• James 3:9
    The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures

    • 9 ἐν In αὐτῇ it εὐλογοῦμεν we are blessing τὸν the κύριον Lord καὶ and πατέρα, Father, καὶ and ἐν in αὐτῇ it καταρώμεθα we are cursing down τοὺς the ἀνθρώπους men τοὺς the (ones) καθ’ according to ὁμοίωσιν likeness θεοῦ of God γεγονότας· having come to be;

  • James 3:9
    The Emphasized Bible

    • 9 Therewith are we blessing our Lord and Father, And therewith we are cursing the men who after the likeness of God have been brought into being!

  • James Study Notes—Chapter 3
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)

    • 3:9

      Jehovah, the Father: In the Hebrew Scriptures, Jehovah God was at times referred to as the Father of his earthly servants. (Isa 63:16; 64:8; Mal 2:10) However, when Jesus was on earth, he primarily addressed Jehovah as Father and he taught his followers to do the same. (Mt 5:16 and study note; 6:9 and study note) Additionally, Jehovah is the Father of all humans in the sense that they all owe their existence to him as their Creator and the original Life-Giver.​—Ac 17:22, 25-29; for the use of the divine name in this verse, see App. C3 introduction; Jas 3:9.

      curse: See Glossary; see also study note on “in the likeness of God” in this verse.

      “in the likeness of God”: James here refers to the Genesis account, which states that God made the first human couple “in his image.” (Ge 1:26, 27) They were therefore like God, not in physical appearance (Lu 24:39; Joh 4:24), but in that they possessed similar qualities, such as love, wisdom, and a sense of justice. Likewise, the psalmist David was inspired to show that God created humans with a measure of dignity, glory, and honor. (Ps 8:1, 4, 5) The Bible indicates that even imperfect descendants of Adam can reflect God’s qualities to some degree, especially when they put on “the new personality.” (Col 3:10 and study note; Ac 28:1, 2; Ro 2:13-15) So the point James here makes is that those who curse, or speak disrespectfully of, fellow humans insult God, since humans are made “in the likeness of God.” On the other hand, those who praise, or speak well of, fellow humans in effect acknowledge God as the Source of human dignity.