Charles Ellicott Commentary James 3:6

"And the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell." — James 3:6 (ASV)

And the tongue is a fire.—A better rendering is: The tongue—that world of iniquity—is a fire, to burn and destroy the fairest works of peace. The tongue is in our members that which defiles the whole body, and sets the world aflame, and is set on fire itself by Gehenna. “The course of Nature” is literally the “wheel,” the “orb of creation.” The Jewish word for the place of torment, the accursed side of Hades, should be preserved in this way: from where it was that the rich man of the parable prayed for water to cool his tongue (Luke 16:24).

“Speech is silver; silence, gold.” But even the Christian world will not endure too much the godly discipline of silence. Three temptations “to smite with the tongue” are especially powerful for evil: namely, as a relief from passion, as a gratification of spite, and as revenge for wrong. The first is experienced by hot-tempered people; the second is yielded to by the malicious; the third is welcomed by the otherwise weak and defenseless; and all of us at times are in each of these divisions.

Then, again, there are the foolish talkings (Ephesians 5:4), and worse, jesting at holy things and misquotations of Scripture—all to be avoided as not fitting for saints.

If then we would walk in love, we must curb the tongue. Better still, we should strive to cleanse the heart, and so be quite determined that nothing shall go forth but words of meekness and affection.

Indeed, if we are truly Christ’s, though reviled by the unruly tongues of others, we shall, like Him, revile not again (1 Peter 2:23). And as the whole body is the Lord’s to be sanctified to Him (1 Corinthians 6:19 and following), so particularly must the tongue be kept from evil-speaking, lying, and slandering, and used rightly for the service of God. Thus we may truly offer the calves of our lips (Hosea 14:2), more acceptable than the blood of victims slain on a thousand altars, than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices (Mark 12:23).