James 3:8

Modern

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

Traditional

But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

Literal

…but no one of men is able to subdue the tongue; it is an unstable evil, full of deadly poison.

Latin

…linguam autem nullus hominum domare potest: inquietum malum, plena veneno mortifero.

Greek

English

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

No man can tame the tongue: The tongue has a remarkable ability to do harm. If hell motivates its evil, humans effort alone cannot control it (3:6).
full of deadly poison: This might refer to the serpent in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1). The Scriptures identify the serpent with the devil (Revelation 20:2).

Theme notes and profiles

Romans 3:13
“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”
Psalm 140:3
They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah
Psalm 55:21
His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.
James 3:6
The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
Psalm 57:4
My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts—with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
Psalm 64:3–4
…who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows,
Psalm 59:7
See what they spew from their mouths—sharp words from their lips: “For who can hear us?”
Psalm 58:4
Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,
Ecclesiastes 10:11
If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.
Deuteronomy 32:33
Their wine is the venom of serpents, the deadly poison of cobras.
Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.