Sermon & Translation by Nate Wilson for Christ the Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 14 May 2023
“[James 2] show[ed] how unprofitable and dead faith is without works... [Now,] such a faith is... apt to make men conceited and magisterial in their tempers and their talk. Those who set up faith in the manner the former chapter condemns are most apt to run into those sins of the tongue which this chapter condemns.” ~Matthew Henry
Read my translation of James 3:
“Not many of y’all
should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive
more judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If, in discourse,
someone is not stumbling, this is a mature man, able to hold in
check his whole body also. See, we slap bits into the mouths of
horses for them to be guided by us, and we steer the whole of their
body. And look at the ships: although they are so large and are
propelled by fierce winds, they are steered by the smallest rudder
where ever the impulse of the pilot might want. So also the tongue
is a little member, yet it boasts of big things. See how a small
fire ignites so great a forest! And the tongue is a fire; it is the
world of the unrighteous. The tongue is appointed among our members
to be what stains the whole body and sets ablaze the wheel of
genetics and is set ablaze by hell. For every kind, both of animals
and of birds, even of reptiles and of marine-animals is being tamed
and has been tamed by human-kind, but the tongue – no one among
men is able to tame; it is an unrestrained evil, loaded with poison
that brings death. With it, we bless our Lord and Father, and with
it we curse men who are according to the likeness of God. Out of the
same mouth, blessing and cursing proceed. My brothers, these things
ought not to keep happening that way.”
James 3 is still very much along the lines of Hellenistic Jewish wisdom literature1, and one of the classic themes of wisdom literature is warnings and advice regarding the words we say2. James begins by addressing those who want to be teachers whose “constant use of the tongue means they can sin very easily, leading others astray at the same time.” ~Douglas Moo.
What does James mean by “teachers”?
The KJV calls them “Masters,” but the New Testament consistently uses this word “teacher” to describe a Christian leader, an apostle3, or a teaching elder in the church.
1 Cor. 12:28-29 “...God also set up for Himself in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administration, [and] kinds of languages. Not all are apostles; not all are prophets; not all are teachers; not all are miracle-workers…” (NAW) So, the gift of teaching is a gift from God, and God did not give every Christian the ability to be a teacher in the church.
There is another sense, however, in which God has called every parent to teach their children (Deut. 6:7, Eph. 6:4, Prov. 1:8, etc.), so, even if you are not gifted to be a teacher in the church, you are still called to teach in your home, but James is talking about church teachers here.
Now, in 1 Timothy 3:1, we read that it is “good” to aspire to be a church elder, and the book of Hebrews also indicates in 5:12 that it is even to be expected that those who have been Christians a long time “ought to be teachers.” So, taking the whole counsel of Scripture into account, James can’t mean that there is something wrong with being a teacher; rather, he means that teaching should be approached with carefulness and humility.
“The office of teacher was roughly the equivalent of the rabbi in the Jewish community … and… would have had considerable prestige…. [But] Perhaps… unfit teachers were a major cause of the bitter partisan spirit (cf. 3:13-18), quarreling (4:1), and unkind, critical speech (4:11) that seemed to characterize the community” James is addressing. ~Douglas Moo, Pillar Commentary
Paul approaches the same problem in 1 Timothy 1:3-7 when he says, “...charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.” (NKJV) Folks were wanting to be teachers, but they didn’t have the doctrinal knowledge, the heart of love, the personal integrity, or the faith to teach well, and that was causing havoc in the church.
Today we have a similar problem in Christian circles with a proliferation of people publishing their teaching on the Internet with very little accountability.
Social media has created a climate in which anyone can publish anything and then be followed potentially by millions of readers (or watchers) who know almost nothing about the personal integrity of that teacher.
As long as the teacher appears self-confident and has entertainment value, people will follow them. The problem is that orthodoxy and wisdom and normality and truth are generally not quite as entertaining.
If you want entertainment, you gravitate toward what is abnormal, controversial, new, and different, and the more you imbibe of that entertainment diet of sensational material, the more your mind will be trained to stray from God’s word.
Social media can be used to preach the gospel, but it has more dangers than the traditional venues of teaching because it does not have as many accountability structures as churches or schools or book-publishers have historically had. (Not to say that churches, schools and book publishers haven’t gone astray too, but just that they don’t go astray as quickly as teachers in unaccountable systems will.)
Now, I’m afraid I’ve gotten onto one of my pet soapboxes here, so I need to check myself. Is this application consistent with what James is saying?
Well, his grammar in v.1 does indicate that too many were trying to be teachers and that the situation needed to change4.
So, why does James say that not many should become teachers?
His reason is that those who teach – and James includes himself among the teachers with the word “we” – “we will receive more judgment/greater condemnation/stricter judgment.”
What does he mean by “receive greater judgment”? The Greek words for “receive” and “judgment” occur only two other times in the Greek Bible, and both times, they refer, not to human criticism, but to God’s ultimate justice.
Romans 13:2 “...the one who has taken a stand against [the authority of God] will himself receive judgment.” (NAW)
But Jesus said that the scribes who were hypocrites would “receive extra judgment”: Mark 12:38-40 “Beware the scribes… Which devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation [abundant judgment].” (KJV)
James explains that it is because teachers will be held to closer scrutiny by God when He judges us, or perhaps more technically, because God will judge them more. The reason, of course, is that teachers are influencers of others, and if the teacher goes off-track, more people will be deceived and brought to harm than just him (or her), and teachers will be accountable to God for that.
