Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary James 3:11

"Doth the fountain send forth from the same opening sweet [water] and bitter?" — James 3:11 (ASV)

James again turns to nature for his illustrations. He asks, “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?” The water is sweet (NIV “fresh”; GK 1184) and bitter (NIV, “salt”; GK 4395). The former describes fresh water that is good for drinking; the latter refers to water so brackish or even salty as to be unfit for drinking. James may have had the Dead Sea in mind.