4:5a–c

Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?: This is a rhetorical question. James used this rhetorical question to emphasize that his readers should not think that the Scripture says things without reason. In this rhetorical question, James used scripture to support his statement in 4:4. That statement is that friendship with the world cannot exist together with friendship with God.

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? (English Standard Version)
-or-
^5bThe scripture says, ^5c“He yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made to dwell in us.” ^5aDo you^(plur) think that ^5bthe scripture says that without reason?

• As a statement. For example:

You^(plur) must not think that there is no truth in the scripture that says that God jealously desires the spirit that he placed in us.

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

4:5a

Or: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Or often occurs before a rhetorical question. It implies that the following sentence will support James’ statement in 4:4. Here this word is not used to indicate a choice between two options. It is perhaps for that reason that some English versions omit this word.

do you think: The clause do you think introduces a rhetorical question. It implies that the reader should not think that way. One way to translate this clause is to make the entire sentence a statement. For example:

you should certainly not think

Consider what form of question or statement will translate this naturally in your language.

4:5b

the Scripture says: In the clause the Scripture says, the word Scripture is personified. This means that Scripture is spoken of as if it were a person that says things. In some languages, it may be necessary to say that it is God who says these things. For example:

in Scripture, God says
-or-
God said in his book
-or-
it is written in God’s word

Usually in the New Testament, the words the Scripture says introduce a direct quote from the Old Testament. But here, the sentence that these words introduce does not match any Old Testament sentence very closely. Many commentators take the verse as two separate sentences. In this case the words “the scripture” might refer back to 3:4 or forward to the rest of 3:5.However, it is more natural to take the Greek words translated Scripture says as simply introducing what Scripture says. For this reason punctuating as one sentence, as in Berean Standard Bible, is recommended.) They say that it is not a quotation of the exact words of a verse in the Old Testament. (There are similar cases in John 7:38 and John 7:42.) Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

scripture teaches
-or-
in scripture God teaches

The word Scripture also occurs in 2:8b.

without reason: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as without reason means “for no purpose” or “in vain.” James used this word to indicate that the words of Scripture that follow are not useless or worthless words. They are true.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

in vain (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
for nothing (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
to no purpose (English Standard Version)
-or-
no truth (Good News Translation)

4:5c

the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Spirit He caused to dwell in us is ambiguous. In Greek, it is unclear whether:

(a) the spirit refers to the human spirit or the Holy Spirit

(b) the spirit is the subject or the object of the verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as yearns with envy

The main ways to interpret the phrase the Spirit are:

(1) It refers to the human spirit and is the object of the verb. According to this interpretation, God has strong feelings of jealousy for us. God will not tolerate his people loving the world. He wants their total loyalty.

According to this interpretation, this verse is connected with 4:4. It is a metaphor of God as the jealous husband who has an adulterous wife. For example, the Revised Standard Version says:

He yearns jealously over the spirit which he has made to dwell in us.

(New International Version, 2011 edition, Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version)

(2) It refers to the human spirit and is the subject of the verb. According to this interpretation, the human spirit that God made to live in us has strong envious desires. (Adamson (1976), pages 171–173; see also Adamson (1989), pages 330–333. Laws, page 178, takes it as a rhetorical question: “Does the spirit which he made to dwell in us long enviously?” with the implied answer that according to Scripture it does not, it longs for God.)

According to this interpretation, this verse is connected with 4:1–3. It continues to describe the evil desires that are in humans. For example, the New Living Translation (2004 Revision) says:

the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy

(New International Version (1984 Revision), Good News Translation, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, King James Version, New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

(3) It refers to the Holy Spirit and is the subject of the verb. According to this interpretation, the Holy Spirit that God sent to live in us his people feels strongly possessive of us. (Alford, page 315; Mayor, page 137; Hiebert, pages 255–257; Martin, pages 149–150. Also R. Buth, START 2, pages 11–12.) For example, the New Century Version says:

The Spirit that God made to live in us wants us for himself alone

(Berean Standard Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation, 1996 edition, New Century Version)

(4) It refers to the Holy Spirit and is the object of the verb. According to this interpretation, God cares strongly about the Holy Spirit. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

God truly cares about the Spirit he has put in us

(Contemporary English Version, New American Standard Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This interpretation:

(a) works well grammatically. God is the subject of:

• ^4:5che caused to dwell in us

• ^4:6ahe gives more grace

So it is natural that God is also the subject of the verb envies intensely.

