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James 3:6

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.

KJV

ἡ γλῶσσα πῦρ, ὁ κόσμος τῆς ἀδικίας, ἡ γλῶσσα καθίσταται ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν, ἡ σπιλοῦσα ὅλον τὸ σῶμα καὶ φλογίζουσα τὸν τροχὸν τῆς γενέσεως καὶ φλογιζομένη ὑπὸ τῆς γεέννης.

Greek NT

Et lingua ignis est, universitas iniquitatis. Lingua constituitur in membris nostris, quæ maculat totum corpus, et inflammat rotam nativitatis nostræ inflammata a gehenna.

Vulgate

And 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.

ASV

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is placed among our members, which defileth the whole body and inflameth the wheel of our nativity, being set on fire by hell.

Douay-Rheims

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In the original Greek

18 distinct Greek words appear in this verse.

γέεννα
geenna
noun · 12×
γένεσις
genesis
noun · 5×
γλῶσσα
glossa
noun · 50×
καί
kai
conjunction · 8973×
καθίστημι
kathistemi
verb · 21×
κόσμος
kosmos
noun · 184×
μέλος
melos
noun · 34×
πῦρ
pur
noun · 71×
σπιλόω
spiloo
verb · 2×
σῶμα
soma
noun · 141×
τροχός
trochos
noun · 1×
φλογίζω
phlogizo
verb · 2×
ἀδικία
adikia
noun · 26×
ἐν
en
preposition · 2743×
ἡμεῖς
emeis
pronoun · 862×
o
article · 19778×
ὅλος
olos
adjective · 109×
ὑπό
upo
preposition · 221×

Textual variants

1 variant unit attested by manuscript witnesses and modern critical editions.

notable
SBLGNT: ἀδικίας | WH/Treg/NIV: ἀδικίας | RP: + οὕτως
  • ἀδικίαςSBLGNT
  • ἀδικίαςWestcott-Hort, Tregelles, Reader's GNT (NA27)
  • + οὕτωςRobinson-Pierpont
source: sblgnt-apparatus

Themes

Historic Christian voices

6 passages from patristic writers, Reformers, and church catechisms citing this verse.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Over and above our own body, our wife or husband, and our temporal property, we have yet another treasure, namely, honor and good report. God will not have our neighbor deprived of his reputation, honor, and character any more than of his money and possessions.
Abba Macarius the Great said to the brothers at Scetis, when he dismissed the assembly, "Flee, my brothers." One of the elders asked him, "Where could we flee to beyond this desert?" He put his finger on his lips and said, "Flee that," meaning speech.
Abba Sisoes said, "For thirty years I have not prayed to God about my sins. Instead I pray thus: 'Lord Jesus, protect me from my tongue.' For even now every day I fall because of it and commit sin."

Cross-references

  • 1Kgs 21:5 — But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?
  • 2Chr 13:17 — And Abijah and his people slew them with a great slaughter: so there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.
  • 2Cor 11:13 — For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
  • 2Pet 2:1 — But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring up
  • 2Pet 3:3 — Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
  • 2Sam 13:26 — Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee?
  • 2Sam 15:2 — And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what
  • 2Sam 19:43 — And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye: why then did ye despise us, that our advice should not be first
  • 2Thess 2:9 — Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
  • 3John 1:10 — Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them th
  • Acts 5:3 — But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
  • Acts 6:13 — And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:
  • Acts 20:30 — Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
  • Col 3:8 — But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
  • Eph 5:3 — But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
  • Isa 6:5 — Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
  • Isa 30:27 — Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:
  • Isa 59:13 — In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
  • Jas 2:7 — Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?
  • Jas 3:8 — But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
  • Jer 20:10 — For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail ag
  • Jer 28:16 — Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD.
  • Jude 1:8 — Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
  • Jude 1:15 — To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have sp
  • Judg 16:15 — And she said unto him, How canst thou say, I love thee, when thine heart is not with me? thou hast mocked me these three times, and hast not told me wherein thy great strength lieth.
  • Luke 16:24 — And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
  • Luke 16:24 — And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
  • Mark 7:15 — There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
  • Mark 7:20 — And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
  • Mark 7:20 — And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
  • Mark 14:55 — And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.
  • Matt 5:22 — But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but wh
  • Matt 5:22 — But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but wh
  • Matt 12:24 — But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
  • Matt 12:32 — And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world
  • Matt 15:11 — Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
  • Matt 15:18 — But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
  • Num 31:16 — Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.
  • Prov 1:10 — My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
  • Prov 6:19 — A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.