For …: the verse begins with a connective particle, indicating that it is meant to further explain what is said in verse 1. It is therefore natural to assume that James is continuing the warning to teachers, since they are the ones who are prone to commit the sins of the tongue. On the other hand it is not difficult to detect from the content that, while never losing sight of the teachers, he may be shifting to a wider application to Christian conversation in general. If we want to focus on the continuity, we may wish to retain the particle For, as Revised Standard Version has done. If, however, we wish to emphasize the shift, the particle may be left untranslated.

We all make many mistakes: what James says here is probably a well-known proverbial saying, as the idea is found in some biblical writers (Job 4.17-19; Pro 20.9; 1 John 1.8). We notice a dramatic shift again in we all, meaning “all of us Christians,” not just the teachers. It is important that, in languages where there is a clear distinction between an inclusive and exclusive “we,” the inclusive “we” be used here. The verb rendered make … mistakes is literally “to stumble” or “to trip.” It is sometimes used figuratively in the New Testament to mean “spiritual failure” or “falling into sin” (Rom 11.11; 2 Peter 1.10) and may be rendered in this context as “make a slip” (Moffatt, Barclay), “go wrong” (New English Bible, Revised English Bible), “commit error,” or “do many wrong things” (Contemporary English Version). The verb is in the present tense, which may indicate that the action is repetitive. The word many in Greek can have the sense of “number” or “variety.” In the first case it may be rendered as many (so also New Revised Standard Version), “often” (Good News Translation, New English Bible), or “again and again” (Revised English Bible). However, in the other case it may be translated as “all kinds of ways” (Phillips) or “many respects” (New American Bible).

Revised Standard Version ends this statement with a comma and continues the sentence to the end of the verse. But in the Greek text there is a period, and the sentence ends here. The conjunction and is added by Revised Standard Version but is not in the Greek original. If we follow the Greek, as most translations do, there is no need to have this conjunction. Instead of and a number of translations supply an adversative “but” (Good News Translation; so also Contemporary English Version, Moffatt, Barclay). This is appropriate because what James goes on to say (makes no mistakes) is obviously in contrast with what he has just said (we make many mistakes).

If any one makes no mistakes: this is the first part of the conditional clause, and he is a perfect man is the clause stating the consequence. What James says here is quite possibly a hypothetical situation. However, some interpreters do not take it as a real condition and therefore have left the conditional particle if untranslated; for example, “Anyone who makes no mistakes…” (New Revised Standard Version), or “a man who never says anything wrong” (Revised English Bible). In what he says in Greek is simply “in word” (King James Version), meaning “in speaking,” “in speech” (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). What James says here is all in masculine gender: he, man. The word man is the one normally used of a male person. But obviously the saying is here applied to a general situation involving all people, and therefore it may be rendered in general terms; for example, “Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect…” (New Revised Standard Version). Here the adjective perfect is perhaps best understood as “complete,” “whole,” and “mature,” not “sinless” in the sense of “morally perfect.” Contemporary English Version uses the idea of “maturity” and translates “But if you can control your tongue, you are mature….” This will be a helpful rendering in many languages.

The perfect man is one who is able to bridle the whole body also. Here James uses this saying to recapture what he has said in 1.26 and to begin a series of illustrations of the activities of the tongue. A bridle is a kind of harness fitted to the head of a horse or an animal to guide, restrain, and control the movement of the animal (see also 1.26, where the word is used figuratively to mean “to control” the tongue). Here it also means “to control” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version), “to keep … in check” (New International Version, New Revised Standard Version), or “to keep … on a tight rein” (New Jerusalem Bible). So if you can control your tongue, you can control the whole body. Good News Translation has removed the metaphor by rendering the whole clause as “is also able to control his whole being.” This is possible of course. But in languages where it is customary to use figurative language, it may be desirable to keep the metaphor. There is perhaps another good reason to keep the expression the whole body, because there is a possibility that James is using it as reference to the entire congregation.

Quoted with permission from Loh, I-Jin and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Letter from James. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .