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 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. 7For every kind of beasts and birds, of creeping things and things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed by mankind: but the tongue can no man tame; it is a restless evil, it is full of deadly poison. 9Therewith bless we the Lord and Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the likeness of God: 10out of the same mouth cometh forth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

James 3:8 word by word

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

• butδέde · thenG1161
• theὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• tongueγλῶσσαglōssa · tongueG1100
• canδύναμαιdunamai · be ableG1410
• noοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
• manἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• tameδαμάζωdamazō · to tameG1150
• restlessἀκατάστατοςakatastatos · restlessG182
• evilκακόςkakos · evil/harm: evilG2556
• fullμεστόςmestos · fullG3324
• deadlyθανατήφοροςthanatēphoros · deadlyG2287
• poisonἰόςios · poison/rustG2447

Cross-references for James 3:8

• James 3:6And 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.
• Psalms 55:21His mouth was smooth as butter, but his heart was war: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
• Psalms 57:4My soul is among lions; I lie among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
• Psalms 59:7Behold, they belch out with their mouth; swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear?
• Psalms 64:3Who have whet their tongue like a sword, and have aimed their arrows, even bitter words:
• Deuteronomy 32:33Their wine is the poison of dragons, And the cruel venom of asps.
• Psalms 58:4Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
• Psalms 140:3They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah
• Ecclesiastes 10:11If the serpent bite before it be charmed, then is there no advantage in the charmer.
• Romans 3:13Their throat is an open sepulchre; With their tongues they have used deceit: The poison of asps is under their lips:
• Revelation 12:9And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast 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