James 4:3-17

3 Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask evilly, that ye may consume [it] in your pleasures.

4 Adulteresses, know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore is minded to be [the] friend of the world is constituted enemy of God.

5 Think ye that the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously?

6 But he gives more grace. Wherefore he says, God sets himself against [the] proud, but gives grace to [the] lowly.

7 Subject yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse [your] hands, sinners, and purify [your] hearts, ye double-minded.

9 Be wretched, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves before [the] Lord, and he shall exalt you.

11 Speak not against one another, brethren. He that speaks against [his] brother, or judges his brother, speaks against [the] law and judges [the] law. But if thou judgest [the] law, thou art not doer of [the] law, but judge.

12 One is the lawgiver and judge, who is able to save and to destroy: but who art *thou* who judgest thy neighbour?

13 Go to now, ye who say, To-day or to-morrow will we go into such a city and spend a year there, and traffic and make gain,

14 ye who do not know what will be on the morrow, ([for] what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, appearing for a little while, and then disappearing,)

15 instead of your saying, If the Lord should [so] will and we should live, we will also do this or that.

16 But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.

17 To him therefore who knows how to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin.

James 4:3-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JAMES 4

In this chapter the apostle gives the true cause of contentions and strifes; and cautions against intemperance, covetousness, pride, detraction, and vain confidence. Having, in the latter part of the preceding chapter, inveighed against strife and contention, he here shows from whence they spring, from a covetous desire of riches and honour; and which yet are not obtained, because they did not ask these things of God with submission to his will; or they asked with a wrong view, namely, to gratify their lusts, Jas 4:1,3 and he dissuades from such unlawful desires, partly because they were no other than adultery; and partly because indulging them was declaring themselves enemies of God, Jas 4:4 and he deters from pride, under the name of envy, proud men being generally envious; from the sense of the Scripture, which says, not in vain, that the spirit lusts unto it; and from the consequence of it, such as are proud being resisted by the Lord, when he gives more grace to humble ones, Jas 4:5,6 hence follow several exhortations, and various duties relating to humility; as to submit to God, and resist the devil, encouraged thereunto by this motive, he will flee, Jas 4:7, to draw nigh to God in a way of religious worship, who will draw nigh in a way of grace to his people; to purity of action, and of heart, or to that which is outward and inward, Jas 4:8 to be humbled, mourn, and weep, instead of joy and laughter, Jas 4:9 to lie low before the Lord, who will raise such up, Jas 4:10 and not to speak evil of anyone, since this is judging a brother; nay, a speaking evil of the law, and a judging of that; which is to invade the prerogative of God, the lawgiver, who is able to save, and to destroy; and therefore one man should not take upon him to judge another, Jas 4:11,12 and as another instance of great neglect of God, and his providence, and disrespect unto it, the apostle takes notice of a common practice among men, and even professors of religion, who resolve to go to such a place, and continue so long, and there make merchandise, and promise themselves success; not considering what frail short lived creatures they are, and how much all depends upon the will of God; and which they should consider, submit to, and be determined by, Jas 4:13-15 and he reproves them for their boastings and joy in them, as evil, Jas 4:16, and observes, that it is not enough to know what is right and good, unless it is done; and that such knowledge is but an aggravation of the evil of sin committed, Jas 4:17.

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit. 'the friendship of the world is enmity of God;' but it is the state as between the parties, in English 'with.' In what follows, the same construction in Greek, it is taken up as 'our state towards' God, but this is warning to conscience.
• [b]. I have, with some hesitation, translated this passage as above. I cannot find that the Greek word is used in a good or holy sense of jealousy. The application to what precedes is evident.
• [c]. See Prov. 3.34.
• [d]. 'Have it done,' not 'be doing it;' the aorist tense. All the imperatives (ten) from vers. 7 to 10 are in the aorist.
• [e]. Lit. 'the neighbour.'
• [f]. 'Who are such as do not.'