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®

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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.