Psalm 12:3-4 “Yahweh will bring about an end to all flattering lips – the tongue that speaks of big things, which say, ‘It is our language that we will make mighty; our lips will be with us! Who will be master over us?’” (NAW)
Matt. 12:34-37 Jesus said to the Pharisees who had accused Him of being demon-possessed, "...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth tends to speak... But I'm telling y'all that every idle/do-nothing word – whatever men might utter, they will give an account for it during the day of judgment. For it is by your words that you will be justified, and it is by your words that you will be condemned." (NAW)
This fits right in with the rest of what James says about teaching and speech:
1:16 “My dear brothers, no longer be led astray!” (NAW)
1:26 “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless.” (NAW)
2:12 “Y'all must speak accordingly and act accordingly as those who are going to be judged by the law of liberty” (NAW)
3:10 “Out of the same mouth, blessing and cursing proceed. My brothers, these things ought not to keep happening that way.” (NAW)
4:11-12 “Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? … 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” (NKJV)
And, of course, this is also right in-line with the rest of Scripture:
Psalm 39:1 “... I will keep my ways from sinning with my tongue; let me keep a muzzle against my mouth while yet an evil person is in my presence.” (NAW)
Prov. 10:19 “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.” (NKJV)
Prov. 13:3 “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” (NKJV)
1 Pet. 3:10 “...The one who wants to love life and to see good days, let him stop his tongue from wickedness and his lips such that they don't utter deceptiveness.” (NAW)
In v.2, it is hard to tell whether James is being facetious or if he is being factual.
You could read it at one level as saying that everybody stumbles in what they say, and therefore no one is perfect.
James has used the word for “stumble” in 2:10 to mean “transgress the law” and “become guilty,”
and James will say in v.8 that “no one can tame the tongue.”
And the doctrine of the fallenness of mankind is theologically true, supported by other scriptures like Rom. 3:23 “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (KJV)
But, if that were James’ point, you would expect him to conclude that NO one should teach; instead, his application is that there just shouldn’t be TOO many teachers and, in v.13ff, that we should do good deeds, stop lying, have a unselfish attitude, and make peace. In fact, the application in v.3 is that you can control your whole body.
So, I think v.2 should be interpreted to mean that, although everybody has faults, the kind of Christian teacher you want to follow is the one who has integrity with his λογος/ logic/word/speech.
The Greek grammar in v.25 indicates that James thinks that not stumbling in discourse IS actually possible, and
The Greek word for “perfect” can also mean “mature/well on the way towards the goal,” so I think that is its sense here in v.2.
The Apostle Paul himself said he had not achieved perfection6, but he did have enough maturity to be able to tell the churches, “Keep being imitators of me just as I also am of Christ.” (1 Cor. 11:1, NAW)
We likewise don’t believe we will be perfect until we are with Jesus in heaven7, but we can get well-on-the-way towards that goal.
Remember how James has used this word for “perfect/complete/mature” in the first two chapters: 1:4 “But that steadfastness [under trial] must have a complete effect in order that you may be complete with integrity, lacking in nothing… 2:22 You see that the faith was working together with his works, and from the works the faith was perfected/matured/completed.” (NAW) Trusting Jesus through trials and temptations grows us in spiritual maturity, and it is tried-and-true believers who make the best teachers.
Some further applications we can draw from v.2 are that:
A person’s speech/words/discourse is a good indicator of their spiritual maturity, so if you aren’t seeing wisdom coming out of their mouths, they probably aren’t ready to teach yet.
Conversely, if speech is such an important part of our maturity, that is an area we should all work on! Telling the truth (Ex. 20:16), keeping your mouth shut (Prov. 17:28) when you shouldn’t speak, and communicating only with words that impart grace (Eph. 4:29) are all ways we can obey God and evidence maturity.
Furthermore, James says at the end of v.2, that the person who is mature in speech can also expect to see self-control over their whole body. If you can find control over your tongue, you can find control over every part of your body!
“[L]et resolution and watchfulness, under the influence of the grace of God, bridle the tongue, and then all the motions and actions of the whole body will be easily guided and overruled.” ~Matthew Henry
James makes his point through the use of three similes in vs.3-5: The tongue is like a bit in the mouth of a horse, like the rudder of a ship, and like a flame of fire.
You can control the direction of a whole horse by controlling its mouth with a metal bit attached to leather reins that you hold in your hands, and so it goes with us: the things we say, influence our entire life. Therefore, gaining control of our tongue is essential to getting our life in order.
From the book of Acts, we know that ships, in James’ day, could be be big enough to carry hundreds of passengers8, and yet those ships were steered by relatively-small rudders. (It appears that the standard design in those days was to lash something that looked like a narrow canoe paddle to both sides of the ship towards the stern, and those acted as rudders.)
The third simile is to fire. As we all know, it only takes one little spark in the wrong place to start a forest fire, or to burn down a house.
And the tongue is like that bit, that rudder and that flame, wielding a disproportionately-great amount of power.
Prov. 18:6-7, 21 “The lips of a fool bring him into troubles, and his bold mouth calls for death. A fool's mouth is ruin to him, and his lips are a snare to his soul… Life and death are in the power of the tongue; and they that rule it shall eat the fruits thereof.” (Brenton)
Are you taking your tongue’s power seriously enough?
Does it have a restraint system, like you would use on any horse or any ship-tiller, to keep it from getting out of control?
Do you have fire-prevention measures, like you would have in any kitchen or fireplace, to control damage you might do with your tongue?
Do you have safeguards to keep it from being ignited by the fires of hell?
“As therefore you would dread fires and flames, you should dread contentions, revilings, slanders, lies, and every thing that would kindle the fire of wrath in your own spirit or in the spirits of others.” ~Matthew Henry
James keeps on going in v.6 from those three similes to five more metaphors about the tongue which illustrate its power for evil.
