bridle their tongues

The German idiom Zunge im Zaum halten (literally “keep the tongue in bridle”), which today is widely-used with the meaning of not saying more than necessary, was coined in 1522 in the German New Testament translation by Martin Luther. (Source: Günther 2017, p. 121) It is also used by virtually all modern German Bible translations.

For other idioms or terms in German that were coined by Bible translation, see here.

tongue

The Greek that is translated as “tongue” in English is translated in Binumarien as “lips and teeth” because those are the body parts that are associated with speech. (Source: Oates 1995, p. 269)

their religion is worthless

The Greek in James 1:26 that is translated as “their religion is worthless” or similar in English is translated in Huixtán Tzotzil as “it’s in vain that we mistakenly think we are believers.” Huixtán Tzotzil frequently uses the verb -cuy to express “to mistakenly think something” from the point of view of the speaker. (Source: Marion M. Cowan in Notes on Translation 20/1966, pp. 6ff.)

complete verse (James 1:26)

Following are a number of back-translations of James 1:26:

  • Uma: “If there is a person who says he is a religious person, yet he doesn’t guard his lips, he is deceiving himself. That religion of his is of no use.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “If there is a person who says that he is very religious but he cannot control/say-no-to his tongue from speaking bad/evil, that person is just deceiving himself. There is no use in his religion.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If a person thinks that his worship of God is proper, but he does not regulate his speaking, there is no worth in his worship for he has just lied to his own breath.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Now if there is someone who says he is religious (RL relihioso) and meanwhile he speaks without-control (lit. just-anything), it is himself he is deceiving because his religiousness obviously has no value/use.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Consider this, that even if what is in the mind/inner-being of a person is that his following/obeying of God is good, if he can’t yet restrain his tongue, the truth is, this following/obeying of his is worthless. He is just simply lying to himself.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Everyone who does not control his tongue from speaking evil, let him not deceive his heart saying that he is a believer. This person worships God without effect.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on James 1:26

James now shifts the discussion to the marks of true and genuine religion, as a general conclusion of the chapter. In spite of some abruptness in the shift, we still can detect some thread of connection between verses 26-27 and the earlier paragraphs. First, there is an advance from the general principle of “not mere hearing but also doing” to a particular application, “not mere religion but doing good” (Ropes). Secondly, there is again a warning of the need to control our speech (linking back to verses 19-21).

If any one thinks he is religious: the use of a hypothetical introductory formula beginning with If … is the sign of a change in theme. This has already been used in 1.5. The Greek clause may be rendered “If any man … seem to be religious” (King James Version). In this case the meaning is “If anyone seems to others to be religious.” Most scholars, however, take the Greek to mean “If anyone thinks himself to be religious.” The adjective religious that occurs only here in the New Testament refers to an outward expression of pious and careful observance of ritual or liturgical practices. Since the “if” sentence here is not a real condition, Good News Translation has rendered it as a question: “Do any of you think that you are…?” Other ways to render this clause are “If you think you are being religious” or “Do you think that you are a religious person? Then….” In many languages the idea of religious must be expressed more precisely; for example, “worship [or, pray to] God correctly.” But taking into consideration the intent of the previous verses, the meaning of religious here is probably “Do you think that you follow [or, serve] God properly?”—in other words, “… do the correct things.”

This religious person has a problem if he does not bridle his tongue. The verb bridle, which James uses again in 3.2, does not appear elsewhere in the New Testament. It is used here metaphorically; the tongue is like a horse or wild animal, that can be controlled only by putting headgear on it. Most translators, apparently sensing that the word is not in general use, have expressed the meaning without using a metaphor by rendering it as “control.” Tongue stands for speech. In some languages bridle his tongue will be expressed as “control what he says.”

But deceives his heart: this is what happens to the person who does not know how to control his tongue. This phrase is a bit awkward in two respects. First, the author uses an adversative but, where we would normally expect “and” to be more natural. Two things can be done here. We may take it in the sense of “only”; thus, for example, “The one who does not control his tongue is only deceiving himself.” Or we may reverse the order of this phrase and the next phrase, as Good News Translation has done, separating the two and thus, in effect, providing emphasis. Secondly, “deceiving one’s heart” is somewhat unnatural as an English expression. In the Bible the heart is considered not only the seat of emotions, but also of will and thoughts. In many cases it can stand for the whole person. Here it is probably best to take it as equivalent to the pronoun “himself”; for example, “he is only deceiving himself.”

