Study Notes
1:1 James. See Introduction: Author. servant . . . of the Lord Jesus. James was not always a follower of Jesus (see Jn 7:2–5 and note on 7:4). servant. See note on Ro 1:1. twelve tribes. See Introduction: Recipients. scattered. See Ac 8:1 and note.
1:2–3 trials . . . testing. The first key theme of the letter (see outline).
1:2 joy. See Mt 5:11–12; Ac 5:41; Ro 5:3 and note; Php 4:4 and note; 1Pe 1:6. brothers and sisters. See NIV text note. James addresses the readers as “brothers and sisters” 15 times in this short letter. He rebukes them many times, but he does so in brotherly love. trials. The same Greek root lies behind the word “trials” here and the word “tempted” in v. 13. In vv. 2–3 the emphasis is on difficulties that come from outside; in vv. 13–15 it is on inner moral trials, such as temptation to sin.
1:5 wisdom. The second key theme of the letter (see outline), Wisdom is not just acquired information but practical insight with spiritual implications (see 3:13–18; Pr 1:2–4 and note on 1:2; 2:10–15; 4:5–9; 9:10–12).
1:6 wave of the sea. See Eph 4:14 and note; see also photo.
1:9–10 Believers in humble circumstances . . . the rich. Christians who experience poverty are to take pride in their high position (v. 9) as believers (see 2:5). Wealthy believers, on the other hand, should take pride not in their possessions or status but in the fact that God has humbled them and given them a godly value system, so that they now realize how transitory life and wealth are (v. 10). This exhortation introduces the third key theme of the letter: wealth and poverty.
A key theme in the book of James is the use of and reliance on wealth. Early in the letter, James encourages those with little (“believers in humble circumstances”) to take pride in their exalted position in God’s eyes and kingdom (1:9), while he exhorts the rich to take pride in their humiliation; that is, to acknowledge the transient nature of their lives that their wealth cannot extend (1:10–11).
The contrast of rich and poor resumes in ch. 2, where James chastises the Christian community for granting honor to a rich person who comes into their assembly while treating a poor person in a demeaning way (2:1–4). To argue against such discrimination, James reminds his audience that God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith (2:5), a statement that seems to highlight how those with few material resources tend to lean on God more than those with many (an assumption expressed frequently in the OT).
Toward the end of the letter, James warns his readers against presumption and arrogance in the acquisition of wealth, again referencing the transience of life and the importance of trusting God and God’s will rather than their money (4:13–17). At 5:1, he addresses rich people, and explicitly those who are exploitative and self-indulgent. These dire warnings have inclined many interpreters to see this section (5:1–6) as an indictment of non-believers who are exploiting some in the letter’s audience (referenced in 2:6; cf. 5:4). Others hear in the call to weep and wail (5:1) an invitation to repentance that could be addressed to Christians who are rich and have taken a sinful path with their wealth and are being warned so that they will change their ways. In either interpretation, wealth is shown to be dangerous if it produces presumption, exploitation, or hoarding. Those with wealth should take care to avoid its dangers and instead be open-handed and generous like the God whom they serve (1:5).
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1:10 pass away like a wild flower. See Job 14:2; Ps 103:15; Isa 40:6–7; 1Pe 1:24; cf. Lk 12:15, 20–21; 1Ti 6:8–10,17–19.
1:11 will fade away. Cf. 4:14 and note.
1:12 Blessed. See Jer 17:7–8; Mt 5:3–12; see also notes on Ps 1:1; Mt 5:3; Rev 1:3. perseveres under trial. See vv. 2–4 and note on vv. 2–3. crown. The Greek for this word was the usual term for the wreath placed on the head of a victorious athlete or military leader (see 1Co 9:25; 2Ti 4:8; 1Pe 5:4; Rev 2:10 and notes). life. Eternal life, as the future tense of the verb (“will receive”) indicates.
Matthew 6:1 speaks of not receiving a reward from our Father in heaven. Language of rewards recurs throughout Mt 6:1–21, though it is never specified where and what the rewards are. Other NT passages do at first glance appear to talk about degrees of reward in heaven. The most famous may be 1Co 3:10–15, in which people build on the foundation that is Christ either with durable materials or those that can burn up. All will be saved, but some will suffer loss, barely making it into the kingdom.
