James 3:12
10 Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, this should not be!
11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?
My brothers, can a fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
14 But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- My brothers, can a fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
- KJV
- Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
- WEB
- Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water.
- ASV
- Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? Neither [can] salt water yield sweet.
- DARBY
- Can, my brethren, a fig produce olives, or a vine figs? Neither [can] salt [water] make sweet water.
- BLB
- Is a fig tree able, my brothers, to make olives, or a vine, figs? Neither [can] salt prooduce sweet water.
- ÅB
- Kan vel et fikentre, mine brødre, bære oljebær, eller et vintre fiken? Heller ikke kan en salt kilde gi søtt vann.
- OTB
- Mine brødre og søstre, kan et fikentre bære oliven, eller en vintre bære fikener? Likeledes kan ikke en salt kilde gi friskt vann.
- B1930
- Kan vel et fikentre, mine brødre, bære oljebær, eller et vintre fiken? Heller ikke kan en salt kilde gi søtt vann.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Luke 6:43–44
No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.
Read in contextMatthew 12:33
Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.
Read in contextMatthew 7:16–20
By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Read in contextJeremiah 2:21
I had planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. How could you turn yourself before Me into a rotten, wild vine?
Read in contextRomans 11:16–18
If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Read in contextEzekiel 47:8–11
And he said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh.
Read in contextIsaiah 5:2–4
He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!
Read in context