complete verse (James 4:14)

Following are a number of back-translations of James 4:14:

  • Uma: “Yet you don’t even know what will happen tomorrow! Just what [lit., How really] is your life? Your life is like smoke: visible for a while, and suddenly it disappears!” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “But/and-what’s-more you don’t know what will happen to you tomorrow. Your life in this world is figuratively just like a cloud. It is seen for a little while and then it has disappeared.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “You are stupid, for we (incl.) do not know even what is going to happen tomorrow. Our life here on the earth is very short, just like a thin cloud which suddenly is seen and suddenly also is gone.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Do you indeed know what will happen tomorrow? No! Because our life, it can be compared to the clouds/mist that can-be-seen now but in a moment/short-while they are-no-more.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “But well, you don’t yet know what will happen to you when tomorrow comes. Because as for our life, it’s just like smoke which rises up and before long disappears.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “You do not know what will happen tomorrow. You do not know what day you will die. You see a cloud, now you see it, then you see that it is gone, all of a sudden it disappears. It is like this for you, you will pass on.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on James 4:14

Whereas you do not know about tomorrow: the confidence of the business people is unfounded. They make plans only in reference to this world. They do not know anything about the future, which starts tomorrow.

There are two problems in this verse. The first is the exact sense of the indefinite relative pronoun rendered as whereas by Revised Standard Version. The Revised Standard Version rendering obviously takes it adverbially, with the force of bringing out a contrary argument. This is the understanding of those translations that render the relative as “why” (New International Version) or “yet” (so Revised English Bible, New Revised Standard Version). Others suggest that it should be taken in the classical sense of “you are those who…,” referring back to “you who say…” in 4.13. In this case we can identify those who know nothing about what will happen in the future as the same ones who make plans to do something. Those translations favoring this interpretation normally place a dash before “you”; for example, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow … and making money’—you who know nothing about tomorrow!” (Moffatt; similarly New American Bible). Either understanding is possible. Actually, if the exact relationship of this verse with the previous one is not marked, that is, if the indefinite relative whereas is left untranslated, the next statement is in fact saying something contrary to the previous verse. Note, for example, the Good News Translation rendering: “You don’t even know what your life tomorrow will be!” One way to overcome this problem is to say “You people who talk like this don’t know…” or “You people who say such things don’t know….”

The next problem has to do with the structure of the first part of the sentence, which to some extent is compounded by variants in the Greek text. The UBS Greek New Testament takes the first half of the verse as a single sentence; that is, there is no punctuation between “you do not know the thing [with the singular article] tomorrow” and “what is your life.” If these two clauses are joined together, the resultant rendering will be something like what Good News Translation has done: “You don’t even know what your life tomorrow will be!” (so also La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Bible en français courant; similarly New American Standard Bible and Barclay). On this interpretation James can be understood as saying that these business people are ignorant of what the conditions of their life will be tomorrow.

The other alternative is to separate this part of the verse into two sentences. In this case translators usually adopt in the first statement a form of the text with either the singular article (“the thing [or, course] of tomorrow”) or the plural (“the things [or, affairs] of tomorrow”). The resultant rendering is reflected in the Revised Standard Version rendering, you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? The answer to this question is then given in the second half of this verse. This is essentially the interpretation adopted by New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version. On this interpretation James appears to be emphasizing the uncertainty and shortness of life. It may be noted that some translations have rendered the first sentence also as a question; for example, “What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life?” (Contemporary English Version; so also Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

There appears to be a stronger case for the second interpretation for the following reasons. First, what James goes on to say about the readers’ life as a mist or a “puff of smoke” shows that he seems to have the uncertainty of life in mind. Secondly, if the first half of the verse is taken as one sentence, we would have to take “what” as the object of the verb “know.” Normally we would expect “what” to follow closely after the verb “know” when it is the object of that verb. But in this instance the two are separated by a phrase, “the thing of tomorrow.” It seems more natural, then, to take “what” as introducing a separate question relating to “your life.”

Tomorrow in certain languages will be expressed as “when the sun rises again” or “when a new day comes.” So we may translate you do not know about tomorrow as “You people who say this don’t even know what will happen after the sun rises again” or “You people who talk like this don’t even know what will happen when a new day comes.”

