John Gill's Exposition on James 3:12

A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.

Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.

Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? etc.] Every tree bears fruit, according to its kind; a fig tree produces figs, and an olive tree olive berries; a fig tree does not produce olive berries, or an olive tree figs; and neither of them both: either a vine, figs? or fig trees, grapes; or either of them, figs and grapes: so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. The Alexandrian copy reads, “neither can the salt water yield sweet water”; that is, the sea cannot yield sweet or fresh water: the Syriac version renders it, “neither can salt water be made sweet”: but naturalists say, it may be made sweet, by being strained through sand: the design of these similes is to observe how absurd a thing it is that a man should both bless and curse with his tongue.

Read James 3:12 →Read the full chapter →Jamieson, Fausset & Brown →Barnes' Notes →Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge →

How to use this source
This excerpt is attributed to its named commentary. It is included as a historical study resource and should be evaluated in light of Scripture and other relevant evidence.