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The tongue is also a fire
The tongue is a metonym for what people say. James calls it a fire because of the great damage it can do. Alternate translation: "The tongue is like a fire" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy and rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)
a world of evil set among our members
The enormous effects of sinful speaking are spoken of as if they were a world by themselves. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)
our members
"the parts of our bodies"
The tongue defiles the whole body
The tongue here is a metonym for the words of the person whose tongue it is, and the body is a synecdoche for the whole person. The words defiling the person is a metaphor for God rejecting a person who speaks evil words. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy and rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche and rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)
sets on fire the course of life
The phrase "course of life" refers to a person's entire life. Alternate translation: "it ruins a person's entire life" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)
life, and is itself set on fire by hell
The word "itself" refers to the tongue. Also, here "hell" refers to the powers of evil or to the devil. This can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: "life because the devil uses it for evil" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive and rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)