James 3:8

3:8 But no human being can subdue the tongue; it is a restless ¹  evil, full of deadly poison.

James 3:12

3:12 Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers and sisters, ²  or a vine produce figs? Neither can a salt water spring produce fresh water.

James 1:21

1:21 So put away all filth and evil excess and humbly ³  welcome the message implanted within you, which is able to save your souls.

James 2:14

Faith and Works Together

2:14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, ⁴  if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith ⁵  save him? ⁶ 

James 4:12

4:12 But there is only one who is lawgiver and judge – the one who is able to save and destroy. On the other hand, who are you to judge your neighbor? ⁷ 

James 4:2

4:2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask;

[3:8]  ¹ tc Most mss (C Ψ 1739^c Ï as well as a few versions and fathers) read “uncontrollable” (ἀκατασχετόν, akatasceton), while the most important witnesses (א A B K P 1739* latt) have “restless” (ἀκατάστατον, akatastaton). Externally, the latter reading should be preferred. Internally, however, things get a bit more complex. The notion of being uncontrollable is well suited to the context, especially as a counterbalance to v. 8a, though for this very reason scribes may have been tempted to replace ἀκατάστατον with ἀκατασχετόν. However, in a semantically parallel early Christian text, ἀκατάστατος (akatastato") was considered strong enough of a term to denounce slander as “a restless demon” (Herm. 27:3). On the other hand, ἀκατάστατον may have been substituted for ἀκατασχετόν by way of assimilation to 1:8 (especially since both words were relatively rare, scribes may have replaced the less familiar with one that was already used in this letter). On internal evidence, it is difficult to decide, though ἀκατασχετόν is slightly preferred. However, in light of the strong support for ἀκατάστατον, and the less-than-decisive internal evidence, ἀκατάστατον is preferred instead.

[3:12]  ² tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[1:21]  ³ tn Or “with meekness.”

[2:14]  ⁴ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

[2:14]  ⁵ tn Grk “the faith,” referring to the kind of faith just described: faith without works. The article here is anaphoric, referring to the previous mention of the noun πίστις (pisti") in the verse. See ExSyn 219.

[2:14]  ⁶ sn The form of the question in Greek expects a negative answer.

[4:12]  ⁵ tn Grk “who judges your neighbor.”