James 3:6

James 3:6 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (NIV)The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.

Context of James 3:6

4And look at the ships. Even though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the impulse of the helmsman determines. 5In the same sense, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See [by comparison] how great a forest is set on fire by a small spark! And the tongue is [in a sense] a fire, the very world of injustice and unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our members as that which contaminates the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life [the cycle of man’s existence], and is itself set on fire by hell (Gehenna). 7For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. 8But no one can tame the human tongue; it is a restless evil [undisciplined, unstable], full of deadly poison.

James 3:6 word by word

καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα πῦρ, ὁ κόσμος τῆς ἀδικίας ἡ γλῶσσα καθίσταται ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν ἡ σπιλοῦσα ὅλον τὸ σῶμα καὶ φλογίζουσα τὸν τροχὸν τῆς γενέσεως καὶ φλογιζομένη ὑπὸ τῆς γεέννης.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• the tongueὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the tongueγλῶσσαglōssa · tongueG1100
• a fireπῦρpur · fireG4442
• a worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
• of iniquityἀδικίαadikia · unrighteousnessG93
• soοὕτωςhoutō · thus(-ly)G3779
• isκαθίστημιkathistēmi · to appoint/conductG2525
• amongἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• ourἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• membersμέλοςmelos · memberG3196
• that it defilethσπιλόωspiloō · to stainG4695
• the wholeὅλοςholos · allG3650
• bodyσῶμαsōma · bodyG4983
• setteth on fireφλογίζωphlogizō · to kindleG5394
• the courseτροχόςtrochos · course/wheelG5164
• of natureγένεσιςgenesis · originG1078
• ofὑπόhupo · by/under: byG5259
• hellγέενναgeenna · hell: GehennaG1067

Cross-references for James 3:6

• Judges 12:4Then Jephthah assembled all the men of Gilead and fought with [the tribe of] Ephraim; and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they had said, “You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim, in the midst of [the tribes of] Ephraim and Manasseh.”
• 2 Samuel 19:43Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten [tribes’] shares in the king, and we have more claim on David than you. Why then did you treat us with contempt and ignore us [by rushing ahead]? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?” But the words of the men of Judah were harsher than those of the men of Israel.
• 2 Samuel 20:1There happened to be there a worthless and wicked man named Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. He blew a trumpet [to call Israel to revolt] and said, “We have no portion in David And no inheritance in the son of Jesse, Every man to his tents, O Israel!”
• 2 Chronicles 10:13The king answered them harshly, for King Rehoboam rejected the counsel of the elders.
• 2 Chronicles 13:17Abijah and his people inflicted on them a great defeat, so that 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell slain.
• Psalms 64:3Who have sharpened their tongues like a sword. They aim venomous words as arrows,
• Psalms 140:3They sharpen their tongues like a serpent’s; Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.
• Proverbs 15:1A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath, But harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger.
• Proverbs 16:27A worthless man devises and digs up evil, And the words on his lips are like a scorching fire.
• Proverbs 26:20For lack of wood the fire goes out, And where there is no whisperer [who gossips], contention quiets down.
• Isaiah 30:27Now look, the name of the Lord comes from far away, Burning with His anger, and heavy with smoke; His lips are full of indignation, And His tongue is like a consuming fire.
• James 2:7Do they not blaspheme the precious name [of Christ] by which you are called?
• Genesis 3:4But the serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die!
• Leviticus 24:11The Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name [of the Lord] and cursed. So they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)
• Numbers 25:2For they invited the Israelites to the sacrifices of their gods, and the Israelites ate [food offered to idols] and bowed down to Moab’s gods.
• Numbers 31:16Look, these [are the women who] caused the Israelites, by the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and so a plague came among the congregation of the Lord.

Commentaries on James 3:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6The 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. And one of our lexicographers calls…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6And the tongue is a fire - In this sense, that it produces a “blaze,” or a great conflagration. It produces a disturbance and an agitation that may be compared with the conflagration often produced by a spark. A world of iniquity - A little world of evil in itself. This is a very expressive phrase, and is similar to one which we often employ, as when we speak of a town as being a world in miniature. We mean by it that it is an epitome of the world; that…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6a world of wickedness: The tongue (our speech) acts as an agent of the whole unrighteous world that opposes God (1:27; 4:4). by hell: The Greek word Gehenna refers to the place of eternal punishment (Matthew 5:22, 30; 23:15). Hades is the place of the dead (Luke 16:23; Acts 2:31). Mentioning hell points to the devil as the ultimate source of evil speech (James 4:7; Matt 5:22; John 8:44).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. Translate, "The tongue, that world of iniquity, is a fire." As man's little world is an image of the greater world, the universe, so the tongue is an image of the former [Bengel]. so--omitted in the oldest authorities. is--literally, "is constituted." "The tongue is (constituted), among the members, the one which defileth," &c. (namely, as fire defiles with its smoke). course of nature--"the orb (cycle) of creation." setteth on fire ... is set on…Read the comment

Topics related to James 3:6

• Hell
• Speaking

In the dictionaries

• Coal
• Course
• Gehenna
• Governor
• Obey
• Offend
• Ought
• Tame
• Busybody
• Defile; Defilement

Commentaries on James 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings