James 3:6

3:6 And the tongue is a fire! The tongue represents ¹  the world of wrongdoing among the parts of our bodies. It ²  pollutes the entire body and sets fire to the course of human existence – and is set on fire by hell. ³ 

James 3:5

3:5 So too the tongue is a small part of the body, ⁴  yet it has great pretensions. ⁵  Think ⁶  how small a flame sets a huge forest ablaze.

James 4:6

4:6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ 

James 2:12

2:12 Speak and act as those who will be judged by a law that gives freedom. ⁸ 

James 3:3

3:3 And if we put bits into the mouths of horses to get them to obey us, then we guide their entire bodies. ⁹ 

James 1:17

1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift ¹⁰  is from above, coming down ¹¹  from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. ¹² 

James 1:25

1:25 But the one who peers into the perfect law of liberty and fixes his attention there, ¹³  and does not become a forgetful listener but one who lives it out – he ¹⁴  will be blessed in what he does. ¹⁵ 

[3:6]  ¹ tn Grk “makes itself,” “is made.”

[3:6]  ² tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[3:6]  ³ sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2, 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36).

[3:5]  ⁴ tn Grk “a small member.”

[3:5]  ⁵ tn Grk “boasts of great things.”

[3:5]  ⁶ tn Grk “Behold.”

[4:6]  ⁷ sn A quotation from Prov 3:34.

[2:12]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “a law of freedom.”

[3:3]  ¹³ tn Grk “their entire body.”

[1:17]  ¹⁶ tn The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second to what is given.

[1:17]  ¹⁷ tn Or “All generous giving and every perfect gift from above is coming down.”

[1:17]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “variation or shadow of turning” (referring to the motions of heavenly bodies causing variations of light and darkness).

[1:25]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “continues.”

[1:25]  ²⁰ tn Grk “this one.”

[1:25]  ²¹ tn Grk “in his doing.”