(b) fits well with James’ appeal for Christians to turn away from friendship with the world. We must not be friends with the world because:

• if we are friends with the world, we are enemies with God.

• God jealously desires us for himself. He does not want us to be like an adulterous wife.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

God jealously desires for himself the spirit that he placed in us.
-or-
God put the spirit into man to give him life. Because of that, he is jealous of what we do with our lives.

yearns with envy: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as yearns with envy is literally “desires with jealousy.” Here it describes God as a jealous God who desires that we belong to him alone. (Exodus 20:5 says, “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.”) Be sure that the way you translate this phrase is an appropriate way to speak about a perfect God.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

he jealously desires
-or-
God strongly desires that this spirit must submit to him alone.
-or-
he wants us to love/worship only him like a jealous husband wants his wife to love only him.

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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.

4:6a

But He gives us more grace: Most commentators agree that the words But He gives us more grace are the words of James. They are not an additional part of the scripture that James mentioned in 4:5c. (Note that although the 1973 and 1978 editions of New International Version (2011 Revision) included these words as part of the quotation, the 1984 edition finishes the quotation at the end of 4:5 like all other major English versions.)

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But introduces a mild contrast. The contrast is between our unfaithfulness (4:4) and God’s grace. The contrast is also between God’s high standard (4:5) and his grace.

He gives us more grace: The expression gives…more grace translates a Hebrew idiom meaning “treat someone very favorably and kindly”. Here more grace means “very much grace.” God’s grace is completely adequate to meet his requirements. (Ropes, page 265; Laws, page 180; Moo (1985), pages 146–147; Martin, page 151. In NT Greek the comparative form of an adjective is quite often used in an elative sense, where no direct comparison is intended. The translation in this case would be “very much.”)

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

he treats us very kindly
-or-
he acts towards us in a favorable/merciful way
-or-
he is very kind to us

He: The pronoun He refers to God.

us: The pronoun us is inclusive: that is, all believers, including both James and his readers.

4:6b

This is why it says: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as This is why indicates that what follows supports James’ statement in 4:6a. That statement is that God gives grace.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

As the scripture says (Good News Translation)
-or-
just as the Scriptures say (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Scripture says (God’s Word)

it says: The pronoun it here refers to Scripture. Since Scripture does not itself literally speak, in some languages it may be better to say:

God says in the Scriptures
-or-
God says in his written word

Here it refers to one verse from Scripture in particular, Proverbs 3:34. This verse is quoted in 4:6c and 4:6d.

4:6c

God opposes the proud: The clause God opposes the proud means that God “resists” or “is against” proud people. Notice the present tense of the verb. This indicates that God always has this attitude.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

God opposes arrogant people (God’s Word)
-or-
God resists the proud (Good News Translation)
-or-
God is against the proud (New Century Version)

the proud: The word proud describes people who think they are more important and better than other people. In this context, they are people who think that they do not need the grace of God.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

people who think that they are important
-or-
those who think they are better than other people
-or-
people who are not humble

Many languages have idioms for such people.

4:6d

but: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but introduces a contrast. The contrast is between how God acts towards the proud (4:6c) and how he acts towards the humble (4:6d).

gives grace: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gives grace translates a Hebrew idiom. It means “treats someone favorably and kindly.”

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

he is kind (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
he shows favor (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

This phrase also occurs in 4:6a.

the humble: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the humble refers to people who are meek and modest. They know that they need God’s help. They depend on God and not on themselves. They are the opposite of “the proud” people in 4:6c.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

meek/modest people
-or-
people who do not think that they are very important

This Greek word also occurs in 1:9a, but the sense is not quite the same. There the focus was on a person’s lowly social or financial situation. Here the focus is on how a person thinks of himself.

© 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.

Paragraph 4:7–10

In this paragraph, James gave a series of exhortations or commands on how to get back into a proper relationship with God. He said that his readers should turn back to God and submit to him.

The exhortations in this paragraph are all plural. They are general and are addressed to everyone to whom James was writing.

4:7a

Submit yourselves, then, to God: The clause Submit yourselves…to God means “Put yourselves under God’s control,” “Accept God’s authority,” or “Surrender to God.” For example:

Surrender to God! (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
place yourselves under God’s authority (God’s Word)

then: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as then introduces a new paragraph. In this new paragraph, James gave many exhortations (or commands). These exhortations are based on all that James said in this chapter up to this point.