Five times in the letters, a writer speaks about Christians receiving crowns—an incorruptible one (1Co 9:25), one of boasting (1Th 2:19), one of righteousness (2Ti 4:8), one of life (Jas 1:12) and an unfading crown of glory (1Pe 5:4). There are also texts that talk about the greatest and least in God’s kingdom (e.g., Mt 11:11) or about the twelve apostles sitting on thrones and judging all of Israel’s tribes (Mt 19:28). Matthew’s parable of the talents (Mt 25:14–30) and Luke’s parable of the minas (Lk 19:11–27) suggest different rewards for different amounts of service.
On the other hand, while there are plenty of passages that suggest each Christian will have a somewhat unique experience standing before God on Judgment Day (cf. 1Co 4:5), none of these texts states that differing statuses will be perpetuated throughout eternity. The crown passages all speak of eternal life itself, not rewards within it. Ranking in the kingdom appears to apply to this life, though all Christians will judge angels (1Co 6:2), relativizing the apostles’ privileges.
The very concepts of salvation by grace and heavenly perfection in the eternal state suggest eternal equality. The parable of the laborers in the vineyard teaches the scandalous truth of generous, equal pay for unequal work (Mt 20:1–16). Some interpreters speak of different capacities to enjoy eternity, but awareness of such differences would seem to work against one’s perfect happiness. Yet if one were unaware of the differences, what would be the point of the distinctions?
Some speak of rewards as a key motivator for living the Christian life, but the NT suggests that gratitude is the key motive. Our response of obedience is simply our duty (Lk 17:7–10).
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1:13 tempted. In vv. 13–14 the verb refers to temptations that test one’s moral strength to resist sin (see note on Mt 4:1). God cannot be tempted. Because God in his very nature is holy, there is nothing in him for sin to appeal to. nor does he tempt anyone. While God allows people to be tempted, he himself does not tempt people to sin.
1:14 dragged away . . . and enticed. Words commonly used to describe fishing and hunting methods, used here metaphorically of how evil desire operates (cf. 2Pe 2:14 and note). evil desire. A person’s innate tendency to sin (cf. Jer 17:9).
1:15 The three stages—desire, sin, death—are seen in the temptations of Eve (Ge 3:6–22) and David (2Sa 11:2–17).
1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above. See v. 5; 3:17. Father of . . . lights. God is the Creator of the heavenly bodies, which give light to the earth, but, unlike them, he does not change or fade.
1:18 birth. Not a reference to creation but to regeneration (see Jn 3:3, 5,7 and notes). word of truth. The proclamation of the gospel (see 1Pe 1:23–25 and note on 1:23). firstfruits. See Lev 23:9–14 and chart. Just as the first yield of the harvest was an indication that the whole harvest would eventually follow, so the early Christians were an indication that a great number of people would eventually be born again (cf. 1Co 15:20 and note). It may also refer to the role of believers as the beginning of the renewal of creation itself (see Ro 8:19–21).
1:19 Everyone should be . . . slow to speak. See v. 26; 3:2,5–10.
1:21 word. The gospel (as in 1:18). save you. Here eschatological (future) salvation is primarily in view (cf. Heb 1:14; 9:28 and note).
1:25 perfect law. The moral and ethical teaching of the gospel, which is based on the OT moral law, as embodied in the Ten Commandments (Ps 19:7) but brought to completion (perfection) by Jesus Christ (see notes on Mt 5:17; Ro 10:4) who ushers in the new covenant (Jer 31:31, Lk 22:20; 1Co 11:25). freedom. In contrast to the sinner, who is a slave to sin (see Jn 8:34 and note), obeying the law internalized in the new covenant gives Christians the joyous freedom to be what they were created for (2:12).
1:26–27 An example of a person not doing what the word says and of one doing what it says.
1:26 religious. For James, religion is a positive term that works itself out in care for those most in need and a pure life. keep a tight rein on their tongues. See 3:1–12.
