James 2:23

Was fulfilled (eplhrwqh). First aorist passive indicative of plhrow, the usual verb for fulfilling Scripture. So James quotes Genesis 15:6 as proving his point in verse James 2:21 that Abraham had works with his faith, the very same passage that Paul quotes in Romans 4:3 to show that Abraham's faith preceded his circumcision and was the basis of his justification. And both James and Paul are right, each to illustrate a different point. And he was called the friend of God (kai pilo qeou eklhqh). First aorist passive indicative of kalho. Not a part of the Scripture quoted. Philo calls Abraham the friend of God and see Jubilees 19:9; 30:20. The Arabs today speak of Abraham as God's friend. It was evidently a common description before James used it, as in Isaiah 41:8 ; 2 Chronicles 20:7 .