ἰός (2)

From the study of James 3:8

Range of meaning

(1) Poison, especially snake venom; (2) rust or corrosion on metal. A different word with the same spelling means 'arrow' in classical Greek.

Against the English

'Poison' is correct, but 'venom' brings out the picture better: James is thinking of a snake.

Used elsewhere in the period

Septuagint Psalm 139:4 (Hebrew/English Psalm 140:3): 'the venom of asps is under their lips', which Paul quotes in Romans 3:13 in his catalogue of sinful speech. James himself uses ios for 'rust' in 5:3. Jewish wisdom writing repeatedly connects speech with death, for example Proverbs 18:21 and Sirach 28:17–21 ('the blow of the tongue crushes bones… its death is an evil death').

From the study of James 5:3

Range of meaning

(1) Venom or poison, especially of snakes; (2) rust, verdigris or tarnish on metal. Both senses are common in Greek, and the link is the idea of something that eats away.

Against the English

English 'rust' or 'corrosion' gives only the metallic sense. The 'poison' sense, which a Greek hearer could not miss, disappears.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used for 'poison' in Ps 140:3 (LXX 139:4), quoted in Rom 3:13 ('the venom of asps'), and in James 3:8 ('full of deadly poison', ios thanatēphoros). Used for 'rust' in Ezek 24:6, 11–12 (LXX), where the rusted pot stands for Jerusalem's guilt and must be burned, and in the Letter of Jeremiah.

From the study of Romans 3:13

Range of meaning

Ios means poison or venom, and also rust or corrosion (James 5:3, 'their rust'). Aspis means the asp, usually identified as the Egyptian cobra (Naja haje). Separately it also means a round shield, a different word that happens to be spelled the same.

Against the English

KJV/YLT 'poison of asps' is the most exact. BSB/WEB 'venom of vipers' uses the more familiar English snake word but changes the species. That is a small loss, since 'asp' carried the idea of the deadliest snake there was, the one tied to royal Egyptian imagery and, later, to Cleopatra's legendary death.

Used elsewhere in the period

Quoted from Psalm 140:3 in English Bibles (Psalm 139:4 in the Septuagint). The Hebrew is chamat akhshuv tachat sefatemo, 'venom of an akhshuv is under their lips'. Akhshuv appears only in this one place, and its meaning is uncertain (perhaps a horned viper, perhaps another venomous creature). The Septuagint translators chose aspis, the standard deadly snake. Deuteronomy 32:33 in the Septuagint pairs the same words: 'the incurable venom of asps'.