1:27 See Jer 22:16 and note. orphans and widows. Two highly vulnerable and potentially destitute groups of people (see notes on Ex 22:21–27; Isa 1:17). world. Not the world of nature but the world of people in their rebellion against and alienation from God (see 1Jn 2:15 and note).
2:1 believers . . . must not show favoritism. God does not show favoritism (see note on Ac 10:34)—nor should believers (see vv. 5–13 and note; see also note on 1Ti 5:21). glorious. See Jn 1:14; Heb 1:3 and notes.
2:2 meeting. The Greek for this term is the origin of the English word “synagogue” with the Greek referring either to a gathering of (Jewish) people or the building in which this gathering occurred. The gathering in question here might be either a worship context or a legal context (the use of the term in Jewish writings could indicate either). If the latter, the scenario in view involves a rich and a poor person coming to the Christian community with their legal dispute, with the issue of favoritism being quite likely.
2:4 judges with evil thoughts. Cf. Lev 19:15.
2:5–13 James gives three arguments against showing favoritism to the rich: (1) The rich persecute the poor among his audience (vv. 5–7). (2) Favoritism violates the royal law of love and thus is sin (vv. 8–11). (3) Whoever judges without mercy because a person is poor (i.e., shows favoritism to the rich) will be judged without mercy (vv. 12–13).
2:5 Has not God chosen those who are poor . . . ? Echoes Jesus’ teaching in the Beatitudes (cf. Lk 6:20 and note on 6:20–23; 1Co 1:26–31). kingdom. The kingdom that has begun in Jesus and is entered by the new birth (see note on 1:18) and that will be consummated in the future (Mt 25:34,46; see note on Mt 3:2).
2:8 royal law. The law of love (see Lev 19:18 and note) is called “royal” likely because it is the “kingdom” law drawn from Jesus’ teachings about the kingdom of God. The royal law is the summation of all other laws (see Mt 22:36–40; Ro 13:8–10 and notes on 13:8–9). It is also the law of the kingdom, since “royal” could also be translated “kingly.”
2:10 guilty of breaking all. The law is the expression of the character and will of God; therefore to violate one part of the law is to violate God’s will and thus his whole law (cf. Mt 5:18–19; 23:23).
2:11 James may have chosen these two commandments because both violate the law of love for one’s neighbor (v. 8).
2:12 law that gives freedom. The royal law of love (v. 8).
2:13 Mercy triumphs over judgment. If people are merciful, God will be merciful to them on the day of judgment (Pr 21:13; Mt 5:7; 6:14–15; 18:21–35).
2:14–26 In vv. 14–20,24,26 “faith” is not used in the sense of genuine, saving faith. Rather, it is useless (v. 20) and dead (v. 26)—even demons can be said to have it (v. 19). It is a mere intellectual acceptance of certain truths without trust in Christ as Savior. James is also not saying that a person is saved by works and not by genuine faith. Rather, he is saying, to use John Calvin’s words, that people are justified (declared righteous before God) by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. Genuine faith in Christ both saves (see note on v. 21) and produces good deeds. (For more information on justification, see note on Ro 3:24.)
2:15–16 This illustration of false faith is parallel to the illustration of false love found in 1Jn 3:17 (see note there). The latter passage calls for love in action; this one calls for faith in action. Cf. Pr 3:27–28.
2:18 You have faith; I have deeds. The false claim is that there are “faith” Christians and “deeds” Christians, i.e., that faith and deeds can exist independently of each other. Show me your faith without deeds. Irony; James denies the possibility of this.
2:19 there is one God. A declaration of monotheism that reflects the well-known Jewish creed called in Hebrew the Shema, “Hear” (Dt 6:4 [see notes on 6:4–9]; Mk 12:29 [see note there]).
