Help me Interpret! PLEASE!

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James 3:5-12

5

In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze.

6

The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna.

7

For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species,

8

but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9

With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God.

10

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be so, my brothers.

11

Does a spring gush forth from the same opening both pure and brackish water?

12

Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can salt water yield fresh.
 
It would help if you would say what difficulty you are having with this passage. It isn’t self evident what that might be–you need to tell us. 😉
 
St. James is cautioning against the evils of the tongue and teaching about the differences between the earthly and heavenly wisdom.
 
I go to a catholic high school in New Jersey. I am a Senior and for a theology project our teacher broke us down to cover the Bible and we have to try to interpret the Bible in our own words and then present it to the class. I have done my whole project except, I am having trouble understanding what James 3:5-12 is saying. Any thing you can contribute will help me greatly…Thank You.
 
:confused: James 3:5-12 :confused:

I go to a catholic high school in New Jersey. I am a Senior and for a theology project our teacher broke us down to cover the Bible and we have to try to interpret the Bible in our own words and then present it to the class. I have done my whole project except, I am having trouble understanding what James 3:5-12 is saying. Any thing you can contribute will help me greatly…Thank You.
5

In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze.

6

The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna.

7

For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species,

8

but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9

With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God.

10

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be so, my brothers.

11

Does a spring gush forth from the same opening both pure and brackish water?

12

Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can salt water yield fresh.
 
“In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze.”

Consider the damage a small lie can do. A malicious lie told to just one person, can spread and spread to a whole bunch of people, each story surpassing the previous lie it’s malice.

Will that get you started?

NotWorthy
 
Teaching was done primarily by oral means in that day. The author is making an analogy of the good and bad use of the tongue to explain proper and improper teaching in the Church.

Words have power, use them wisely. Words can be used for good or for ill. Words can “start a fire”.

Does that make sense?
 
Hi-“The mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart.
It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of it.”–scripture quotes
–nicolo
 
When our children were little we did little projects with them to get some points across. One, which we found in a book, emphasized the harm that can be done by words.

We gave them each a tube of toothpaste and let them squeeze out as much as they could. Then they had to try to put as much back into the tube as they could. Of course, very little would go back.

Then we explained that the toothpaste coming out of the tube is like our words. When we say mean things about someone else or spread lies, it’s almost impossible to take them back, or put the toothpaste back into the tube. The damage is done, whether it’s truthful or not.

I think that’s what the passage is saying. Our words can have dire consequences, so we must use them wisely.
 
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pts10:
James 3:5-12

5 In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions.
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In spite of the small size, it talks big, voicing pride, extolling itself over all
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pts10:
Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze. 6 The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna.
Click to expand...
With the fire of passion, it is unrestrained, and will not let anything stop it. It gets our whole self involved, and sets our whole life on a course matching the passion it is motivated by.
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pts10:
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue.
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While men tame the largest of wild animals, no one can of their own accord control their tongue, especially what they say in their hearts.
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pts10:
It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. This need not be so, my brothers. 11 Does a spring gush forth from the same opening both pure and brackish water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, produce olives, or a grapevine figs? Neither can salt water yield fresh.
Click to expand...
The same mouth that utters kind words also utters hurtful words. Is it not obvious that such a source is not to be trusted?

If we are to avoid hypocrisy, then we should seek to cleanse our hearts of this malice, and bless all, even those who are evil to us - not because they deserve it, but because our love for God deserves it, who would not be pleased by our tongue if it were not pure all the time.

1 Tim 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity, from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and an unfeigned faith.

2 Tim 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they grow much towards ungodliness. … 21 If any man therefore shall cleanse himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and profitable to the Lord, prepared unto every good work.

hurst
 
How about simply interpreting it to mean, “be careful about what comes out of your pie hole”?

Scott
 
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