The Greek grammar structure of v.6 is interesting. The word “tongue” is used twice, once as the subject of the verb “set/appointed/stationed among our body-parts,” and then the word “tongue” is used as the subject of five predicate nominatives, each of which reveals some aspect of the power of the tongue for evil.
The five predicate nominatives for “tongue” in v.6 are:
(1) it is a “fire”
This refers back to v.5, that small flame that can set a whole forest on fire; the tongue is small compared to the rest of our body, but it holds great power for evil or for good, depending on what we use it to say.
(2) it is “the world of unrighteousness”
It seems significant that every time James speaks of the “world,” he is referring to that which stands in opposition to God9.
So I think James means that what we say is the operating theater for the world in its opposition to God. Speech is how enmity to God is expressed.
And “he... connects the smallness of the tongue with the vastness of the world.” ~Calvin
(3) Furthermore, the tongue is “that which stains/pollutes the whole body”
This is the third time in this chapter that this phrase “the whole of the body” occurs:
First in v.2 - whoever can control his speech can control his “whole body,”
then in v. 3, controlling the horse’s mouth means controlling its “whole body,”
and now in v.6, the tongue can stain/pollute “the whole body.”
Jesus also taught that a single body-part can either drag the “whole body” to hell (Matt. 5:29-30) or fill the “whole body” with light (Matt. 6:22-23). Jesus said that the eye can do that; now James is saying the tongue can also do that.
What’s more, our physical bodies are part of a larger body – the body of Christ, and when a teacher becomes unfaithful to God and His word, there is great danger that his influence will cause fallout in the body of Christ! (James Martin)
(4) the tongue “sets ablaze the wheel of genetics/course of life/nature”
Everywhere else that this Greek word trochon occurs in the Bible, it is translated “wheel,” and all the other places that this Greek word genesews occur in the New Testament refer to a “birth story” or “genealogy.” Genesews also occurs in James 1:23, however, referring to the “nature/genetics/family-resemblance” of the face that the man was looking at in the mirror.
So what does it mean that the “tongue can set [that] on fire”?
It seems to be either a synonymous parallel to “staining the entire body,” meaning that evil from what is said can harm a person’s whole life10,
or it may be extrapolating the problem of out-of-control evil to a person’s children and grand-children.
Our sin can affect epigenetic switches that we pass on to our offspring, such as a propensity for drunkenness, or a love for God’s word. What is your tongue setting up your descendants for?
Think of Cain and his words: “Am I my brother’s keeper? … You are punishing me too much, God!” And the rest of his life is estranged from his family and cursed by God, and so are his descendants (Genesis 4).
God had warned Cain that “sin is crouching at the door waiting to devour,” but he didn’t tame it, and the consequences were heartbreaking.
(5) the tongue “is set ablaze by hell.”
The word for “hell” that James uses, seems to have been coined by Jesus, who described the fires of hell as being like the fires that were kept burning in the trash piles outside of Jerusalem in the valley of Hinnom (Matt. 5:22). He called it Gehenna.
It is the place Jesus threatened that the “whole body” would be “thrown into” for being led into sin by just one eye in Matt. 5:29 –
and not just the “body” would be thrown into hell, but “also the soul,” according to Matt. 10:28.
Hell is the opposite of “life” in Matt. 18:9.
It is the place of God’s judgment in Matt. 23:33.
So how can this place set our tongues on fire?
I believe the connection is the Devil. Jesus said in Matt. 25:41 that the “everlasting fire” and “everlasting punishment” were “prepared for the Devil and his angels” [the demons],
but Jesus also taught that the Devil was engaged in sowing weeds among the church (Matt. 13:39), planting distracting thoughts into our minds (Matt. 16:23), tempting people to sin (Mark 1:13), snatching away God’s word from people’s lives (Mark 4:15), putting people in bondage (Luke 13:16), and telling lies (John 8:44). That’s how hell sets our tongues on fire: the Devil who is destined for hell does it.
Satan feeds lies into our thoughts, and unsuspecting people believe what they think, and then their tongues repeat those lies, not even understanding how untrue they are and how much damage it will cause, and so Satan’s words burn up lives.
That’s why James warns us three times in chapter 1 against being deceived.
And that’s why that igneous tongue must be tamed to tell the truth!
In v.7, the domestication of wild animals is the next metaphor James uses.
Taming the tongue is a tricky business, however. James reminds us that it’s not like any other animal which mankind has tamed11. In fact, despite all our human achievements, it appears impossible to tame the tongue.
The tongue governed by the world, the flesh, and hell is dangerous: it is “a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
It’s like that “unstable, double-minded man” in James 1:8.
David also complained in Psalm 140:3 “They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; The poison of asps is under their lips.” (NKJV) And Paul quoted that same verse when he was outlining how bad our human condition is in Romans 3:13.
Proverbs 26:28 “A lying tongue hates the truth; and an unguarded mouth causes tumults.” (Brenton)
It makes us want to cry out in despair with the Psalmist in Psalm 120:3 “What shall be given to you, Or what shall be done to you, You false tongue?”
But God’s word has the answer!
If you read ahead to v.17, you will see that the same word for “full/loaded/saturated” used in v. 8 to describe the tongue with its deadly poison is used v.17 to describe God’s wisdom that can come down to us and make us “full of mercy and good fruits.”
And there is even a hint about that in v.8. If you are reading a word-for-word English translation made since the year 2000, such as the ESV or the New NIV from 2011, you will see that it says no HUMAN can tame the tongue. And if you have the New NASB from 2020, it reads, “No one among mankind can tame the tongue.”
