SUMMARY
Human speech, represented by the tongue, is an untamable power, able to create havoc or offer blessingBlessing is the asking for or the giving of God's favor. Isaac was tricked into blessing Jacob instead of his firstborn Esau. At the Last Supper Jesus offered a blessing over bread and wine. To be blessed is to be favored by God. More. Readers are warned about the evil that human speech can do and urged to speak in ways that are consistent with God’s own creationCreation, in biblical terms, is the universe as we know or perceive it. Genesis says that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In the book of Revelation (which speaks of end times) the author declares that God created all things and... More and blessing through the word.
ANALYSIS
In 3:9, James reminds readers that human beings have been created in the likeness of God (see Genesis 1:27). The world that God spoke into being can be devastated by human speech. Teachers are at special risk, for their calling is to bring shape and meaning to human experience. The “world” created by their words must reflect the world God created and called very good (see Genesis 1:31).
James’ advice borrows from ancient wisdomWisdom encompasses the qualities of experience, knowledge, and good judgment. The Old Testament book of Proverbs, which sometimes invokes a Woman as the personification of Wisdom, is a collection of aphorisms and moral teachings. Along with other biblical passages, it teaches, "The fear of the... More and extends it in two ways. First, he connects the right use of the tongue to God’s creative speech and to the Jewish and Christian obligation to regard one’s brother and sister human beings as created in God’s likeness. Secondly, he points out the unnaturalness of the fruit of a thing differing from its source (for example, olives coming from a fig tree): God’s initial work of creation and blessing means that human speech is meant for blessing and building up, not cursing that which God has called good.
This essay on the power of the tongue is written from the perspective of a cosmic dualism that sees good and evil in direct opposition to one another. The tongue is “a world of iniquity” and “set on fire by hell.” The right use of speech is not just a virtue to be cultivated, but evidence of goodness prevailing over evil.
