Yakobus 3:5

Bahasa Indonesia Sehari-hari

Demikian juga lidah, walaupun suatu anggota kecil dari tubuh, namun dapat memegahkan perkara-perkara yang besar. Lihatlah, betapapun kecilnya api, ia dapat membakar hutan yang besar.

Parallel Translations

Alkitab Terjemahan Baru
Demikian juga lidah, walaupun suatu anggota kecil dari tubuh, namun dapat memegahkan perkara-perkara yang besar. Lihatlah, betapapun kecilnya api, ia dapat membakar hutan yang besar.

Alkitab Terjemahan Lama
Demikianlah juga lidah, suatu anggota yang kecil, tetapi sangatlah ia membesarkan dirinya. Tengoklah berapa besarnya hutan dibakar oleh api yang kecil.

Contextual Overview

¹ My brethren, be not manie maisters, knowyng howe that we shall receaue the greater damnation: ² For in many thynges we sinne all. If a man sinne not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle all the body. ³ Beholde, we put bittes in the horses mouthes, that they may obey vs, and we turne about all the body of them: ⁴ Beholde also ye shippes, which though they be so great, and are dryuen of fierce windes, yet are they turned about with a very small helme, whither soeuer the violence of the gouernour wyll. ⁵ Euen so the tongue is a litle member also, & boasteth great thynges. Beholde how great a matter a litle fire kindleth. ⁶ And the tongue is fyre, euen a worlde of wickednesse. So is the tongue set among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fyre the course of nature, & it is set on fyre of hell. ⁷ All the natures of beastes, & of byrdes, and of serpentes, and thynges of the sea, are meeked and tamed of the nature of man: ⁸ But the tongue can no man tame, it is an vnruly euyll, full of deadly poyson. ⁹ Therwith blesse we God the father: and therwith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. ¹⁰ Out of one mouth proceadeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these thynges ought not so to be.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

so: Exodus 5:2, Exodus 15:9, 2 Kings 19:22-24, Job 21:14, Job 21:15, Job 22:17, Psalms 10:3, Psalms 12:2-4, Psalms 17:10, Psalms 52:1, Psalms 52:2, Psalms 73:8, Psalms 73:9, Proverbs 12:18, Proverbs 15:2, Proverbs 18:21, Jeremiah 9:3-8, Jeremiah 18:18, Ezekiel 28:2, Ezekiel 29:3, Daniel 3:15, Daniel 4:30, 2 Peter 2:18, Jude 1:16, Revelation 13:5, Revelation 13:6

matter: or, wood

Reciprocal: Job 5:21 - be hid Job 15:5 - thou choosest Psalms 12:4 - With Psalms 16:9 - my glory Psalms 31:20 - the strife Psalms 34:13 - Keep Psalms 50:19 - tongue Psalms 63:3 - lips Psalms 120:4 - Sharp Proverbs 6:27 - General Proverbs 10:11 - but Proverbs 14:3 - the mouth Proverbs 29:8 - bring a city into a snare Isaiah 32:6 - the vile Hosea 7:16 - the rage Obadiah 1:12 - spoken proudly Matthew 12:34 - how Matthew 15:11 - but Luke 6:45 - and an Luke 11:18 - ye say Romans 1:30 - boasters Romans 3:13 - with their Romans 6:13 - Neither James 3:2 - If

Cross-References

Genesis 2:17
But as touching the tree of knowlege of good and euyll thou shalt not eate of it: For in what daye so euer thou eatest therof, thou shalt dye the death.

Genesis 3:2
And the woman sayde vnto the serpent: We eate of ye fruite of the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:3
But as for the fruite of the tree which is in the myddes of the garden, God hath sayde, ye shall not eate of it, neither shal ye touche of it, lest peraduenture ye dye.

Genesis 3:6
And so the woman, seing that the same tree was good to eate of, and pleasaunt to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, toke of the fruite therof, and dyd eate, and gaue also vnto her husbande beyng with her, and he dyd eate.

Genesis 3:7
Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knewe that they were naked, and they sowed fygge leaues together, & made them selues apernes.

Genesis 3:10
Which sayde: I hearde thy voyce in the garden, and was afrayde because I was naked, and hyd my selfe.

Genesis 3:13
And the Lord God sayd vnto the woman: Why hast thou done this? And the woman sayde: the serpent begyled me, and I dyd eate.

Genesis 3:14
And the lord god said vnto ye serpent: Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed aboue all cattel, and aboue euery beast of the fielde: vpon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eate all the dayes of thy lyfe.

Genesis 3:15
I wyll also put enmitie betweene thee & the woman, betweene thy seede and her seede: and it shall treade downe thy head, and thou shalt treade vpon his heele.

Genesis 3:22
And the Lorde God sayde: Beholde, the man is become as one of vs, in knowing good and euyll: And now lest peraduenture he put foorth his hande, and take also of the tree of lyfe and eate, and lyue for euer.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Even so the tongue is a little member,.... Like the bit in the horse's mouth, or like the helm of a ship.

And boasteth great things: and does them; for this word may be taken in a good sense: a bridled and sanctified tongue, that is influenced by the grace of God, and directed by the Spirit of God, as it speaks great and good things, it has great power, weight, and influence: the tongue of the just is as choice silver, and the lips of the righteous feed many, Proverbs 10:20, the Gospel, as preached by Christ's faithful ministers, who are the church's tongue, when it comes not in word only, but in power, is the power of God unto salvation: faith comes by hearing it, and hearing by this word; by it souls are convinced, converted, and comforted, enlightened, quickened, and sanctified.

Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth; what vast quantities of wood, large forests, stately buildings, and populous towns and cities, are at once seized on by a little fire, a few sparks, and in a short time burnt down, and utterly destroyed. One of the proverbs of Ben Syra is,

"burning fire kindles great heaps;''

suggesting, that an evil tongue does great mischief, as did the tongue of Doeg the Edomite, as the gloss upon it observes: from hence the apostle passes to consider the abuse or vices of the tongue.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Even so the tongue is a little member - Little compared with the body, as the bit or the rudder is, compared with the horse or the ship.

And boasteth great things - The design of the apostle is to illustrate the power and influence of the tongue. This may be done in a great many respects: and the apostle does it by referring to its boasting; to the effects which it produces, resembling that of fire, James 3:6; to its untameableness, James 3:8-9; and to its giving utterance to the most inconsistent and incongruous thoughts, James 3:9-10. The particular idea here is, that the tongue seems to be conscious of its influence and power, and boasts largely of what it can do. The apostle means doubtless to convey the idea that it boasts not unjustly of its importance. It has all the influence in the world, for good or for evil, which it claims.

Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! - Margin, “wood.” The Greek word ὕλην hulēn, means a wood, forest, grove; and then fire-wood, fuel. This is the meaning here. The sense is, that a very little fire is sufficient to ignite a large quantity of combustible materials, and that the tongue produces effects similar to that. A spark will kindle a lofty pile; and a word spoken by the tongue may set a neighborhood or a village “in a flame.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse James 3:5. Boasteth great things. — That is, can do great things, whether of a good or evil kind. He seems to refer here to the powerful and all commanding eloquence of the Greek orators: they could carry the great mob whithersoever they wished; calm them to peaceableness and submission, or excite them to furious sedition.

Behold, how great a matter — See what a flame of discord and insubordination one man, merely by his persuasive tongue, may kindle among the common people.