James 3:9

Contemporary English Version

My dear friends, with our tongues we speak both praises and curses. We praise our Lord and Father, and we curse people who were created to be like God, and this isn't right.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God’s likeness.

King James Version (1611)
Therewith blesse wee God, euen the Father: and therewith curse wee men, which are made after the similitude of God.

King James Version
Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

English Standard Version
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.

New American Standard Bible
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, who have been made in the likeness of God;

New Century Version
We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people, whom God made like himself.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;

Berean Standard Bible
With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.

Complete Jewish Bible
With it we bless Adonai , the Father; and with it we curse people, who were made in the image of God .

Darby Translation
Therewith bless we the Lord and Father, and therewith curse we men made after [the] likeness of God.

Easy-to-Read Version
We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people who were created in God's likeness.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Therewith blesse we God euen the Father, and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

George Lamsa Translation
By it we bless the LORD and the Father; and by it we curse men, who are made in the image of God:

Good News Translation
We use it to give thanks to our Lord and Father and also to curse other people, who are created in the likeness of God.

Lexham English Bible
With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.

Literal Translation
By this we bless God and the Father; and by this we curse men having come into being according to the image of God. Gen. 1:26

Amplified Bible
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God.

American Standard Version
Therewith bless we the Lord and Father; and therewith curse we men, who are made after the likeness of God:

Bible in Basic English
With it we give praise to our Lord and Father; and with it we put a curse on men who are made in God's image.

Hebrew Names Version
With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God.

International Standard Version
With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in God's likeness.Genesis 1:26; 5:1; 9:6;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
For by it we bless the Lord and the Father, and by it we curse men who in the likeness of Aloha were made;

Murdock Translation
For with it, we bless the Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who were made in the image of God:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therwith blesse we God the father: and therwith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

English Revised Version
Therewith bless we the Lord and Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the likeness of God:

World English Bible
With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Therewith bless we God the Father, and therewith curse we man, made after the likeness of God.

Weymouth's New Testament
With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in God's likeness.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
In it we blessen God, the fadir, and in it we cursen men, that ben maad to the licnesse of God.

Update Bible Version
Therewith bless we the Lord and Father; and therewith we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God:

Webster's Bible Translation
With this we bless God, even the Father; and with this we curse men, who are made after the similitude of God.

New English Translation
With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse people made in God's image.

New King James Version
With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.

New Living Translation
Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God.

New Life Bible
With our tongue we give thanks to our Father in heaven. And with our tongue we speak bad words against men who are made like God.

New Revised Standard
With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Therewith, are we blessing our Lord and Father, and, therewith, we are cursing the men who, after the likeness of God, have been brought into being!

Douay-Rheims Bible
By it we bless God and the Father: and by it we curse men who are made after the likeness of God.

Revised Standard Version
With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Therwith blesse we God the father and therwith cursse we me which are made after the similitude of God.

Young's Literal Translation
with it we do bless the God and Father, and with it we do curse the men made according to the similitude of God;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therwith blesse we God the father, and therwith cursse we men which are made after the similitude of God.

Mace New Testament (1729)
By that we give praises to God the father: and that pronounces curses even against men, who are form'd after the divine resemblance.

Simplified Cowboy Version
We pray to God with one side and then turn right around and talk crap about those who were made in his very image.

Contextual Overview

¹ My friends, we should not all try to become teachers. In fact, teachers will be judged more strictly than others. ² All of us do many wrong things. But if you can control your tongue, you are mature and able to control your whole body. ³ By putting a bit into the mouth of a horse, we can turn the horse in different directions. ⁴ It takes strong winds to move a large sailing ship, but the captain uses only a small rudder to make it go in any direction. ⁵ Our tongues are small too, and yet they brag about big things. It takes only a spark to start a forest fire! ⁶ The tongue is like a spark. It is an evil power that dirties the rest of the body and sets a person's entire life on fire with flames that come from hell itself. ⁷ All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures can be tamed and have been tamed. ⁸ But our tongues get out of control. They are restless and evil, and always spreading deadly poison. ⁹My dear friends, with our tongues we speak both praises and curses. We praise our Lord and Father, and we curse people who were created to be like God, and this isn't right. ¹¹ Can clean water and dirty water both flow from the same spring?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Therewith: Psalms 16:9, Psalms 30:12, Psalms 35:28, Psalms 51:14, Psalms 57:8, Psalms 62:4, Psalms 71:24, Psalms 108:1, Acts 2:26

