JAS front intro exs3 0 # Introduction to James<br><br>## Part 1: General Introduction<br><br>### Outline of the book of James<br><br>1. Greetings (1:1)<br>2. Gaining endurance through trials (1:2-4)<br>3. Trusting God for wisdom (1:5-8)<br>4. What poor and rich people should boast about (1:9-11)<br>5. Enduring temptation (1:12-15)<br>6. Hearing and doing what God’s Word says (1:16-27)<br>7. A warning against favoring rich people (2:1-13)<br>8. Faith and works (2:14-26)<br>9. The need for self-control in speech (3:1-12)<br>10. Worldly wisdom and heavenly wisdom contrasted (3:13-18)<br>11. Worldly desires and the sin and conflict they cause (4:1-12)<br>12. A warning against boasting about tomorrow (4:13-17)<br>13. Rebuke of rich people (5:1-6)<br>14. Waiting patiently for the Lord’s return (5:7-11)<br>15. Oaths forbidden (5:12)<br>16. Prayer, forgiveness, and healing (5:13-18)<br>17. Restoration of a sinner (5:19-20)<br><br>### Who wrote the book of James?<br><br>There is wide agreement among biblical scholars that the author of this book was James the half-brother of Jesus, who was a leader in the early church in the city of Jerusalem. He was respected for his wisdom and authority. For example, he had the last word at the Jerusalem Council, an important meeting of the early church, that is described in [Acts 15:13-21](../act/15/13.md). In [Galatians 2:9](../gal/02/09.md), the apostle Paul calls him a “pillar” of the church, meaning one of its most important leaders. However, even though James was an influential church leader and the half-brother of Jesus, in this letter he introduces himself humbly as “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”<br><br>This is not the same man as the apostle James, who was the brother of the apostle John. That James was killed for his faith a few years after Jesus himself was killed and rose from the dead. This letter was written many years after that.<br><br>### What kind of writing is the book of James?<br><br>The book of James has an opening that is typical of the letters of its time, but it does not have a main body that develops sequentially and logically the way a letter would have. Instead, the book presents a collection of short sayings and reflections on various subjects. (In that way it is similar to the book of Proverbs.) As the outline at the beginning of this introduction shows, the book is made up of many short sections that move around from topic to topic.<br><br>James uses many of the devices that speakers used in his time, such as anticipating and answering a question that someone might ask. He also uses many vivid examples drawn from both nature and everyday life. For this reason, many interpreters believe that for the content of this book, James drew on sermons he had preached and on wise advice he had given. He wanted to share all of that wisdom with Christians living in different parts of the Roman Empire to help them face difficult times. It is also possible that James wrote this letter because he was nearing the end of his life and he wanted his wisdom to be preserved and shared after his death.<br><br>### To whom was the book of James written?<br><br>James wrote this letter to believers in Jesus who had a Jewish background. This is clear from many of the things that he says in the letter. For example, he addresses his readers figuratively as “the twelve tribes” in [1:1](../01/01.md). He speaks of their meeting place as a “synagogue” in [2:2](../02/02.md). He assumes in [2:19](../02/19.md) that they are familiar with the essential Jewish affirmation that “God is one,” and in [2:21](../02/21.md) he calls Abraham “our father.” He calls God by the Hebrew title the Lord of Sabaoth in [5:4](../05/04.md). He assumes that his readers will be familiar from the Hebrew Scriptures with the stories of people such as Job ([5:11](../05/11.md)) and Elijah ([5:17](../05/17.md)). These notes will call attention to the places where James engages his readers in light of their Jewish background.<br><br>### What is the book of James about?<br><br>In t
JAS 1 intro pz2q 0 # James 1 General Notes<br><br>## Structure and formatting<br><br>1. Greetings (1:1)<br>2. Gaining endurance through trials (1:2-4)<br>3. Trusting God for wisdom (1:5-8)<br>4. What poor and rich people should boast about (1:9-11)<br>5. Enduring temptation (1:12-15)<br>6. Hearing and doing what God’s Word says (1:16-27)<br><br>James begins this letter in [1:1](../01/01.md) by giving his name, identifying the people to whom he is writing, and offering a greeting. That was the way people typically began letters at this time. However, as Part 1 of the Introduction to James explains, the letter does not then develop the way other letters did. Instead, it is a collection of short sayings and reflections.<br><br>## Special concepts in this chapter<br><br>### Testing and temptation<br><br>James uses a word in this chapter that can mean both “trial,” as in [1:2](../01/02.md) and [1:12](../01/12.md), and “temptation,” as in [1:13-14](../01/13.md). In both cases the word speaks of the situation of a person who needs to choose between doing something good and doing something evil. The difference between the two senses is important. When ULT translates the word as “trial,” God is testing the person and wants him to do what is good. When ULT translates the word as “temptation,” Satan is tempting the person and wants him to do what is evil.
JAS 1 1 pkt2 figs-123person Ἰάκωβος 1 James In this culture, letter writers would give their own names first, and they would refer to themselves in the third person. If that would be confusing in your language, you could use the first person. If your language has a particular way of introducing the author of a letter, you could also use that if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “I, James, am writing this letter” or “From James” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-123person]])
JAS 1 1 j000 translate-names Ἰάκωβος 1 James This is the name of a man, the half-brother of Jesus. See the information about him in Part 1 of the Introduction to James. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])
JAS 1 1 j001 figs-metonymy ταῖς δώδεκα φυλαῖς 1 to the twelve tribes James is speaking figuratively of the nation of Israel by association with the fact that it was made up of twelve tribes. Alternate translation: “to the nation of Israel” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 1 1 l4i7 figs-metaphor ταῖς δώδεκα φυλαῖς 1 to the twelve tribes James is speaking figuratively of Jesus’ followers as if they were the nation of Israel, since the community of the people of God had expanded from that nation to include people of every nation who followed Jesus. Alternate translation: “to followers of Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 1 j002 figs-123person ταῖς δώδεκα φυλαῖς 1 to the twelve tribes In this culture, after giving their own names, letter writers would then say to whom they were writing, naming those people in the third person. If that would be confusing in your language, you could use the second person. Alternate translation: “to you followers of Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-123person]])
JAS 1 1 vza9 figs-abstractnouns ἐν τῇ διασπορᾷ 1 in the dispersion At this time, the term **dispersion** referred to those Jews who were living away from their homeland of Israel and who were scattered into various parts of the Roman Empire. If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **dispersion**, you could express the idea behind it with a verb such as “scattered.” Alternate translation: “scattered throughout the world” or, if you are using the second person, “who are scattered throughout the world” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 1 j003 figs-metaphor ἐν τῇ διασπορᾷ 1 in the dispersion While the term **dispersion** referred literally to Jews, James is using it figuratively to describe followers of Jesus. Alternate translation: “scattered throughout the world” or, if you are using the second person, “who are scattered throughout the world” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 1 huk9 figs-idiom χαίρειν. 1 Rejoice! The word **Rejoice** was used at this time as a greeting. In your translation, you can use the greeting that is typical of your language and culture. Alternate translation: “Greetings!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 1 2 knw6 figs-abstractnouns πᾶσαν χαρὰν ἡγήσασθε 1 Consider it all joy If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **joy**, you could express the idea behind it with an adjective such as “happy.” Alternate translation: “You should be happy” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 2 j004 figs-hyperbole πᾶσαν χαρὰν ἡγήσασθε 1 Consider it all joy James says **all** as an overstatement for emphasis. He does not mean that believers should be happy about all the bad things that happen to them when they encounter **trials**. Rather, he means that the **trials** provide a general occasion for them to rejoice because of the valuable things God that is developing in their lives. He describes these things in the next verse. Alternate translation: “You should be very happy” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole]])
JAS 1 2 j005 figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί μου 1 my brothers James is using the term **brothers** figuratively to refer to fellow believers in Jesus. Alternate translation, as in UST: “my fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 2 j006 figs-gendernotations ἀδελφοί μου 1 my brothers James is using the term **brothers** in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Be sure that this is clear in your translation so that your readers do not get the impression that James is addressing only men. If you use a non-figurative word such as “believers” to translate the metaphor **brothers**, you may need to use both the masculine and the feminine forms of that word in your language. If you retain the metaphor, you could state “my brothers and sisters.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
JAS 1 2 j007 figs-metaphor περιπέσητε 1 you fall into James is speaking figuratively of **trials** as if they were a hole or pit that believers could **fall into**. Alternate translation: “you encounter” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 2 j008 figs-you περιπέσητε 1 you fall into The pronoun **you** is plural here, since James is writing to believers in Jesus as a group. Generally throughout the letter, the pronouns “you” and “your” are plural for this same reason. These notes will identify the few places where they are singular instead. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-you]])
JAS 1 3 j009 γινώσκοντες ὅτι 1 knowing that It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here, as UST does. Alternate translation: “I want you to know that” or “You should realize that”
JAS 1 3 xud2 figs-abstractnouns τὸ δοκίμιον ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως κατεργάζεται ὑπομονήν 1 the testing of your faith produces endurance If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **testing**, **faith**, and **endurance**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “when you rely on God to help you through a difficult situation, this teaches you not to give up” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 4 j2p4 figs-personification ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ ἔργον τέλειον ἐχέτω 1 But let endurance have a perfect work The expression **let endurance have a perfect work** means “let endurance complete its work.” James is speaking figuratively as if the quality of **endurance** were actively developing the character of believers. Alternate translation: “But make sure that you completely develop the ability not to give up” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 1 4 unh4 figs-doublet τέλειοι καὶ ὁλόκληροι 1 perfect and whole The words **perfect** and **whole** mean similar things. James is using them together for emphasis. In this context, the word **perfect** does not mean without any flaws. Rather, it refers to something that has reached its goal. The word **whole** describes something that is not missing any of its parts or pieces. Together, the words describe mature Christian character. If your readers would misunderstand this idea, you could translate this pair of words with a single expression. Alternate translation: “completely mature” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])
JAS 1 4 l7ef ἐν μηδενὶ λειπόμενοι 1 lacking in nothing You could state this positively in your translation. Alternate translation: “having all that you need” or “being all that you need to be”
JAS 1 5 du7z figs-abstractnouns λείπεται σοφίας 1 lacks wisdom If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **wisdom**, you could express the idea behind it with an adjective such as “wise.” Alternate translation: “is not sure what would be the wise thing to do” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 5 xu31 figs-activepassive δοθήσεται αὐτῷ 1 it will be given to him If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who will do the action. Alternate translation: “God will give it to him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 1 6 j010 figs-abstractnouns ἐν πίστει 1 in faith If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **faith**, you could express the idea behind it with a verb such as “trust.” Alternate translation: “confidently trusting God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 6 y2mk figs-doublenegatives μηδὲν διακρινόμενος 1 doubting nothing If your readers would misunderstand this double negative that consists of the negative verb **doubting** and the negative object **nothing**, you could use a positive expression to translate it. Alternate translation: “with complete certainty that God will answer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives]])
JAS 1 6 p12l figs-simile ἔοικεν κλύδωνι θαλάσσης, ἀνεμιζομένῳ καὶ ῥιπιζομένῳ 1 has become like a wave of the sea, wind-blown and tossed The point of this comparison is that anyone who doubts will be like the waves in the ocean, which keep moving in different directions. In your translation, you could express this meaning in a non-figurative way. (However, you could also reproduce the simile, as suggested in the next note.) Alternate translation: “will keep changing his mind about what to do” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
JAS 1 6 j011 translate-unknown κλύδωνι θαλάσσης, ἀνεμιζομένῳ καὶ ῥιπιζομένῳ 1 a wave of the sea, wind-blown and tossed If you would like to use a simile in your translation but your readers would not be familiar with a **wave of the sea**, you could use another illustration that would be familiar to them. Alternate translation: “the desert sand swirling in the wind” or “stalks of tall grass swaying back and forth in the wind” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown]])
JAS 1 6 j012 figs-activepassive κλύδωνι θαλάσσης, ἀνεμιζομένῳ καὶ ῥιπιζομένῳ 1 a wave of the sea, wind-blown and tossed If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “an ocean wave that the wind is blowing and tossing around” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 1 7 j013 figs-gendernotations μὴ γὰρ οἰέσθω ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος 1 For let that man not think James is using the term **man** in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Alternate translation: “Such a person should not think” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
JAS 1 8 b5t6 figs-metaphor ἀνὴρ δίψυχος 1 a double-minded man James speaks figuratively of this person as if he had two minds, with one mind deciding to do one thing and the other mind deciding to do something else. Alternate translation: “a man who cannot make up his mind” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 8 j014 figs-gendernotations ἀνὴρ δίψυχος 1 a double-minded man James is using the term **man** in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Alternate translation: “a person who cannot make up his mind” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
JAS 1 8 k89p figs-metaphor ἀκατάστατος ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ 1 unsettled in all his ways James is speaking figuratively as if life presented paths for people to follow, and he is speaking figuratively of this person as if he could not settle on which path to take. Alternate translation: “who cannot decide whether to do one thing or another” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 9 j015 καυχάσθω δὲ ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὁ ταπεινὸς 1 Now let the lowly brother boast James is using the word **boast** in a positive sense. He does not mean it in the sinful sense of bragging or vaunting oneself over others. Alternate translation: “Now let the lowly brother take satisfaction”
