Bible Dictionary
Bit
A bit was a metal device placed in a horse’s mouth to restrain and guide it. Scripture uses it as an illustration of control over the animal and, figuratively, the tongue.
Definition
A bit is a curb or bridle placed in a horse’s mouth to restrain and guide it. Bits were generally made of bronze or iron and could sometimes be made of gold or silver.
Biblical Usage
The bit illustrates the control exercised over an animal. In James, the term is used in connection with the bridle that directs a horse; the Revised Version renders the word “bridles.”
Historical Background
The Hebrew word translated “bit” is elsewhere rendered “bridle.” Its use reflects ordinary equipment for restraining and directing horses.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
The curb put into the mouths of horses to restrain them. The Hebrew word (metheg) so rendered in Ps. 32:9 is elsewhere translated “bridle” (2 Kings 19:28; Prov. 26:3; Isa. 37:29). Bits were generally made of bronze or iron, but sometimes also of gold or silver. In James 3:3 the Authorized Version translates the Greek word by “bits,” but the Revised Version by “bridles.”