James 3:6

Restraining The Tongue

⁵ In the same sense, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.

See [by comparison] how great a forest is set on fire by a small spark! ⁶ And the tongue is [in a sense] a fire, the very world of injustice and unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our members as that which contaminates the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life [the cycle of man’s existence], and is itself set on fire by hell (Gehenna). ⁷ For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and sea creatures, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.

Members of the Body

Set on Fire

Tongue is a Fire

Valley of Hinnom

Whole Earth

Fire Of Hell

Gehenna

Proverbs 16:27

A worthless man devises and digs up evil,
And the words on his lips are like a scorching fire.

Genesis 3:4-6

But the serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die!

Leviticus 24:11

The Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name [of the Lord] and cursed. So they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)

Numbers 25:2

For they invited the Israelites to the sacrifices of their gods, and the Israelites ate [food offered to idols] and bowed down to Moab’s gods.

Numbers 31:16

Look, these [are the women who] caused the Israelites, by the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and so a plague came among the congregation of the Lord.

Judges 12:4-6

Then Jephthah assembled all the men of Gilead and fought with [the tribe of] Ephraim; and the men of Gilead defeated Ephraim, because they had said, “You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim, in the midst of [the tribes of] Ephraim and Manasseh.”

Judges 16:15-20

Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times and have not told me where your great strength lies.”

1 Samuel 22:9-17

Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s servants, replied, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech [the priest] the son of Ahitub.

2 Samuel 13:26-29

Then Absalom said, “If not, then at least let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?”

2 Samuel 15:2-6

He would get up early and stand beside the road to the gate [of the city, where court was held]; and when any man who had a dispute came to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him, “From what city are you?” And he would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.”

2 Samuel 16:20-2

Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give me your advice. What should we do?”

2 Samuel 19:43-1

Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten [tribes’] shares in the king, and we have more claim on David than you. Why then did you treat us with contempt and ignore us [by rushing ahead]? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?” But the words of the men of Judah were harsher than those of the men of Israel.

1 Kings 21:5-15

Then Jezebel his wife came to him and asked him, “Why is your spirit so troubled that you have not eaten?”

2 Chronicles 10:13-16

The king answered them harshly, for King Rehoboam rejected the counsel of the elders.

2 Chronicles 13:17

Abijah and his people inflicted on them a great defeat, so that 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell slain.

Psalm 64:3

Who have sharpened their tongues like a sword.
They aim venomous words as arrows,

Psalm 120:2-3

Rescue my soul, O Lord, from lying lips,
And from a deceitful tongue.

Psalm 140:3

They sharpen their tongues like a serpent’s;
Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.

Proverbs 1:10-14

My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.

Proverbs 6:19

A false witness who breathes out lies [even half-truths],
And one who spreads discord (rumors) among brothers.

Proverbs 7:5

That they may keep you from the immoral woman,
From the foreigner [who does not observe God’s laws and] who flatters with her [smooth] words.

Proverbs 7:21-23

With her many persuasions she caused him to yield;
With her flattering lips she seduced him.

Proverbs 15:1

A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath,
But harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger.

Proverbs 26:20-21

For lack of wood the fire goes out,
And where there is no whisperer [who gossips], contention quiets down.

Isaiah 30:27

Now look, the name of the Lord comes from far away,
Burning with His anger, and heavy with smoke;
His lips are full of indignation,
And His tongue is like a consuming fire.

Jeremiah 20:10

For I have heard the whispering and defaming words of many,
“Terror on every side!
Denounce him! Let us denounce him!”
All my familiar and trusted friends,
[Those who are] watching for my fall, say,
“Perhaps he will be persuaded and deceived; then we will overcome him,
And take our revenge on him.”

Jeremiah 28:16

Therefore thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am about to send you away from the face of the earth. This year you will die, because you have spoken and counseled rebellion against the Lord.’”

Matthew 5:22

But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice against him shall be guilty before the court; and whoever speaks [contemptuously and insultingly] to his brother, ‘Raca (You empty-headed idiot)!’ shall be guilty before the supreme court (Sanhedrin); and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the fiery hell.

Matthew 12:24

But the Pharisees heard it and said, “This man casts out demons only by [the help of] Beelzebul (Satan) the prince of the demons.”

