James 3:4. Behold also the ships, which, though they be so great. The ships of the ancients were often very large, as may be seen in the case of the ship which conveyed Paul to Malta, which contained two hundred and seventy-six persons (Acts 27:37); but the comparison is even more forcible in our days, as our ships are still larger.

and are driven of fierce winds. These fierce winds may denote human passions, which the government of the tongue controls.

yet they are turned about by a very small helm whithersoever the governor listeth: literally, ‘whithersoever the inclination or impulse of the steersman willeth.' The little helm controlleth the fury of the winds and waves. Here there is an additional point of comparison, namely, the smallness of the instrument employed in governing.

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Old Testament