By hearing the word without putting it into practice, this man’s religion is vain. This man in Greek is a relative pronoun that can be rendered inclusively as “this person.” The true test of religion or piety is practice, without which it is “worthless” (Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version), “futile” (Barclay, New English Bible), or “useless” (Phillips).

Alternative translation models for this verse are:
• If you think you serve God correctly, but you can’t control what you say, you are deceiving [or, fooling] yourself, and everything you do is useless.
• Do you think that you really serve God properly? If you don’t control your tongue, you are deceiving yourself, and everything you are doing is worthless.

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 .

SIL Translator's Notes on James 1:26

Paragraph 1:26–27

In order to please God, a person must control his tongue, help others, and avoid sin.

1:26a

If anyone:

Some Greek manuscripts also have the phrase “among you” in 1:26. For example, the King James Version says, “If any man among you.” The majority of English versions do not include this phrase.
The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as If anyone can also be translated as “Anyone who.” The form of this Greek “if” clause indicates that James was referring to everyone who was like this. He was not uncertain whether there was anyone like this. So in some languages, it may be more natural to use a plural here. For example:

Those who
-or-
People who (New Century Version)
-or-
If you(plur)

considers himself religious: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as considers himself religious implies that the person falsely thinks that he is religious. He believes that he does things that please God, but he is wrong.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

thinks that he is religious
-or-
says that he is a religious person

religious: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as religious describes a person who seriously follows the rites and teachings of a religion. This might include prayer, worship with other people, and fasting.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

devoted to God
-or-
on God’s path
-or-
walks well with God
-or-
does God’s work/laws

1:26b

does not bridle his tongue: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as does not bridle his tongue refers to the way a person who rides a horse controls his horse with ropes or leather straps around the head. The ropes are called a bridle. (See the illustration below.) The act of controlling a horse by means of those ropes or straps is also called “bridle.” (For example, “He bridles his horse.”)

Here this word is a metaphor. James compared someone who is able to control his tongue to a horse that is bridled. They are similar in that both can be controlled. Some ways to translate this figure of speech are:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

does not bridle his tongue (English Standard Version)

• Translate the meaning of the metaphor. For example:

can’t control your tongue (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
say things they should not say (New Century Version)

his tongue: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as his tongue is also a figure of speech. It refers to “the words that a person says” with his tongue.

Some other ways to translate this figure are:

his mouth
-or-
his words
-or-
what he says

1:26c

he deceives his heart: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as heart is frequently used in Greek to refer to a person’s thoughts. Some modern English versions translate this word as “himself.”

Another way to translate this phrase is:

he is fooling himself (God’s Word)
-or-
he is lying to himself
-or-
what he thinks about himself is wrong

A person deceives himself if he thinks that he is religious when, at the same time, he cannot control his tongue.

1:26d

and his religion is worthless:

In Greek, 1:26a–c is part of a complex clause that begins with “if.” This is followed by the consequence in 1:26d. The Revised Standard Version follows this grammatical structure:
26aIf any one thinks he is religious26band does not bridle his tongue26cbut deceives himself,Consequence26dthis man’s religion is vain. The New International Version (2011 Revision) and many other modern versions have transferred 1:26c (but deceives himself) to the consequence. One way to emphasize the consequence in 1:26d is to make it a separate sentence. For example, the God’s Word says:26aIf a person thinks that he is religious26bbut can’t control his tongue,26che is fooling himself.26dThat person’s religion is worthless.) The clause his religion is worthless indicates that all that he does to show that he is devoted to God is useless in God’s eyes. Another way to translate this is:

this person’s religious acts/practices are worth nothing
-or-
his religion is of no worth/use
-or-
his worship has no value

religion: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as religion refers to the worship of God or gods. It refers primarily to outward, external acts of piety or devotion.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

ceremonies to God
-or-
worship of God
-or-
piety toward God

This word also occurs in Acts 26:5.

© 2012 by SIL International®

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.