2:21 Apart from its context, this verse might seem to contradict Paul’s teaching that people are saved by faith in Christ and not by good deeds (see Ro 3:28 and note; Gal 2:15–16 and note on 2:16). But James means that righteous action is evidence of genuine faith—not that it saves, for the verse (Ge 15:6; see note there) that he cites (v. 23) to substantiate his point says, “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it [i.e., faith, not works] to him as righteousness.” Furthermore, Abraham’s act of faith recorded in Ge 15:6 occurred before he offered up Isaac, which was only a proof of the genuineness of his faith. As Paul wrote, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Gal 5:6; see note there). Faith that saves produces good deeds (cf. 2:14–26 and note; Eph 2:10; Titus 3:8).
2:23 God’s friend. This designation (see 2Ch 20:7 and note on Ge 18:17) further describes Abraham’s relationship to God as one of complete trust and loyalty (cf. Jn 15:13–15).
2:24 not by faith alone. Not by a mere intellectual assent to certain truths (see note on 2:14–26).
2:25 Rahab the prostitute. James uses Rahab as an unlikely example of righteousness (like Abraham; v. 23) given her occupation. This makes his commendation of her faith (see also Heb 11:31 and note), as demonstrated in her action of helping the spies (Jos 2), all the more potent (cf. Mt 1:5 and note).
3:1 judged more strictly. Because teachers have great influence, they will be held more accountable (cf. Mt 23:1–33; Lk 20:46–47; Heb 13:17).
3:2 perfect. Since the tongue is so difficult to control, those who control it perfectly gain control of themselves in all other areas of life as well. James indicates that complete control of the tongue, if it were possible, would render a person “perfect.” This reflects the same Greek term from 1:4, where it indicates maturity.
3:3–5 bits . . . rudder . . . spark. Three small things that have disproportionately large effects. Similarly, the tongue, though “a small part of the body” (v. 5) can corrupt the whole body (v. 6).
3:6 world of evil. Like the world in its fallenness. corrupts the whole body. Because the tongue is the cause of so many sins (cf. Ps 5:9 and note; Mk 7:20–23). set on fire by hell. A figurative and forceful way of saying that the source of the tongue’s evil is the devil (see Jn 8:44 and note). hell. See notes on Mt 5:22; Lk 16:23.
3:9 in God’s likeness. Since humans have been made “in God’s likeness” (see Ge 1:26–27 and notes), to curse a human being is to show contempt for God (see Ge 9:6 and note).
3:11–12 If taming the tongue is difficult for renewed hearts, it is impossible for unrenewed ones.
3:13 wisdom. See note on 1:5. Here James connects one of his key themes, wisdom, with his earlier theme of works.
3:15 from heaven. From God (see 1:5; 1Co 2:6–16; see also Da 4:26 and note).
3:16 disorder. Cf. “God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1Co 14:33; see note there).
3:17 impartial. See 2:1–13; see also note on 1Ti 5:21.
3:18 Peacemakers. Contrast v. 16. Discord cannot produce conduct pleasing to God. Cf. Mt 5:9 and note.
4:2 kill. Some hold that this word is here used figuratively (cf. Mt 5:21–22) for “hate,” or that people are verbally “killing” each other with their words. Others hold that it should be understood straightforwardly to describe what can happen when covetous desire is sufficiently frustrated (see, e.g., Ahab’s murder of Naboth, 1Ki 21:1–16; David’s murder of Uriah, 2Sa 11).
4:3 you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives. Even Christians with right motives may not get the answer they expect when they “ask God,” but Christians with wrong motives certainly won’t.
4:4 adulterous people. Those who are spiritually unfaithful, who love the world rather than God. For spiritual adultery, see Ex 34:15 and note. world. See note on 1:27.
4:5 he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us. God jealously longs for our faithfulness and love (see v. 4). In this case the Scripture referred to may be Ex 20:5 (see note there). Or James may be paraphrasing and anticipating his quotation of Pr 3:34 in v. 6, with what Scripture says continuing through the words, “but he gives us more grace,” and the question mark belonging at the end of that clause. Regarding the two alternative translations (see NIV text note), the opening words of the first (“the spirit he caused to dwell in us”), if correct, would allude to God’s creation of Adam (see Ge 2:7 and note). Because of the fall (Ge 3), a person’s spirit “envies intensely,” but God’s grace (v. 6) is able to overcome human envy. The second, if correct, refers to the Holy Spirit and makes him the subject. The Holy Spirit longs jealously for our full devotion.
