James Chapter 3 — Commentary on Verse 6

    Thetonguealsoisafire,aworldofevilamongthepartsofthebody.Itcorruptsthewholeperson, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

    Here James applies the simile of a little fire to an evil tongue. I shall comment on the most difficult phrases.

    Aworldofevil. “A world” is how we commonly express things that abound. It implies that the power of the tongue to hurt is very great; as the world is full of all kinds of things, so the tongue is full of all kinds of sin.

    Itcorruptsthewholeperson. Ephraim Syrus thinks this is an allusion to the punishment of leprosy with which Miriam and Aaron were afflicted for the abuse of their tongues. But that does not fit the context. It means that it infects the whole man with sin and guilt. Sin, though it starts in the soul, is carried out by the body. One infected part of the body defiles another, and the tongue taints every part of the body.

    Sets…onfire. James shows the effect of this tongue-fire: it not only blackens but devours and destroys. James uses the phrase sets…onfire because the effects of the tongue, which are usually unjust passion, anger, rage, and violence, are contrary to the “cool spirit” that Solomon says is in the prudent man. Be sure to watch over your spirit when it starts to be furious and inflamed.

    Thewholecourseofhislife. Some translate this, “the wheel of our nativity,” meaning the whole course of our lives. There is no action, no age, no state that can escape its influence. The Syriac interpreter has, “all our generations,” as if the sense were that all ages of the world are conscious of the evils of the tongue and can produce instances of it. But the word means our natural course, or the wheel of human life.

    Isitselfsetonfireinhell. James shows where the tongue gets all this malice and mischief: from hell, that is, from the devil, who is the father of lies, the author of malice, and by lies and slander sets the world on fire.

    Notes on Verse 6

    Note 1. There is a similarity between an evil tongue and fire:

    (1)      In its heat. It is the instrument of wrath and contention, which is the heat of a man—a boiling of the blood around the heart. Solomon says, “A man of understanding is even-tempered” (Proverbs 17:27). Hot water boils over, and passions in the heart overflow into words. Of the ungodly man it is said, “his speech is like a scorching fire” (Proverbs 16:27).

    (2)      In being dangerous. It kindles a great fire. The tongue is a powerful means to kindle divisions and strifes. You know we need to be careful with fire. It is a bad master and a good servant. Where it is let loose, it soon turns houses into a wilderness; and you have as great a need to watch the tongue. Solomon says, “Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, ‘I was only joking!’” (Proverbs 26:18-19). We spread fire, scalding words, and do not think about the danger.

    (3)      It burns. Reproaches penetrate like fire. David compares them to “burning coals of the broom tree” (Psalm 120:4), which burn the hottest and the longest; they may be kept burning for a whole year. The Septuagint has, “desolating coals.” Fire is a most active element and leaves a great pain. So do reproaches.

    (4)      It is kindled from hell, as the end of the verse says. Zeal is a holy fire that comes from heaven, but this fire is from hell. Isaiah’s lips were touched “with a live coal … from the altar” (Isaiah 6:6); and the Holy Spirit descended in “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:3). But the fire in this verse is from below. So work for an even temper. A tongue that is setonfirebyhell will be set on fire in hell. Hot words of wrath, strife, and censure come from Satan and lead to Satan. When you feel this heat on your spirit, remember from what hearth these coals were gathered. God’s Word was like fire in Jeremiah’s bones, and wrath is often like fire in ours. Even when wrath boils, keep anger from being a scorching fire in your tongues. See Psalm 39:3.

    Note2. There is a world of sin in the tongue. It is an instrument of many sins. By it we induce ourselves to evil; by it we seduce others.

    Note3. Itcorrupts. Sin is a defilement and a blot. Sin “contaminates [the] body” (2 Corinthians 7:1). Scandalous sinners are the stain of their society. When you hand yourselves over to sin, you defile yourself. It will be your own disgrace; it will be to your eternal disadvantage: “Nothing impure will ever enter [the heavenly city]” (Revelation 21:27). In short, sin is so impure that it is ashamed of itself. It seeks to hide itself from those who love it most, and it disguises itself as a virtue. No other argument is needed to make it odious but to see it in its own colors.

    Note4. Sins of the tongue defile greatly. We either spread evil to others by ungodly suggestions or provoke them to evil by our passion.

    Note5. Thewholeperson. An evil tongue has great influence on other parts of the body. When someone speaks evil, he will commit it. When the tongue has the boldness to talk of sin, the rest of the body has the boldness to act it. First we think, then we speak, and then we act. People will say it is only talk. Do not be deceived; an evil tongue infects other parts of the body.

    Note6. Thewholecourse (or “wheel”) ofhislife. Man’s life is like a wheel. It is always in motion; we are always turning and rolling to our graves. This also shows the uncertainty of any worldly state; the spokes are now up and then down, sometimes in the dirt and sometimes out of it. The bishops of Mentz have a wheel as their emblem. This is also the emblem of our lives; when you see a wheel, take the opportunity to meditate.

    Note7. The evils of the tongue have universal influence. There is no faculty that the tongue does not poison. No calling is exempt. The tradesman in his shop uses his tongue for gain: “A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare” (Proverbs 21:6). Ministers in the pulpit often preach for gain (see Ecclesiastes 5:1). No one is so meek and humble that they may not be perverted. Holy Moses, the meekest man upon earth, was angry at the waters of Meribah and fell into a rage (“Rash words came from Moses’ lips,” Psalm 106:33). David prays well: “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord” (Psalm 141:3). So, none of us should think these exhortations unnecessary.

    Note8. A wicked tongue originates in hell; the prophets’ fires were kindled from heaven. The devil is “a liar” (John 8:44), and he accuses the brothers and loves to make others like himself. Learn, then, to abhor reviling, contention, and reproach, as you would hell-flames. These are just the eruptions of an infernal fire; slanderers are the devil’s slaves and instruments. Again, if blasted with rude contempt, learn to slight it; who takes notice of the suggestions of the father of lies? The murderer is a liar. In short, what comes from hell will go back there: “Anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell” (Matthew 5:22). Wrath is here expressed in a word of reproach, and you see how deadly and grievous it is.