This is because, in Greek, in addition to the nominative subject “No one,” there is also a genitive prepositional phrase, “of men” or “among men” which qualifies it. This prepositional phrase has been dropped from earlier English versions, even though it’s been there all along in the Greek manuscripts.
In the fifth century, Augustine noticed it in his Latin Bible and commented, “He does not say that ‘no one can tame the tongue,’ but ‘no one of men;’ so that when it is tamed, we confess that this is brought about by the pity, the help, and grace of God.”
Here is our hope: the tongue can be tamed, by only the self-control which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:23).
That’s why the Psalmist, in his lament about the deceitfulness of tongues in Psalm 120 cried out to God: Psalm 120:1-2 “ In my distress I cried to the LORD, And He heard me. Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips And from a deceitful tongue.” (NKJV)
That’s a prayer you can pray, “Deliver me from lying lips and a deceitful tongue!”
That’s our first step in taming our deadly tongue: to appropriate the power of God through prayer to do it.
Another important step is to remove false teachers from your life and instead follow the instruction of godly teachers.
This might mean changing what magazines and newsfeeds you read and what podcasts and movies you listen to and watch.
It might mean replacing time spent on social media with more time reading good books, more time doing skilled crafts, or more time visiting and talking with brothers and sisters in Christ who are a good influence on you.
Titus 1:10-16 “For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers... whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain... giving heed to... fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth... They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.” (NKJV)
Ephesians 5:1-20 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us... let it not even be named among you... filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks... Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them... Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is... be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
ByzantineB |
NAW |
KJVC |
Vulgate |
PeshittaD |
1 Μὴ πολλοὶ διδάσκαλοι γίνεσθε, ἀδελφοί μου, εἰδότες ὅτι μεῖζον κρίμα ληψόμεθαE· |
1 Not many of y’all should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive more judgment. |
1
My brethren, be not many |
1 nolite plures magistri fieri fratres mei scientes quoniam maius iudicium sumitis |
1 Let there not be many teachers among you, my brethren; but know ye, that we are obnoxious to , a severer judgment. |
2 πολλὰ γὰρ πταίομενG ἅπαντες. εἴ τις ἐν λόγῳ οὐ πταίει, οὗτος τέλειος ἀνήρ, δυνατὸς χαλιναγωγῆσαιH καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα. |
2 For we all stumble in many things. If, in discourse, someone is not stumbling, this is a mature man, able to hold in check his whole body also. |
2
For in many things we |
2 in multis enim offendimus omnes si quis in verbo non offendit hic perfectus est vir potens etiam freno circumducere totum corpus |
2
For we all |
3 εἰ δὲI τῶν ἵππων τοὺς χαλινοὺς εἰς τὰ στόματα βάλλομεν Jπρὸς τὸ πείθεσθαι αὐτοὺςK ἡμῖν, καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα αὐτῶν μετάγομενL. |
3 See, we slap bits into the mouths of horses for them to be guided by us, and we steer the whole of their body. |
3 Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may X obey us; and we turn about their whole body. |
3 si autem equorum frenos in ora mittimus ad consentiendum nobis et omne corpus illorum circumferimus |
3 Behold, we put bridles into the mouth of horses, that they may X obey us; and we turn about their whole body. |
4 ἰδοὺ καὶ τὰ πλοῖα, τηλικαῦτα ὄνταM καὶ ὑπὸ σκληρῶν ἀνέμων ἐλαυνόμενα, μετάγεται ὑπὸ ἐλαχίστου πηδαλίουN ὅπου ἂν ἡ ὁρμὴO τοῦ Pεὐθύνοντος Qβούληται. |
4 And look at the ships: although they are so large and are propelled by fierce winds, they are steered by the smallest rudder where ever the impulse of the pilot might want. |
4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the X X X governor listeth. |
4 ecce et naves cum magnae sint et a ventis validis minentur circumferuntur a modico gubernaculo ubi impetus dirigentis voluerit |
4
X X Huge ships also, when X strong winds X drive them, are turned
about by a small timber, to
what X [place] the |
5 οὕτω καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα μικρὸν μέλος ἐστὶ καὶ Rμεγαλαυχεῖ. ᾿Ιδοὺ Sὀλίγον πῦρ ἡλίκηνT ὕληνU ἀνάπτειV· |
5 So also the tongue is a little member, yet it boasts of big things. See how a small fire ignites so great a forest! |
5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matterW a little fire kindleth! |
5 ita et lingua modicum quidem membrum est et magna exultat ecce quantus ignis quam magnam silvam incendit |
5
So likewise the tongue is a small member, and it exalteth |
6 καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα πῦρ, ὁ κόσμος τῆς ἀδικίαςY. οὕτωςZ ἡ γλῶσσα καθίσταταιAA ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν ἡ σπιλοῦσαAB ὅλον τὸ σῶμαAC καὶ φλογίζουσαAD τὸν τροχὸν τῆς γενέσεωςAE καὶ φλογιζομένη ὑπὸ τῆς γεέννης. |
6 And the tongue is a fire; it is the world of the unrighteous. The tongue is appointed among our members to be what stains the whole body and sets ablaze the wheel of genetics and is set ablaze by hell. |
6
And the tongue is
a fire, |
6 et lingua ignis est universitas iniquitatis lingua constituitur in membris nostris quae maculat totum corpus et inflammat rotam nativitatis nostrae inflammata a gehenna |
6
Now the tongue is a fire, [and] the world of |
7 πᾶσα γὰρ φύσιςAF θηρίωνAG τε καὶ πετεινῶν ἑρπετῶν τε καὶ ἐναλίωνAH δαμάζεται καὶ δεδάμασταιAI τῃ῀ φύσει τῃ῀ ἀνθρωπίνῃ, |
