James 5:9

9 Grudge not one against another *, brethren, lest ye be condemned : behold , the judge standeth before the door.

James 5:9 Meaning and Commentary

James 5:9

Grudge not one against another, brethren
On account of any happiness, temporal or spiritual, which another enjoys; do not inwardly repine at it; or secretly sigh and groan in an envious manner at it, though nothing may be said, as the word used signifies; much less complain of, accuse, and condemn one another, or meditate and seek revenge:

lest ye be condemned;
hereafter, at the bar of Christ, by the Judge of the whole earth, who is privy to the secret murmurings and grumblings, and the envious sighs and groans of men; see ( Matthew 7:1 )

behold the judge standeth before the door;
there is another that judgeth, who is the Lord, and he is at hand; he is just at the door; a little while and he will come, and not tarry; which may refer not to Christ's coming to destroy Jerusalem, but to his second coming to judgment, which will be quickly; for the Gospel times are the last times; there will be no other age; at the end of this, Christ will come.

James 5:9 In-Context

7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold , the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient ; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh .
9 Grudge not one against another , brethren, lest ye be condemned : behold , the judge standeth before the door.
10 Take , my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
11 Behold , we count them happy which endure . Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Grudge not: or, Groan, or, Grieve not
The King James Version is in the public domain.