Some other ways to introduce these exhortations are:

So then (Good News Translation)
-or-
therefore (Revised Standard Version)

In many languages, this conjunction should come at the beginning of the sentence.

4:7b–c

In Greek, 4:7b–c begins with the conjunction that indicates a contrast. The contrast is between what we should do for God and what we should do in regard to Satan. One way to translate this contrast is:

But resist the devil (NET Bible)

In some languages, no conjunction is necessary here.

4:7b

Resist: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Resist means “Oppose” or “Stand firmly against” the enemy. This means that we should not listen to or yield to the devil’s temptations. Resist is the opposite of “submit.”

Some other ways to translate this word are:

Oppose
-or-
Do not obey
-or-
Refuse to do what the devil wants you to do
-or-
Fight

the devil: The phrase the devil refers to Satan, the leader of the evil spirits. You may already have a word in your language that describes the supreme evil being. If not, some other ways to translate this word are:

Satan
-or-
the leader/chief of the demons
-or-
the supremely bad/evil one
-or-
the enemy of God

4:7c

he will flee from you: The clause he will flee from you is a metaphor. In this metaphor, Satan is compared to a human enemy. They are similar in that both will flee if you resist them.

There are at least two ways to translate this metaphor:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

he will run away from you (Good News Translation)

• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:

he will soon stop tempting you

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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.

4:8a

Draw near to God: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Draw near refers to approaching God in a spiritual sense. It means “Develop a close relationship with God.” It does not mean that we should change our physical location.

Consider how you speak of being in a good relationship with someone. If your readers will not understand the spiritual sense of Draw near, you will have to adjust how you express this idea. For example:

In your hearts come/go near to God
-or-
Know God better

4:8b

and He will draw near to you: The verb draw near is the same verb as in 4:8a. Some languages will use the same verb in both 4:8a and 4:8b. But other languages will use different verbs for “people going near to God” and “God coming near to them.” In any case, this does not mean that God actually changes his physical location. The verbs in 4:8a and 4:8b refer to our spiritual relationship with God.

If you made an adjustment to your translation of “Draw near” in 4:8a, you will also have to make an adjustment here. For example:

and he will reward/help you

4:8c–d

Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded: This sentence has a grammatical structure called a parallelism. In this parallelism, 4:8c and 4:8d are poetic ways to say the same thing. The similar parts are underlined in the same way:

c
Cleanse your hands, you sinners,

dand purify your hearts, you double-minded

The phrase Cleanse your hands is similar in meaning to purify your hearts. The phrases you sinners and you double-minded are two ways to talk about the same group of people.

See the General Comment at the end of 4:8d to see examples of how to combine 4:8c–d.

4:8c

Cleanse your hands: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as Cleanse your hands is a figure of speech. It is not a literal command to get some water and use it to clean their hands.

There are at least two ways to translate this phrase:

• Keep the figure of speech. For example:

Cleanse your hands (NET Bible)

• Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:

Clean up your lives. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
clean sin out of your lives (New Century Version)

Whichever way you translate this phrase, it is good to put the other option in a footnote.

you sinners: The phrase you sinners functions as a strong rebuke. It also strengthens James’ command about washing hands.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

You are sinners!
-or-
Realize that you have sinned. (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
because you are sinners
-or-
and stop sinning

Notice that the Berean Standard Bible places the phrase you sinners at the end of 4:8c. This follows the word order in the Greek text. In some languages, it is more natural to place it at the beginning of 4:8c.

sinners: The word sinners refers to people who habitually offend God by doing what is contrary to his law. The ways people may offend God include doing and thinking things that God does not approve. People may also offend God by their attitudes and by not doing what God wants them to do. Some ways to translate sinners are:

people who sin
-or-
people who do not obey God
-or-
wrongdoers

See also the note on “sin” at 1:15b.

4:8d

purify your hearts: The phrase purify your hearts is a metaphor. In this metaphor, removing sin from our lives is compared to purifying our hearts. The way that the two actions are similar is that something bad is removed.

In both Hebrew and Greek, the heart refers to a person’s thoughts and desires. So to purify one’s heart means to remove evil thoughts and desires.