7 For every kind, both of animals and of birds, even of reptiles and of marine-animals is being tamed and has been tamed by human-kind, |
7 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: |
7 omnis enim natura bestiarum et volucrum et serpentium etiam ceterorum domantur et domita sunt a natura humana |
7
For all nature[s]
of beasts and birds and reptiles, X of the sea |
8 τὴν δὲ γλῶσσαν οὐδεὶς δύναται ἀνθρώπων δαμάσαι· ἀκατάσχετονAJ κακόν, μεστὴAK ἰοῦ θανατηφόρουAL. |
8 but the tongue – no one among men is able to tame; it is an unrestrained evil, loaded with poison that brings death. |
8 But the tongue can no X X man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. |
8 linguam autem nullus hominum domare potest inquietum malum plena veneno mortifero |
8 But the tongue hath no one X X been able to tame: it is an evil thing, not coercible, and full of deadly poison. |
9 ἐν αὐτῃ῀ εὐλογοῦμεν τὸν ΘεὸAM καὶ πατέρα, καὶ ἐν αὐτῃ῀ καταρώμεθαAN τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς καθ᾿ ὁμοίωσινAO Θεοῦ γεγονότας· |
9 With it, we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are according to the likeness of God. |
9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are [madeAP] after the similitude of God. |
9 in ipsa benedicimus DominumAQ et Patrem et in ipsa maledicimus homines qui ad similitudinem Dei facti sunt |
9 For with it, we bless the LordAR and Father; and with it we curse men, who were [made] in the image of God: |
10 ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος ἐξέρχεται εὐλογία καὶ κατάρα. οὐ χρήAS, ἀδελφοί μου, ταῦτα οὕτω γίνεσθαι. |
10 Out of the same mouth, blessing and cursing proceed. My brothers, these things ought not to keep happening that way. |
10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. |
10 ex ipso ore procedit benedictio et maledictio non oportet fratres mei haec ita fieri |
10 and from the same mouth, proceed curses and blessings. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. |
1Various commentators have noted parallels between this passage and Aristotle, Philo, Plutarch, the Apocryphal wisdom books, the Mishnah, Proverbs, the Gospels, and other sources. James seems to be familiar with them, but he writes authoritatively under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
2Douglas Moo’s list of “Proverbs which... [single] out speech habits as a key marker of godliness” includes: 10:8, 11, 21, 11:9, 12:18, 25, 13:3, 16:27, 17:14, 18:7, 21, and 26:22.
3In 1 Tim. 2:7 and 2 Tim. 1:11, the Apostle Paul said, I was appointed to be… a teacher of the Gentiles...”
4cf. A.T. Robertson’s Word Pictures: “Stop becoming many teachers” (so many of you). There is thus a clear complaint that too many of the Jewish Christians were attempting to teach what they did not clearly comprehend. There was a call for wise teachers (Jas. 2:13.), not for foolish ones. This soon became an acute question, as one can see in 1 Cor. 12 to chapter 14.”
5Ει paired with a present indicative verb in the protasis implies a condition which is true in fact.
6Philippians 3:12 “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” (NKJV)
71 Peter 5:10 “ And after y'all have suffered a few [things], the God of all grace who called y'all into His eternal glory in Christ Jesus will Himself renew [y'all], He will confirm, strengthen, [and] establish.” (NAW)
8Acts 27:37 “And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship.” (NKJV)
91:27 “pure and undefiled religion is to keep oneself unstained by the world;” 2:5 “poor in regards to this world but rich in faith;” 4:4 “friendship with the world is enmity against God”
10This
was John Owen’s position: “‘The course of nature,’ or the
compass of nature, that is, all that is included in nature, means
evidently the same with ‘the whole body’ in the preceding
clause.”
Calvin took a different position that “...when
other vices are corrected by age or by the succession of time... the
vice of the tongue spreads... the tongue is like untamed horses; for
as these draw violently the chariots, so the tongue hurries a man
headlong by its own wantonness.”
11A.R.Fausset, in his commentary, made the interesting aside about the future of animal-taming: “So it shall be in the millennial world; even now man, by gentle firmness, may tame the inferior animal, and even elevate its nature.”
AWhen
a translation adds words not in the Greek text, but does not
indicate it has done so by the use of italics or greyed-out text, I
put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a
wording which is different from all the other translations, I
underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my
opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Greek
word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text,
I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word
which is in the original text, I insert an X. I also place an X at
the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English
translation is singular. I occasionally use colors to help the
reader see correlations between the various editions and versions
when there are more than two different translations of a given word.
NAW is my translation. My original chart includes annotated copies
of the NKJV, NASB, NIV, and ESV, but I erase them from the online
edition so as not to infringe on their copyrights.
BThis Greek New Testament is the 1904 "Patriarchal" edition of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine majority text of the GNT and the Textus Receptus are very similar. The Westcott-Hort, Nestle-Aland, and UBS editions are a slightly-different family of GNTs developed in the modern era as a break from the traditional Greek Bible by compiling just a few of the oldest-known manuscripts, but even so, the practical differences in the text between these two editing philosophies are minimal.
C1769 King James Version of the Holy Bible; public domain.