4:6 See 1Pe 5:5, which also quotes Pr 3:34.
4:7–10 These verses contain ten commands, each of which calls for decisive action in rooting out the sinful attitude of pride.
4:7 Resist the devil. See Eph 6:10–20 and note; 1Pe 5:8–9.
4:8 Wash your hands. Before the OT priests ministered to God in the tabernacle, they had to wash their hands and feet at the bronze basin as a symbol of spiritual cleansing (Ex 30:17–21). For the imagery of “clean hands and a pure heart,” see Ps 24:4 and note. purify your hearts. See Pr 4:23 and note.
4:9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Repent.
4:10 See Mt 23:12; Lk 14:11 and note; 1Pe 5:6.
4:11 speaks against a brother or sister . . . speaks against the law. See note on 2:8; see also Ex 20:16 and note; Ps 15:3; 50:19–20; Pr 6:16,19 and note. To speak against a Christian brother or sister is to scorn the law of love.
4:13—5:6 Jas 4:13–17 is addressed most specifically to traveling merchants and condemns arrogance generally; 5:1–6 is a warning to wealthy landowners about their improper use of wealth.
4:14 mist. Cf. “shadow” (1Ch 29:15), “breath” (Job 7:7), “cloud” (Job 7:9) and “evening shadow” (Ps 102:11).
4:17 knows the good . . . doesn’t do it, it is sin. Sin is both disobeying God and failure to obey God.
5:1 rich. Interpreters generally understand the rich condemned here to be unbelievers (as in 2:2,6), for James warns them to repent and weep because of the coming misery. In this view, verses 1–6 are similar to OT declarations of judgment against pagan nations, interspersed in books otherwise addressed to God’s people (Isa 13–23; Jer 46–51; Eze 25–32; Am 1:3—2:16; Zep 2:4–15). A few suggest that the rich are Christians, given the warnings already given in 2:2,6. In this view, the exhortation to repent is in keeping with other calls to repentance given to believers (cf. 2Co 7:8–10).
5:2 clothes. One of the forms of wealth in the ancient world (see Jdg 14:12–13 and note on 14:12; Ac 20:33).
5:3 corrosion. The result of hoarding. It will both testify against and judge the selfish rich. last days. See notes on Ac 2:17; 1Ti 4:1; 2Ti 3:1; Heb 1:1–2; 1Jn 2:18.
5:4 the Lord Almighty. See notes on Ge 17:1; 1Sa 1:3.
5:5 luxury and self-indulgence. See Lk 12:13–21; 16:19–31. the day of slaughter. The day of judgment. The wicked rich are like cattle that continue to fatten themselves on the very day they are to be slaughtered, totally unaware of their coming destruction.
5:6 condemned. Probably through control of the courts by the rich and powerful. Those who were not paid their daily wages (v. 4) may have had to borrow money to survive. But if they could not repay their loans they would have been thrown into debtors’ prison and eventually died there.
5:7–8 Be patient. Resist resentment and retaliation (v. 9).
5:7 then. Refers back to vv. 1–6. Since the believers are suffering at the hands of the exploitative rich, they are to look forward patiently to the Lord’s return. autumn and spring rains. In the eastern Mediterranean region the autumn rains come in October and November, soon after the grain is sown, and the spring rains come in March and April, just prior to harvest (Dt 11:14; Jer 5:24; Hos 6:3; Joel 2:23).
5:9 Don’t grumble. James calls for patience toward believers as well as unbelievers (vv. 7–8). The Judge is standing at the door! A reference to Christ’s second coming (see vv. 7–8) and the judgment associated with it. The NT insistence on imminence (see Ro 13:12 and note; Heb 10:25; 1Pe 4:7; Rev 22:20) arises from the teaching that the “last days” began with the incarnation. We have been living in the “last days” (v. 3) ever since (see notes on Heb 1:1–2). The next great event in redemptive history is Christ’s second coming. The NT does not say when it will take place, but its certainty is never questioned, and believers are consistently admonished to watch for it. It was in this light that James expected the imminent return of Christ.
