James 3:5
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Even so the tongue is indeed a little member and boasteth great things. Behold how small a fire kindleth a great wood.

so.

Exodus 5:2 But he answered: Who is the Lord, that I should hear his voice, and let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.

Exodus 15:9 The enemy said: I will pursue and overtake, I will divide the spoils, my soul shall have its fill: I will draw my sword, my hand shall slay them.

2 Kings 19:22-24 Whom hast thou reproached, and whom hast thou blasphemed? against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thy eyes on high? against the holy one of Israel. . . .

Job 21:14,15 Who have said to God: Depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. . . .

Job 22:17 Who said to God: Depart from us: and looked upon the Almighty as if he could do nothing:

Psalm 10:3 For the sinner is praised in the desires of his soul: and the unjust man is blessed.

Psalm 12:2-4 They have spoken vain things, every one to his neighbour: with deceitful lips, and with a double heart have they spoken. . . .

Psalm 17:10 They have shut up their fat: their mouth hath spoken proudly.

Psalm 52:1,2 Unto the end, understanding for David, [2] When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul: David went to the house of Achimelech. [3] Why dost thou glory in malice, thou that art mighty in iniquity? . . .

Psalm 73:8,9 They have thought and spoken wickedness: they have spoken iniquity on high. . . .

Proverbs 12:18 There is that promiseth, and is pricked as it were with a sword of conscience: but the tongue of the wise is health.

Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise adorneth knowledge: but the mouth of fools bubbleth out folly.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: they that love it, shall eat the fruits thereof.

Jeremiah 9:3-8 And they have bent their tongue, as a bow, for lies, and not for truth: they have strengthened themselves upon the earth, for they have proceeded from evil to evil, and me they have not known, saith the Lord. . . .

Jeremiah 18:18 And they said: Come, and let us invent devices against Jeremiah: for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet: come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us give no heed to all his words.

Ezekiel 28:2 Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre: Thus saith the Lord God: Because thy heart is lifted up, and thou hast said: I am God, and I sit in the chair of God in the heart of the sea: whereas thou art a man, and not God: and hast set thy heart as if it were the heart of God.

Ezekiel 29:3 Speak, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, Pharao king of Egypt, thou great dragon that liest in the midst of thy rivers, and sayest: The river is mine, and I made myself.

Daniel 3:15 Now, therefore, if you be ready, at what hour soever, you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, flute, harp, sackbut, and psaltery, and symphony, and of all kind of music, prostrate yourselves, and adore the statue which I have made: but if you do not adore, you shall be cast the same hour into the furnace of burning fire: and who is the God that shall deliver you out of my hand?

Daniel 4:30 The same hour the word was fulfilled upon Nabuchodonosor, and he was driven away from among men, and did eat grass, like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven: till his hairs grew like the feathers of eagles, and his nails like birds' claws.

2 Peter 2:18 For, speaking proud words of vanity, they allure by the desires of fleshly riotousness those who for a little while escape, such as converse in error:

Jude 1:16 These are murmurers, full of complaints, walking according to their own desires: and their mouth speaketh proud things, admiring persons, for gain's sake.

Revelation 13:5,6 And there was given to him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies: and power was given to him to do, two and forty months. . . .

matter.

Context
Taming the Tongue
4Behold also ships, whereas they are great and are driven by strong winds, yet are they turned about with a small helm, whithersoever the force of the governor willeth. 5Even so the tongue is indeed a little member and boasteth great things. Behold how small a fire kindleth a great wood. 6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is placed among our members, which defileth the whole body and inflameth the wheel of our nativity, being set on fire by hell.…
Cross References
Psalm 12:3
May the Lord destroy all deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things.

Psalm 39:1
Unto the end, for Idithun himself, a canticle of David. [2] I said: I will take heed to my ways: that I sin not with my tongue. I have set a guard to my mouth, when the sinner stood against me.

Psalm 73:8
They have thought and spoken wickedness: they have spoken iniquity on high.

Proverbs 26:20
When the wood faileth, the fire shall go out: and when the talebearer is taken away, contentions shall cease.

James 3:4
Behold also ships, whereas they are great and are driven by strong winds, yet are they turned about with a small helm, whithersoever the force of the governor willeth.

Lexicon
In the same way,
Οὕτως (Houtōs)
Adverb
Strong's Greek 3779: Thus, so, in this manner. Or (referring to what precedes or follows).

the
(hē)
Article - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

tongue
γλῶσσα (glōssa)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 1100: The tongue; by implication, a language.

is
ἐστὶν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's Greek 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

a small
μικρὸν (mikron)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 3398: Little, small. Including the comparative mikroteros apparently a primary word; small (figuratively) dignity).

part of the body,
μέλος (melos)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 3196: A bodily organ, limb, member. Of uncertain affinity; a limb or part of the body.

[but]
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's Greek 2532: And, even, also, namely.

it boasts of
αὐχεῖ (auchei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's Greek 3166: To boast, be arrogant, vaunt. From a compound of megas and aucheo; to talk big, i.e. Be grandiloquent.

great things.
μεγάλα (megala)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's Greek 3173: Large, great, in the widest sense.

Consider
ἰδοὺ (idou)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's Greek 2400: See! Lo! Behold! Look! Second person singular imperative middle voice of eido; used as imperative lo!

how small
ἡλίκον (hēlikon)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 2245: Of which size, of what size, how small, how much. From helix; as big as, i.e. how much.

a spark
πῦρ (pyr)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 4442: Fire; the heat of the sun, lightning; fig: strife, trials; the eternal fire. A primary word; 'fire'.

sets
ἀνάπτει (anaptei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's Greek 381: To kindle, set on fire, light. From ana and hapto; to enkindle.

a great
ἡλίκην (hēlikēn)
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 2245: Of which size, of what size, how small, how much. From helix; as big as, i.e. how much.

forest {ablaze}.
ὕλην (hylēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 5208: Wood, fuel. Perhaps akin to xulon; a forest, i.e. fuel.


Additional Translations
In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze.

Thus also the tongue is a small member, and boasts exceeding things. Behold a small fire, how great a forest it kindles.

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindles!

So the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire!

Thus also the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things. See how little a fire, how large a wood it kindles!

So the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire!

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!

In the same way the tongue is an insignificant part of the body, but it is immensely boastful. Remember how a mere spark may set a vast forest in flames.

So the tongue is also a little member, and boasts great things. See how a small fire can spread to a large forest!

so also the tongue is a little member, and doth boast greatly; lo, a little fire how much wood it doth kindle!
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Alphabetical: a aflame also and boasts body but by Consider fire forest great how is it Likewise makes of on part See set small So spark such the things tongue what yet

NT Letters: James 3:5 So the tongue is also a little (Ja Jas. Jam) Bible Study Resources, Dictionary, Concordance and Search Tools

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