bless: 1 Chronicles 29:10, 1 Chronicles 29:20, Psalms 34:1, Psalms 63:4, Psalms 145:1, Psalms 145:21, Isaiah 29:13, Ephesians 1:3, 1 Peter 1:3

therewith curse: Judges 9:27, 2 Samuel 16:5, 2 Samuel 19:21, Psalms 10:7, Psalms 59:12, Psalms 109:17, Psalms 109:18, Ecclesiastes 7:22, Matthew 5:44, Matthew 26:74, Romans 3:14

made: Genesis 1:26, Genesis 1:27, Genesis 5:1, Genesis 9:6, 1 Corinthians 11:7

Reciprocal: Numbers 23:13 - and curse me Job 31:30 - mouth Ephesians 2:18 - the Colossians 1:12 - the Father 1 John 2:1 - Father

Cross-References

Genesis 3:12
"It was the woman you put here with me," the man said. "She gave me some of the fruit, and I ate it."

Genesis 3:13
The Lord God then asked the woman, "What have you done?" "The snake tricked me," she answered. "And I ate some of that fruit."

Genesis 3:17
The Lord said to the man, "You listened to your wife and ate fruit from that tree. And so, the ground will be under a curse because of what you did. As long as you live, you will have to struggle to grow enough food.

Genesis 3:19
You will have to sweat to earn a living; you were made out of soil, and you will once again turn into soil."

Genesis 3:20
The man Adam named his wife Eve because she would become the mother of all who live.

Genesis 3:21
Then the Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for the man and his wife.

Genesis 4:9
Afterwards the Lord asked Cain, "Where is Abel?" "How should I know?" he answered. "Am I supposed to look after my brother?"

Genesis 11:5
But when the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower,

Genesis 16:8
and asked, "Hagar, where have you come from, and where are you going?" She answered, "I'm running away from Sarai, my owner."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therewith bless we God, even, the Father,.... Of Jesus Christ, and of spirits, and of mercies: this is the instrument that is used in blessing God daily every meal that is eaten; and in joining with the saints, though only verbally and outwardly, in blessing God for all spiritual blessings in Christ, both in prayer, and in singing psalms:

and therewith curse we men: make imprecations, and wish evils upon them:

which are made after the similitude of God as man was originally, Genesis 1:26 and though sin has greatly defaced it, yet there are still some remains of it: and now, what an absurd and monstrous thing is this, that one and the same instrument should be used in blessing God, the Father of all creatures, and in cursing his children, his offering, as all men are by creation, and bear some resemblance to him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Therewith bless we God - We men do this; that is, all this is done by the tongue. The apostle does not mean that the same man does this, but that all this is done by the same organ - the tongue.

Even the Father - Who sustains to us the relation of a father. The point in the remark of the apostle is, the absurdity of employing the tongue in such contradictory uses as to bless one who has to us the relation of a father, and to curse any being, especially those who are made in his image. The word bless here is used in the sense of praise, thank, worship.

And therewith curse we men - That is, it is done by the same organ by which God is praised and honored.

Which are made after the similitude of God - After his image, Genesis 1:26-27. As we bless God, we ought with the same organ to bless those who are like him. There is an absurdity in cursing men who are thus made, like what there would be in both blessing and cursing the Creator himself.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 9. Therewith bless we God — The tongue is capable of rehearsing the praises, and setting forth the glories, of the eternal King: what a pity that it should ever be employed in a contrary work! It can proclaim and vindicate the truth of God, and publish the Gospel of peace and good will among men: what a pity that it should ever be employed in falsehoods, calumny, or in the cause of infidelity!

And therewith curse we men — In the true Satanic spirit, many pray to God, the Father, to destroy those who are objects of their displeasure! These are the common swearers, whose mouths are generally full of direful imprecations against those with whom they are offended.

The consideration that man is made after the image of God should restrain the tongue of the swearer; but there are many who, while they pretend to sing the high praises of God, are ready to wish the direst imprecations either on those who offend them, or with whom they choose to be offended.