James 3:12
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear grapes? Or the vine, figs? So neither can the salt water yield sweet.

the fig tree.

Isaiah 5:2-4 And he fenced it in, and picked the stones out of it, and planted it with the choicest vines, and built a tower in the midst thereof, and set up a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. . . .

Jeremiah 2:21 Yet, I planted thee a chosen vineyard, all true seed: how then art thou turned unto me into that which is good for nothing, O strange vineyard?

Matthew 7:16-20 By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? . . .

Matthew 12:33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good: or make the tree evil, and its fruit evil. For by the fruit the tree is known.

Luke 6:43,44 For there is no good tree that bringeth forth evil fruit: nor an evil tree that bringeth forth good fruit. . . .

Romans 11:16-18 For if the firstfruit be holy, so is the lump also: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. . . .

so.

Exodus 15:23-25 And they came into Mara, and they could not drink the waters of Mara because they were bitter: whereupon he gave a name also agreeable to the place, calling it Mara, that is, bitterness. . . .

2 Kings 2:19-22 And the men of the city, said to Eliseus . Behold the situation of this city is very good, as thou, my lord, seest: but the waters are very bad, and the ground barren. . . .

Ezekiel 47:8-11 And he said to me: These waters that issue forth toward the hillocks of sand to the east, and go down to the plains of the desert, shall go into the sea, and shall go out, and the waters shall be healed. . . .

Context
Taming the Tongue
11Doth a fountain send forth, out of the same hole, sweet and bitter water? 12Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear grapes? Or the vine, figs? So neither can the salt water yield sweet. 13Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge, among you? Let him shew, by a good contestation, his work in the meekness of wisdom.…
Cross References
Matthew 7:16
By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Matthew 7:20
Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.

Matthew 21:19
And seeing a certain fig tree by the way side, he came to it and found nothing on it but leaves only. And he saith to it: May no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And immediately the fig tree withered away.

James 3:11
Doth a fountain send forth, out of the same hole, sweet and bitter water?

Lexicon
My
μου (mou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular
Strong's Greek 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

brothers,
ἀδελφοί (adelphoi)
Noun - Vocative Masculine Plural
Strong's Greek 80: A brother, member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian. A brother near or remote.

can
δύναται (dynatai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's Greek 1410: (a) I am powerful, have (the) power, (b) I am able, I can. Of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible.

a fig tree
συκῆ (sykē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 4808: A fig-tree. From sukon; a fig-tree.

grow
ποιῆσαι (poiēsai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's Greek 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.

olives,
ἐλαίας (elaias)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's Greek 1636: An olive tree; the Mount of Olives. Feminine of a presumed derivative from an obsolete primary; an olive.

or
(ē)
Conjunction
Strong's Greek 2228: Or, than. A primary particle of distinction between two connected terms; disjunctive, or; comparative, than.

a grapevine
ἄμπελος (ampelos)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 288: A vine, grape-vine. Probably from the base of amphoteros and that of halon; a vine.

[bear] figs?
σῦκα (syka)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's Greek 4810: A (ripe) fig. Apparently a primary word; a fig.

Neither [can]
οὔτε (oute)
Conjunction
Strong's Greek 3777: And not, neither, nor. From ou and te; not too, i.e. Neither or nor; by analogy, not even.

a salt [spring]
ἁλυκὸν (halykon)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 252: Salty, saltine, bitter. From hals; briny.

produce
ποιῆσαι (poiēsai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's Greek 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.

fresh
γλυκὺ (glyky)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 1099: Sweet. Of uncertain affinity; sweet.

water.
ὕδωρ (hydōr)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's Greek 5204: Water. And genitive case, hudatos, etc. From the base of huetos; water literally or figuratively.


Additional Translations
My brothers, can a fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Is a fig tree able, my brothers, to produce olives? Or a vine, figs? Neither is a salt spring able to produce fresh water.

Can the fig tree, my brothers, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? Neither can'salt water yield sweet.

Can, my brethren, a fig produce olives, or a vine figs? Neither [can] salt [water] make sweet water.

Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? neither can salt water yield sweet.

Can the fig-tree, my brethren, bear olive-berries? or a vine, figs? so no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.

Can a fig-tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine yield figs? No; and neither can salt water yield sweet.

Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water.

is a fig-tree able, my brethren, olives to make? or a vine figs? so no fountain salt and sweet water is able to make.
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Alphabetical: a bear brethren brothers can fig figs fresh grapevine My Neither Nor olives or produce salt spring tree vine water

NT Letters: James 3:12 Can a fig tree my brothers yield (Ja Jas. Jam) Bible Study Resources, Dictionary, Concordance and Search Tools

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