DJames Murdock, A Literal Translation from the Syriac Peshito Version, 1851, Robert Carter & Brothers, New York. Scanned and transcribed by Gary Cernava and published electronically by Janet Magierra at http://www.lightofword.org
ENowhere
else in the Greek Bible is krima
combined with a form of mega,
but there are two other places where krima is
combined with a form of lambanw: Rom.
13:2, and Mark 12:40, the latter of which is like our current
passage, indicating something more than standard judgment: “Which
devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these
shall receive greater damnation [or “abundant judgment” -
λήμψονται περισσότερον κρίμα].” (KJV)
The fact that all three passages in the Bible with this phrase
“receive judgment,” have to do with ultimate justice from God
points my interpretation in that direction, although my experience
is that teachers also get lots of criticism from human sources as
well! As for the spelling,
the UBS and N-A GNTs add a μ
as
the third letter, which is the full spelling of the word, but only a
minority of the manuscripts don’t abbreviate it. Vaticanus
goes both ways.
Calvin’s
interpretation (shared
by Henry)
seems out-of-keeping
with the Greek text by interpreting it as though it said “be not
teachers” instead of “let not many
be teachers” and by interpreting “teachers” negatively as
“such
as took upon them the right of passing judgment upon others… when
impertinent censors of this kind insolently boast themselves in the
work of exposing the vices of others….” although
the problem he identifies is a real one.
FDouglas Moo commented that, although krima “usually refers to the negative outcome of judgment… the word can also have a neutral sense, referring to the act of judgment without regard to the outcome (John 9:39, 1 Cor. 6:7, Heb. 6:2).”
Gcf. 2:10 “...whoever might keep the whole of the law, yet happen to stumble in one of them has become guilty of all.”
Hcf. 1:26, the only other place this verb occurs in the Greek Bible: “If someone among y'all reckons that he is religious, but is deceiving his heart while not holding his tongue in check, the religion of this one is vain.” (NAW)
I There is controversy over whether the Greek should be ιδε (“behold”) or ει δε (“but if”), and manuscript evidence is split pretty evenly between them. Critical GNTs (W-H, N-A, and UBS) as well as the Patriarchal Greek Orthodox edition read ei de (“but if”), following three of the four oldest-known Greek manuscripts, and the Vulgate went that direction. The modern Greek Orthodox, Textus Receptus, and R-P GNTs read ide (“behold”), since the overall majority of manuscripts and lectionaries support that reading, and this is what the Syriac Peshitta followed. Since, however, both serve primarily to introduce a new topic, this variant doesn’t make a difference in the meaning of the sentence.
J Following 3 of the 4 oldest-known Greek manuscripts, the critical editions of the GNT depart from the traditional majority text by reading the preposition εις (“into,” more commonly used with Greek statements of intent) instead of proV (“to”), but there is no difference in meaning.
KThe accusative case of this word is the normative way in Greek grammar to label it as the subject of the infinitive. The infinitive is the passive form of the Greek verb for “persuade,” so I think that “for them to be guided by us” is a more accurate translation than “that they may obey us.”
LLiterally “lead through/across/with/after” Nowhere else in the GNT, but in the Greek O.T., this word occurs to describe the Israelite people and their things taken away by Babylon as captives or booty (1 Ki. 8:47-48; 2 Chr. 6:37; 36:3; 1 Es. 1:43; 2:7; 5:66). It is also in the next verse.
MMoulton called this use of a participle “concessive” (“although being”).
NThe only other instance of this “rudder” in the Greek Bible is Acts 27:40, where it is plural. The Alexandrian grain ships from this era had something that looked like a canoe paddle lashed to both sides of the ship (with the paddle in the water), and these acted as rudders.
O“Old word for rapid, violent motion, here of the hand that worked the rudder.” (ATR) Omitted by the Geneva, KJV and NKJV, even though it is in the TR, and omitted by the NIV (perhaps because it is omitted in the Peshitta, although the English translations of the Peshitta by Etheridge and by Murdock read as though the word is there – Lamsa translated it without the word. Perhaps there is another Syriac edition with it?), this Greek word only appears one other place in the NT, namely Acts 14:5, describing the “rush” of a mob of people on an impulse. It also shows up in Num. 11:11 & 17, where Brenton translated it as the “weight/burden” of the people, and in Prov. 3:25 as “attacks of the ungodly,” and in Prov. 21:1 “the rush of water,” Jer. 29:3 “the sounding of his rushing,” and Ezekiel 3:14 “the impulse of my spirit.”
PThis word only occurs one other place in the NT, and that is in John 1:23 (“make straight the way of the Lord”). The half-dozen OT citations (Num. 22:23; Jos. 24:23; Jdg. 14:7; 1 Sam. 18:20, 26; Prov. 20:24) are divided between (“pleasing to the eyes”) and (“direct/make straight”).
QThe traditional spelling in almost all the Greek manuscripts is Subjunctive (connoting some uncertainty as to where he might desire), and includes the αν (“ever”) earlier in the sentence (further denoting that uncertainty), whereas the spelling in the critical editions (based on two of the 4 oldest-known manuscripts and almost nothing else) is Indicative (simply denoting that it is according to his will), and they omit the αν. The The difference is not significant, seeing as all the standard English versions read the same, whether they followed the Textus Receptus (KJV, NKJV) or the Critical editions (NASB, NIV, ESV), and furthermore, this has nothing to do with the point of the argument that the small rudder controls the direction of the great ship.
