James 3:9

James 3:9 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
• New International Version (NIV)With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.
• English Standard Version (ESV)With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.
• New King James Version (NKJV)With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.

Context of James 3:9

7Remember this: People can cause all kinds of things to do what they want them to do. They have done this with wild animals, birds, snakes and things that live in the sea. 8But no person can rule his tongue. It continues to say bad things. It is like a bad poison that can cause death. We use our tongue to praise the Lord God who is our Father. But then we use it to curse other people. That is wrong, because God made those people to be like himself. 10This shows that we use the same mouth to praise and also to curse. My Christian friends, we should not do this. 11Salty water and sweet water never come from the same spring.

James 3:9 word by word

ἐν αὐτῇ εὐλογοῦμεν τὸν κύριον καὶ πατέρα καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ καταρώμεθα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς καθ᾽ ὁμοίωσιν θεοῦ γεγονότας·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• Therewithαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• bless weεὐλογέωeulogeō · to praise/blessG2127
• Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• evenκαίkai · andG2532
• the Fatherπατήρpatēr · fatherG3962
• curse weκαταράομαιkataraomai · to curseG2672
• menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• are madeγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• afterκατάkata · according toG2596
• the similitudeὁμοίωσιςhomoiōsis · likenessG3669

Cross-references for James 3:9

• Psalms 16:9I am truly happy and I thank God. I know that my life is safe with God.
• Psalms 30:12So I am truly happy and I will sing to praise you. I cannot stay quiet! Lord, my God, I will continue to thank you for ever.
• Psalms 35:28Then I will tell everyone that you are righteous. I will praise you all through each day.
• Psalms 51:14God, I am guilty of murder. Please forgive me! You are the one who saves me. When you rescue me, I will sing aloud about your righteousness.
• Psalms 57:8I will wake up now! I will pick up my harp and my lyre. I will make music as the sun rises!
• Psalms 62:4You only want to push me off my high place. You love to tell lies to deceive people. When you say words to bless people, you are cursing them in your thoughts. Selah.
• Psalms 71:24I will talk about your justice all the time. The people who want to hurt me will become confused and ashamed.
• Psalms 108:1God, I have decided to trust you always. I will sing songs to praise you, with all that I am.
• Acts 2:26Because of this, I am very happy, and I will praise you, God. I am human and one day I will die, but I know that you will help me while I live.
• 1 Chronicles 29:10David praised the Lord in front of all the people who had met together. He said, ‘We praise you Lord, the God of our ancestor, Israel. You deserve that people praise you for ever!
• Psalms 34:1I will always praise the Lord. All the time I will sing to praise him.
• Psalms 63:4Yes, I will thank you for as long as I live. I will lift up my hands and I will pray to you.
• Psalms 145:1Always I will praise you, my God and my king, and I will say how great you are!
• Isaiah 29:13The Lord God says, ‘These people open their mouths to worship me. They use their lips to say that I am great. But they are not really thinking about me. When they worship me, they use rules that people have taught them.
• Ephesians 1:3We praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has blessed us in very many ways. Because we belong to Christ, we enjoy all the good things that come from heaven. God blesses our spirits with those good things.
• 1 Peter 1:3We praise God, who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is very kind to us, so that he has given us new life. This is possible because God raised Jesus Christ to new life after his death. Now, as we live, we are sure that we will receive good things from God.

Commentaries on James 3:9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Therewith bless we God - The tongue is capable of rehearsing the praises, and setting forth the glories, of the eternal King: what a pity that it should ever be employed in a contrary work! It can proclaim and vindicate the truth of God, and publish the Gospel of peace and good will among men: what a pity that it should ever be employed in falsehoods, calumny, or in the cause of infidelity! And therewith curse we men - In the true Satanic spirit, many…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Therewith bless we God - We men do this; that is, all this is done by the tongue. The apostle does not mean that the same man does this, but that all this is done by the same organ - the tongue. Even the Father - Who sustains to us the relation of a father. The point in the remark of the apostle is, the absurdity of employing the tongue in such contradictory uses as to bless one who has to us the relation of a father, and to curse any being, especially…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9Bless … curse: Blessing our Lord and Father is the best use of our tongues. Cursing people, who are made in God's image, is one of the worst. It indirectly curses God himself (Genesis 1:26–27; 9:6).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. God--The oldest authorities read, "Lord." "Him who is Lord and Father." The uncommonness of the application of "Lord" to the Father, doubtless caused the change in modern texts to "God" (Jas 1:27). But as Messiah is called "Father," Is 9:6, so God the Father is called by the Son's title, "Lord": showing the unity of the Godhead. "Father" implies His paternal love; "Lord," His dominion. men, which--not "men who"; for what is meant is not particular men…Read the comment

Topics related to James 3:9

• God
• Image
• Man
• Speaking

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Course
• Governor
• Obey
• Offend
• Ought
• Tame
• Anthropology
• Busybody

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