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James 3

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Teachers and the Tongue 1–12

1
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. ​
2
For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. ​
3
Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. ​
4
Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
5
Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! ​
6
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. ​
7
For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
8
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. ​
9
Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. ​
10
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. ​
11
Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? ​
12
Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Earthly vs. Heavenly Wisdom 13–18

13
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. ​
14
But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. ​
15
This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. ​
16
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. ​
17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. ​
18
And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for James 3

Verse 1

be not many masters — ‘Masters’ is didaskalos, teacher; it is rendered ‘teachers’ in Eph 4:11. The ‘greater condemnation’ (krima) is the heavier judgment on those who teach, and James includes himself: ‘we shall receive’. The same principle stands in Luke 12:48, ‘unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required’.

Verse 2

we offend all — ‘Offend’ is ptaio, to stumble, the verb of 2:10, ‘offend in one point’, and used twice in this verse. ‘Bridle’ (chalinagogeo) occurs only here and in 1:26, ‘bridleth not his tongue’. The man who does not stumble in word is ‘perfect’ (teleios), full-grown, and can rule the whole body.

Verse 3

bits in the horses’ mouths — Chalinos, a bit or bridle, is found only here and in Rev 14:20, ‘the horse bridles’. ‘Turn about’ (metago) returns in v.4 of the ship ‘turned about with a very small helm’. The same picture is in Ps 32:9, ‘whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle’.

Verse 5

boasteth great things — Megalauchei, a single Greek verb found only here. ‘Member’ (melos) is a limb of the body, and ‘matter’ is hule, wood or forest, fuel for the fire: a small flame sets a great forest alight. The verse sets the smallness of the tongue against the size of what it does.

Verse 6

a world of iniquity — ‘Hell’ is Gehenna, the word of Matt 5:22, ‘in danger of hell fire’; apart from the Gospels it occurs only here. ‘Setteth on fire’ and ‘is set on fire’ are one verb, phlogizo, found nowhere else. ‘Defileth’ (spiloo) is to stain, as in Jude 23, ‘hating even the garment spotted by the flesh’.

Verse 8

can no man tame — Damazo occurs only here, in v.7, and in Mark 5:4, ‘neither could any man tame him’. Every kind of beast ‘hath been tamed of mankind’ (v.7), but not the tongue. ‘Deadly’ (thanatephoros) is found only here; ‘poison’ (ios) is the word of Rom 3:13, ‘the poison of asps is under their lips’, and of ‘rust’ in 5:3.

Verse 9

after the similitude of God — ‘Similitude’ (homoiosis), likeness, occurs only here, and points back to Gen 1:26, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’, and Gen 1:27, ‘in the image of God created he him’. ‘Bless’ (eulogeo) is spoken of God ‘even the Father’; ‘curse’ (kataraomai) falls on those made in his likeness.

Verse 10

blessing and cursing — Eulogia and katara come out of one mouth. ‘Ought’ is chre, a word found only here: ‘these things ought not so to be’. The address ‘My brethren’ is repeated from v.1 and v.12, and Rom 12:14 gives the rule, ‘Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.’

Verse 11

sweet water and bitter — ‘Place’ is ope, an opening, the hole from which a spring comes. The picture of bitter and sweet water recalls Marah, where ‘they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter’ until the LORD made them sweet (Ex 15:23–25). Verse 12 gives the answer: ‘no fountain both yield salt water and fresh’.

Verse 13

a wise man and endued with knowledge — Epistemon, knowing, occurs only here. Wisdom is to be shown in how a man lives: ‘let him shew out of a good conversation his works’, where ‘conversation’ is anastrophe, manner of life. The works come ‘with meekness of wisdom’, with meekness (praotes) as the mark of wisdom.

Verse 14

bitter envying and strife — ‘Bitter’ (pikros) is the word for the bitter water of v.11. ‘Envying’ (zelos) and ‘strife’ (eritheia) return in v.16; ‘strife’ is also in the list of works of the flesh (Gal 5:20). With these in the heart the command is ‘glory not, and lie not against the truth’.

Verse 15

earthly, sensual, devilish — Three words: epigeios (of the earth), psychikos (of the natural soul, the word of 1 Cor 2:14, ‘the natural man’, and of Jude 19, ‘sensual, having not the Spirit’) and daimoniodes (demon-like), found only here. ‘From above’ (anothen) is the word of 1:17 and 3:17.

Verse 16

confusion and every evil work — ‘Confusion’ (akatastasia) is disorder, set in 1 Cor 14:33 against the God of peace: ‘God is not the author of confusion, but of peace’. Where the envying and strife of v.14 rule, the result is disorder and ‘every evil work’, the opposite of the ‘good fruits’ of v.17.

Verse 17

first pure — The wisdom ‘from above’ (anothen) begins with purity (hagnos), then comes the list: peaceable, gentle, ‘easy to be intreated’ (eupeithes), full of mercy and good fruits, ‘without partiality’ (adiakritos), ‘without hypocrisy’. Both eupeithes and adiakritos occur only here.

Verse 18

the fruit of righteousness — Peace is the ground in which it is sown, and peacemakers do the sowing: ‘sown in peace of them that make peace’. Isa 32:17 states the same order, ‘the work of righteousness shall be peace’, and Hos 10:12 gives the sowing, ‘Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy’.