JAS 1 9 gc9b figs-metaphor ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὁ ταπεινὸς 1 the lowly brother Since James contrasts this person with “the rich” in the next verse, he is using the word **lowly** as a spatial metaphor to mean “poor.” Alternate translation: “a believer who is poor” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 9 j016 figs-metaphor ἀδελφὸς 1 brother James is using the term **brother** figuratively to refer to a fellow believer in Jesus. See how you translated the term in [1:2](../01/02.md). Alternate translation: “believer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 9 j017 figs-abstractnouns τῷ ὕψει αὐτοῦ 1 his exaltation If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **exaltation**, you could express the idea behind it with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “the high place he occupies” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 9 yxs5 figs-metaphor τῷ ὕψει αὐτοῦ 1 his exaltation James is using a spatial metaphor to describe poor believers as if they were in a high place. He wants to convey that God has shown special concern for them. Alternate translation: “the special concern that God has shown for him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 10 uzk7 figs-ellipsis ὁ δὲ πλούσιος, ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει αὐτοῦ 1 but the rich in his lowliness James is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the previous verse. Alternate translation: “but let the rich boast in his lowliness” or “but let the rich take satisfaction in his lowliness” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
JAS 1 10 w4ta figs-nominaladj ὁ…πλούσιος 1 the rich James is using the adjective **rich** as a noun in order to indicate a type of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. It is clear in context that James is speaking of a rich “brother” or “believer,” in parallel with the “lowly brother” he describes in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “a believer who is rich” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 1 10 j018 figs-abstractnouns τῇ ταπεινώσει αὐτοῦ 1 his lowliness If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **lowliness**, you could express the idea behind it with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “the low place he occupies” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 10 j019 figs-metaphor τῇ ταπεινώσει αὐτοῦ 1 his lowliness James is using a spatial metaphor to describe rich believers as if they were in a low place in order to indicate that God has taught them humility. Alternate translation: “the humility that God has taught them” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 10 ulk4 figs-explicit τῇ ταπεινώσει αὐτοῦ 1 his lowliness If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate explicitly, as UST does, that God has taught rich believers humility by showing them that their wealth does not make them better than other people. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 1 10 j020 figs-euphemism παρελεύσεται 1 he will pass away James is using a mild expression to refer to death. Alternate translation: “he will die” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism]])
JAS 1 10 nug7 figs-simile ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου 1 like a flower of the grass The point of this comparison is that just as wild flowers bloom only for a short time, rich people will live on earth for the same relatively short time as anyone else, so their riches do not give them any advantage. You could explain the meaning of this figurative expression in your translation. (However, you could also reproduce the simile, as suggested in the next note.) Alternate translation: “after living for only a relatively short time” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
JAS 1 10 j021 translate-unknown ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου παρελεύσεται 1 like a flower of the grass If you would like to use a simile in your translation but your readers would not be familiar with a **flower of the grass** (that is, a wildflower), you could use a different illustration. You could use something familiar to them that lasts only for a short time. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown]])
JAS 1 11 j022 ἀνέτειλεν γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος σὺν τῷ καύσωνι, καὶ ἐξήρανεν τὸν χόρτον, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος αὐτοῦ ἐξέπεσεν, καὶ ἡ εὐπρέπεια τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἀπώλετο 1 For the sun rose with heat and dried up the grass, and its flower fell off and the beauty of its face perished Here James is giving an illustration in the past tense as if he were telling the story of something that had happened. (See the discussion of this in Part 3 of the Introduction to James.) If your readers would misunderstand this, you could translate this sentence with the present tense. Alternate translation: “For the sun rises with heat and dries up the grass, and its flower falls off and the beauty of its face perishes”
JAS 1 11 j023 grammar-connect-logic-result γὰρ 1 For James is giving the reason for the result he implicitly described in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “This is because” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 1 11 j024 σὺν τῷ καύσωνι 1 with heat Here, **heat** could mean one of two things. (1) It could refer to intense, withering heat. Alternate translation: “and radiated withering heat” or, if you are using the present tense, “and radiates withering heat” (2) It could refer to a hot wind that occurs in full sunlight. Alternate translation: “and caused a hot wind” or, if you are using the present tense, “and causes a hot wind”
JAS 1 11 j025 figs-abstractnouns ἡ εὐπρέπεια τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἀπώλετο 1 the beauty of its face perished If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **beauty**, you could express the idea behind it with an adjective such as “beautiful.” Alternate translation: “it no longer had a beautiful appearance” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 11 j026 figs-metaphor ἡ εὐπρέπεια τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἀπώλετο 1 the beauty of its face perished James speaks figuratively of the wild **flower** as if it had a **face**. Alternate translation: “it no longer had a beautiful appearance” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 11 gv7v figs-metaphor ἡ εὐπρέπεια τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἀπώλετο 1 the beauty of its face perished James speaks figuratively of the flower’s **beauty** as if it **perished** or died. Alternate translation: “it no longer had a beautiful appearance” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 11 j027 figs-simile οὕτως καὶ 1 Thus also James uses the words **Thus also** to introduce a simile or comparison between a rich person and a fading flower. Alternate translation: “In the same way” or “Likewise” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
JAS 1 11 j028 figs-nominaladj ὁ πλούσιος 1 the rich James is using the adjective **rich** as a noun in order to indicate a type of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “a person who is rich” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 1 11 ng26 figs-metaphor μαρανθήσεται 1 will wither James speaks of the **rich** person as if he were a flower that would **wither**. James means figuratively that this person will “die,” as UST indicates. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 11 sdi2 figs-metaphor ἐν ταῖς πορείαις αὐτοῦ 1 in his journeys James speaks figuratively of a **rich** person’s activities as if they were a journey that he was taking. This metaphor implies that he is giving no thought to his coming death and that it will take him by surprise. Alternate translation: “in the midst of his activities” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 12 m13d figs-idiom μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὃς ὑπομένει πειρασμόν 1 Blessed is the man who endures trial **Blessed is** indicates that God is giving favor to someone or that his situation is positive or good. Alternate translation: “The person who endures trial receives God’s favor” or “The person who endures trial is in a positive situation” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 1 12 j029 figs-gendernotations ἀνὴρ 1 the man James is using the term **man** in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Alternate translation: “the person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
JAS 1 12 vr4a ὑπομένει πειρασμόν 1 endures trial Here, **trial** could mean one of two things. See the discussion of the word in the General Notes to this chapter. James may actually want his readers to hear both senses in this case, as this verse is making a transition from a discussion of testing into a discussion of temptation. (1) The word **trial** could mean the same thing as in [1:2-3](../01/02.md), where it describes the “testing” of “faith.” The reading of UST expresses this interpretation. (2) The word could refer to being tempted, that is, being led by one’s desires to do something wrong, which James discusses in the following verses. Alternate translation: “resists temptation”
JAS 1 12 vta6 δόκιμος γενόμενος 1 becoming approved How you translate this will depend on how you translate **trial** earlier in the sentence. (In your translation, you could also focus on the way that God approves of this person, as UST does.) Alternate translation: “once he has demonstrated his faithfulness” of “once he has demonstrated his obedience”
JAS 1 12 j030 figs-possession λήμψεται τὸν στέφανον τῆς ζωῆς 1 he will receive the crown of life James is using the possessive form not to refer to a **crown** that belongs to **life** but to describe **life** as if it were a **crown**. Alternate translation: “he will receive the crown that is life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
JAS 1 12 k3hh figs-metaphor λήμψεται τὸν στέφανον τῆς ζωῆς 1 he will receive the crown of life James is using the image of a **crown** figuratively to indicate that God will honor this person. Alternate translation: “God will honor him by giving him life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 12 j031 figs-metaphor λήμψεται τὸν στέφανον τῆς ζωῆς 1 he will receive the crown of life James is likely not speaking of physical **life** but of spiritual **life**, that is, of living forever in the presence of God after physical death. Alternate translation: “God will honor that person by giving him everlasting life in his presence” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 12 hx28 writing-pronouns ὃν ἐπηγγείλατο τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν 1 which he promised to the ones who love him In this last clause in the verse, the words **he** and **him** refer to God, not to the person who **endures trial**. Alternate translation: “which God promised to those who love him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 1 13 lh7z figs-activepassive ἀπὸ Θεοῦ πειράζομαι 1 I am tempted by God If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “God is tempting me” or “God is leading me to do something wrong” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 1 13 p5cp ὁ…Θεὸς ἀπείραστός ἐστιν κακῶν 1 God is untempted by evil Even though the word that ULT translates as **untempted** is an adjective, not a passive verbal form, it may be helpful to your readers if you translate it with an active verbal form. Alternate translation: “evil does not tempt God” or “God’s desires never lead him to do something wrong”
JAS 1 14 j032 grammar-connect-logic-contrast δὲ 1 But James is using the word **But** to indicate a contrast between the wrong idea that God might tempt someone and the truth that each person **is tempted by his own desire**. This is actually a strong contrast, and you may wish to use a strong expression for it. Alternate translation: “No, on the contrary,” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
JAS 1 14 j033 figs-activepassive ἕκαστος…πειράζεται ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας, ἐξελκόμενος καὶ δελεαζόμενος 1 each is tempted by his own desire, dragged away and enticed If your readers would misunderstand these passive phrases, you could express each of these things with active verbal forms. Alternate translation: “each person’s own desire tempts him by enticing him and then dragging him away” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 1 14 nj9m figs-personification ἕκαστος…πειράζεται ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας, ἐξελκόμενος καὶ δελεαζόμενος 1 each is tempted by his own desire, dragged away and enticed James is speaking figuratively of **desire** as if it were a living thing that could actively tempt people, entice them, and drag them away captive. Alternate translation: “each person wants to do wrong when he desires something that he should not desire and, because he is attracted to that thing, he commits sin and then cannot stop sinning” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 1 14 nle5 figs-events ἐξελκόμενος καὶ δελεαζόμενος 1 dragged away and enticed Since the word translated as **enticed** often means to use bait to trap prey, James may be stressing the result (the captured prey being **dragged away**) by speaking of it before the method that was used to achieve it (baiting a trap). It may be helpful to your readers to indicate that the method came before the result. Alternate translation: “enticed and dragged away” or “dragged away after being enticed” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-events]])
JAS 1 14 z4bd figs-metaphor ἐξελκόμενος καὶ δελεαζόμενος 1 dragged away and enticed James is speaking figuratively of temptation as if the person who gave in to it were captured in a baited trap. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could translate this metaphor as a simile. It may also be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “It is as if the wrong thing he desired were bait in a trap that caught him so that a hunter could then drag him away” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 15 j034 grammar-connect-time-sequential εἶτα ἡ ἐπιθυμία συλλαβοῦσα τίκτει ἁμαρτίαν 1 Then desire, having conceived, bears sin James uses the word **Then** to indicate that what he describes in this verse happens after something that he described in the previous verse. However, he does not mean that this happens after a person is “dragged away and enticed,” as he said at the end of that verse. Rather, he means that it happens after a person begins to entertain the temptation of a wrong “desire,” as he said at the beginning of that verse. It may be helpful to your readers to use the word “when” to indicate this. Alternate translation: “When desire has conceived, it bears sin” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-time-sequential]])
