James 3:8

 James 3:8

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

a. ASV: But the tongue can no man tame; it is a restless evil, it is full of deadly poison. [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: And the tongue no one of men is able to subdue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified: But the human tongue can be tamed by no man. It is a restless (undisciplined, irreconcilable) evil, full of deadly poison.  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. Peshitta Eastern Text: But the tongue no man can tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. [HOLY BIBLE FROM THE ANCIENT EASTERN TEXT. Copyright  Ⓒ 1933 by A.J. Holmon Co.; copyright  Ⓒ renewed 1968 by A.J. Holmon Co.; All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.]

e. NLT: But no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.  [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

1. “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

a. But [Strong: dé, deh; a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.:—also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).]

b. the [Strong: 3588. [tēn] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [tēn] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, Hē, hé  hē, hai, tas.]

c. tongue [Strong: 1100 glōssa, gloce-sah'; of uncertain affinity; the tongue; by implication, a language (specially, one naturally unacquired):—tongue.]

d. can [Strong: 1410 dýnamai, doo'-nam-ahee; of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible:—be able, can (do, + -not), could, may, might, be possible, be of power.]

e. no [Strong: 3762 oudeís, oo-dice'; from G3761 and G1520; not even one (man, woman or thing), i.e. none, nobody, nothing:—any (man), aught, man, neither any (thing), never (man), no (man), none (+ of these things), not (any, at all, -thing), nought.]

f. man [Strong: 444 ánthrōpos, anth'-ro-pos; from G435 and ὤψ ṓps (the countenance; from G3700); man-faced, i.e. a human being:—certain, man.]

g. tame [Strong: 1150 damázō, dam-ad'-zo; a variation of an obsolete primary of the same meaning; to tame:—tame.]

h. [it is an] unruly [Strong: 183 akatáschetos, ak-at-as'-khet-os; from G1 (as a negative particle) and a derivative of G2722; unrestrainable:—unruly.]

i. evil [Strong: 2556 kakós, kak-os'; apparently a primary word; worthless (intrinsically, such; whereas G4190 properly refers to effects), i.e. (subjectively) depraved, or (objectively) injurious:—bad, evil, harm, ill, noisome, wicked.]

j. full [Strong: 3324 mestós, mes-tos'; of uncertain derivation; replete (literally or figuratively):—full.]

k. deadky [Strong: 2287 thanatḗphoros, than-at-ay'-for-os; from (the feminine form of) G2288 and G5342; death-bearing, i.e. fatal:—deadly.]

l. poison [Strong: 2247 iós, ee-os'; perhaps from εἶμι eîmi (to go) or ἵημι híēmi (to send); rust (as if emitted by metals); also venom (as emitted by serpents):—poison, rust.]

1). Words as weapons. 

a). Psalm 64:-6 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

64:2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:

64:3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

64:4 That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

64:5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

64:6 They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.