James 2:4

4 are ye not parciall in youre selves and have iudged after evyll thoughtes?

James 2:4 Meaning and Commentary

James 2:4

Are ye not then partial in yourselves
That is, guilty of such partiality as must appear to yourselves, and your own consciences must accuse you of; or do not ye distinguish, or make a difference among yourselves, by such a conduct, towards the rich and the poor:

and are become judges of evil thoughts;
or "are distinguishers by evil thoughts"; that is, make a distinction between the rich and the poor, by an evil way of thinking, that one is better than the other, and to be preferred before him.

James 2:4 In-Context

2 Yf ther come into youre company a man with a golden rynge and in goodly aparell and ther come in also a poore man in vyle rayment

3 and ye have a respecte to him that weareth the gaye clothynge and saye vnto him. Sit thou here in a good place: and saye vnto the poore stonde thou there or sit here vnder my fotestole:

4 are ye not parciall in youre selves and have iudged after evyll thoughtes?

5 Harken my deare beloved brethren. Hath not God chosen the poore of this worlde which are ryche in fayth and heyres of the kyngdom which he promysed to them that love him?

6 But ye have despised the poore. Are not the rych they which opresse you: and they which drawe you before iudges?