Bible Strands
James 3:8
but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — James, writing to scattered Jewish Christians, is mid-argument on the tongue (ch. 3), having just listed the animals man has tamed (v. 7) and about to show the tongue's self-contradiction in blessing and cursing (v. 9).
The words — ἀκατάστατον (akatastaton), "unruly," is a rare Greek coinage meaning literally "that which cannot be held in place," used only here in the New Testament. The verb δαμάσαι (damasai), "to subdue," is the same word for taming beasts in v. 7, making the contrast structural rather than incidental.
The thread — The "venom of vipers on their lips" image in Psalms 140:3 and Romans 3:13 echoes the deadly-poison language here, while Psalm 55:21 adds the dimension of speech that is smooth on the surface and lethal underneath.
Why it lands — The verse is a diagnosis, not a command: it names the tongue as beyond human willpower, which is precisely what forces the reader to ask what can tame it (James 3:5 points to the Spirit).
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
Cross-references
- Romans 3:13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”
- Psalms 140:3 They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah
- Psalms 55:21 His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.
- James 3:6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
- Psalms 57:4 My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts—with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
- Psalms 64:3 who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows,
- Psalms 58:4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,
- Psalms 59:7 See what they spew from their mouths—sharp words from their lips: “For who can hear us?”
- Deuteronomy 32:33 Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras.
- Ecclesiastes 10:11 If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.