JAS 1 15 s4cd figs-personification εἶτα ἡ ἐπιθυμία συλλαβοῦσα τίκτει ἁμαρτίαν 1 Then desire, having conceived, bears sin James continues to speak figuratively of **desire** as if it were a living thing, in this case as if it were a woman who became pregnant and gave birth. Alternate translation: “If a person entertains wrong desires, he will become more and more inclined to sin until he finally does commit sin” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 1 15 j035 figs-personification ἡ δὲ ἁμαρτία ἀποτελεσθεῖσα, ἀποκύει θάνατον 1 and sin, having grown up, gives birth to death James also speaks figuratively of **sin** as if it were a living thing, a baby girl who grew up to be a woman who also became pregnant and gave birth. Alternate translation: “and if he continues to sin, it will affect more and more of his life until it causes his death” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 1 15 j036 figs-metaphor ἀποκύει θάνατον 1 gives birth to death Here, **death** could mean: (1) spiritual death, that is, separation from God. This is the interpretation in UST. (2) physical death. Alternate translation: “causes the person to die” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 16 v195 figs-metaphor μὴ πλανᾶσθε 1 Do not be led astray James is speaking figuratively as if some deceptive guides were trying to lead his readers in the wrong direction. Alternate translation: “Do not be deceived” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 16 j037 figs-activepassive μὴ πλανᾶσθε 1 Do not be led astray If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. The meaning here is probably not truly passive. That is, even though James speaks as if someone else might lead his readers astray, that is probably not what he means. This could be: (1) a warning James’ readers not to lead themselves astray, that is, not to deceive themselves. That is the interpretation in UST. (2) a simple active meaning. Alternate translation: “Make no mistake about this” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 1 16 j038 figs-explicit μὴ πλανᾶσθε 1 Do not be led astray James is referring back to his statement in [1:13](../01/13.md) that God never desires to do evil and that God never leads anyone to do evil. Instead, as James will say in the next two verses, God gives only good things to people. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could make this connection more explicit. Alternate translation: “Do not deceive yourselves, God is not evil, God is good” or “Make no mistake about this, God is not evil, God is good” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 1 16 j039 figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοί 1 my beloved brothers See how you translated the term **brothers** in [1:2](../01/02.md). Alternate translation: “my dear fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 17 j040 figs-metaphor πᾶσα δόσις ἀγαθὴ, καὶ πᾶν δώρημα τέλειον, ἄνωθέν ἐστιν 1 Every good present and every perfect gift is from above Here, **from above** is a spatial metaphor that figuratively describes God. Alternate translation: “God gives us every good present and every perfect gift” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 17 t2nn figs-doublet πᾶσα δόσις ἀγαθὴ, καὶ πᾶν δώρημα τέλειον, ἄνωθέν ἐστιν 1 Every good present and every perfect gift is from above The phrases **good present** and **perfect gift** mean similar things. James is using them together for emphasis. (As in [1:4](../01/04.md), the word **perfect** refers to something that has developed to the point where it is fully suited to its purpose.) If your readers would misunderstand this connection, you could translate both phrases with a single expression. Alternate translation: “God gives us the things that are just right for us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])
JAS 1 17 j041 figs-metaphor καταβαῖνον ἀπὸ 1 coming down from Continuing the spatial metaphor, James speaks figuratively of these gifts **coming down from** God. If you use a non-figurative expression to translate this, it may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “They come to us from” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 17 n7d8 figs-metaphor τοῦ Πατρὸς τῶν φώτων 1 the Father of lights Here, **lights** likely means the lights in the sky, that is, the sun, moon, and stars. James says figuratively that God is their **Father** because he created them. Alternate translation: “God, who created all the lights in the sky” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 17 j042 figs-doublet παρ’ ᾧ οὐκ ἔνι παραλλαγὴ ἢ τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα 1 with whom there is no change or shadow of turning Here, **change** and **shadow of turning** mean similar things. James is using repetition for emphasis. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine them into a single phrase and express the metaphor of a **shadow** (see later note) as a simile. It may also be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “God does not change as shifting shadows do” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])
JAS 1 17 j043 figs-possession τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα 1 shadow of turning James is using the possessive form to describe a **shadow** that is characterized by **turning**. Alternate translation: “shadow that turns” or “shadow that changes position” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
JAS 1 17 j044 figs-explicit τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα 1 shadow of turning James is contrasting God, the Creator of the lights in the sky, with those lights themselves, which are not as great as their Creator. They create shadows that change position, but God never deviates from wanting only good things for people. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “turning shadow such as the sun or moon casts. No, God always wants good things for people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 1 17 g5ge figs-metaphor τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα 1 shadow of turning There could not literally be a **shadow** in God, so this is a metaphor. Alternate translation: “variability” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 18 j045 βουληθεὶς, ἀπεκύησεν ἡμᾶς 1 Having willed, he gave birth to us Alternate translation: “God chose to give birth to us”
JAS 1 18 mj29 figs-metaphor βουληθεὶς, ἀπεκύησεν ἡμᾶς 1 Having willed, he gave birth to us James says figuratively that God **gave birth to us** because God gives spiritual life to everyone who believes in Jesus. Alternate translation: “God chose to give us spiritual life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 18 j046 figs-exclusive ἡμᾶς…ἡμᾶς 1 us … us Here and throughout this letter, James uses the pronoun **us** to refer to himself and his readers. Sometimes by extension he also means all believers or all people. In every case, therefore, the pronoun **us** is inclusive, so use the inclusive form if your language makes that distinction. The same applies to the pronoun “our.” However, in some cases the pronoun “we” is exclusive. Notes will identify those places. Everywhere else, the pronoun “we” is inclusive. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
JAS 1 18 j047 figs-possession λόγῳ ἀληθείας 1 by the word of truth James is using the possessive form to describe a **word** that is characterized by **truth**. Alternate translation: “by the true word” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
JAS 1 18 ykq9 figs-metonymy λόγῳ ἀληθείας 1 by the word of truth James is using term **word** figuratively to describe the message about Jesus that was conveyed by using words. Alternate translation: “by the true message” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 1 18 j048 figs-abstractnouns λόγῳ ἀληθείας 1 by the word of truth If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **truth**, you could translate the idea behind it with an equivalent expression that uses an adjective such as “true.” Alternate translation: “when we believed the true message” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 18 j049 figs-explicit λόγῳ ἀληθείας 1 by the word of truth James is referring implicitly to the message about Jesus. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “when we believed the true message about Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 1 18 j346 grammar-connect-logic-goal εἰς τὸ εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἀπαρχήν τινα τῶν αὐτοῦ κτισμάτων 1 for us to be something like a firstfruits of his creatures This is a purpose clause. James is stating the purpose for which God **desired to give us birth**. In your translation, follow the conventions of your language for purpose clauses. Alternate translation (without a comma preceding): “so that we would be like a firstfruits of his creatures” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-goal]])
JAS 1 18 j050 figs-explicit ἀπαρχήν τινα τῶν αὐτοῦ κτισμάτων 1 something like a firstfruits of his creatures James is assuming that his readers will know that he is using the traditional Israelite offering known as **firstfruits** as a simile. The law of Moses required the Israelites to offer to God some of the first crops they harvested each year. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state specifically that this is the name of an offering. Alternate translation: “something like an offering of firstfruits from among his creatures” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 1 18 qh2e figs-simile ἀπαρχήν τινα τῶν αὐτοῦ κτισμάτων 1 something like a firstfruits of his creatures When they offered some of their first crops to God each year, the Israelites were acknowledging that the entire crop belonged to God and was a gift from God to them. James is using this **firstfruits** offering as a simile to indicate that the believers of his time are an indication that there will be many more people who will belong to God in the future. In fact, since James speaks of **creatures**, he may even mean that believers in Jesus are the first part of God’s creation to be freed from the curse and come back fully under his rule. Alternate translation: “the first of many people who would believe in Jesus” or “the first of God’s creatures to be freed from the curse and come back fully under his rule” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
JAS 1 19 dt7i figs-sentencetypes ἴστε 1 Know This Greek form could be either imperative or indicative, and so it could mean: (1) if it is an imperative, James is telling his readers to pay attention to what he is about to say. Alternate translation: “This is important” (2) if it is an indicative, James is telling his readers that he is about to remind them of something that they already know. Alternate translation: “You already know this” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-sentencetypes]])
JAS 1 19 j051 figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοί 1 my beloved brothers See how you translated this expression in [1:16](../01/16.md). Alternate translation: “my dear fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 19 j052 grammar-connect-logic-contrast δὲ 1 But **But** could mean: (1) if **know** is an imperative, then James is using the term **but** as a transitional particle that does not indicate a contrast. If you decided to translate **know** as an imperative, you may have a similar word in your language that you can use for this same purpose. Otherwise, you do not need to translate the term. (2) if **know** is an indicative, then James is using the term **but** to introduce a mild contrast. He is saying that even though his readers already know what he is about to say, he wants to stress it anyway. If you decided to translate **know** as an indicative, you could use a term in your language that indicates a mild contrast. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
JAS 1 19 p728 figs-idiom ἔστω…πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ταχὺς εἰς τὸ ἀκοῦσαι, βραδὺς εἰς τὸ λαλῆσαι, βραδὺς εἰς ὀργήν 1 let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger The expression **slow to speak** does not refer to speaking slowly. Rather, like the expressions before and after it, it is an idiom. Alternate translation: “each of you should listen carefully, speak only after reflecting on what to say, and not lose your tempers easily” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 1 19 ev3v figs-gendernotations πᾶς ἄνθρωπος 1 every man James is using the term **man** in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Alternate translation: “each of you” or “each person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
JAS 1 20 j053 grammar-connect-logic-result γὰρ 1 For James is giving the reason why people should not get angry, as he said in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “You should not get angry, because” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 1 20 j054 figs-gendernotations ὀργὴ…ἀνδρὸς 1 the anger of man James is using the term **man** in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Alternate translation: “human anger” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
JAS 1 20 ej4p figs-abstractnouns δικαιοσύνην Θεοῦ οὐκ ἐργάζεται 1 does not work the righteousness of God If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **righteousness**, you could translate the idea behind it with an adjective such as “righteous” or “right.” Alternate translation: “does not fulfill the righteous purposes of God” or “does not accomplish the right things that God wants to do” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 21 j055 grammar-connect-logic-result διὸ 1 Therefore Here James is telling his readers what they should do as a result of what he explained to them in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “Consequently” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 1 21 hit5 figs-metaphor ἀποθέμενοι πᾶσαν ῥυπαρίαν καὶ περισσείαν κακίας 1 laying aside all filth and abundance of wickedness James is speaking of **filth** and **abundance of wickedness** as if they were clothing that could be taken off. By those expressions he means sin and wrong actions (see later notes to this verse). Alternate translation: “stop committing sin and doing so many wrong things” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 21 h226 figs-doublet ῥυπαρίαν καὶ περισσείαν κακίας 1 filth and abundance of wickedness The expressions **filth** and **abundance of wickedness** mean similar things. James is using them together for emphasis. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine them into a single phrase. Alternate translation: “every kind of sinful behavior” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])
JAS 1 21 h8ty figs-metaphor ῥυπαρίαν 1 filth James is speaking figuratively of sin as if it were **filth**, that is, something that made people dirty. Alternate translation: “sin” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 21 j056 figs-abstractnouns περισσείαν κακίας 1 abundance of wickedness If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **wickedness**, you could translate the idea behind it with an adjective such as “wrong.” Alternate translation: “the many wrong things that people do” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 21 a3u3 figs-abstractnouns ἐν πραΰτητι 1 in humility If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **humility**, you could translate the idea behind it with an adverb such as “humbly.” Alternate translation: “humbly” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 21 i9w1 figs-metaphor δέξασθε τὸν ἔμφυτον λόγον 1 receive the implanted word The word **implanted** describes something that has been placed inside another thing. James is speaking of God’s word figuratively as if it had been planted and was growing inside believers. Alternate translation: “obey the word that you have heard” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 21 j057 figs-metonymy δέξασθε τὸν ἔμφυτον λόγον 1 receive the implanted word James is using term **word** figuratively to describe the message about Jesus that was conveyed by using words. Alternate translation: “obey the message about Jesus that you have heard” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 1 21 ekl3 figs-personification τὸν δυνάμενον σῶσαι τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν 1 which is able to save your souls James is speaking figuratively of the **word** or message as if it were a living thing that could actively **save** believers. He means that obedience to the message will lead to salvation. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “If you do that, you will be saved” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 1 21 z73e figs-synecdoche τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν 1 your souls James is figuratively referring to one part of his readers, their **souls**, to mean their whole beings. Alternate translation: “you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])
JAS 1 22 j058 grammar-connect-logic-contrast δὲ 1 But **But** draws a contrast not with what James has just said, but with a potential misunderstanding of what he has just said. He wants to clarify that by “receive the implanted word” he does not mean simply to believe it, but to put it into practice. It may be appropriate in your language to translate the word **but** with an expression that introduces a clarification. Alternate translation: “Now” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
JAS 1 22 j059 figs-ellipsis γίνεσθε δὲ ποιηταὶ λόγου, καὶ μὴ μόνον ἀκροαταὶ 1 be doers of the word and not only hearers At the end of this clause, James is leaving out some of the words that it would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from earlier in the clause. Alternate translation: “be doers of the word and not only hearers of the word” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