Matthew 12:32-36

Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit [by attributing the miracles done by Me to Satan] will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Matthew 15:11-20

It is not what goes into the mouth of a man that defiles and dishonors him, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles and dishonors him.”

Mark 7:15

there is nothing outside a man [such as food] which by going into him can defile him [morally or spiritually]; but the things which come out of [the heart of] a man are what defile and dishonor him.

Mark 7:20-22

And He said, “Whatever comes from [the heart of] a man, that is what defiles and dishonors him.

Mark 14:55-57

Now the chief priests and the entire Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) were trying to obtain testimony against Jesus [which they could use] to have Him [condemned and] executed, but they were not finding any.

Luke 16:24

And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in severe agony in this flame.’

Acts 5:3

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and [secretly] keep back for yourself some of the proceeds [from the sale] of the land?

Acts 6:13

They presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the Law [of Moses];

Acts 20:30

even from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse and distorted things, to draw away the disciples after themselves [as their followers].

Romans 3:13-14

“Their throat is an open grave;
They [habitually] deceive with their tongues.”
“The venom of asps is beneath their lips.”

Romans 16:17-18

I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep your eyes on those who cause dissensions and create obstacles or introduce temptations [for others] to commit sin, [acting in ways] contrary to the doctrine which you have learned. Turn away from them.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

For such men are counterfeit apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.

Ephesians 5:3-4

But sexual immorality and all [moral] impurity [indecent, offensive behavior] or greed must not even be hinted at among you, as is proper among saints [for as believers our way of life, whether in public or in private, reflects the validity of our faith].

Colossians 3:8-9

But now rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene (abusive, filthy, vulgar) language from your mouth.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

The coming of the [Antichrist, the lawless] one is through the activity of Satan, [attended] with great power [all kinds of counterfeit miracles] and [deceptive] signs and false wonders [all of them lies],

Titus 1:11

They must be silenced, because they are upsetting whole families by teaching things they should not teach for the purpose of dishonest financial gain.

James 2:7

Do they not blaspheme the precious name [of Christ] by which you are called?

2 Peter 2:1-2

But [in those days] false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will subtly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves.

2 Peter 3:3

First of all, know [without any doubt] that mockers will come in the last days with their mocking, following after their own human desires

3 John 1:10

For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing, unjustly accusing us with wicked words and unjustified charges. And not satisfied with this, he refuses to receive the [missionary] brothers himself, and also forbids those who want to [welcome them] and puts them out of the church.

Jude 1:8-10

Nevertheless in the same way, these dreamers [who are dreaming that God will not punish them] also defile the body, and reject [legitimate] authority, and revile and mock angelic majesties.

Jude 1:15-18

to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly deeds they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh and cruel things ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

Revelation 2:14-15

But I have a few things against you, because you have there some [among you] who are holding to the [corrupt] teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, [enticing them] to eat things that had been sacrificed to idols and to commit [acts of sexual] immorality.

Revelation 12:9

And the great dragon was thrown down, the age-old serpent who is called the devil and Satan, he who continually deceives and seduces the entire inhabited world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 13:1-5

And the dragon (Satan) stood on the sandy shore of the sea.

Then I saw a [vicious] beast coming up out of the sea with ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten royal crowns (diadems), and on his heads were blasphemous names.

Revelation 13:14

And he deceives those [unconverted ones] who inhabit the earth [into believing him] because of the signs which he is given [by Satan] to perform in the presence of the [first] beast, telling those who inhabit the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded [fatally] by the sword and has come back to life.

Revelation 18:23

And never again will the light of a lamp shine in you, and never again will the voice of the bridegroom and bride be heard in you; for your merchants were the great and prominent men of the earth, because all the nations were deceived and misled by your sorcery [your magic spells and poisonous charm].

Revelation 19:20

And the beast (Antichrist) was seized and overpowered, and with him the false prophet who, in his presence, had performed [amazing] signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were hurled alive into the lake of fire which blazes with brimstone.

Deuteronomy 13:6

“If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as [precious to you as] your own life (soul), entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other gods’ (gods whom neither you nor your fathers have known,