R The Greek manuscripts vary as to whether the two words (“mega” and “boast”) are run together or are treated as separate words. It makes no substantial difference in meaning, except that one way “great things” is the object of “boasts” and the other way it is an adverb modifying the verb (“boasts greatly”), although the versions got that backwards, with the KJV translating the adverbialized one in the TR as a plural object and the NIV translating the plural object in the critical text adverbially! The overall majority run them together, so that is the traditional reading, but since 5 out of the 6 oldest ones spell them as separate words, the critical editions spell it that way. ATR noted that, although the words are not run together anywhere else in the Greek Bible, they are run together in the writings of Aeschylus, Plato, and other ancient Greek authors. Calvin commented, “James in this passage did not intend to reprove ostentation so much as to show that the tongue is the doer of great things.”
S On the basis of half a dozen manuscripts, the critical GNTs read hlikon (“how great”) instead of oligon (“a small”), and while it is true that the oldest-known manuscripts are almost evenly divided on that (unless you count the corrections made after the original manuscript was drawn up, all of which corrections were to “how great,” but the actual antiquity of those corrections is unknown), the vast majority overall of manuscripts reads “small.”
TRobertson’s Grammar states that this word in James is an exclamation: “how great!” Col. 2:1 is the only other occurrence in the Greek Bible, but it is similar to telikauta (“how large” a ship) in the previous verse.
UOnly other occurrences of this word in the Greek Bible are in the LXX: 2 Ma. 2:24; 4 Ma. 1:29; Job 19:29; 38:40; Wis. 11:17; 15:13; Sir. 28:10; Isa. 10:17; Jas. 3:5. All but the latter one in Job are translated “matter.” The reference in Sirach 28:10 also mentions fire: “As the matter of the fire is, so it burneth: and as a man's strength is, so is his wrath; and according to his riches his anger riseth; and the stronger they are which contend, the more they will be inflamed.” (Brenton)
VThis verb occurs only two other places in the NT: Luke 12:49 and Acts 28:2, the latter of which is spelled in abbreviated form in the critical GNTs. The Greek OT has 24 more occurrences.
W So also Grotius and Alford. The root meaning of this word is “material,” but in the context, much wood is being incinerated, and that suggests a forest fire.
X The Peshitta appears to omit the “mega,” so Murdock and Etheridge’s translations of the Syriac appear to be accurate. Nevertheless, Lamsa’s translation of the Peshitta is “boasts great things,” which makes me wonder if he was reading a different edition.
Y Jesus used this word to describe those who would be condemned, in His judgment Day scenario in Luke 13:27, "But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'” (NIV) And so does Paul: Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (NKJV, cf. 2 Thess. 2:12).
Z This conjunction is not in any of the five oldest-known Greek manuscripts, nor is it in the Vulgate or Coptic version, but it is the reading of the overall majority of Greek manuscripts, and is supported by the Peshitta, therefore the Greek Orthodox editions of the GNT, as well as the Majority GNT editions by Robertson & Pierpont and by Hodges & Farstad, and the Textus Receptus editions of Stevens and of Scrivner have it (and that is why the KJV & NKJV & Geneva have the word “so” here), but the critical editions of Westcott & Hort, Nestle & Aland, and the UBS GNT don’t have it (thus it is not reflected in the NASB, NIV, and ESV). It doesn’t change the drift of the verse’s meaning, though.
AA “has its place” (Vincent), “presents itself” (ATR), “is constituted” (Fausset)
AB Only here and Jude 23 in the Bible. Also in Wisdom of Solomon 15:4. Meaning literally “to stain/spot,” and figuratively “to defile/pollute.”
AC This is the third time in this chapter that this phrase “the whole of the body” occurs cf. vs 2-3. Also see Matt. 5:29-30 & 6:22-23.
AD This is what a πυρ/fire does in Greek. Nowhere else in the NT, but is in Exod. 9:24; Num. 21:14; 1 Ma. 3:5; Ps. 96:3; Sir. 3:30; Ps. Sol. 12:3; Dat. 3:94, where Brenton translates it “burn/flame.”
AE
Trochon only here
in NT, but everywhere in the LXX OT it is translated “wheel.”
Genesews in traditional GNT, only here and Matt 1:1
(“genesis/genealogy” of Christ) and James 1:23 “For if someone
is a hearer of the word and not a doer, this one is comparable to a
man taking cognizance of the genetics of his face in a
mirror” (NAW). Critical GNT’s add two more instances (Matt. 1:18
and Luke 1:14 – both referring to the “birth” of Jesus). These
two words are not found together in any other verse of the Greek
Bible. It seems likely to be a figure of speech, however. One
possible application is the effect that sin can have on future
generations, as in Exodus 20:5-6.
Vincent: “[T]he
wheel of birth - i.e., the wheel which is set in motion at birth and
runs on to the close of life. It is thus a figurative description of
human life. So Anacreon: ‘The chariot-wheel, like life, runs
rolling round,’ Tertullian says: ‘The whole revolving wheel
of existence bears
witness to the resurrection of the dead.’”
John
Gill: “circulation of the blood... this is the wheel broken at the
cistern at death, in Eccl. 12:6”
Douglas
Moo: “wheel of existence… may… be… a way of describing the
‘ups and downs’ of life.”
AF Seems to correlate somewhat with Linnean taxonomy at the Class level, although it is used in the Bible to distinguish between physical and spiritual beings too. Vincent noted that Peter used a different classification system in Acts 10:19 & Acts 11:6.
AG ATR: “Old word diminutive from thēr and so ‘little beasts’ originally, then wild animals in general (Mark 1:13), or quadrupeds as here. These four classes of animals come from Gen. 9:2.”
AH Hapex Legomenon, composed of the preposition “in” plus the word for salt “halite.”