JAS 1 22 x14m figs-metonymy γίνεσθε…ποιηταὶ λόγου, καὶ μὴ μόνον ἀκροαταὶ 1 be doers of the word and not only hearers James is using the term **word** figuratively to describe the message about Jesus that was conveyed by using words. Alternate translation: “obey the message about Jesus, do not just listen to it” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 1 22 wvp4 figs-idiom καὶ μὴ μόνον ἀκροαταὶ 1 and not only hearers In the Bible, the word “hear” often has the idiomatic sense of agreeing with what is heard. James may be using the word in that sense. Alternate translation: “and do not just decide that you agree with it” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 1 23 j060 figs-hypo ὅτι εἴ τις ἀκροατὴς λόγου ἐστὶν, καὶ οὐ ποιητής, οὗτος ἔοικεν ἀνδρὶ κατανοοῦντι τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ 1 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man beholding the face of his birth in a mirror James is using a hypothetical situation to teach. Alternate translation: “Suppose someone is a hearer of the word and not a doer. Then he is like a man beholding the face of his birth in a mirror” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
JAS 1 23 r6pp figs-ellipsis ἀκροατὴς λόγου ἐστὶν, καὶ οὐ ποιητής 1 is a hearer of the word and not a doer At the end of this clause, James is leaving out some of the words that it would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from earlier in the clause. Alternate translation: “is a hearer of the word and not a doer of the word” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
JAS 1 23 j061 figs-idiom ἀκροατὴς λόγου ἐστὶν, καὶ οὐ ποιητής 1 is a hearer of the word and not a doer See how you translated these expressions in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “just listens to the word but does not obey it” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 1 23 j062 figs-metonymy λόγου 1 of the word James is using term **word** figuratively to describe the message about Jesus that was conveyed by using words. Alternate translation: “of the message about Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 1 23 pw5x figs-simile οὗτος ἔοικεν ἀνδρὶ κατανοοῦντι τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ 1 he is like a man beholding the face of his birth in a mirror Here James begins a simile, an illustrative comparison, that continues through the next two verses. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
JAS 1 23 j063 figs-gendernotations ἀνδρὶ 1 a man James is using the term **man** in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Alternate translation: “a person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
JAS 1 23 shn9 figs-idiom τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ 1 the face of his birth This is an idiom that refers to the **face** a person was born with, that is, that person’s natural or physical face. Since the term “face” had many figurative meanings at this time, James is using this idiomatic expression to clarify that he means the hypothetical person’s literal, physical face. You may not need to make this clarification in your language. Alternate translation: “his physical face” or “his face” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 1 23 j064 translate-unknown ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ 1 in a mirror A **mirror** is a flat object made of some reflective material, such as glass or polished metal, that people use to see what they look like. If your readers would not be familiar with what a **mirror** is, you could use the name of something else that serves this purpose in your culture. Alternate translation: “reflected in the water” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown]])
JAS 1 24 j065 figs-explicit γὰρ 1 For **For** introduces a reason, as would be expected, but it is a reason for something that must be inferred from the context. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly what James is giving the reason for. Alternate translation: “This did not really benefit him, because” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 1 24 wu34 κατενόησεν…ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀπελήλυθεν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐπελάθετο ὁποῖος ἦν 1 he beheld himself and went away and immediately forgot of what sort he was Here James is giving an illustration in the past tense as if he were telling the story of something that had happened. (See the discussion of this in Part 3 of the Introduction to James.) If your readers would misunderstand this sentence, you could translate this with the present tense. Alternate translation: “he beholds himself and goes away and immediately forgets of what sort he is”
JAS 1 24 j066 writing-pronouns κατενόησεν…ἑαυτὸν 1 he beheld himself James is continuing the simile he began in the previous verse, so the pronouns **he** and **himself** refer to the hypothetical person who looks in the mirror. Alternate translation (using the present tense): “such a person looked at himself in a mirror” or, if you are using the present tense, “such a person looks at himself in a mirror” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 1 24 j067 figs-explicit καὶ ἀπελήλυθεν, καὶ εὐθέως ἐπελάθετο ὁποῖος ἦν 1 and went away and immediately forgot of what sort he was James is saying implicitly that this is a person who sees but does not do, just like a person who hears the word of God but does not obey it. The implication is that he sees in the mirror that he needs to do something such as wash his face or fix his hair. But because he does not do that when he is looking in the mirror, when he walks away, he forgets to do it. The point of the comparison is that a person who does not obey God’s word is like this. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain that explicitly. Alternate translation: “but because he did not immediately do what he saw he should do, when he walked away from the mirror, he forgot what he saw and so he did nothing about it” or, if you are using the present tense, “but because he does not immediately do what he sees he should do, when he walks away from the mirror, he forgets what he saw and so he does nothing about it” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 1 24 j068 ὁποῖος ἦν 1 of what sort he was Alternate translation: “what he needed to do about his appearance” or, if you are using the present tense, “what he needs to do about his appearance”
JAS 1 25 j069 figs-hypo ὁ δὲ παρακύψας εἰς νόμον τέλειον, τὸν τῆς ἐλευθερίας, καὶ παραμείνας…οὗτος μακάριος…ἔσται 1 But the one having gazed into the perfect law of freedom and having continued … this one will be blessed James is using a further hypothetical situation to teach. This illustration is a contrast to the one he offered in [1:23](../01/23.md). Alternate translation: “But suppose someone gazes into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres …. Then that person will be blessed” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
JAS 1 25 kvr7 figs-metaphor ὁ…παρακύψας εἰς νόμον τέλειον 1 the one having gazed into the perfect law In this verse, James continues to compare hearing the word of God to looking in a mirror. But the image now becomes a metaphor rather than a simile, since James speaks figuratively about someone who has **gazed into** the **law**. He means someone who has listened attentively to God’s word. Alternate translation: “someone who has listened attentively to the perfect law” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 25 j070 figs-possession νόμον τέλειον, τὸν τῆς ἐλευθερίας 1 the perfect law of freedom James is using the possessive form to describe a **law** that brings **freedom**. See the notes to [2:12](../02/12.md) for a further explanation of what James means by the **law of freedom**. Alternate translation: “the perfect law that brings freedom” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
JAS 1 25 sf8k figs-abstractnouns νόμον τέλειον, τὸν τῆς ἐλευθερίας 1 the perfect law of freedom If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **freedom**, you could translate the idea behind it with an adjective such as “free.” Alternate translation: “the perfect law that sets people free” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 25 j071 figs-explicit νόμον τέλειον, τὸν τῆς ἐλευθερίας 1 the perfect law of freedom If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly what this **law** gives people the **freedom** to do. Alternate translation: “the law that sets people free to obey God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 1 25 j072 νόμον τέλειον, τὸν τῆς ἐλευθερίας 1 the perfect law of freedom As in [1:4](../01/04.md) and [1:17](../01/17.md), the term **perfect** refers to something that has developed to the point where it is fully suited to its purpose. See how you translated the term in those verses. Alternate translation: “the law that is perfectly suited to set people free from sin”
JAS 1 25 j073 figs-ellipsis καὶ παραμείνας 1 and having continued James is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the context. Alternate translation: “and who has continued to obey that law” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
JAS 1 25 j074 figs-possession ἀκροατὴς ἐπιλησμονῆς 1 a hearer of forgetfulness James is using the possessive form to describe a **hearer** who is characterized by **forgetfulness**. Alternate translation: “a hearer who is forgetful” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
JAS 1 25 j075 figs-abstractnouns ἀκροατὴς ἐπιλησμονῆς 1 a hearer of forgetfulness If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **forgetfulness**, you could translate the idea behind it with a verb such as “forget.” Alternate translation: “a hearer who forgets” or “someone who forgets what he hears” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 25 j076 figs-metonymy ποιητὴς ἔργου 1 a doer of the work By association with the **work** that it takes to carry out God’s commands, James is using the term **work** figuratively to mean what God commands. Alternate translation: “someone who does what God commands” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 1 25 jku1 figs-activepassive οὗτος μακάριος…αὐτοῦ ἔσται 1 this one will be blessed While the word **blessed** is an adjective and so the expression **will be blessed** is not a passive verbal form, it may be helpful to your readers to translate this with an active verbal form. Alternate translation: “God will bless such a person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 1 25 j077 figs-abstractnouns ἐν τῇ ποιήσει αὐτοῦ 1 in his doing If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **doing**, you could translate the idea behind it with a verb such as “do.” Alternate translation: “in what he does” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 1 26 j078 figs-hypo εἴ τις δοκεῖ θρησκὸς εἶναι, μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ ἀπατῶν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ, τούτου μάταιος ἡ θρησκεία 1 If anyone thinks to be religious, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his heart, the religion of that one is worthless James is using a hypothetical situation to teach. Alternate translation: “Suppose someone thinks that he is religious, but he does not bridle his tongue, thus deceiving his heart. Then his religion is worthless” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
JAS 1 26 j1bg δοκεῖ θρησκὸς εἶναι 1 thinks to be religious The word translated **religious** could refer to a pattern of behavior rather than to participation in worship activities. Alternate translation: “thinks that he is honoring God by his actions”
JAS 1 26 j079 figs-metaphor μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ 1 not bridling his tongue James speaks figuratively of a person **bridling his tongue** as if he were controlling a horse with a bridle. Alternate translation: “but he does not control his tongue” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 26 j080 translate-unknown μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ 1 not bridling his tongue A **bridle** is headgear that is used to control a horse. If your readers would not be familiar with what a **bridle** is, you could use a different illustration that would be familiar to them of a device that is used in your culture to control animals. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown]])
JAS 1 26 vxu1 figs-metonymy μὴ χαλιναγωγῶν γλῶσσαν αὐτοῦ 1 not bridling his tongue By association with the way that the **tongue** is used in speech, James is using the term **tongue** figuratively to mean what a person says. Alternate translation: “not controlling what he says” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 1 26 sex6 figs-synecdoche ἀπατῶν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ 1 deceiving his heart James is figuratively using one part of this hypothetical person, his **heart**, to mean the person himself. Alternate translation: “deceiving himself” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])
JAS 1 26 q83d figs-hyperbole τούτου μάταιος ἡ θρησκεία 1 the religion of that one is worthless James says **worthless** as an overstatement for emphasis. There would conceivably still be some value in the religion of a person even if he did not carefully control what he said. But James wants to emphasize how inconsistent it is to claim to love God but then to say things that hurt and disparage other people. He will develop this point further in [3:9-10](../03/09.md). Alternate translation: “his actions are not as pleasing to God as he thinks” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole]])
JAS 1 27 j081 figs-metaphor θρησκεία καθαρὰ καὶ ἀμίαντος 1 Pure and undefiled religion James is speaking figuratively of **religion** as if it could be physically **pure** and **undefiled**. Alternate translation: “Religion that is pleasing and acceptable” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 27 g11k figs-doublet θρησκεία καθαρὰ καὶ ἀμίαντος 1 Pure and undefiled religion The terms **pure** and **undefiled** mean similar things. They both indicate that something is free of contamination. James is using these terms together for emphasis. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine them into a single phrase. Alternate translation: “Religion that is completely acceptable” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])
JAS 1 27 skf4 figs-metaphor παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ 1 before God The word **before** means “in front of” or “in the presence of” another person, and in this case **before** him indicates “where God can see.” Seeing, for its part, represents attention and judgment. Alternate translation: “from God’s perspective” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 1 27 j082 figs-hendiadys τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρί 1 God and the Father James is not talking about two different people. He is expressing a single idea by using two nouns connected with **and**. The noun **Father** further identifies **God**. Alternate translation: “God the Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys]])
JAS 1 27 j083 guidelines-sonofgodprinciples Πατρί 1 the Father **Father** is an important title for God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
JAS 1 27 iiv2 figs-idiom ἐπισκέπτεσθαι ὀρφανοὺς καὶ χήρας ἐν τῇ θλίψει αὐτῶν 1 to look upon orphans and widows in their distress Here, **look upon** is an idiom that means “show concern for” or “help compassionately.” Alternate translation: “to help orphans and widows in their distress” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 1 27 r8nj figs-explicit ἐπισκέπτεσθαι ὀρφανοὺς καὶ χήρας ἐν τῇ θλίψει αὐτῶν 1 to look upon orphans and widows in their distress James assumes that his readers will know that orphans and widows are in practical and financial **distress** because their fathers or husbands have died and so are no longer providing for them. In this culture, women and children were dependent on male relatives for support. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate explicitly what kind of **distress** James wants his readers to help relieve. Alternate translation: “to help poor orphans and widows with their practical needs” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 1 27 j084 ἄσπιλον ἑαυτὸν τηρεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου 1 to keep oneself unstained by the world This is not a purpose or result clause. James is not telling his readers that they should help **orphans and widows** in order to stay **unstained by the world** or that this would be the result if they did help them. Rather, James is saying that this is a second thing that characterizes **religion** that pleases God. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could add the word “and” before this clause in order to clarify this.
