James 3:8
ESV
but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
NIV
but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
NASB
But no one among mankind can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
CSB
but no one can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
NLT
but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.
KJV
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
NKJV
But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
What does James 3:8 mean?
In the previous verse, James pointed to an amazing human achievement: We can and have tamed every kind of creature. Now he finishes that thought: But we can't tame the tongue. More specifically, James writes that no human being can tame his or her own tongue. We can't control the words that come out of our mouths. It's not an ability that human beings possess in our own power. Our tongues are more powerful than we are. They control us just as a bit guides a horse or a rudder steers a massive ship.According to James, the tongue—our words and how we use them—is not just untamable. It is a restless evil. The Greek word James uses for "restless" is derived from the word akastatatos. This word also means "unstable," and is the same root word used for the "unstable" man in James 1:8. Our tongues, the instrument of our powerful words, flail around, striking without focus or clear intent. And when they strike, they are full of deadly poison.
In his description of our tongues, the way we use our words, James leaves little room for comforting ourselves. As he will say in the following verses, even when we use our words for good purposes, we might very well use them for harm in the next moment. Our tongues are uncontrollable, powerful, evil, and hurtful. Period.
His characterization is all the more disturbing because James is not suggesting that our actual tongues—the flaps of muscle in our mouths—are themselves possessed of evil. This is a point James will clarify in upcoming verses. Agreeing with Jesus, James would say that it is "out of the abundance of the heart [our] mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). Just as our deeds reveal our faith, our words reveal our hearts. We can't tame our tongues on our own, because we can't change our sinful nature on our own.
Next, James will give examples of the evil ways we use our words.
James 3:1–12 discusses talking. This passage continues James's big idea that faith and works go together. Specifically, that what one does (or says) proves what they really believe. Those who trust God, who really believe Him, begin to be changed in their speech, as well. And yet, everyone still stumbles. The tongue is untamable, capable of great destruction. In fact, James calls it a fire and a restless evil that is itself set on fire by hell. We need to be changed. It shouldn't be that we praise God and curse the people made in His image. And yet, as fallen people, we do just that.
Human words are powerful. Our tongues are small, but they are capable of wreaking great havoc. Any person who could perfectly control their words would be in perfect control of their entire bodies. Instead, as sinful human beings, our tongues are untamable. Our words are fire, igniting the entire course of our lives. Blessing God and cursing people should not come out of the same mouth; we are corrupted. James concludes the chapter by exploring what it means to be truly wise. True wisdom is not necessarily found in those with the most education, money, or friends. Rather, wise people can be spotted living wisely in humility, participating in good works, enjoying peace, singleness of purpose, and gentle lifestyles.
