James mentions a third circumstance needing prayer, namely sickness. The theme of sickness is most likely suggested by the theme of suffering in verse 13. The verb “to be sick” in Greek can include any kind of weakness (compare Rom 14.2; 2 Cor 12.10). However, the obvious contrast with “to be suffering,” calling on the elders to pray and to anoint, and the verb “to save” in the sense of “to heal” (verse 15), all suggest that in this context “to be sick” is the intended meaning.

Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him: this is the proper response of the person who is sick. Here we can see glimpses of first-century congregational life and structure. The person who is sick is encouraged to call for the elders of the church to help. The verb call for means “to summon.” The use of the term suggests that the sick person cannot go to the elders and therefore has to summon the elders to the bedside. Maybe for this reason some translations render the verb as “send for” (so Good News Translation, Revised English Bible). However, in certain languages the idea of “summon” or “send for” will seem impolite and thus inappropriate. In such cases we may say “ask the church leaders to come” (similarly Contemporary English Version). The elders originally referred to people of advanced age. The word was sometimes used of older members of a Christian community and later came to be used for respected Christian leaders in a local congregation, and finally of church leaders holding official position in a local congregation. In this letter the usage apparently reflects the latest development, referring to the church officers or leaders exercising general oversight over church affairs.

The term church is often used of an assembly or a general meeting. In its Old Testament equivalent it was used for the gathering of the community of Israel (Deut 4.10). In the New Testament it is sometimes used to denote the universal church, the Body of Christ (compare Matt 16.18; Gal 1.13; Eph 1.22). It is also used of the local congregation in a particular place (Acts 5.11; Rom 16.5; Phil 4.15). In this context the church most likely refers to a local group and therefore is sometimes rendered as “congregation” (so Barclay, New English Bible), or even “group of believers [or, Christians].”

Let them pray over him: the verb to pray over suggests that the elders are standing beside the bedside of the sick person. Some scholars note that this is the only place in the New Testament where the verb “to pray” is followed by the preposition meaning “over” or “upon,” suggesting that it may involve laying hands on the sick person (compare Matt 19.13). In the early church, in addition to special gifts of prophecy and teaching, the elders were to visit the sick, not only for providing spiritual comfort, but as possessing “gifts of healing” (1 Cor 12.9). It is obvious then that the purpose of the prayer here is for healing.

The prayer is accompanied by anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. The phrase anointing him with oil may be understood in several ways. The aorist participle anointing is sometimes taken as referring to an earlier time; that is, anointing takes place before praying. This understanding is reflected in the New Jerusalem Bible translation: “and they must anoint the sick person with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over him.” It is also possible to take it as happening at the same time, that is anointing and praying take place at the same time. This understanding is seen in more literal translations that take “to pray” as the primary action and “the anointing” as the accompanying action; for example, “let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (Revised Standard Version; similarly Phillips, New Revised Standard Version). Still another possibility is to take the participle with an imperative force, to go with the imperative “must pray”; for example, “they must pray over him, and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord” (Barclay; similarly Good News Translation, Revised English Bible). This will in effect make “to pray” and “to anoint” two separate actions.

As to the function of anointing, it is well known that olive oil was often used in the ancient world for medical purposes; for example, in cleansing, soothing, and healing wounds (Isa 1.6; Mark 6.13; Luke 10.34). While not ruling out the possibility that the anointing here is for medical purposes, there are certainly other factors involved. Most probably it also has religious and symbolic purposes, reminding the sick person of God’s concern for his faithful people in time of distress, and stimulating as well as awakening faith. This is confirmed by the fact that the anointing is performed in the name of the Lord. In any case these interpretations will not in any way affect the outcome of translation. The anointing involves pouring or rubbing olive oil on the body of a person (compare Good News Translation, “and rub olive oil on him”). In cultures where olive oil is unknown, it will be better to use a more general term for vegetable oil and translate in a way similar to anointing him with oil, or “put oil on you [or, him],” or even “rub oil on you [or, him].”

The phrase in the name of the Lord is somewhat ambiguous and may be understood in various ways. There are several problems. First, there is the problem of identity. Who is the Lord here? In verses 10 and 11, the Lord is clearly God. But here the title is used in the context of healing. And in the New Testament time, the practice of healing is most often done in the name of Jesus Christ (Mark 16.17; Luke 10.17; Acts 3.6, 16; 4.10, 18). Therefore it is natural and safe to assume that the Lord here refers to Jesus Christ as well, and in some languages this will be stated clearly.

The phrase in the name of the Lord has already been used in 5.10, where it means acting as the representative of and with the authority of God. Here, however, the meaning is not so clear. One possibility is to take it as calling out the name “Jesus,” as at the time of baptism (Acts 2.38; 8.16) or in the rite of exorcism (driving out evil spirits; see Mark 9.38; Acts 16.18). This is possible, but the phrase is perhaps best taken in the sense of “by the authority of the Lord” as someone commissioned by him. This is then similar to the use of the phrase in verse 10. The only difference is that in verse 10 the title Lord refers to God, but here it is Jesus Christ as the risen Lord. The phrase then is not meant to indicate the form of words to be used in the anointing, but to provide the grounds on which the healing is to be effected. Another way to express this is “using Jesus’ authority.” For the translation of Lord referring to Christ, see 1.1 and elsewhere.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:
• If one of you is sick, you should ask the church leaders to come and pray for you. Also ask them to rub [or, put] oil on you, using the authority of the Lord [or, Jesus].

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 .