JAS 1 27 j085 figs-metonymy ἄσπιλον ἑαυτὸν τηρεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου 1 to keep oneself unstained by the world James is using the term **world** figuratively to mean the system of values shared by people who do not honor God, by association with the way those people live in the world. Alternate translation: “to keep oneself unstained by the value system of ungodly people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 1 27 nmf7 figs-metaphor ἄσπιλον ἑαυτὸν τηρεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ κόσμου 1 to keep oneself unstained by the world James is speaking figuratively of the influence of ungodly people as if it could physically stain a person. By **unstained** he actually means free from sin. Alternate translation: “not to allow ungodly people and their influence to cause oneself to sin” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 2 intro f5zd 0 # James 2 General Notes<br><br>## Structure and formatting<br><br>1. A warning against favoring rich people (2:1-13)<br>2. Faith and works (2:14-26)<br><br>## Special concepts in this chapter<br><br>### Favoritism<br><br>Some of James’s readers treated rich and powerful people well and they treated poor people badly. Treating some people better than others is called favoritism. James tells his readers that this is wrong. God wants his people to treat everyone well.<br><br>### Justification<br><br>Justification is what happens when God makes a person righteous, that is, when God puts a person in right standing with himself. James says in this chapter that God justifies people when they do good works along with having faith. But that is because the good works demonstrate the faith that a person has, as James says explicitly in [2:18](../02/18.md). James is not saying that people need to add good works to their faith in order to be justified. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/justice]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/righteous]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/faith]])<br><br>## Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter<br><br>### But someone may say, “You have faith, and I have works” (2:18)<br><br>When James says this, he seems to be raising an objection that someone might make to what he has been saying. Public speakers at this time commonly raised such objections in order to answer them, and James is probably using that device. However, if that is what he is doing, we would expect the objection to be, “You have works, and I have faith,” since James has been stressing the importance of works accompanying faith. So why does this hypothetical speaker say instead, “You have faith, and I have works”?<br><br>It appears that James actually has this speaker addressing these words to the same “you” whom he has been addressing himself since 2:16 as “one of you” and whom he then goes on to address in the rest of this chapter. In other words, James is raising this hypothetical objection so that he can address this same “you” in this verse as well. James is saying, “Someone might reassure you that you nevertheless have faith, while I (James) have works. He might argue that both are valid expressions of religion and that it is not necessary for a person to have both.” James then answers this argument by observing that he can show his faith through his works, while a person who claims to have faith but not works has no means of proving that.<br><br>In your translation, you may wish to express this implicit information, as UST does. Alternatively, you may wish to translate as ULT does and leave it to Bible teachers and preachers to explain the meaning. See the further discussion in the notes to [2:18](../02/18.md). (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])<br><br>## Major textual issues in this chapter<br><br>### Faith without works is “useless” or “dead” (2:20)<br><br>In James [2:20](../02/20.md), some ancient manuscripts say that faith without works is “useless.” ULT and UST follow that reading. Some other ancient manuscripts say that it is “dead,” perhaps under the influence of [2:17](../02/17.md) and [2:26](../02/26.md), where James uses the term “dead” to describe faith that is not expressed in works. If a translation of the Bible already exists in your area, consider using the reading found in that translation. If not, we recommend that you follow the reading of ULT and UST. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
JAS 2 1 kab4 figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί μου 1 My brothers See how you translated the term **brothers** in [1:2](../01/02.md). Alternate translation: “My fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 2 1 en1c figs-abstractnouns μὴ ἐν προσωπολημψίαις ἔχετε 1 do not with favoritism have If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **favoritism**, you could express the idea behind it with an equivalent phrase. (See the discussion of favoritism in the General Notes to this chapter.) Alternate translation: “you should not treat some people better than others, because that is not consistent with” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 2 1 qs2x figs-possession τὴν πίστιν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ 1 the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ James is using the possessive form to refer to **faith** that other people have in **Jesus**. Alternate translation: “faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
JAS 2 1 x32n figs-possession τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τῆς δόξης 1 our Lord Jesus Christ of glory James is using the possessive form to describe **Jesus** as characterized by **glory**. Alternate translation: “our glorious Lord Jesus Christ” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
JAS 2 2 h5uh figs-hypo ἐὰν γὰρ 1 For if James is using a hypothetical situation to teach. He describes the condition in this verse and the next verse, and he describes the result in [2:4](../02/04.md). Alternate translation: “Suppose” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
JAS 2 2 j8d5 figs-explicit ἀνὴρ χρυσοδακτύλιος, ἐν ἐσθῆτι λαμπρᾷ 1 a gold-ringed man in splendid clothing James assumes that his readers will know that he is giving an example of what a wealthy person might wear. (The expression **a gold-ringed man** does not mean a man who is ringed around with gold, but a man who is wearing a gold ring.) If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a different example from your own culture, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “someone who is dressed like a wealthy person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 2 j086 figs-gendernotations ἀνὴρ 1 man James is using the term **man** in a generic sense that could mean either a man or a woman. Alternate translation: “person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
JAS 2 2 j087 translate-unknown συναγωγὴν 1 synagogue A **synagogue** is a Jewish meeting place for worship. James uses the term because he is writing primarily to Jews who have put their faith in Jesus as their Messiah. (See the discussion in Part 1 of the Introduction to James.) In your translation you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “meeting place” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown]])
JAS 2 2 j088 figs-nominaladj πτωχὸς 1 a poor one James is using the adjective **poor** as a noun in order to mean a kind of person. (ULT adds **one** to indicate this.) Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “a person who is poor” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 2 3 j089 figs-hypo δὲ 1 and James is continuing to describe the condition in the hypothetical situation that he introduced in the previous verse. Alternate translation, as in UST: “and suppose” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
JAS 2 3 j090 figs-you ἐπιβλέψητε…εἴπητε…εἴπητε 1 you look … you say … you say In these three instances **you** is plural, since James is speaking to all of his readers about what they might do in such a situation. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-you]])
JAS 2 3 j091 figs-idiom ἐπιβλέψητε…ἐπὶ 1 you look at In this context, this expression means to look at someone or something with admiration. Alternate translation: “you look admiringly at” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 2 3 j092 figs-yousingular σὺ κάθου ὧδε καλῶς…σὺ στῆθι ἐκεῖ…κάθου ὑπὸ τὸ ὑποπόδιόν μου 1 You sit here well … You stand there … Sit under my footstool Since these comments are addressed to the rich person and to the poor person as individuals, **you** is singular in the first two instances and the implied “you” in the command to **sit** is also singular. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular]])
JAS 2 3 zx9f figs-idiom σὺ κάθου ὧδε καλῶς 1 You sit here well In this context **well** means “honorably.” It does not refer to how well the rich person would be able to sit in the indicated seat. Alternate translation: “Sit here in this place of honor” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 2 3 j093 figs-imperative σὺ κάθου ὧδε καλῶς 1 You sit here well This is an imperative, but it should be translated as a polite request rather than as a command. It may be helpful to add an expression such as “please” to make this clear. Alternate translation: “Please sit here in this place of honor” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-imperative]])
JAS 2 3 j094 grammar-connect-logic-contrast καὶ 1 and The term **and** introduces a contrast between the way the rich person and the poor person are treated. Alternate translation: “but” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
JAS 2 3 j095 figs-imperative σὺ στῆθι ἐκεῖ…κάθου ὑπὸ τὸ ὑποπόδιόν μου 1 You stand there … Sit under my footstool These statements addressed to the poor person probably are direct imperatives rather than polite requests, since James is illustrating how believers might treat poor people differently from rich people. Not adding “please” to these statements would show the contrast with the way the rich person is addressed. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-imperative]])
JAS 2 3 ce14 figs-explicit σὺ στῆθι ἐκεῖ…κάθου ὑπὸ τὸ ὑποπόδιόν μου 1 You stand there … Sit under my footstool The implications are that the poor person is being told to stand or sit in a humbler and less honorable place. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly, as UST does. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 3 h2fy figs-you κάθου ὑπὸ τὸ ὑποπόδιόν μου 1 Sit under my footstool This imperative statement uses the singular first-person pronoun **my**, since it is something that one of the believers might say to the hypothetical poor person. If this would not be natural in your language, since the statement is introduced by **you** (plural) **say**, you could also use a plural form in the statement itself. Alternate translation: “Sit on the floor by our feet” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-you]])
JAS 2 4 j096 figs-hypo οὐ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἐγένεσθε κριταὶ διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν? 1 have you not distinguished among yourselves and become judges of evil thoughts? In this verse James describes the result of the hypothetical situation he has been describing since [2:2](../02/02.md). It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “Then you have distinguished among yourselves and become judges of evil thoughts.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
JAS 2 4 j097 grammar-connect-logic-result οὐ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἐγένεσθε κριταὶ διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν 1 have you not distinguished among yourselves and become judges of evil thoughts If your readers would misunderstand this sentence, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “have you not become judges who think evil things and so begun to consider some people better than others” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 2 4 x9el figs-rquestion οὐ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἐγένεσθε κριταὶ διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν? 1 have you not distinguished among yourselves and become judges of evil thoughts? As James describes this result, he uses the question form for emphasis. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: “you have considered some people better than others, because you have become judges who think evil things!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 2 4 j098 figs-possession ἐγένεσθε κριταὶ διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν 1 become judges of evil thoughts James is using the possessive form to describe **judges** who are characterized by **evil thoughts**. He is not speaking of people who judge whether thoughts are evil. Alternate translation: “become judges who think evil things” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
JAS 2 4 j099 figs-explicit ἐγένεσθε κριταὶ διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν 1 become judges of evil thoughts James is describing something more than passively assuming a certain role and thinking in a certain way. He is describing taking action based on that way of thinking. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “made wrong judgments about how people should be treated and then treated them that way” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 5 j344 figs-idiom ἀκούσατε 1 Listen James uses this expression to emphasize what he is about to say. Alternate translation: “Pay attention to this” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 2 5 m5jr figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοί 1 my beloved brothers See how you translated this in [1:16](../01/16.md). Alternate translation: “my dear fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 2 5 ha52 figs-rquestion οὐχ ὁ Θεὸς ἐξελέξατο τοὺς πτωχοὺς τῷ κόσμῳ, πλουσίους ἐν πίστει, καὶ κληρονόμους τῆς βασιλείας ἧς ἐπηγγείλατο τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν? 1 did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to the ones loving him? James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement. Alternate translation: “God has chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 2 5 ke2q figs-nominaladj τοὺς πτωχοὺς 1 the poor James is using the adjective **poor** as a noun to refer to a group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “people who are poor” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 2 5 j100 figs-metonymy τῷ κόσμῳ 1 in the world James is using the term **world** in a different sense than in 1:27. Here it refers to the world that we live in, and so it indicates ordinary life. Alternate translation: “in this life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 2 5 s38z figs-metaphor πλουσίους ἐν πίστει 1 to be rich in faith James speaks figuratively of having much **faith** as if that made a person wealthy. Alternate translation: “to have strong faith” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 2 5 j101 figs-explicit πλουσίους ἐν πίστει 1 to be rich in faith Your language may require you to specify the object of **faith**. Alternate translation: “to have strong faith in Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 5 qii5 figs-metaphor κληρονόμους τῆς βασιλείας ἧς 1 heirs of the kingdom that James speaks figuratively of the people to whom God has promised the kingdom as if they were going to inherit wealth from a family member. Alternate translation: “participants in the kingdom that” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 2 5 j102 figs-abstractnouns κληρονόμους τῆς βασιλείας ἧς 1 to be heirs of the kingdom that If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **kingdom**, you could express the idea behind it with a verb such as “rule.” Alternate translation: “to enjoy advantages when God rules, as” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 2 6 vr53 ἠτιμάσατε τὸν πτωχόν 1 you have dishonored the poor What James means by this is clear from the example he gives in [2:2-3](../02/02.md). Alternate translation: “you have treated people who are poor much worse than you have treated people who are rich”
JAS 2 6 j103 figs-nominaladj τὸν πτωχόν 1 the poor James is using the adjective **poor** as a noun to refer to a group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “people who are poor” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 2 6 j104 writing-pronouns οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια 1 Do not the rich overpower you and themselves drag you into court The word that is translated **themselves** here is the same word that is translated **they** in the next verse. It is effectively the subject of a new independent clause, so you could translate this as two sentences. Alternate translation: “Do not the rich overpower you? Do they not drag you into court” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 2 6 l2lu figs-rquestion οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια? 1 Do not the rich overpower you and themselves drag you into court? James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: “It is the rich who overpower you and drag you into court themselves!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 2 6 j105 figs-explicit οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια? 1 Do not the rich overpower you and themselves drag you into court? James is implying that rich people do not deserve to be treated better by the believers to whom he is writing, since rich people have actually treated them badly. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “People who are rich do not deserve to have you treat them better than others. They are the ones who overpower you and drag you into court themselves!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 6 eeg5 figs-nominaladj οἱ πλούσιοι 1 the rich James is using the adjective **rich** as a noun to refer to a group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “people who are rich” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 2 6 s9k1 figs-metaphor ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια 1 drag you into court James is speaking figuratively of the rich as if they would physically **drag** the poor into court. Alternate translation: “force you to go to court” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 2 6 h8jn figs-explicit ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια 1 drag you into court If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly why rich people were taking poor people to court. Alternate translation: “force you to go to court so that they can exploit you through lawsuits” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 7 las1 figs-rquestion οὐκ αὐτοὶ βλασφημοῦσιν τὸ καλὸν ὄνομα τὸ ἐπικληθὲν ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς? 1 Do they not blaspheme the good name that has been called upon you? James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: “They are the ones who blaspheme the good name that has been called upon you!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 2 7 j106 οὐκ αὐτοὶ βλασφημοῦσιν τὸ καλὸν ὄνομα 1 Do they not blaspheme the good name The word **blaspheme** can have a technical sense. It can describe a human being wrongly denying that something is divine. But the word can also have the general sense of “insult,” and that is probably the sense in which James is using it here. (However, by insulting the **name** of Jesus, these rich people were also guilty of blasphemy in the technical sense, since Jesus is divine and his name should be honored.) Alternate translation: “Do they not insult the good name”
