James, Chapter Three, A Translation From The Greek New Testament
We continue this week with my Advent 2024 project of translating the Epistle of James from the Greek New Testament. Today, James calls us out for our duplicitous use of speech — the way we use it for praise and slander. I begin with the enhanced translation, which is a little more free-flowing. Behind it, I have the rendering in a more traditional way along with verse numbers and I finish with a note or two. Be looking for Chapters four and five before Christmas morning.
[Publishing Note: I let AI choose an image for this and I was just playing around, but it was so ridiculous and disturbing I had to include it. This image is further proof AI still has a long way to go.]
James One (Expansive)
Most of you, family, will want to avoid becoming teachers because there is more responsibility and accountability. Now, everyone messes up, though. If someone can keep from messing up in the way he talks, then he or she is able to bridle and guide his body and lifestyle. We put bridles in horse’s mouths to make them obey. It allows us to lead the whole horse around. You can see how extremely large boats are driven by strong winds yet in reality their direction is decided by a very small rudder that is under the control of the pilot. He steers wherever he wants.
It’s the same way with the tongue! It is so small yet brags large. Look at how a tiny flame sets great forests on fire. The tongue burns the whole world. It is the boss of all our wicked inclinations, polluting our body and burning us up as we spin through life from birth to Gehenna hell.
Everything in nature – big animals, birds, reptiles, and marine life – has been at one time or another tamed by humans – But no one can tame the human tongue. It is a never-ceasing source of evil; it is filled with poison. With our tongue we bless the Lord and the Father, and we also curse the person made in the very image of the same God and from that exact same mouth flows blessing. Family, this is wrong. It is a waste.
What kind of spring gushes out both good water and bad from its source?
Family, it is impossible for a fig tree to grow olives, or a grape vine to yield figs, or for sweet water to come from salty. Do any of you have wisdom or intelligence? Prove it with a good life, good works, and common wisdom.
If your heart is full of jealousy and rivalry don’t let the truth be a victim to your innuendo and lies. This is not the same wisdom that comes to us from above. Instead, it is materialistic, heathen, and demonic. Anywhere people are jealous and divided the result is disorder and stupid behaviors.
By contrast, wisdom from above is primarily pure, it shows itself peaceable, considerate, reasonable, merciful, full of good fruit, impartial, and isn’t a sham. The fruit of righteousness is planted in peace and harvested by peacemakers.
James One (Regular)
1. Brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers knowing we will receive greater judgment.
2. We all stumble many times. If anyone can keep from stumbling with words, such a person is able to bridle himself and his whole body.
3. We put bridles in horse’s mouths to obey us, and by doing so we lead the horse’s whole body around.
4. See also how very large boats are pushed by hard winds but are led about by a very small rudder under the whim of the pilots wishes.
5. And so the tongue! It is such a small thing yet boasts big things. See also how a small flame sets ablaze such a great forest.
6. The tongue is the fire of the world. The tongue is appointed over our wicked parts, polluting the whole body and setting aflame the whole wheel of life from birth to the furnace of Gehenna.
7. For all of nature – large animals, birds, reptiles, and marine life can and has been tamed by human beings,
8. but no one is able to tame the human tongue. It is restless, bad, and full of deadly poison.
9. For with it we bless the Lord and the Father and with it we also curse a person who has been made in the image of God.
10. From that same mouth flows out blessing; this is useless and ought not be, my brothers and sisters.
11. What kind of spring gushes both sweet and bitter water from its opening?
12. My brothers and sisters, it is not possible for a fig tree to grow olives or a grape vine to yield figs, or (draw) sweet water from salty.
13. Are any among you wise and understanding? He or she must show it by a good way of life, achievements, and unpretentious wisdom.
14. But if you have bitter jealousy and divisions in your heart do not assert and lie about the truth.
15. This is not the same wisdom coming down from above, but earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
16. For where there are jealousies and divisions there is disorder and all kinds of worthless deeds.
17. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then it is peaceable, considerate, reasonable, merciful, full of good fruit, impartial, and without pretense.
18. The fruit of righteousness is sown through peace to peacemakers.
Notes
I don’t have many notes for this section, as the imagery and language is very clear.
1. The most striking thing to me is how verse one seems disconnected to the rest of the chapter. He has this warning to teachers, but then goes off on the metaphors for the tongue. These are only loosely connected in that teaching involves the tongue, talking, but one doesn’t get the impression he means bad teaching when he speaks of salty and sweet water coming from the same source. I wish he had elaborated more on what he meant, for, as a teacher, I take the adominition seriously.
2. The impressive taxonomy of metaphors for the tongue is a magnum opus. Bridle, rudder, fire, water, figs, grapes all make the list. It seems to me the fire metaphor has about three different thoughts inside of it as the language could mean either a small spark for a planned fire to warm or cook or a small spark to set the forest on fire, and eventually that gets to the fires of Gehenna.
3. Verse 6 is a little hard to render. James uses the word, ‘wheel’ to refer to life. This is a very Greek way of thinking that we are on the wheel of life. He says we are set aflame by tongue from the moment we are born until we burn in Gehenna, which is a favorite synonym for hell but here might mean the trash heap near Jerusalem where also the cadavers of the poor, impoverished, and criminal were burned along with the garbage. It is an evocative image and the fodder for a discussion on another day about final states. Here I think James simply means it as, ‘our whole lifetime’ the way we would say ‘from the cradle to the grave’ and that is the way I almost translated it, but I like the word Gehenna so much . . . it is a weakness.
