The Bible — World English Bible

James 3

In brief

James 3 is about what we say and how we live. The apostle compares the tongue to a bit, a rudder and a spark: a small part that steers the body or sets a forest ablaze. No one can tame it alone, and the same mouth blesses God and curses people. He then contrasts earthly wisdom, full of envy and strife, with the wisdom from above, pure, peaceable and fruitful.

The chapter in 4 parts

  1. v. 1-2Teaching carries greater responsibility, and we all stumble
  2. v. 3-6Bit, rudder, fire: the power of a small part
  3. v. 7-12A tongue no one can tame: blessing and cursing
  4. v. 13-18Two wisdoms: the one from below and the one from above

1Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.

2For we all stumble in many things. Anyone who doesn’t stumble in word is a perfect person, able to bridle the whole body also.

3Indeed, we put bits into the horses’ mouths so that they may obey us, and we guide their whole body.

4Behold, the ships also, though they are so big and are driven by fierce winds, are yet guided by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot desires.

5So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest!

6And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna.

7For every kind of animal, bird, creeping thing, and sea creature, is tamed, and has been tamed by mankind;

8but nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in the image of God.

10Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

11Does a spring send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water?

12Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water.

13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom.

14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth.

15This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic.

16For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed.

17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

18Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Key verses

Verse 2
For we all stumble in many things. Anyone who doesn’t stumble in word is a perfect person, able to bridle the whole body also.

James begins with a confession: everyone stumbles, and speech is where it shows most. Controlling the tongue is the sign of a rare maturity.

Verse 5-6
So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest! And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna.

The tongue is small but capable of great effects, like a spark in a forest. The images stress the snowball effect of a word, far beyond the moment it is spoken.

Verse 9-10
With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in the image of God. Out of the same mouth comes blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

The paradox is stated without detour: the same mouth blesses God and curses people made in his image. James concludes that this ought not to be so.

Verse 17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

The wisdom from above is recognized by its fruit: pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy and good fruits. James offers a concrete test for discerning a wisdom that truly comes from God.

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What the sermons say

Break Free from Idle Words and Listen to God's CounselStéphane Burgos recalls that James compares the tongue to a small fire that sets a great forest ablaze, then invites us to spot our empty words and replace them with what God says in his word.Read the summary →Four Careless Words That Shut Down Your PrayersJean-Marc Botteron cites James 3:5-6 to show that the tongue is a small flame that sets a great forest on fire. He identifies four common phrases to give up and suggests replacing them with words in line with the Bible.Read the summary →Created in God's Image: The Dignity That Never FadesBen draws on James 3:9: we curse people made in the image of God. He makes it a foundation for the dignity of every person, which sin has disfigured without erasing.Read the summary →Who Are You to Judge? James 4 and the Log in Your EyeThe preacher first recalls what James 3 says about the tongue that no one can tame, then turns to slander and judgment in chapter 4, keeping a balance between silence and fitting speech.Read the summary →Spiritual Warfare Part 2: In Christ, You Are More Than a ConquerorGilles Bonneveau cites James 3:17 to describe the wisdom from above that believers need in the fight: pure, peaceable, gentle and without hypocrisy. He links it with humility and sobriety.Read the summary →

Frequently asked questions about James 3

What does “the tongue is a fire” mean in James 3:6?

James means that speech, though a small part of the body, can cause considerable damage, like a spark that sets a forest ablaze. A rumor, an insult or a lie spreads beyond its author. The image reminds us that our words commit our own life and the lives of others.

Can the tongue be tamed according to James 3?

James observes that people have tamed all kinds of animals, but that no one can tame the tongue by their own strength. He does not describe a fatality: he points toward the wisdom from above, which God gives. Mastering speech is thus presented as the work of a lifetime, supported by grace.

What is the difference between earthly wisdom and the wisdom from above?

James describes earthly wisdom by its fruit: bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, disorder and evil practices. The wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and free from hypocrisy. The criterion is therefore less intelligence than the behavior and relationships it produces.

Articles quoting James 3

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World English Bible translation — public domain.