James 3:12 “My brothers, can a fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Nei…”

James 3:12

My brothers, can a fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Berean Standard Bible

Other translations

King James Version

Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

World English Bible

Can a fig tree, my brothers, yield olives, or a vine figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh water.

American Standard Version

can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? neither can salt water yield sweet.

Geneva Bible 1599

Can ye figge tree, my brethren, bring forth oliues, either a vine figges? so can no fountaine make both salt water and sweete.

Darby Translation

Can, my brethren, a fig produce olives, or a vine figs? Neither [can] salt [water] make sweet water.

Young's Literal Translation

is a fig-tree able, my brethren, olives to make? or a vine figs? so no fountain salt and sweet water [is able] to make.

Bible in Basic English

Is a fig-tree able to give us olives, my brothers, or do we get figs from a vine, or sweet water from the salt sea?

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Cross references

“the fig tree”

Matthew 12:33 Matthew 7:16–20 Jeremiah 2:21 Romans 11:16–18 Isaiah 5:2–4 Luke 6:43

Matthew 12:33 · BSB

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.

Matthew 7:16–20 · BSB

By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Jeremiah 2:21 · BSB

I had planted you like a choice vine from the very best seed. How could you turn yourself before Me into a rotten, wild vine?

Romans 11:16–18 · BSB

If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

Isaiah 5:2–4 · BSB

He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour!

Luke 6:43 · BSB

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.

“so”

Ezekiel 47:8–11 Exodus 15:23–25 2 Kings 2:19–22

Ezekiel 47:8–11 · BSB

And he said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah. When it empties into the Dead Sea, the water there becomes fresh.

Exodus 15:23–25 · BSB

And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.)

2 Kings 2:19–22 · BSB

Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please note, our lord, that the city’s location is good, as you can see. But the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.”

Cross references adapted from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0) and the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

In context

11Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?

13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.

Read James 3