The tongue is.. a world of iniquity] better, 'the tongue maketh itself (or, becometh) like the wicked world.' The idea conveyed in this difficult passage seems to be that, while other members can sin only to a limited extent, the tongue can inspire and cause a whole cycle of wickedness—a whole world of evil. 'There is no divine law which the tongue cannot break' (R. W. Dale, 'Epistle of James,' 94). Course of nature] perhaps, 'the wheel of nature'—the whole circle or sphere of life.

Set on fire of hell (RV 'by hell')] i.e. the source from which this evil activity of the tongue springs is hell, the Gehenna of Fire.

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