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 a fire! The tongue represents the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence – and is set on fire by hell. 7For every kind of animal, bird, reptile, and sea creature is subdued and has been subdued by humankind. But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in God’s image. 10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. These things should not be so, my brothers and sisters.

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 a fire! The tongue represents the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence – and is set on fire by hell.
• Psalms 55:21His words are as smooth as butter, but he harbors animosity in his heart. His words seem softer than oil, but they are really like sharp swords.
• Psalms 57:4I am surrounded by lions; I lie down among those who want to devour me; men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are a sharp sword.
• Psalms 59:7Look, they hurl insults at me and openly threaten to kill me, for they say, “Who hears?”
• Psalms 64:3They sharpen their tongues like a sword; they aim their arrow, a slanderous charge,
• Deuteronomy 32:33Their wine is snakes’ poison, the deadly venom of cobras.
• Psalms 58:4Their venom is like that of a snake, like a deaf serpent that does not hear,
• Psalms 140:3Their tongues wound like a serpent; a viper’s venom is behind their lips. (Selah)
• Ecclesiastes 10:11If the snake should bite before it is charmed, the snake charmer is in trouble.
• Romans 3:13“Their throats are open graves, they deceive with their tongues, the poison of asps is under their lips.”
• Revelation 12:9So that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along 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