον[it is] an unruly
akatastatonG182 →
κακόν,evil,
kakonG2556 →
μεστὴfull
mesteG3324 →
ἰοῦof poison
iouG2447 →
θανατηφόρου.deadly.
thanatephorouG2287 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
James 3:6The 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…
it leads to
- Psalms 120:2–3
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.
- Proverbs 16:27
A worthless man digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
- 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.”
- Matthew 15:11–20
A man is not defiled by what enters his mouth, but by what comes out of it.”
- Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
- Psalms 120:2–3
Through
Romans 3:13“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”
it leads to
- Psalms 5:9
For not a word they speak can be trusted; destruction lies within them. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.
- Psalms 140:3
They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah
- Psalms 5:9
Through
Psalms 55:21His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.
it leads to
- Psalms 57:4
My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts— with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 57:4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About James
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament; Bede, Commentary on the Catholic Epistles and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.