8在七节和八节上半，雅各继续说，『原来各类走兽、飞禽、爬物和水族的性情，都可以制伏，也已经被人的性情制伏了；惟独舌头没有人能制伏。』地上的走兽、天空的飞禽、尘土中的爬物、各类的水族，牠们的性情已经被人的性情制伏；人的性情比一切动物的性情都强。然而，连这更强的人性也不能制伏舌头。在八节下半雅各说，舌头是『不止息的恶物，满了致死的毒气』。舌头是不止息的恶物，从不停止作恶。舌头满了致死的毒气，邪恶和死亡总是与舌头连在一起。舌头散布邪恶和死亡，污秽并毒害全人类，甚至在基督徒中间也是这样。三至十二节对付舌头的难处。雅各以他对人生的智慧，用了二十种不同的事物作例证：马的嚼环、船舵、野火、不义的世界、来自火坑的火、生命的轮子、走兽、飞禽、爬物、水族、人的性情、不止息的恶物、致死的毒气、泉源、无花果树、橄榄、葡萄树、无花果、咸（苦）水和甜水。雅各有点像旧约智慧的王所罗门，（王上四29～34，）有丰富的人生智慧，但在神圣经纶的智慧上，却非如此。
8In verses 7 and 8a James goes on to say, “For every nature, both of beasts and of birds, both of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human nature; but the tongue no one among men is able to tame.” Every nature of beasts on the land, of birds in the air, of reptiles in the dust, and of creatures in the water, has been tamed by the nature of man, which is stronger than all the animal natures. However, even the stronger human nature is not able to tame the tongue. In 8b James says that the tongue is a “restless evil, full of death-bringing poison.” As a restless evil the tongue never ceases to do evil. It is full of death- bringing poison. Evil and death go together with the tongue. It spreads evil and death to contaminate and poison all human beings. It is the same even among Christians. In verses 3 through 12, in dealing with the problem of the tongue, James in his wisdom concerning human life uses twenty different items for his illustrations: bridles of horses, rudders of ships, wildfire, the world of unrighteousness, fire from Gehenna, wheel of birth, beasts, birds, reptiles, creatures of the sea, human nature, restless evil, death-bringing poison, a spring, a fig tree, olives, a vine, figs, salt (bitter) water, and sweet water. He was rich, somewhat like Solomon, the wise king of the Old Testament (1 Kings 4:29-34), in wisdom concerning human life, but not so in wisdom concerning the divine economy