James 3:8

James 3:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
• New International Version (NIV)but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
• English Standard Version (ESV)but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Context of James 3:8

6And 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. But no one can tame the human tongue; it is a restless evil [undisciplined, unstable], full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God. 10Out of the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. These things, my brothers, should not be this way [for we have a moral obligation to speak in a manner that reflects our fear of God and profound respect for His precepts].

James 3:8 word by word

τὴν δὲ γλῶσσαν οὐδεὶς δαμάσαι δύναται ἀνθρώπων· ἀκατάστατον κακόν, μεστὴ ἰοῦ θανατηφόρου.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Butδέde · thenG1161
• the tongueγλῶσσαglōssa · tongueG1100
• canδύναμαιdunamai · be ableG1410
• noοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
• manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• tameδαμάζωdamazō · to tameG1150
• an unrulyἀκατάσχετοςakataschetos · uncontrollableG183
• evilκακόςkakos · evil/harm: evilG2556
• fullμεστόςmestos · fullG3324
• of deadlyθανατήφοροςthanatēphoros · deadlyG2287
• poisonἰόςios · poison/rustG2447

Cross-references for James 3:8

• James 3:6And 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).
• Psalms 55:21The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, But his heart was hostile; His words were softer than oil, Yet they were drawn swords.
• Psalms 57:4My life is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe out fire— The sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword.
• Psalms 59:7Look how they belch out [insults] with their mouths; Swords [of sarcasm, ridicule, slander, and lies] are in their lips, For they say, “Who hears us?”
• Psalms 64:3Who have sharpened their tongues like a sword. They aim venomous words as arrows,
• Deuteronomy 32:33Their wine is the venom of serpents, And the deadly poison of vipers.
• Psalms 58:4Their poison is like the venom of a serpent; They are like the deaf horned viper that stops up its ear,
• Psalms 140:3They sharpen their tongues like a serpent’s; Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.
• Ecclesiastes 10:11If the serpent bites before being charmed, then there is no profit for the charmer.
• Romans 3:13“Their throat is an open grave; They [habitually] deceive with their tongues.” “The venom of asps is beneath their lips.”
• Revelation 12:9And the great dragon was thrown down, the age-old serpent who is called the devil and Satan, he who continually deceives and seduces the entire inhabited world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Commentaries on James 3:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8But 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 - · 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…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8But the tongue can no man tame - This does not mean that it is never brought under control, but that it is impossible effectually and certainly to subdue it. It would be possible to subdue and domesticate any kind of beasts, but this could not be done with the tongue. It is an unruly evil - An evil without restraint, to which no certain and effectual check can be applied. Of the truth of this no one can have any doubt, who looks at the condition of the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8No man can tame the tongue: The tongue has a remarkable ability to do harm. If hell motivates its evil, humans effort alone cannot control it (3:6). full of deadly poison: This might refer to the serpent in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1). The Scriptures identify the serpent with the devil (Revelation 20:2).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. no man--literally, "no one of men": neither can a man control his neighbor's, nor even his own tongue. Hence the truth of Jas 3:2 appears. unruly evil--The Greek, implies that it is at once restless and incapable of restraint. Nay, though nature has hedged it in with a double barrier of the lips and teeth, it bursts from its barriers to assail and ruin men [Estius]. deadly--literally, "death-bearing."Read the comment

Topics related to James 3:8

• Speaking

In the dictionaries

• Course
• Governor
• Obey
• Offend
• Ought
• Poison
• Tame
• Busybody
• Deadly

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