For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes: what is sure about life, according to James, is its uncertainty. You are a mist is of course referring to “your life” (“Your life is like a mist,” Barclay). The word mist can also mean “smoke,” and so it has been rendered as “a puff of smoke” by a number of translations (Good News Translation, Translator’s New Testament, New American Bible). It is used here as a metaphor indicating the uncertainty and shortness of life. It is like a mist that evaporates quickly under the sun, or like smoke blown away by the wind. The metaphor you are a mist is best rendered in some languages as a simile; for example, “you are like a mist” or “you are like a puff of smoke” (Good News Translation). Observe a play on words here; in the Greek appears and vanishes are both participles, literally “appearing” and “disappearing.” Life appears just for a little while, but like a mist or a puff of smoke it disappears quickly before anyone notices it. No one can be certain when death will come.

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 4:14

4:14a–b

You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life?: There are two ways to punctuate 4:14a–b. Consequently, there are two ways to interpret the clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as What is your life. They are:

(1) It is a rhetorical question and goes with what follows in 4:14c–e. According to this interpretation, James was emphasizing the shortness of life. For example, the NET Bible says:

You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like?

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised English Bible, King James Version, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation, 1996 edition, New Century Version, English Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) It is a statement and goes with what precedes in 4:14a. According to this interpretation, James was emphasizing that the traders were ignorant of what their life would be like tomorrow. (Martin, page 158.) For example, the Good News Translation says:

You don’t even know what your life tomorrow will be!

(Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

It is recommended that you follow option (1). This is followed by the majority of commentators and English versions. James’ point is not about what your life will be like tomorrow, but whether you will be alive at all. This is clear from 4:15.

4:14a

There is a contrast between 4:13 and 4:14. The contrast is between the rich people’s plans, and the fact that they do not know what will happen the next day. Some ways to show this contrast are:

But (New Century Version)
-or-
You talk like that, however

You do not even know what will happen tomorrow!: The Berean Standard Bible uses even as a way of communicating the exclamation in English. The New International Version (2011 Revision) tries to show this exclamation and the contrast mentioned above by using the word “Why.”

Some ways to translate this sentence are:

• As an exclamation. For example:

Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. (New International Version (2011 Revision))
-or-
But you do not know what will happen tomorrow! (New Century Version)
-or-
You have no idea/clue what will happen tomorrow!

• As a rhetorical question that emphasizes that we do not know what will happen tomorrow. For example:

But do you even know what will happen tomorrow? Of course not!
-or-
What do you know about tomorrow? (Contemporary English Version)

4:14b

What is your life?: This is a rhetorical question. It emphasizes how uncertain life is. James responded to his own rhetorical question in the next sentence.

Some ways to translate this rhetorical question are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

What is your life after all? (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Do you know how long you will live?
-or-
To what can your life be compared?

• As a statement. For example:

Think about your life.
-or-
Consider the time you have to live.

• As a phrase connected to and introducing 4:14c. For example:

Your life is…. (New Century Version)
-or-
The time you live is like

Translate this rhetorical question in a way that is natural in your language.

4:14c–e

Most English versions use no connecting word at the beginning of this sentence. In Greek, there is a connector showing that this sentence explains the reason why life is uncertain. The Revised Standard Version translates the Greek conjunction as “For.” Use a natural way of connecting this sentence to the question that came before it.

You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes: This is a metaphor. In this metaphor, James compared a person’s life to a mist. The way that they are similar is that both exist for only a short time.

Some ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears. (Contemporary English Version)

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

For your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

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

You live for a brief while and then pass away.

4:14c

You are: The words You are introduce an answer to the question “What is your life?” In some languages, it may be necessary to say “Your life is….” For example:

your life is like (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

a mist: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a mist means “a vapor or smoke that goes into the air.” Some other ways to translate this word are:

puff of smoke (NET Bible)
-or-
morning fog (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
steam

4:14d

appears for a little while: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as appears means “exists” or “is here.” Some other ways to translate this clause are:

it’s here a little while (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
that is seen for a moment (God’s Word)
-or-
You can see it for a short time (New Century Version)

4:14e

and then vanishes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as vanishes also means “disappear.” Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

and then disappears (Good News Translation)
-or-
then it goes away (New Century Version)

If you translate the meaning of 4:14c–e without using a metaphor, some ways to translate vanishes are:

and then you pass away
-or-
then it’s over
-or-
and then you die

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