Taming the Tongue
Overview
- Testament: New
- Book: James
- Chapters: James 3:1-12
- Summary: James warns that the tongue, though small, can steer, ignite, corrupt, bless, and curse.
Details
James piles up images for speech: a bit in a horse’s mouth, a rudder on a ship, a spark that sets a forest ablaze, a restless evil full of deadly poison. The scandal is that the same mouth can bless God and curse people made in God’s likeness.
Key People Involved
- James (Brother of Lord) - Author
Cross-References
- Proverbs - Wisdom teaching on speech and the tongue
- Wisdom from Above - The positive counterpart to destructive speech
Notes
James treats speech as a revelation of the heart and a force that can shape whole communities.