selfish ambition

The term rendered “selfish ambition” in many English versions is translated as “they want to make themselves come out on top” in Kahua. (Source: David Clark)

In Tzeltal it is translated “raise themselves before God.” (Source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)

complete verse (James 3:16)

Following are a number of back-translations of James 3:16:

  • Uma: “For if there are people who are envious and who put themselves forward, there are certainly also fights and every kind of evil character.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For wherever there are people putting-down/criticizing their (lit. his) companions in order to make themselves (lit. himself) great, and think only about themselves (lit. himself), na, there you see also the ones who fight/quarrel and every kind of evil.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “If there is a person who is jealous and holds himself high, he causes great trouble and he does all kinds of evil.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “So-long-as there is a person who is jealous and strives to make-himself-high, that’s where-disturbance/unrest and all kinds of evil -exist.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Because any person who is envious and causes himself to be dominant, what he’s also doing is trouble-making and all kinds of evil doing.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Because where there is jealousy, there is only fighting there. Each person tries to be looked up to and there isn’t anything good from this.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on James 3:16

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist: James now goes on to explain the evil consequences of false wisdom. Those who make a false claim to wisdom are people with jealousy and selfish ambition, as described in verse 14. Their wisdom is non-heavenly, unspiritual, and ungodly, contributing nothing to the building up of the Christian community. In fact it is the contrary. In many languages it will be necessary to use verbal expressions in place of the nouns jealousy and selfish ambition: for example, “Whenever people are jealous and selfish” (Contemporary English Version), “Whenever people have hearts that desire greatly to have what others have and to be better than other people.”

These negative attitudes inevitably lead to disorder and every vile practice. The adjectival form of the noun disorder has appeared in 1.8, where James speaks of the double-minded person as “unstable,” and in 3.8, where the tongue is said to be a “restless” evil. In 1 Cor 14.33 Paul uses this word in the sense of “confusion,” setting it in contrast to “peace.” The word is also used in Luke 21.9 of the commotions, or “tumults,” of war. As used to describe the troubled situation in the community, it can mean “confusion” (King James Version, Goodspeed), “chaos” (Translator’s New Testament), and “disharmony” (Phillips, New Jerusalem Bible). Again it will be better in some languages to say, for example, “such people are always causing trouble” or “such people are always fighting [or, having disagreements] with others.” The word rendered vile generally means something “bad,” “base,” “worthless,” “foul” (New American Bible), “wickedness” (New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard Version), or “cruel things” (Contemporary English Version). It is often used in the New Testament in contrast to the word “good” (John 5.29, “evil”; Rom 9.11, “bad”; 2 Cor 5.10, “evil”) and therefore is rendered as “evil” by Good News Translation, New International Version, Revised English Bible, and others. The word practice means things that are done, and therefore may also be rendered as “action” (Goodspeed) or “deed” (American Standard Version).

An alternative rendering for this verse may be:
• Whenever people are jealous and selfish, they are always causing trouble and doing every kind of evil.

Quoted with permission from Loh, I-Jin and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Letter from James. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on James 3:16

3:16a

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For here introduces the basis for the comment in 3:15. Some English versions do not translate this conjunction.

where jealousy and selfish ambition exist: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as where jealousy and selfish ambition exist is literally “where envy and selfish ambition.” There is no verb in Greek here. James meant “where there is envy and selfish ambition….”

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

where you have envy and selfish ambition (New International Version (2011 Revision))
-or-
Whenever people are jealous or selfish (Contemporary English Version)

jealousy: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as jealousy is the same word as in 3:14a–b. It can also mean “envy”.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

envious
-or-
jealous (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
unhappy when others succeed

selfish ambition: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as selfish ambition can also be translated as “selfishness” (as in the NET Bible). This is the same word as in 3:14a–b. It refers to the attitude of someone who works to advance his own interests even if it harms or offends others. Here you may use the same word as in 3:14, or you may use a synonym.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

selfishness (NET Bible)
-or-
rivalry (God’s Word)

For some other ways to translate this word, see the examples at 3:14a–b.

3:16b

there will be disorder: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as disorder describes an unstable state of affairs. It is the opposite of peace and calm. In this context, it means unrest in the church community. The adjective related to this word is used in 1:8b (“unstable”) and 3:8b (“restless”).

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

there you will have chaos
-or-
there will be confusion (New Century Version)
-or-
you also find disharmony (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
they will cause trouble

3:16c

every evil practice: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as every evil practice means “all kinds of bad actions/behavior.” Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

every kind of evil (God’s Word)
-or-
wickedness of every kind (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
all kinds of wicked deeds

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