JAS 2 7 wd8y figs-metonymy τὸ καλὸν ὄνομα 1 the good name James is referring figuratively to the **name** of Jesus by association with the way that it is **good**. Alternate translation: “the name of Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 2 7 j107 figs-idiom τὸ ἐπικληθὲν ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς 1 that has been called upon you This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “by which you are called” or “by which you are known” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 2 7 j108 figs-activepassive τὸ ἐπικληθὲν ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς 1 that has been called upon you If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “by which people call you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 2 8 j109 grammar-connect-logic-contrast εἰ μέντοι 1 If, however James is using these words to introduce a contrast with what he said in [2:6](../02/06.md), “you have dishonored the poor,” meaning “you have treated rich people much better than you have treated poor people.” Alternate translation: “But if, instead of favoring rich people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
JAS 2 8 j110 τελεῖτε 1 you fulfill The verb **fulfill** comes from the same root as the adjective “perfect” that James uses several times earlier in this letter. It means to make something accomplish its purpose or reach its goal. Alternate translation: “you completely obey”
JAS 2 8 q9hh figs-metonymy νόμον…βασιλικὸν 1 the royal law There are two possible reasons for why James describes the **law** that he quotes here from [Leviticus 19:18](../lev/19/18.md) as **royal**. (1) When Jesus came proclaiming the kingdom of God, he said that this law was one of two that summed up all of the other laws and guided life in the kingdom of God. (The other law was to love God with all of one’s heart, soul, mind, and strength.) Alternate translation: “the law that guides life in the kingdom of God” (2) James may say that this **law** is **royal** because God, the true king, gave it to people. Alternate translation: “God’s law” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 2 8 ymf5 figs-declarative ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν 1 You will love your neighbor as yourself Here the law of Moses is using a future statement to give a command. Alternate translation: “You are to love your neighbor as you love yourself” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-declarative]])
JAS 2 8 j111 figs-youcrowd ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν 1 You will love your neighbor as yourself The words **you** and **yourself** are singular in this quotation because, even though Moses gave this law to the Israelites as a group, each individual person was expected to obey it. So in your translation, use the singular forms of “you” and “yourself” if your language marks that distinction. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-youcrowd]])
JAS 2 8 gll2 figs-idiom τὸν πλησίον σου 1 your neighbor This is an idiom. It does not mean only someone who lives nearby. Alternate translation: “other people” or “anyone you encounter” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 2 8 b9wu καλῶς ποιεῖτε 1 you do well Alternate translation: “you are doing what God wants you to do”
JAS 2 9 xt6y figs-explicit προσωπολημπτεῖτε 1 you favor Your language may require you to specify the object of **favor**. Alternate translation: “you favor the rich” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 9 cq5h figs-activepassive ἐλεγχόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου ὡς παραβάται 1 convicted by the law as transgressors If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “and the law convicts you as transgressors” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 2 9 gl2e figs-personification ἐλεγχόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου ὡς παραβάται 1 convicted by the law as transgressors James is speaking figuratively of the law as if it were a human judge. Alternate translation: “and you are guilty of breaking God’s law” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 2 10 j112 grammar-connect-logic-result γὰρ 1 For James is giving the reason for the statement he made in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “The reason why showing favoritism makes a person guilty of breaking God’s law is that” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 2 10 l29g figs-idiom ὅστις…τηρήσῃ 1 whoever might keep Here, **keep** is an idiom that means “obey.” Alternate translation: “whoever might obey” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 2 10 jb5u figs-metaphor πταίσῃ δὲ ἐν ἑνί 1 but stumble in one thing James speaks figuratively of a person disobeying a commandment as if he would **stumble**, that is, trip and lose his balance while walking. Alternate translation: “but disobey one thing” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 2 10 m8ep figs-nominaladj πταίσῃ δὲ ἐν ἑνί 1 but stumble in one thing James is using the adjective **one** as a noun to refer to one commandment of the law. (ULT adds the term **thing** to show this.) Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate the term with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “but disobey one commandment” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 2 10 j113 πάντων ἔνοχος 1 guilty of all Alternate translation: “guilty of breaking the entire law”
JAS 2 10 j114 figs-explicit πάντων ἔνοχος 1 guilty of all If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly why James says that this is true. Alternate translation: “guilty of breaking the entire law, because God gave the entire law to show people how he wanted them to live, and if you break one part of it, you are not living in that way” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 11 j115 grammar-connect-logic-result γὰρ 1 For James is giving the reason for the statement he made in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “The reason why breaking one law makes a person guilty of breaking every law is that” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 2 11 ez11 figs-explicit ὁ…εἰπών 1 the one who said James is referring implicitly to God, who spoke the commandments quoted in this verse when he gave the law to Moses. Alternate translation: “God who said” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 11 c8jm figs-youcrowd μὴ μοιχεύσῃς…μὴ φονεύσῃς…οὐ μοιχεύεις…φονεύεις…γέγονας 1 Do not commit adultery … Do not murder … you do not commit adultery … you do murder … you have become The implied “you” in the two commandments that James quotes in this verse is singular because, even though Moses gave these laws to the Israelites as a group, each individual person was expected to obey them. The word **you** is also singular in the rest of the verse because James is carrying forward that usage from the commandments. So in your translation, use the singular form of “you” if your language marks that distinction. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-youcrowd]])
JAS 2 12 c6y8 figs-you οὕτως λαλεῖτε, καὶ οὕτως ποιεῖτε 1 Thus speak and thus act The implied “you” in these imperatives is plural. James returns here to the plural usage that he follows in most of his letter. So in your translation, use the plural form of “you” if your language marks that distinction and if it reflects it in imperatives. Alternate translation: “Speak and act in this way” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-you]])
JAS 2 12 yp6i figs-activepassive μέλλοντες κρίνεσθαι 1 ones who are going to be judged If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who will do the action. Alternate translation: “people whom God is going to judge” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 2 12 e87r figs-possession νόμου ἐλευθερίας 1 the law of freedom As in [1:25](../01/25.md), James is using the possessive form to describe a **law** that brings **freedom**. Alternate translation: “the law that brings freedom” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
JAS 2 12 j116 figs-abstractnouns νόμου ἐλευθερίας 1 the law of freedom If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **freedom**, you could translate the idea behind it with an adjective such as “free.” Alternate translation: “the law that sets people free” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 2 12 j117 figs-explicit νόμου ἐλευθερίας 1 the law of freedom If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly what the **law** gives people the **freedom** to do. Alternate translation: “the law that sets people free to obey God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 12 j118 figs-explicit νόμου ἐλευθερίας 1 the law of freedom In this context, it appears that when James speaks of **the law of freedom**, he is referring to the commandment that he quoted in [2:8](../02/08.md), “You will love your neighbor as yourself.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could express this explicitly and explain how this law sets people free. Alternate translation: “the law to love one’s neighbor, which sets people free to obey God by giving them a principle to follow in all of their actions” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 13 j119 grammar-connect-logic-result γὰρ 1 For James is giving the reason why people should be guided in their actions by the principle of loving others, as he said in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “You should follow the principle of loving others because” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 2 13 j120 figs-metonymy ἡ γὰρ κρίσις ἀνέλεος τῷ μὴ ποιήσαντι ἔλεος 1 judgment is merciless to those who have not done mercy James is using the word **judgment** figuratively to represent God, the one who judges. Alternate translation: “when God judges people, he will not be merciful to people who have not shown mercy to others” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 2 13 yv6l figs-personification ἡ γὰρ κρίσις ἀνέλεος τῷ μὴ ποιήσαντι ἔλεος 1 judgment is merciless to those who have not done mercy James is speaking figuratively of **judgment** as if it were a living thing that could act in a **merciless** way. Alternate translation: “When God judges people, he will not be merciful to people who have not shown mercy to others” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 2 13 j121 τῷ μὴ ποιήσαντι ἔλεος 1 to those who have not done mercy The word translated **mercy** can also refer to compassion. Since James is referring in this context to following the command to love others, that is likely what it means here. Alternate translation: “those who have not acted compassionately towards others”
JAS 2 13 j122 grammar-connect-logic-contrast κατακαυχᾶται ἔλεος κρίσεως 1 Mercy boasts against judgment There is an implied contrast between this sentence and the statement in the previous sentence that “judgment is merciless.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that contrast explicitly at the start of this sentence with a word such as “however.” Alternate translation: “However, mercy boasts against judgment” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
JAS 2 13 j123 figs-personification κατακαυχᾶται ἔλεος κρίσεως 1 Mercy boasts against judgment James is speaking figuratively of **mercy** and **judgment** as if they were living things that could fight a contest against one another. He is also speaking figuratively of **mercy** as if it could boast after defeating **judgment** in such a contest. James is continuing to describe how God will judge people. Alternate translation: “However, God will show mercy when he judges people who have acted compassionately towards others” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 2 14 k4e4 figs-rquestion τί τὸ ὄφελος, ἀδελφοί μου, ἐὰν πίστιν λέγῃ τις, ἔχειν ἔργα, δὲ μὴ ἔχῃ? 1 What would be the profit, my brothers, if someone said he had faith, but he did not have works? James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement. Alternate translation: “It does no good, my brothers, for someone to say he has faith if he does not have works.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 2 14 j124 figs-idiom τί τὸ ὄφελος 1 What would be the profit This is an idiom. Your language may have a comparable expression that you can use here. Alternate translation: “What good would it do” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 2 14 j125 figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί μου 1 my brothers See how you translated the term **brothers** in [1:2](../01/02.md). Alternate translation: “my fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 2 14 c234 figs-abstractnouns ἐὰν πίστιν λέγῃ τις, ἔχειν ἔργα, δὲ μὴ ἔχῃ 1 if someone said he had faith but he did not have works If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **faith** and **works**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “if someone said he believed in God but he did not do what God wanted him to do” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 2 14 j126 figs-explicit μὴ δύναται ἡ πίστις σῶσαι αὐτόν 1 Faith is not able to save him, is it In context, James is clearly asking not about **faith** in general, but about faith that is not demonstrated in **works**. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “That kind of faith is not able to save him, is it” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 14 j127 figs-doublenegatives μὴ δύναται ἡ πίστις σῶσαι αὐτόν 1 Faith is not able to save him, is it The first word of this sentence in Greek is a negative word that can be used to turn a statement into a question that expects a negative answer. ULT shows this by adding “is it?” Your language may have other ways of asking a question that expects a negative answer, for example, by changing the word order of a positive statement. Alternate translation: “Is that kind of faith able to save him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives]])
JAS 2 14 z9q8 figs-rquestion μὴ δύναται ἡ πίστις σῶσαι αὐτόν? 1 Faith is not able to save him, is it? James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: “That kind of faith is certainly not able to save him!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 2 14 j128 figs-abstractnouns μὴ δύναται ἡ πίστις σῶσαι αὐτόν? 1 Faith is not able to save him, is it? If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **faith**, you could express the ideas behind it with a verb such as “believe.” Alternate translation: “Will merely believing in God save him?” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 2 14 g8kr σῶσαι αὐτόν 1 save him Your language may require you to specify what this kind of faith cannot **save** a person from. Alternate translation: “save him from God’s judgment”
JAS 2 15 j129 figs-hypo ἐὰν 1 If James is using a hypothetical situation to teach. He begins to describe the condition in this verse. He describes the rest of the condition and the result in the next verse. Alternate translation: “Suppose” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
JAS 2 15 f6el figs-metaphor ἀδελφὸς ἢ ἀδελφὴ 1 a brother or sister As everywhere else in the book, the term **brother** refers to a fellow believer. In every other instance, the term can mean either a man or a woman. But in this verse James uses **brother** to mean a believer who is a man and **sister** to mean a believer who is a woman. If your language has both masculine and the feminine forms of the word you have been using to translate “brother,” you can use them both here. Otherwise, you can use an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “another man or woman who believes in Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 2 15 j130 γυμνοὶ 1 unclothed **Unclothed** can mean “naked,” and if a Bible translation already exists in your area, it may say that. But in this context, the word actually refers to lacking adequate clothes. Alternate translation: “badly clothed”
JAS 2 16 j131 figs-hypo δέ 1 and James is continuing to describe the condition of the hypothetical situation that he is using to teach. Alternate translation: “and suppose that” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
JAS 2 16 j132 writing-pronouns αὐτοῖς…αὐτοῖς 1 to them … them Even though in the previous verse James spoke in the singular of “a brother or sister,” he now speaks of needy people generally in the plural, saying **them**. If this might be confusing for your readers, you could use the singular in this verse as well. Alternate translation: “to him or her … him or her” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 2 16 j133 figs-metonymy θερμαίνεσθε καὶ χορτάζεσθε 1 warm yourself and be satisfied The person who would say this to people in need would be speaking figuratively of clothing by association with the way its keeps people warm and figuratively of food by association with the way it satisfies people. Alternate translation: “have adequate clothing and enough food” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 2 16 ngj8 figs-activepassive χορτάζεσθε 1 be satisfied If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an equivalent expression that uses an active verbal form. Alternate translation: “have enough food to satisfy you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 2 16 j134 figs-hypo δὲ 1 but James is continuing to describe the hypothetical situation that he is using to teach. Alternate translation: “but also suppose that” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
