4:16a

As it is: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as As it is is more literally “But now” (as in the Good News Translation). This phrase introduces a description of how the traders usually behave. It also indicates a contrast. They should be saying, “If the Lord wills.” But instead of saying that, they are boasting.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

But now (Good News Translation)
-or-
But instead (Revised English Bible)
-or-
But in reality
-or-
But your words are not like that

you boast in your proud intentions: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you boast in your proud intentions is literally “you boast in your arrogances.” There are at least two ways to interpret the phrase “in your arrogances”:

(1) It is the object or content of the traders’ boasting. In other words, it is what the traders were boasting about. They were boasting about the certainty of their plans. They were boasting in their own ability to do things without any help from God. For example, the New International Version, 2011 edition says:

you boast in your arrogant schemes

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, 2011 edition, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English (Commentators that support this interpretation are Ropes, page 280; Moo (1985), page 157; Martin, pages 167–168.))

(2) It is the second description of the traders and is parallel to boast. The traders were boasting and they were bragging. For example, the Revised English Bible says:

you boast and brag

(New International Version (1984 Revision), Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version (Commentators that support this interpretation are Alford, page 319; Huther, page 196; Adamson (1976), page 181; Laws, page 192; Davids (1982), page 173.))

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). There are two reasons for this choice:

(a) The word “boast” occurs with the preposition “in” sixteen other places in the New Testament. In all these cases, the phrase that follows is the object of boasting. (As in ‘boast in/about one’s high position’ in James 1:9.)

(b) The noun “arrogances” is plural. This indicates that James was referring to the traders’ plans in 4:13b–e.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

you^(plur) boast about the plans that you think are so good
-or-
you speak so proudly of what you consider to be wise plans
-or-
you are bragging about what you will do

boast: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as boast refers to the traders proudly talking of their plans. They talked as if they did everything without God’s help. This word indicates how people talk when they are proud.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

are proud (Good News Translation)
-or-
brag (God’s Word)

4:16b

All such boasting is evil: The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as All such boasting is evil refers to boasting about your plans. Boasting about your ability to do things without God’s help is evil.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

and it is wrong to be so proud (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
When people boast like that, it is wrong/bad.

© 2012 by SIL International®

Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0

All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.