James Chapter 3 verse 12 Holy Bible

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(12) Can the fig-tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs?--Read, Can a fig-tree bear olives, or a vine, figs? The inquiry sounds like a memory of our Lord's, "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" (Matthew 7:16.)So can no fountain . . .--This, the last clause of the sentence above in the Authorised version is very confused in the original, but seems to be merely this, Neither can salt (water) bring forth fresh; or, as Wordsworth renders it, Nor can water that is salt produce what is sweet. And such in effect is Alford's comment: "If the mouth emit cursing, thereby making itself a brackish spring, it cannot to any purpose also emit the sweet stream of praise and good words; if it appear to do so, all must be hypocrisy and mere seeming." Every blessing is, in fact, tainted by the tongue which has uttered curses; and even "Praise is not seemly in the mouth of a sinner" (Ecclesiasticus 15:9).Parallel Commentaries ...GreekMyμου (mou)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person SingularStrong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.brothers,ἀδελφοί (adelphoi)Noun - Vocative Masculine PluralStrong's 80: A brother, member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian. A brother near or remote.canδύναται (dynatai)Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person SingularStrong's 1410: (a) I am powerful, have (the) power, (b) I am able, I can. Of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible.a fig treeσυκῆ (sykē)Noun - Nominative Feminine SingularStrong's 4808: A fig-tree. From sukon; a fig-tree.growποιῆσαι (poiēsai)Verb - Aorist Infinitive ActiveStrong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.olives,ἐλαίας (elaias)Noun - Accusative Feminine PluralStrong's 1636: An olive tree; the Mount of Olives. Feminine of a presumed derivative from an obsolete primary; an olive.orἢ (ē)ConjunctionStrong's 2228: Or, than. A primary particle of distinction between two connected terms; disjunctive, or; comparative, than.a grapevineἄμπελος (ampelos)Noun - Nominative Feminine SingularStrong's 288: A vine, grape-vine. Probably from the base of amphoteros and that of halon; a vine.[bear] figs?σῦκα (syka)Noun - Accusative Neuter PluralStrong's 4810: A (ripe) fig. Apparently a primary word; a fig.Neither [can]οὔτε (oute)ConjunctionStrong's 3777: And not, neither, nor. From ou and te; not too, i.e. Neither or nor; by analogy, not even.a salt [spring]ἁλυκὸν (halykon)Adjective - Nominative Neuter SingularStrong's 252: Salty, saltine, bitter. From hals; briny.produceποιῆσαι (poiēsai)Verb - Aorist Infinitive ActiveStrong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.freshγλυκὺ (glyky)Adjective - Accusative Neuter SingularStrong's 1099: Sweet. Of uncertain affinity; sweet.water.ὕδωρ (hydōr)Noun - Accusative Neuter SingularStrong's 5204: Water. And genitive case, hudatos, etc. From the base of huetos; water literally or figuratively.Jump to PreviousAble Bear Berries Either Fig Figs Fig-Tree Fountain Fresh Grapevine Olive Olives Produce Salt Sea Spring Sweet Tree Vine Water Yield Yields