JAS 2 16 j135 writing-pronouns μὴ δῶτε 1 you do not give At the beginning of this verse, James speaks in the third-person singular of **one of you**. But he now speaks of believers generally in the second-person plural, saying **you**, to indicate how the community as a whole might respond to this situation. If this might be confusing for your readers, you could use the third-person singular here as well. Alternate translation: “he does not give” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 2 16 j136 figs-nominaladj τὰ ἐπιτήδεια 1 the necessary things James is using the adjective **necessary** in the plural as a noun. (ULT adds **things** to show this.) Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate the term with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “the things that are necessary” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 2 16 n5jh figs-metonymy τοῦ σώματος 1 for the body James is speaking figuratively of meeting physical needs that also have an emotional and spiritual dimension by association with the way that these are needs of the human **body**. Alternate translation: “for people to be warm and well-fed” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 2 16 yi63 figs-rquestion τί τὸ ὄφελος? 1 what would be the profit? James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation. See how you translated the similar expression in [2:14](../02/14.md). Alternate translation: “that does no good!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 2 16 j137 figs-hypo τί τὸ ὄφελος? 1 what would be the profit? This is the result of the hypothetical situation that James has been using to teach. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “Then that does no good!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
JAS 2 17 me1d figs-personification ἡ πίστις, ἐὰν μὴ ἔχῃ ἔργα, νεκρά ἐστιν καθ’ ἑαυτήν 1 faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead James is speaking figuratively of **faith** as if it would be a living thing if it had works but not be alive if it did not have them. Alternate translation: “a person’s faith is not genuine by itself; he must express it through works” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 2 17 j138 figs-abstractnouns ἡ πίστις, ἐὰν μὴ ἔχῃ ἔργα, νεκρά ἐστιν καθ’ ἑαυτήν 1 faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **faith** and **works**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “if a person says he believes in God but he does not do what God wants him to do, then he does not really believe in God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 2 18 j139 figs-quotations ἀλλ’ ἐρεῖ τις, σὺ πίστιν ἔχεις, κἀγὼ ἔργα ἔχω 1 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” See the discussion of this sentence in the General Notes to this chapter. You may want to turn the direct quotation into an indirect quotation to help your readers understand that the **you** who is being addressed is the same “one of you” as in [2:16](../02/16.md) and that when James says **I**, he is referring to himself. Alternate translation: “But someone may tell you that you have faith and I have works” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-quotations]])
JAS 2 18 j140 figs-explicit ἀλλ’ ἐρεῖ τις, σὺ πίστιν ἔχεις, κἀγὼ ἔργα ἔχω 1 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” See the discussion of this sentence in the General Notes to this chapter. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate more explicitly what this statement means. (UST explains the implications even further than is suggested here.) Alternate translation: “But someone may try to reassure you that you nevertheless have faith, while I, James, have works” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 18 al63 figs-hypo ἀλλ’ ἐρεῖ τις 1 But someone will say James is using a hypothetical situation to teach. This expression introduces the condition of the hypothetical situation. (As Part 1 of the General Introduction to James explains, in the style of speakers of this time, James is anticipating an objection that someone might make and saying how he would respond to it.) Alternate translation: “But suppose someone said to you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
JAS 2 18 j141 figs-yousingular σὺ πίστιν ἔχεις 1 you have faith Here, **you** is singular because James is illustrating how someone might address one individual. James himself then addresses that same individual in the rest of this verse and in verses [19-22](../02/19.md). So if your language marks the distinction, use the singular form of “you” in your translation from here through verse 22. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular]])
JAS 2 18 j142 figs-quotations δεῖξόν μοι τὴν πίστιν σου χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων, κἀγώ σοι δείξω ἐκ τῶν ἔργων μου τὴν πίστιν 1 Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith from works It may be helpful to make this sentence a direct quotation after an introduction to show that it is what James would say in response to the hypothetical objection. Alternate translation: “Then I would say to you, ‘Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith from works’” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-quotations]])
JAS 2 18 j143 figs-hypo δεῖξόν μοι τὴν πίστιν σου χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων, κἀγώ σοι δείξω ἐκ τῶν ἔργων μου τὴν πίστιν 1 Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith from works This is the result of the hypothetical situation that James has been describing. Alternate translation: “Then I would say to you, ‘Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith from works’” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])
JAS 2 18 j144 figs-imperative δεῖξόν μοι τὴν πίστιν σου χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων 1 Show me your faith without works James is using the imperative **show me** to challenge the hypothetical “you” and make him realize that he really cannot do what James is telling him to do. Alternate translation: “You cannot show me your faith without works” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-imperative]])
JAS 2 18 ii8d figs-abstractnouns δεῖξόν μοι τὴν πίστιν σου χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων 1 Show me your faith without works If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **faith** and **works**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “You cannot show me that you truly believe in God if you are not doing what God wants you to do” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 2 18 j145 figs-declarative κἀγώ σοι δείξω ἐκ τῶν ἔργων μου τὴν πίστιν 1 and I will show you my faith from works James is using a future statement to indicate something he is capable of doing. Alternate translation: “but I can show you my faith from works” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-declarative]])
JAS 2 18 j146 figs-abstractnouns κἀγώ σοι δείξω ἐκ τῶν ἔργων μου τὴν πίστιν 1 and I will show you my faith from works If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **faith** and **works**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “but by doing what God wants me to do, I can show you that I truly believe in God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 2 19 j147 σὺ πιστεύεις ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ Θεός 1 You believe that God is one The verb translated **believe** comes from the same root as the word translated “faith.” It may be helpful to your readers to show in your translation that James is continuing to speak to the same person as in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “You have faith that God is one”
JAS 2 19 j148 σὺ πιστεύεις ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ Θεός 1 You believe that God is one As Part 1 of the General Introduction to James explains, the people to whom James was writing were believers in Jesus who had a Jewish background. As a result, they would have known that he was referring here to the essential Jewish affirmation, “Listen, Israel, Yahweh our God is one.” Moses says this in [Deuteronomy 6:4](../deu/06/04.md). If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “You believe the essential teaching of Moses that there is one God”
JAS 2 19 j149 figs-irony καλῶς ποιεῖς; καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια πιστεύουσιν καὶ φρίσσουσιν 1 You do well. The demons also believe, and they tremble When James says **you do well**, he is saying the opposite of what he really means. He grants that believing in one God is a good thing in itself, but he is actually saying that by itself, it is the kind of faith without works that cannot save a person. He proves this by observing that the demons, who are not saved, also believe that there is one God, and this makes them tremble. Alternate translation: “You may think that is a good thing to do. But the demons also believe in one God, and they tremble” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-irony]])
JAS 2 19 fv39 figs-explicit καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια πιστεύουσιν καὶ φρίσσουσιν 1 The demons also believe, and they tremble If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly why the demons **tremble** at the thought of God. Alternate translation: “The demons also believe in one God, and they tremble, knowing that God is going to punish them” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 20 ax95 figs-rquestion θέλεις δὲ γνῶναι, ὦ ἄνθρωπε κενέ, ὅτι ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ἀργή ἐστιν? 1 But do you wish to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is idle? James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement. Alternate translation: “But I can show you, O foolish man, that faith without works is idle.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 2 20 j150 figs-idiom θέλεις…γνῶναι 1 do you wish to know This is an idiom. It means “I can show you” by suggesting implicitly, “If you really want to know, I can show you.” Alternate translation as a statement: “I can show you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 2 20 j151 ὦ ἄνθρωπε κενέ 1 O foolish man James is addressing this hypothetical **man** in the vocative after an exclamation. If your language has a vocative case, it would be appropriate to use it here. If not, you could express the meaning in another way that would be natural in your language. Alternate translation: “you foolish man”
JAS 2 20 j152 figs-gendernotations ὦ ἄνθρωπε κενέ 1 O foolish man James is using the term **man** in a generic sense that could mean any person, male or female. Alternate translation: “you foolish person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
JAS 2 20 j153 figs-personification ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ἀργή ἐστιν 1 faith without works is idle James is speaking figuratively of **faith** as if it were a living thing that would be lazily doing nothing if it did not have works. Alternate translation: “a person’s faith is useless if he does not express it through works” or “a person’s faith is unproductive if he does not express it through works” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 2 20 sd63 figs-abstractnouns ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ἀργή ἐστιν 1 faith without works is idle If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **faith** and **works**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “it is useless for a person to say that he believes in God if he does not do what God wants him to do” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 2 20 j154 translate-textvariants ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ἀργή ἐστιν 1 faith without works is idle See the discussion of textual issues at the end of the General Notes to this chapter to decide whether to use this reading in your translation or a different reading, “faith without works is dead.” The note below discusses a translation issue in that reading, for those who decide to use it. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-textvariants]])
JAS 2 20 j155 figs-personification ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ἀργή ἐστιν 1 faith without works is idle If the reading “faith without works is dead” is accurate, then James is speaking figuratively of **faith** as if it would be alive if it had works but it would not be alive if it did not have them. Alternate translation: “a person’s faith is not genuine if he does not express it through works” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 2 21 q8iv figs-rquestion Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἐδικαιώθη, ἀνενέγκας Ἰσαὰκ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον? 1 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement. Alternate translation: “Abraham our father was justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 2 21 j156 figs-explicit Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἐδικαιώθη, ἀνενέγκας Ἰσαὰκ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον? 1 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? James assumes that his readers will know that he is referring to a story recorded in the book of Genesis. In that story, God tells Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, but God does not really want Abraham to do that. Rather, God wants Abraham to demonstrate his faith and obedience by showing that he is willing to do it. God ultimately stops Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac. You could indicate this explicitly if it would be helpful to your readers, particularly if they would not know the story and if they would think that Abraham actually did offer his son as a sacrifice. Alternate translation, as a statement: “Abraham our father was justified by works when he demonstrated that he was willing to obey God even if that meant offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice, although God did not actually want him to do that and God stopped him from doing it” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 21 v3ft figs-explicit Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἐδικαιώθη 1 Was not Abraham our father justified by works See the discussion in Part 2 of the General Introduction to James about how a person is justified before God. James is not saying that Abraham did something that made God consider him righteous. Rather, as James will explain in more detail in the next two verses, God had previously declared Abraham to be righteous because Abraham believed in him. What Abraham did subsequently, when he proved that he was willing to obey God, demonstrated that his faith was genuine. You could indicate this explicitly if it would be helpful to your readers, particularly if they might misunderstand and think that Abraham did something that made God consider him righteous. Alternate translation, as a statement: “God declared Abraham our father to be righteous because what he did demonstrated that he genuinely believed in God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 21 j157 figs-activepassive Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν οὐκ…ἐδικαιώθη 1 Was not Abraham our father justified If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who did the action. Alternate translation, as a statement: “God justified Abraham our father” or “God declared Abraham our father to be righteous” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 2 21 ph1s figs-metaphor ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν 1 our father James is using the term **father** figuratively to mean “ancestor.” Alternate translation: “Abraham our ancestor” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 2 21 j159 figs-exclusive ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν 1 our father James is Jewish, descended from Abraham, and the people to whom he is writing also come from a Jewish background, so the word **our** would be inclusive, if your language marks that distinction. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
JAS 2 22 l1gj figs-metaphor βλέπεις 1 You see Here, to **see** figuratively represents to understand. Alternate translation: “So you should understand” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 2 22 vde4 figs-personification ἡ πίστις συνήργει τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἡ πίστις ἐτελειώθη 1 faith was working with his works and faith was perfected from works James is speaking figuratively of **faith** and **works** as if they were living things that could work together and help each other. Alternate translation: “Abraham was strengthened to do these works by his faith, and doing these works made his faith even stronger” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 2 22 j160 figs-abstractnouns ἡ πίστις συνήργει τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἡ πίστις ἐτελειώθη 1 faith was working with his works and faith was perfected from works If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **faith** and **works**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “Abraham did these things because he believed in God, and because he did these things, he believed in God even more” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 2 22 j161 figs-activepassive ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἡ πίστις ἐτελειώθη 1 faith was perfected from works If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “his works perfected his faith” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 2 22 j162 ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἡ πίστις ἐτελειώθη 1 faith was perfected from works The verb **perfected** comes from the same root as the adjective “perfect” that James uses several times earlier in this letter. The verb refers similarly to something developing to the point where it is fully suited to its purpose. Alternate translation: “what he did helped his faith become fully mature”
JAS 2 23 qh4i figs-activepassive ἐπληρώθη ἡ Γραφὴ 1 the scripture was fulfilled If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “this fulfilled the scripture” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 2 23 l818 figs-explicit ἐπίστευσεν δὲ Ἀβραὰμ τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην 1 And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness This is a quotation from [Genesis 15:6](../gen/15/06.md). James assumes that his readers will know that it refers to how Abraham responded to God’s promise that even though he and his wife were old and had no children, he would have as many descendants as the stars in the sky. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could give an explicit indication of this. Alternate translation: “Abraham believed God’s promise that he would have many descendants, and so God considered Abraham to be in a right relationship with him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 23 j163 figs-explicit φίλος Θεοῦ ἐκλήθη 1 he was called a friend of God James assumes that his readers will know that in [Isaiah 41:8](../isa/41/08.md), God refers to the Israelites as “the offspring of Abraham my friend” and that in [2 Chronicles 20:7](../2ch/20/07.md), in a prayer to God, King Jehoshaphat refers to the Israelites as “the descendants of Abraham your friend.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could give an explicit indication of this. Alternate translation: “he was called a friend of God in later scriptures” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 23 j164 figs-activepassive φίλος Θεοῦ ἐκλήθη 1 he was called a friend of God If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form, and you can state who did the action. Alternate translation: “God, speaking through Isaiah, later called him his friend, and in prayer King Jehoshaphat also described him as God’s friend” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 2 24 j165 figs-metaphor ὁρᾶτε 1 You see Here, to **see** figuratively represents to understand. Alternate translation: “So you should understand” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 2 24 j166 figs-you ὁρᾶτε 1 you see James returns here to the plural usage that he follows in most of the letter. So in your translation, use the plural form of “you” if your language marks that distinction. Other languages may have other ways of indicating the shift back to plural here. Alternate translation: “So all of you should understand” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-you]])