Some ways to translate this phrase are:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

make your hearts pure (NET Bible)

In some cultures, an organ other than the heart may be used to describe the part of the person where thoughts and desires come from. For example:

Make your liver pure/good

• Translate the meaning without using a metaphor. For example:

make your thinking pure (New Century Version)

you double-minded: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as double-minded functions as a strong rebuke. It refers to people who seem to have two minds or hearts that are fighting each other. One mind wants to please God. The other mind wants to please the world, and so it is fighting God. If your language has an idiom for this term, consider using it here.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

you people who can’t make up your mind (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
You who are trying to follow God and the world at the same time (New Century Version)
-or-
because you are thinking two ways
-or-
and stop trying to follow both sin and God

Notice that the Berean Standard Bible places the phrase you double-minded at the end of 4:8d. This follows the word order in the Greek text. In some languages, it is more natural to place it at the beginning of 4:8d.

This same word occurs in 1:8a.

General Comment on 4:8c–d

The parallel parts of 4:8c and 4:8d should be understood as repeating the same thought. So you sinners and you double-minded should not be understood as separate categories of people. If a parallel structure in your language wrongly implies different groups, you may need to combine the parallel parts in these lines. For example:

You^(plur) sinful people who are thinking two ways, clean your hands and your hearts.
-or-
You people who want to please both the world and God, remove evil thoughts and evil actions from your lives.

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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.

4:9a

Grieve, mourn, and weep: The three verbs Grieve, mourn, and weep refer to the same act and attitude and all mean approximately the same thing. James used these three verbs to emphasize to his readers that they should be very sad because of their sin. In some languages, it is more natural to show this emphasis with one or two verbs plus an intensifier. For example:

Really be sad and cry over your^(plur) sins
-or-
Be very sorry that you^(plur) have sinned

Grieve: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Grieve refers to expressing inner sorrow. James wanted his readers to be sorry and sad because of their sin.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

Be sorrowful (Good News Translation)
-or-
Be sad (Contemporary English Version)

mourn: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as mourn refers to a severe form of grief or sadness that results in crying. Some other ways to translate this word are:

cry (Good News Translation)
-or-
be sorry

weep: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as weep means to cry. For example:

wail (New International Version (2011 Revision))
-or-
cry (God’s Word)

4:9b

Turn your laughter to mourning: The word laughter refers here to the foolish laughter of people who are following the ways of the world. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Replace your laughter with crying
-or-
Let your laughter become crying

In some languages, it may be more natural to translate both laughter and mourning as verbs. For example:

Stop laughing and start crying. (Contemporary English Version)

mourning: The word mourning is the same Greek word that is translated as “mourn” in 4:9a.

4:9c

and your joy to gloom: Here James left a word implicit. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply this implicit information. For example:

and change your joy to gloom

This clause is parallel to the one in 4:9b. That one referred to the noises that people make (“laughter”, “mourning”). This clause seems to refer to the expressions on their faces. Another way to translate this clause is:

and your joy into sadness (New Century Version)

In some languages, it will be more natural to translate joy and gloom as verbs. For example:

Be gloomy instead of glad. (Contemporary English Version)

joy: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as joy refers to a state of being cheerful and happy.

gloom: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gloom means sadness (as in the New Century Version). Your language may have an idiom describing someone who goes around with a gloomy, sad face.

General Comment on 4:9a–c

In 4:9a–c, James tells his readers three times that they should mourn because of their sin. He does this for emphasis. In some languages, it is more natural to show this emphasis in another way. For example:

Stop laughing and being so happy. Become deeply sorry and cry that you have sinned.

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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.

4:10a

Humble yourselves before the Lord: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Humble yourselves is a command that literally means “Make yourselves low.” Here it refers to making our attitudes low. It means “Submit yourselves” to the authority and greatness of God.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Be humble in the Lord’s presence (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Don’t be too proud in the Lord’s presence (New Century Version)

This verb is related to the adjective humble in 4:6d.

before the Lord: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as before the Lord can also be translated as:

to the Lord
-or-
in front of the Lord

the Lord: The word Lord also occurs in 3:9a. See the Note there for translation advice.

4:10b

and: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and here introduces what God will do if and when people obey the command in the previous verse. Another way to translate this conjunction is:

Then (God’s Word)

He will exalt you: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as He will exalt you contrasts with “humble yourselves” in 4:10a. James meant that God would honor this person and make this person truly great.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

he will lift you up in honor (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
he will honor you (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
he will give you a high position (God’s Word)

James did not say when God will do this. If you must be specific, it is best to translate this in a way that includes both this life and the future life.

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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.

Paragraph 4:11–12

In this paragraph, James wrote about not saying cruel words about one’s fellow Christians. If a person says cruel words about others, it means he is setting himself up as a judge over them.

