James 3:11

The fountain

(η πηγη). Old word for spring (John 4:14).Opening

(οπης). Old word for fissure in the earth, in N.T. only here and Hebrews 11:38 (caves).Send forth

(βρυε). Present active indicative of βρυω, old verb, to bubble up, to gush forth, here only in N.T. The use of μητ shows that a negative answer is expected in this rhetorical question.The sweet and the bitter

(το γλυκυ κα το πικρον). Cognate accusatives with βρυε. Separate articles to distinguish sharply the two things. The neuter singular articular adjective is a common way of presenting a quality. Γλυκυς is an old adjective (in N.T. only here and Revelation 10:9), the opposite of πικρον (from old root, to cut, to prick), in N.T. only here and verse James 3:14 (sharp, harsh).