AI This verb only occurs here and in the LXX of Daniel 2:40 (where the fourth kingdom of “iron pulverizes and subdues all things” and the Apocrypha adds a repetition of the same verb in the future tense “...and will subdue” – suggesting a possible jumping off point for James using the same verb in two tenses also, if he was already familiar with that bit of literature.) It also occurs in Mark 5:4, where the Gadarene demoniac could not be “controlled/subdued/tamed.” It seems too demeaning to speak of “taming” a fellow human being (as entertaining as might be to watch The Taming of the Shrew), but the sense of this passage in James seems to go beyond mere control/subduing of animals to what we mean by the word “tame.”
AJ Three out of the four-oldest-known Greek manuscripts, as well as a smattering of others read akatastaton ("unsteady," based on the verb for "stand," and used in James 1:8, where all the English versions translated it “unstable ” - also in Isa. 54:11 – perhaps the basis for the Vulgate “unquiet”), but the majority of Greek manuscripts and lectionaries and church fathers read akatasceton (“unrestrained,” based on the verb for “have/hold,” not used anywhere else in the NT – perhaps the basis for the Syriac “unhindered”). Such a slight difference in meaning does not essentially change the meaning, however. cf. Hermas, Mandate 2:3 “Slander is evil; it is a restless demon, never at peace.” (Moo)
AK The same word for “filled/laden/loaded/saturated” comes later in v.17 to show the contrast: “full of mercy and good fruits.” This poison is only mentioned elsewhere in the NT in Rom. 3:13 (quoting Psalm 140). In James 5:3 the word recurs, but means “rust” there.
AL Not elsewhere in the GNT, but in the LXX: Num. 18:22 (in the sense of incurring death by disobeying God); 4 Ma. 8:18, 26; 15:26; Job 33:23.
AM All 5 of the oldest-known manuscripts of this verse read kurion (“Lord”), followed by a smattering of other manuscripts and versions, thus the modern critical GNTs read that way, followed by the NASB, NIV, ESV, and other contemporary English versions. However, the overall majority of Greek manuscripts, lectionaries, church fathers, and ancient versions, reads “God,” so that is the reading of the traditional GNTs and of the KJV & Geneva. There are Latin, Syriac, and Coptic versions on both sides of this variation (e.g. Wycliffe’s English version of the Vulgate which reads “God” cf. endnote AV). The appellation “God and Father” appears in Rom 15:6, 1 Pet 1:3, 2 Cor. 1:3; 11:31; Eph. 1:3; 4:6; 1 Thess. 3:11; 1 Pet. 1:3 and John 20:17, but the appellation “Lord and Father” appears nowhere else.
AN The noun form of this verb follows in v.10.
AO A.R. Fausset commented: “In the passage, Gen. 1:26, ‘image’ and ‘likeness’ are distinct: ‘image,’ according to the Alexandrians, was something in which men were created, being common to all, and continuing to man after the fall, while the ‘likeness’ was something toward which man was created, to strive after and attain it: the former marks man’s physical and intellectual, the latter his moral pre-eminence.”
AP The Greek verb ginomai means “be” not “make.” This isn’t denying creation; it is simply describing human ontology since the creation.
AQ The Clementine and Wordsworth-White editions instead read Deo, along with the Byzantine majority.
AR The Harclean version instead reads “God,” along with the Byzantine majority.
AS
The only other instance of this word in the Greek Bible is Proverbs
25:27, where it is in parallel with καλον
(“good”) “It is not good to eat much honey; but it is
right to honour venerable sayings.” (Brenton)
Moulton
& Milligan provide additional examples from ancient Greek
correspondence:
*
P
Hib I. 6419
(B.C.
264)
crὴ
δὲ καὶ [γρά]φειν
μοι p[ερ]iÅ
ὧν
ἂν χρείαν ἔchς,
“and you must
write to me about anything which you require” (Edd.),
*
BGU III. 83018
(i/A.D.)
χρ]ὴ
οὖν ἑτοιμάσ[ε]ιν
(l.
ἑτοιμάσαι)
καὶ
προαιρ[εῖν],
ἵν᾽ ἔχι (l.
ἔχῃ)
τοῦ
π[ωλ]εῖν,
“it
is therefore necessary
to prepare and bring forward, in order that he may be able to sell,”
*
P Flor III. 3095
(iv/A.D.)
οὐ
χρὴ σ[ι]ωπῇ
παραdίδοσθαι
τὰ ὑπ᾽ αὐτῆς εἰρημένα,
[not
translated in the original, but
something like “it is not
necessary that what is under its peace be delivered in silence”
~NAW]
*
P Oxy I. 1205
(iv/A.D.)
χρὴ
γάρ τινα ὁρῶντα αἱαυτὸν (l.
ἑαυτὸν)
ἐν
δυστυχίᾳ κἂν ἀναχωρεῖν,
“when
a man finds himself in adversity he ought
to give way” (Edd.),
*
ib. VIII. 11635
(v/A.D.)
ἐρωτηθὶς
παρὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ μεγαλοπρεπίας ὅσα
ἔχρην ἀνεδίδαξα au,[τ]ὸn
περὶ
τῆς ὑμετέρας
μεγαλοπρεπίας,
“on the inquiry of his magnificence I told him what was
fitting
about your magnificence” (Ed.).
*
Preisigke 42110
(
= LAE2,
p. 367) χρή,
τιμιώτατε, τὰς θεὰς (or
θέας)
κωμάζεσθαι,
“it
is necessary,
O most honourable, that the goddesses (or spectacles) be celebrated
in festal procession.”
ATR
commented that its meaning “is more like prepei
(it is appropriate) than dei
(it is necessary).”