4:11a

Brothers: James switched from calling his readers “adulterous people” to Brothers. This indicates that he wanted to:

(a) introduce a new subject, and

(b) show his love for his readers. He did this so that he could more strongly ask them to change their behavior.

The word Brothers means “Fellow believers.” Some other ways to translate this word are:

My friends (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Brothers and sisters (God’s Word)

This word also occurs in 1:2a and 3:12a–b.

do not slander one another: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as slander is more literally “speak against.” For example:

Do not speak against one another (NET Bible)

To “speak against” someone means “speak evil of someone” or “say cruel words about someone when he is not present.” It means “criticize someone in order to destroy that person’s reputation.”

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

don’t say cruel things about others (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
do not tell evil lies about each other (New Century Version)
-or-
Do not criticize one another (Good News Translation)

4:11b–e

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of some of the clauses in 4:11b–e. For example:

^11bAnyone who speaks against his brother, ^11dspeaks against the law. ^11cAnyone who judges his brother, ^11ejudges the law.
-or-
^11bIf anyone speaks against his brother, ^11dhe speaks against the law. ^11cIf anyone judges his brother, ^11ehe judges the law.

4:11b

speaks against: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as speaks against is the same verb that is translated as “slander” in 4:11a.

Some ways to translate this verb are:

• Use the same verb as in 4:11a. For example:

^11astop slandering each other. ^11bThose who slander (God’s Word)

• Use a synonym: For example:

^11aDon’t speak evil against each other, my dear brothers and sisters. ^11bIf you criticize each other (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

• Use a general verb. For example:

^11aMy friends, don’t say cruel things about others! ^11bIf you do… (Contemporary English Version)

his brother: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as his brother is literally “brother.” The pronoun his is not in Greek. Some ways to translate this word are:

another Christian (Good News Translation)
-or-
a fellow believer (NET Bible)
-or-
each other (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

4:11c

or judges him: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as judges means “criticize/ accuse others of doing wrong in a mean or severe manner.” This does not refer to the kind of judging that a judge does in court. Nor does it imply that people are never to judge whether something is right or wrong.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

or if you condemn others (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
or harshly/severely accuses him of doing wrong
-or-
or criticizes/rebukes him in a mean/unkind manner

The same word and same idea occur in Matthew 7:1.

4:11d

speaks against the law: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as speaks against is the same as the word translated “slander” in 4:11a. Some ways to translate this phrase are:

speaks evil of the law
-or-
says evil words against the law
-or-
criticizes the law

The law demands that Christians love one another (2:8). If someone criticizes his fellow believer, he is not loving him. So he is not doing what the law demands. When someone does not do what the law says, he communicates by his actions that the law is not worthy of his respect and obedience. So it is as if he is speaking against the law. You may want to make this clear in your translation. For example:

it is as if he speaks evil of the law

the law: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the law refers to God’s law. In other words, it refers to everything that God has commanded his people to do in their lives.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

God’s Law (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
God’s teachings (God’s Word)
-or-
God’s rules

This word also occurs in 1:25a.

4:11e

judges it: The phrase judges it indicates that whenever you judge a brother, it is as if you are judging the law. This means that you are “finding fault” with certain laws and are deciding that you do not have to obey them. Specifically, you are not obeying the law that says that you should love your brother.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

it is as though he judges it
-or-
condemning God’s law (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)
-or-
acts like the judge of the law

The same Greek word meaning judges occurs in 4:11c.

General Comment on 4:11b–e

In some languages, it may be necessary to make explicit how judging one’s brother is the same as judging the law. For example:

^11bAnyone who speaks against his brother ^11cor judges him ^11dspeaks against the law ^11eand judges it because he has not kept the Scripture that says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

4:11f

And: In Greek, this sentence has a conjunction that commonly indicates a change or contrast. Here James uses it to introduce a further stage in his discussion. One way to translate this conjunction is:

And (Contemporary English Version)

In some languages, it is natural to use a conjunction here. In other languages, no conjunction is necessary.

if you judge the law: In this verse and the following verse, the pronoun you is singular. By using the singular form, James addresses every person individually, and therefore very forcefully. Consider whether in your language a command spoken to every individual should be in the singular or plural form.

