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Behold also ships being so large and being driven by hard winds— they are guided by a very small rudder where the impulse of the one steering wants. So also the tongue is a small body-part, and boastfully-declares great things. Behold how-small a fire kindles how-great a forest!

An Untamed Tongue Stains And Burns And Poisons Life

And the tongue is a fire! The[a] tongue is made[b] the world of [c] unrighteousness among our body-parts— the thing staining the whole body and setting-on-fire the course of our existence, and being set-on-fire by Gehenna[d].

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Footnotes

  1. James 3:6 Or, fire, the world of unrighteousness! The tongue is set among our body-parts as the thing.
  2. James 3:6 Or, is set, is constituted. Or, makes-itself, renders-itself.
  3. James 3:6 Or, characterized by, belonging to, used by, ruled by.
  4. James 3:6 Or, Hell.

Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.(A) Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire,(B) a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body,(C) sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.(D)

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