Passage

James 3

Book: James · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"1. Be not many of you teachers, my brethren, knowing that we shall receive heavier judgment. 2. For in many things we all stumble. If any stumbleth not in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. 3. Now if we put the horses' bridles into their mouths that they may obey us, we turn about their whole body also. 4. Behold, the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, are yet turned about by a very small rudder, whither the impulse of the steersman willeth. 5. So the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire! 6. 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. 7. For every kind of beasts and birds, of creeping things and things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed by mankind. 8. But the tongue can no man tame; it is a restless evil, it is full of deadly poison. 9. Therewith bless we the Lord and Father; and therewith curse we men, who are made after the likeness of God: 10. out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11. Doth the fountain send forth from the same opening sweet water and bitter? 12. Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? Neither can salt water yield sweet. 13. Who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom. 14. But if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth. 15. This wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16. For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed. 17. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy. 18. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace." (James 3:1-18, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment. 2. For in many things we all stumble. If anyone doesn’t stumble in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. 3. Indeed, we put bits into the horses’ mouths so that they may obey us, and we guide their whole body. 4. Behold, the ships also, though they are so big and are driven by fierce winds, are yet guided by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires. 5. So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest! 6. And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna. 7. For every kind of animal, bird, creeping thing, and sea creature, is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind; 8. but nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God. 10. Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11. Does a spring send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water? 12. Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water. 13. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom. 14. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth. 15. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. 16. For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed. 17. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace." (James 3:1-18, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. ^{condemnation: or, judgment} 2. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. 3. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. 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 governor listeth. 5. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! ^{a matter: or, wood} 6. 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. ^{course: Gr. wheel} 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: ^{kind: Gr. nature} ^{mankind: Gr. nature of man} 8. But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? ^{place: or, hole} 12. Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. 13. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 14. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. ^{sensual: or, natural} 16. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. ^{confusion: Gr. tumult or unquietness} 17. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ^{partiality: or, wrangling} 18. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace." (James 3:1-18, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. Many teachers become not, my brethren, having known that greater judgment we shall receive, 2. for we all make many stumbles; if any one in word doth not stumble, this one [is] a perfect man, able to bridle also the whole body; 3. lo, the bits we put into the mouths of the horses for their obeying us, and their whole body we turn about; 4. lo, also the ships, being so great, and by fierce winds being driven, are led about by a very small helm, whithersoever the impulse of the helmsman doth counsel, 5. so also the tongue is a little member, and doth boast greatly; lo, a little fire how much wood it doth kindle! 6. and the tongue [is] a fire, the world of the unrighteousness, so the tongue is set in our members, which is spotting our whole body, and is setting on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by the gehenna. 7. For every nature, both of beasts and of fowls, both of creeping things and things of the sea, is subdued, and hath been subdued, by the human nature, 8. and the tongue no one of men is able to subdue, [it is] an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, 9. with it we do bless the God and Father, and with it we do curse the men made according to the similitude of God; 10. out of the same mouth doth come forth blessing and cursing; it doth not need, my brethren, these things so to happen; 11. doth the fountain out of the same opening pour forth the sweet and the bitter? 12. is a fig-tree able, my brethren, olives to make? or a vine figs? so no fountain salt and sweet water [is able] to make. 13. Who [is] wise and intelligent among you? let him shew out of the good behaviour his works in meekness of wisdom, 14. and if bitter zeal ye have, and rivalry in your heart, glory not, nor lie against the truth; 15. this wisdom is not descending from above, but earthly, physical, demon-like, 16. for where zeal and rivalry [are], there is insurrection and every evil matter; 17. and the wisdom from above, first, indeed, is pure, then peaceable, gentle, easily entreated, full of kindness and good fruits, uncontentious, and unhypocritical:, 18. and the fruit of the righteousness in peace is sown to those making peace." (James 3:1-18, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: TBD
Audience: TBD
Location: TBD
Time period: TBD

Theological reading

Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

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Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.