4:11g

you are not a practitioner of the law: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you are not a practitioner of the law literally says “you are not a doer of the law” (as in the Revised Standard Version). Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

then you are no longer one who obeys the Law (Good News Translation)
-or-
you are no longer a follower of the law (New Century Version)

4:11h

but a judge of it: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but a judge of it is literally “but a judge.” Being a “judge of the law” contrasts with being a “doer of the law” in 4:11g. A “judge of the law” is someone who has authority over the law. He decides which part of the law is worthy or necessary to obey and which part is not necessary.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

become a judge over it (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
but you are condemning it as if you were its judge
-or-
but you are acting as if you have the right to say/choose which laws should be obeyed

General Comment on 4:11f–h

In some languages, it is more natural to translate the three clauses of 4:11f–h as two clauses. For example:

But you are not a judge who can decide whether the law is right or wrong. Your job is to obey it. (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

© 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.

4:12a

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as There is only one Lawgiver and Judge is more literally “There is one lawgiver and judge” (as in the Revised Standard Version). The Berean Standard Bible and New International Version (2011 Revision) add the word only to make the meaning clearer in English.

The Greek text does not say explicitly who the Lawgiver and Judge is. But to James’ readers, it was obvious from the rest of the sentence that it is God. In some languages, it may be necessary to mention God explicitly. For example:

God is the only lawgiver and judge. (Good News Translation)

Lawgiver: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lawgiver is a noun. In some languages, it is more natural to translate the word Lawgiver as a clause. For example:

the giver of the law
-or-
the one who gave the law

It may also be more natural to use a verb other than “give.” For example:

the one who made the law
-or-
God who wrote/commanded laws
-or-
God is where the law came from

Judge: Here the word Judge refers to God. He is the ultimate judge. He is the only one who has authority over the law and can be its judge. He is the only one who has authority to judge people concerning their eternal destiny (4:12b). This contrasts with humans, who do not have authority to judge the law, nor to decide the eternal destiny of people. In some languages, it may be good to make this contrast explicit. For example:

true Judge
-or-
ultimate Judge of the law and people

In some languages, it is more natural to translate the noun Judge as a clause. For example:

one who can judge all things

4:12b

the One who is able to save: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to save means “to rescue from danger or trouble”. In this context, it refers to God rescuing people from eternal death and punishment.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

to free us from punishment
-or-
to rescue people
-or-
save from eternal death

This word also occurs in 1:21d and 2:14d.

4:12c

and destroy: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as destroy refers to eternal ruin and loss. It does not refer to an end of existence. Another way to translate this word is:

to punish us eternally

4:12d

But who are you to judge your neighbor?: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses a rebuke. James used this rhetorical question to rebuke those who were judging their neighbors. He has just stated in 4:12a–c that judging is God’s work. This rhetorical question implies, “You have no right to do that!”

Some ways to translate this rebuke are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Who do you think you are, to judge someone else? (Good News Translation)
-or-
Why do you(sing) judge your neighbor?
-or-
Do you now think that you are that type of person that has power to judge his fellow person?

• As a statement. For example:

So it is not right for you to judge your neighbor. (New Century Version)

Translate this rebuke in a way that is natural in your language.

But who are you: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But indicates a contrast. The contrast is between the word “One” (in 4:12b), that is, God, and you. James emphasized the pronoun you by making it the first word of this sentence and the New International Version (2011 Revision) reflects this emphasis by repeating the word you:

But you—who are you (New International Version (2011 Revision))

Verse 4:12d is also the conclusion to this paragraph. Another way to connect 4:12d to the rest of the verse is:

So (God’s Word)

judge: The word judge is the same word as in 4:11c. Some ways to translate it are:

• Follow the advice given at 4:11c:

condemn
-or-
harshly/severely accuse your neighbor of doing wrong
-or-
criticize/rebuke your neighbor in a mean/unkind manner

• Use your word for the work of a judge:

judge (verb)

• Combine both options (Both translation options (with the word “judge” or not) probably preserve part of James’ logic. 1) Using the word “judge” connects with James’ statement that there is only one Judge. God has the authority to judge people; we do not have authority to judge our brother or neighbor. 2) When we judge in the sense of “harshly criticizing” our brother, we fail to keep the command to love our neighbor. We, therefore, judge the law. But there is only one who has authority to judge the law, the one who gave it. We do not have this authority. Therefore, we do not have the right to judge our neighbor.) above:

criticize and judge

your neighbor: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as neighbor includes anyone that you know. It does not just mean someone who lives nearby or someone who belongs to the same language-group.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

someone else (Good News Translation)
-or-
anyone (Contemporary English Version)

The word neighbor also occurs in 2:8c–d.

© 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.