5:10 as an example of patience in . . . suffering, take the prophets. Cf. Mt 5:12; 23:31; Ac 7:52. who spoke in the name of the Lord. The prophets regularly denounced sin. James is not calling believers to be silent in the face of oppression. But he nowhere supports violence as a solution.
5:11 Job’s perseverance. Not likely “patience,” as traditionally translated. Job was hardly patient (Job 3; 12:1–3; 16:1–3; 21:4), but he persevered (Job 1:20–22; 2:9–10; 13:15). This is the only place in the NT where Job is mentioned, though Job 5:13 is quoted in 1Co 3:19.
5:12 do not swear. James’s words are very close to Christ’s (Mt 5:33–37; see note there). James is not condemning the taking of solemn oaths, such as God’s before Abraham (see Heb 6:13 and note) or Jesus’ before Caiaphas (Mt 26:63–64) or Paul’s (Ro 1:9; 9:1). Rather, he is condemning the flippant use of God’s name or a sacred object to guarantee the truth of what is spoken. If debtors’ prison was a danger (see note on v. 6), then these oaths may have included unrealistic vows about repaying debts.
Near the end of his letter, James encourages any Christians who are sick to have the elders or leaders of their church community pray for their healing (Jas 5:14). Then he writes, “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up” (5:15). What is this prayer of faith? And does it guarantee the restoration to health of the person who is sick?
To understand better what James means by “the prayer of faith,” we can look to Jas 1, where Christians are encouraged to ask God for the wisdom they lack, but to do so believing and not doubting (1:5–6). The key to such unwavering faith is not to muster it up out of our own will power. Instead, the conclusion of Jas 1 highlights the proper focus of our attention: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights” (1:17). Trusting our God for good gifts (like wisdom), including the gift of healing, contributes to praying by faith.
Another indication of what the prayer of faith is comes in the previous verse, where James notes that the elders of the church are to pray for the person who is ill (5:14). This is a prayer offered by the community—by its leaders or by a single faithful (“righteous”) person in that community (5:16–18).
Yet a prayer of faith should not be a presumptuous prayer, as if to think that God is bound to act in a particular way in response. James counters such a perspective in 4:13–17, where he encourages his audience to base their outlook on the Lord’s will and not assume they are in charge of their future. Again, as in Jas 1, the focus is on God and what God can do rather than on what prayer can do.
A call to prayer is always fitting, as the church should be a community that turns first and in faith to their loving God to help those in their midst who are ill or struggling. But effectual prayer is always humbly reliant on an effectual God.
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5:14 elders. See notes on 1Ti 3:1; 5:17. church. See note on Mt 16:18. oil. One of the best-known ancient medicines (referred to by Philo, Pliny and the physician Galen; see also Isa 1:6 and note; Lk 10:34). Some believe that James may be using the term medicinally in this passage. Others, however, regard its use here as an aid to faith, an outward sign of the healing to be brought about by God in response to “prayer offered in faith” (v. 15; see Mk 6:13 and note).
5:15 prayer offered in faith. See article, see also article. In any event, this is not a “blank check” promise, because in 4:15 James has already insisted believers must allow God’s will to override theirs.
5:17 Elijah . . . prayed. That Elijah prayed may be assumed from 1Ki 17:1; 18:41–46. The three and a half years (see also Lk 4:25) are probably a round number (half of seven), based on 1Ki 18:1 (see note there; cf. Rev 11:1–6 and notes).
5:19 brothers and sisters. See NIV text note on 1:2. wander from the truth. The wanderer is either a professing Christian whose faith is not genuine (cf. Heb 6:4–8 and note on 6:4–6; 2Pe 2:20–22 and notes) or a sinning Christian who needs to be restored. For the former, the death spoken of in v. 20 is the “second death” (Rev 21:8); for the latter, it is physical death (cf. 1Co 11:29–32 and notes). See note on 1Jn 5:16.
5:20 cover over . . . sins. The sins of the wanderer will be forgiven by God (see Pr 10:12 and note).