In the Bawm Chin culture there are no horses, but one kind of buffalo is guided by a rope in its mouth, so that was used here in the translation into Bawm Chin.
See also bridle.
inclusive vs. exclusive pronoun (Jas. 3:3)
Many languages distinguish between inclusive and exclusive first-person plural pronouns (“we”). (Click or tap here to see more details)
The inclusive “we” specifically includes the addressee (“you and I and possibly others”), while the exclusive “we” specifically excludes the addressee (“he/she/they and I, but not you”). This grammatical distinction is called “clusivity.” While Semitic languages such as Hebrew or most Indo-European languages such as Greek or English do not make that distinction, translators of languages with that distinction have to make a choice every time they encounter “we” or a form thereof (in English: “we,” “our,” or “us”).
For this verse, translators typically select the inclusive form (including the writer and the readers of this letter).
Source: Velma Pickett and Florence Cowan in Notes on Translation January 1962, p. 1ff.
complete verse (James 3:3)
Following are a number of back-translations of James 3:3:
- Uma: “Something that is small can control what is big. Usually we use-bits-with horses so that they follow our will. With a small bit we can command a big horse.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “A figure (for it is) a bridle of a horse. We (dual) put a bridle in the mouth of a horse so that he follows/obeys our (dual) wishes/will and we (dual) can carry/direct him wherever we (dual) want to go.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “We put a bit in the mouth of a horse so that we might control where we want him to go.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “For-example, if we put-a-bit-in the mouth of a horse so that he will obey us, we can direct him where we want to go.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “For example a horse, provided its mouth has a bit in it, obeys wherever we want to cause it to go.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
- Tenango Otomi: “When the reins are put in horses’ mouths, then they can be controlled. Wherever they are directed, they go.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)
Translation commentary on James 3:3
Verse 3 begins a series of three illustrations describing the power of the tongue. The relationship between the tongue and the body is like that between bit and horse, rudder and ship, and fire in the forest. They all show that something very small can effect or produce something really great.
If …: there is a textual problem at the beginning of this verse. The King James Version rendering “Behold…” is based on one variant of the text, the one with slightly weaker support. The UBS Greek New Testament (“C” rating) and a majority of scholars favor the other variant, a conditional construction rendered either as If or “When” (New International Version, Revised English Bible), and this is recommended by this Handbook.
If we put bits into the mouths of horses: in Greek this is all in the plural. In languages where it is natural to give this sort of illustration in the plural, we should by all means keep the plural form. If, however, it is more natural to use the singular form, we can follow what Good News Translation has done: “We put a bit into the mouth of a horse….” In cultures where horses are unknown, translators may say something like “an animal named horse.” It will also be helpful to include an illustration of a horse. The reference to bits links this illustration with verse 2, where a cognate verbal form “to bridle” is used. The bit is usually the steel part of a bridle inserted in the mouth of a horse; its function is to control the movement of the horse. In cultures where a “bit” is unknown, it will be best to use a short descriptive phrase in place of the noun; for example, “we put something in the mouths of horses to make them go in the right direction” or “we put a piece of metal in the mouth of a horse to….”
That they may obey us: in Greek this clause expresses purpose and so can be rendered more straightforwardly as “to make them obey us” (New Revised Standard Version) if we use the plural form, or “to make it obey us” (Good News Translation) in the singular.
In Greek there is a conjunction “and” before the next statement we guide their whole bodies. Grammatically the If we put … clause is the subordinate clause of a conditional sentence, and we guide … is the main clause. In other words “and” is a marker introducing the consequent clause. For this reason it may be desirable to make the relationship between the two clauses clearer. We can do this by supplying “can” for the main clause; for example, “If [or, When] we…, we can…” (similarly Goodspeed, New International Version, Revised English Bible). The verb guide basically means “to cause to change from one direction to another” and therefore “to turn” (so King James Version, New International Version), “to direct” (Revised English Bible), or more generally “to control” (Goodspeed), “to make it go where we want” (Good News Translation), or “turn … in different directions” (Contemporary English Version).
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 Translation Notes on James 3:3
3:3
Verse 3:3 reinforces and illustrates the point that James made in 3:2. Human beings are like horses: by controlling the mouth one can control the whole body.
In some languages, it may be natural to introduce this verse with a phrase that indicates that it is an illustration. For example:
To illustrate: when we put bits…
-or-
Consider how we put bits…
-or-
This is like putting bits….
3:3a
When we put bits into the mouths of horses: In Greek, the illustration of the horse is introduced with the word “if.” The Berean Standard Bible translates this word as When . Some ways to introduce this illustration are:
If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
We put bits in the mouths of horses to make them obey us, and we have control over everything they do. (God’s Word)
-or-
By putting a bit into the mouth of a horse, we can turn the horse in different directions. (Contemporary English Version)
we put: The phrase we put is a general statement concerning what people habitually do. In some languages, it may be more natural to say:
people put
-or-
they put
-or-
you put
bits into the mouths of horses: In Greek, the words bits, mouths, and horses are plural. In some languages, it will be more natural to use singular words. For example:
We put a bit into the mouth of a horse (Good News Translation)
bits:The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bits is the noun form of the verb “bridle” in 3:2d. A bridle is a rope or strap that goes over the horse’s head to control it. (See the illustration of the horse above.) Attached to the bridle is a piece of metal that passes through the horse’s mouth. In English, there is a specific word for this piece of metal. It is called a bit.
The Greek word used here normally refers to the whole bridle: both the straps and the piece of metal. But if your language has a specific word for the piece of metal that is put into the horse’s mouth, you should use it here. That is what the Berean Standard Bible has done.
Some ways to translate this word are:
• Use a specific term for the thing that is put in the mouth of a horse to control it. For example, most English versions say:
bits
• Use a more general term for the things that people use to control a horse. In some cases, it will be more natural to leave the phrase into the mouths untranslated. For example:
bridles
-or-
reins on the head
• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
When we put something into the mouths of horses to guide them
• Use a cultural substitute. For example:
rope around the neck
-or-
ring in the nose/snout
horses: Some people are not familiar with horses and have no word for them in their language. If that is the case in your language, you can:
• Use a generic term and describe the function of a horse. For example:
an animal one can ride
• Substitute a different animal that a person can ride and put a bridle on. For example:
an ox
-or-
a camel
3:3b
to make them obey us: The clause to make them obey us is the purpose of using a bit and a bridle. Some other ways to translate this clause are:
to cause them to obey/follow our will
-or-
to force/make them to do what we want
3:3c
we can guide: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as guide means to turn or change the direction of something that is moving. Some other ways to translate this word are:
we can turn
-or-
we guide (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
we can direct (Revised English Bible)
-or-
we are able to make it go where we want (Good News Translation)
whole animal: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as whole animal is literally “whole body.” It refers to the body of the horse. The same Greek words are found in 3:2d. When translating this phrase, it is best to use similar words in both verses so that the reader can see the connection between them. For example:
the whole body of the person (3:2d)
the whole body of the horse (3:3c)
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