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interlinearVerse INT GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOS JDG RUTH 1SA 2SA 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH EZRA NEH EST JOB PSA PRO ECC SNG ISA JER LAM EZE DAN HOS JOEL AMOS OBA YNA MIC NAH HAB ZEP HAG ZEC MAL YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs ROM 1COR 2COR GAL EPH PHP COL 1TH 2TH 1TIM 2TIM TIT PHM HEB YAC 1PET 2PET 1YHN 2YHN 3YHN YUD REV
OET (OET-LV) If anyone is_supposing religious to_be, not bridling the_tongue of_himself, but seducing the_heart of_him, of_this one useless is his religion.
OET (OET-RV) If anyone supposes that they’re religious but doesn’t guard what comes out of their mouth, then that person’s religion is only skin deep and hasn’t affected their heart.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo
εἴ τις δοκεῖ θρησκὸς εἶναι, μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ ἀπατῶν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ, τούτου μάταιος ἡ θρησκεία
if anyone /is/_supposing religious to_be not bridling /the/_tongue (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἴ τις δοκεῖ θρησκὸς εἶναι μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν γλῶσσαν ἑαυτοῦ ἀλλὰ ἀπατῶν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ τούτου μάταιος ἡ θρησκεία)
James is using a hypothetical situation to teach. Alternate translation: “Suppose someone thinks that he is religious, but he does not bridle his tongue, thus deceiving his heart. Then his religion is worthless”
δοκεῖ θρησκὸς εἶναι
/is/_supposing religious to_be
The word translated religious could refer to a pattern of behavior rather than to participation in worship activities. Alternate translation: “thinks that he is honoring God by his actions”
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ
not bridling /the/_tongue (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἴ τις δοκεῖ θρησκὸς εἶναι μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν γλῶσσαν ἑαυτοῦ ἀλλὰ ἀπατῶν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ τούτου μάταιος ἡ θρησκεία)
James speaks of a person bridling his tongue as if he were controlling a horse with a bridle. Alternate translation: “but he does not control his tongue”
Note 3 topic: translate-unknown
μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ
not bridling /the/_tongue (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἴ τις δοκεῖ θρησκὸς εἶναι μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν γλῶσσαν ἑαυτοῦ ἀλλὰ ἀπατῶν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ τούτου μάταιος ἡ θρησκεία)
A “bridle” is headgear that is used to control a horse. If your readers would not be familiar with what a “bridle” is, you could use a different illustration that would be familiar to them of a device that is used in your culture to control animals.
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ
not bridling /the/_tongue (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἴ τις δοκεῖ θρησκὸς εἶναι μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν γλῶσσαν ἑαυτοῦ ἀλλὰ ἀπατῶν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ τούτου μάταιος ἡ θρησκεία)
By association with the way that the tongue is used in speech, James is using the term tongue to mean what a person says. Alternate translation: “not controlling what he says”
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche
ἀπατῶν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ
seducing /the/_heart ˱of˲_him
James is using one part of this hypothetical person, his heart, to mean the person himself. Alternate translation: “deceiving himself”
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole
τούτου μάταιος ἡ θρησκεία
˱of˲_this_‹one› useless_‹is› his religion
James says worthless as an overstatement for emphasis. There would conceivably still be some value in the religion of a person even if he did not carefully control what he said. But James wants to emphasize how inconsistent it is to claim to love God but then to say things that hurt and disparage other people. He will develop this point further in 3:9–10. Alternate translation: “his actions are not as pleasing to God as he thinks”
1:12-27 James addresses the same three topics as in 1:2-11, adding a new dimension to each topic. External testing (1:2-4) becomes internal temptation (1:11-18); the need for wisdom (1:5-8) is related to controlling angry speech (1:19-21); and poverty/wealth relate to the need to act upon God’s word (1:22-25). The section then summarizes these themes (1:26-27).
OET (OET-LV) If anyone is_supposing religious to_be, not bridling the_tongue of_himself, but seducing the_heart of_him, of_this one useless is his religion.
OET (OET-RV) If anyone supposes that they’re religious but doesn’t guard what comes out of their mouth, then that person’s religion is only skin deep and hasn’t affected their heart.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the SR-GNT.