The Tongue: A Restless Evil

August 6th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

James 3:7-8 For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. 8 But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.

In the book of Proverbs, the tongue of the fool babbles (10:8), slanders (10:18), lies (12:19), and boasts arrogantly (18:12). The rest of Scripture speaks of the tongue as wicked, dishonest, vicious, lewd, corrupt, flattering, slanderous, gossiping, foolish, grumbling, cursing, litigious, and depraved. To bring this tongue of “fire,” fueled by hell (v. 6), under control is difficult to say the least, and this is James’ point in vv. 7-8, evidenced by his explanatory “for” in v. 7.

By contrasting man’s uncontrollable tongue with “every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea” and man’s ability to subdue them—to tame them, James reveals how powerful the human tongue is. Now James is not talking about how man has domesticated every species of animal, whether in the sea, on the ground, or in the air; rather, he is referring to the Genesis account of creation when God gave man dominion over His created order (Gen. 1:26). By alluding to the animal life not created in God’s image, James speaks to man’s uniqueness as the one who was created in God’s image. Being made in God’s likeness gives man the ability to “tame,” to subdue, the world God originally created. Literally, v. 7 says, “Every species…is “being tamed and has been tamed.” The former “tamed” is in the present tense that stresses an ongoing nature of taming, but the latter “tamed” is in the perfect tense, a process that, as Moo says, “is rooted in the state of affairs created by the divine mandate.” Thus, animals, though perpetually being tamed, were ordained to be tamed by the God who created them.

In spite of man’s ability to tame large animals who have the ability to swallow him whole or crush him under their feet, man has a much more difficult time with the slippery wet, slender muscle in his mouth. In the Greek text, v. 8 begins with, “But the tongue…” as if to emphasize how drastically different it is from even the most vicious of animals. Though the strongest and toughest of men struggle to subdue a shark or a crocodile, “no one…of people”—or “no one among people”—can subdue the tongue. Now it is theologically possible that since James believes “no one among people” can bring the tongue under control that he is implying only God can do so. Though it is surely true of God that He can tame a man’s tongue, is it then likely that the tongue He tames will result in the perfect man v. 2 conjectures? After all, a man under the influence of the Holy Spirit is a man whose tongue is tamed. His life, while filled with the Spirit, will bring forth the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). If this is the case, then the perfection of v. 2, as it relates to the common regenerate man, has more to do with maturity or completion than perfection, for no man can reach the level of perfection. Moo says, “Should this lead us to abandon all efforts to bring our speech under control? Of course not. We may never reach the point where the tongue is perfectly controlled; but we can surely advance a long way in using our speech to glorify God. We may not reach perfection, but we can reach maturity.”

In v. 8 the tongue is a “restless evil.” “Restless” is the same word James used for the double-minded man in 1:8, the one “unstable” in all he does. Since the word means “to vacillate,” James is talking about the dual nature and hypocrisy of the tongue, for as v. 9 says, “with it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God.”

Food For Thought
Though we try to steer clear of poisonous things, truly our tongues are full of deadly poison. “They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; poison of a viper is under their lips” (Ps. 140:3; cf. Rom. 3:13; Ps. 5:9). Let us thus strive to speak words that give life and healing rather than death.