JAS 2 24 j167 figs-gendernotations ἄνθρωπος 1 a man James is using the term **man** in a generic sense that could mean any person, male or female. Alternate translation: “a person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
JAS 2 24 yha5 figs-activepassive δικαιοῦται 1 is justified If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “becomes right with God” or “comes to have a right relationship with God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 2 24 j168 figs-abstractnouns ἐξ ἔργων…καὶ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως μόνον 1 from works and not from faith alone If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **faith** and **works**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “by what he does and not just by what he believes” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 2 24 j169 figs-explicit ἐξ ἔργων…καὶ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως μόνον 1 from works and not from faith alone See the discussion in Part 2 of the General Introduction to James about how a person is justified before God. James is not saying that we need to add works to our faith in order to be justified. Rather, James is speaking of works that are an expression and proof of the saving faith that a person already has. You could indicate this explicitly if it would be helpful to your readers, particularly if they might misunderstand and think that James is saying that we have to add works to our faith in order for God to consider us righteous. Alternate translation: “by what he does as an expression of what he believes, and not just by what he believes” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 25 dcv5 figs-rquestion ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἐδικαιώθη, ὑποδεξαμένη τοὺς ἀγγέλους, καὶ ἑτέρᾳ ὁδῷ ἐκβαλοῦσα? 1 And similarly was not Rahab the prostitute also justified from works, having welcomed the messengers and having sent them away by another road? James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement. Alternate translation: “Rahab the prostitute was also justified similarly from works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them away by another road.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 2 25 j170 figs-activepassive ὁμοίως…καὶ Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη οὐκ…ἐδικαιώθη 1 similarly was not Rahab the prostitute also justified If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who did the action. Alternate translation: “did not God similarly justify Rahab the prostitute” or “did not God similarly declare Rahab the prostitute to be righteous” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 2 25 hir8 figs-explicit ὁμοίως 1 similarly If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly what **similarly** means in this context. Alternate translation: “in the same way as Abraham,” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 25 bx6i figs-abstractnouns ἐξ ἔργων 1 from works If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **works**, you could express the idea behind it with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “by what she did” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 2 25 pn2f figs-explicit ὑποδεξαμένη τοὺς ἀγγέλους, καὶ ἑτέρᾳ ὁδῷ ἐκβαλοῦσα 1 having welcomed the messengers and having sent them away by another road James assumes that his readers will know that he is referring to the episode recorded in the book of Joshua in which Joshua sent two spies to explore the land of Canaan. Rahab provided safety and shelter for these spies in her home, and she then sent them away safely by a route that their pursuers would not have expected them to take. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could give an explicit indication of this. Alternate translation: “when she provided shelter and safety in her home for the spies whom Joshua sent to explore the land of Canaan and when she sent these spies safely away by a route that their pursuers would not have expected them to take” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 2 25 xm5m writing-pronouns ἐκβαλοῦσα 1 having sent them away Since there were two **messengers**, the pronoun **them** would be in the dual, if your language uses that form. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 2 26 j172 grammar-connect-logic-result γὰρ 1 For James is using this word to introduce a general principle that can be deduced from the argument he has been making since [2:14](../02/14.md) that **faith** needs to be expressed in **works**. He does not say **For**, which often means “because,” to indicate that God justified Abraham and Rahab for this reason. Rather, he is using the word **For** in order to bring his argument to its conclusion. Alternate translation: “These specific cases confirm the general principle that” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 2 26 j173 τὸ σῶμα χωρὶς πνεύματος νεκρόν ἐστιν 1 the body without the spirit is dead The word translated **spirit** can also mean “breath.” Alternate translation: “a body that does not have the breath of life in it is dead”
JAS 2 26 uum8 figs-personification ἡ πίστις χωρὶς ἔργων νεκρά ἐστιν 1 faith without works is dead James is speaking figuratively of **faith** as if it would be a living thing if it had works but not be alive if it did not have them. Alternate translation: “a person’s faith is not genuine if he does not express it through works” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 2 26 j174 figs-abstractnouns ἡ πίστις χωρὶς ἔργων νεκρά ἐστιν 1 faith without works is dead If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **faith** and **works**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “if a person says he believes in God but he does not do what God wants him to do, then he does not really believe in God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 3 intro py3p 0 # James 3 General Notes<br><br>## Structure and formatting<br><br>1. The need for self-control in speech (3:1-12)<br>2. Worldy wisdom and heavenly wisdom contrasted (3:13-18)<br><br>## Important figures of speech in this chapter<br><br>### Metaphors<br><br>In this chapter, James uses many illustrations from everyday life to teach his readers how to live in a way that pleases God. He speaks about horses in [3:3](../03/03.md), ships in [3:4](../03/04.md), forest fires in [3:5](../03/05.md), animal taming in [3:7](../03/07.md), springs of water in [3:11](../03/11.md), and fruit trees in [3:12](../03/12.md). (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 1 p4uu μὴ πολλοὶ διδάσκαλοι γίνεσθε 1 Do not become many teachers Alternate translation: “Not many of you should become teachers”
JAS 3 1 c36b figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί μου 1 my brothers See how you translated the term **brothers** in [1:2](../01/02.md). Alternate translation: “my fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 1 j175 εἰδότες ὅτι 1 knowing that Alternate translation: “since you know that”
JAS 3 1 v7fa figs-exclusive μεῖζον κρίμα λημψόμεθα 1 we will receive greater judgment James is speaking of himself and other teachers but not of his readers, so the pronoun **we** is exclusive here. Alternate translation: “we who teach will receive greater judgment” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
JAS 3 1 aw5f figs-explicit μεῖζον κρίμα λημψόμεθα 1 we will receive greater judgment By **greater judgment**, James means that God will judge people who teach his word more strictly than he will judge other people. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate explicitly why that is true. Alternate translation: “God will judge us who teach his word more strictly than he will judge other people, because our teaching greatly influences what other people believe and how they live” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 3 2 j176 grammar-connect-logic-result γὰρ 1 For James is using **For** to introduce the reason why most of his readers should not become teachers, not the reason why God will judge teachers more strictly. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain this reason more fully as a separate sentence, as UST does. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 3 2 j177 πολλὰ…πταίομεν ἅπαντες 1 we all stumble much James is using the adjective **much** as an adverb. Alternate translation: “we all stumble in many ways”
JAS 3 2 ab9h figs-exclusive πολλὰ…πταίομεν ἅπαντες 1 we all stumble much James is now speaking of himself and other teachers and also of his readers and people in general, so the pronoun **we** is inclusive here. Alternate translation: “everyone stumbles in many ways” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
JAS 3 2 p9ek figs-metaphor πολλὰ…πταίομεν ἅπαντες…ἐν λόγῳ οὐ πταίει 1 we all stumble much … does not stumble in word As in [2:10](../02/10.md), James is speaking figuratively of people sinning as if they would **stumble**, that is, trip and lose their balance while walking. Alternate translation: “we all sin in many ways … does not sin in word” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 2 t6xt figs-metonymy εἴ τις ἐν λόγῳ οὐ πταίει 1 If anyone does not stumble in word James is using the term **word** figuratively to mean what people say by using words. Alternate translation: “If anyone does not sin in what he says” or “If anyone does not say things that are wrong” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 3 2 kn4v οὗτος τέλειος ἀνήρ 1 he is a perfect man As in [1:4](../01/04.md) and several other places earlier in this letter, the term **perfect** refers to something that has developed to the point where it is fully suited to its purpose. Alternate translation: “he is a spiritually mature person”
JAS 3 2 j178 figs-metaphor δυνατὸς χαλιναγωγῆσαι καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα 1 able to bridle even the whole body As in [1:26](../01/26.md), James speaks figuratively of a person being able to **bridle** himself as if that person were controlling a horse with a bridle. Alternate translation: “able to control his whole body” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 2 b16h figs-synecdoche δυνατὸς χαλιναγωγῆσαι καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα 1 able to bridle even the whole body James speaks figuratively of a person’s **body** to mean all of that person, including his actions and behavior. Alternate translation: “able to control everything he does” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])
JAS 3 3 s1nf grammar-connect-time-background δὲ 1 Now James uses **Now** to introduce background information in the form of an illustration that will help his readers understand what he wants to teach them. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could translate the word with a phrase that shows that James is going to offer an illustration, as UST does. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-time-background]])
JAS 3 3 zql3 translate-unknown τῶν ἵππων τοὺς χαλινοὺς εἰς τὰ στόματα βάλλομεν 1 we put bits into the mouths of horses **Horses** are large animals that are used in many cultures to transport people and goods. **Bits** are small pieces of metal that are placed into horses’ mouths to control where they go. If your readers would not be familiar with **horses** and **bits**, in your translation you could use the name of another animal and a different device, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “we put pegs into the noses of camels” or “we use small devices on the bodies of large animals” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown]])
JAS 3 3 j179 εἰς τὸ πείθεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἡμῖν 1 for them to obey us Alternate translation: “so that they will obey us”
JAS 3 3 j180 figs-metonymy καὶ ὅλον τὸ σῶμα αὐτῶν μετάγομεν 1 we also turn their whole body James means that by using a bit, people can **turn** the body of a horse in whatever direction they want. James is figuratively using the action of turning a horse to mean guiding or controlling it in general. Alternate translation: “this enables us to guide their whole body” or “this enables us to control their whole body” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 3 3 j181 ὅλον τὸ σῶμα αὐτῶν 1 their whole body Since James speaks of **horses** in the plural, it might be more natural in your language to use the plural form of **body**. Alternate translation: “their whole bodies”
JAS 3 4 j182 figs-metaphor ἰδοὺ, καὶ τὰ πλοῖα 1 Behold also the ships The term **behold** focuses the attention of a listener or reader on what a speaker or writer is about to say. Though it literally means “look” or “see,” the term can be used figuratively to mean giving notice and attention, and that is how James is using it here. Alternate translation: “Also consider the case of ships” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 4 yn42 translate-unknown πλοῖα…πηδαλίου 1 ships … rudder **Ships** are large vessels that are used to transport people or goods by water. A **rudder** is a flat device attached to the back of a ship that is used to steer it. If your readers would not be familiar with what **ships** are and what a **rudder** is, in your translation you could use the name of another transportation vehicle and a different device, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “trucks … steering wheel” or “large vehicles … steering device” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown]])
JAS 3 4 j183 τηλικαῦτα ὄντα, καὶ ὑπὸ ἀνέμων σκληρῶν ἐλαυνόμενα 1 being so large and driven by strong winds It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “Even though they are so large and driven by strong winds”
JAS 3 4 k7f5 figs-activepassive τηλικαῦτα ὄντα, καὶ ὑπὸ ἀνέμων σκληρῶν ἐλαυνόμενα 1 being so large and driven by strong winds If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “Even though they are so large and strong winds drive them” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 3 4 jrk1 figs-metonymy μετάγεται ὑπὸ ἐλαχίστου πηδαλίου 1 it is turned by the smallest rudder James is figuratively using the action of turning a ship to mean guiding or controlling the ship in general. (For example, a person might turn a ship in order to keep it upright, not just to direct it to a certain place.) Alternate translation: “it is controlled by the smallest rudder” or “it is guided by the smallest rudder” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 3 4 j184 figs-activepassive μετάγεται ὑπὸ ἐλαχίστου πηδαλίου 1 it is turned by the smallest rudder If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “the smallest rudder turns it” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 3 4 j185 μετάγεται ὑπὸ ἐλαχίστου πηδαλίου 1 it is turned by the smallest rudder Since James speaks of **ships** in the plural, it might be more natural in your language to use the plural in this clause as well. Alternate translation: “they are turned by the smallest rudders” or “the smallest rudders turn them”
JAS 3 4 j186 ἐλαχίστου πηδαλίου 1 the smallest rudder James says **smallest**, using the superlative form of the adjective “small,” to express a meaning of the adjective in its positive form. Your language may use superlative forms in the same way. If not, you can translate this using the positive form. Alternate translation: “a very small rudder”
JAS 3 4 j187 figs-personification ὅπου ἡ ὁρμὴ τοῦ εὐθύνοντος βούλεται 1 where the inclination of the one steering desires James speaks of the **inclination** of the person steering a boat as if it were a living thing that desired to go in one direction or another. Alternate translation: “in whatever direction the one steering the boat wants it to go” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 3 5 wt6i figs-simile οὕτως καὶ 1 Thus also James uses the words **thus also** to introduce a simile or comparison between the human tongue and the small items he discussed in the previous two verses, a horse’s bit and a ship’s rudder. Alternate translation: “In the same way” or “Likewise” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
JAS 3 5 j189 μικρὸν μέλος 1 a small member Alternate translation: “a part of the body”
JAS 3 5 j190 grammar-connect-logic-contrast καὶ 2 but Here, **but** introduces a contrast between the small size of the tongue and the great things that people use their tongues in speech to boast about. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
JAS 3 5 j191 figs-personification μεγάλα αὐχεῖ 1 it boasts great things James is saying figuratively that the **tongue** is a living thing that **boasts**. Alternate translation: “with it people boast great things” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 3 5 qx1k figs-nominaladj μεγάλα αὐχεῖ 1 it boasts great things James is using the adjective **great** in the plural as a noun. (ULT adds **things** to show this.) Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate the term with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “with it people boast that they have done great things” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 3 5 ub5h figs-metaphor ἰδοὺ 1 Behold The term **Behold** focuses the attention of a listener or reader on what a speaker or writer is about to say. Alternate translation: “Consider” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 5 j192 figs-explicit ἰδοὺ 1 Behold The implication is that James is offering his readers a further analogy. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “Consider as a further example” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 3 5 fr8x translate-unknown ἡλίκον πῦρ, ἡλίκην ὕλην ἀνάπτει 1 how small a fire kindles so large a forest A **forest** is a place where there are many trees. If your readers would not be familiar with what a **forest** is, you could use a different illustration that would be familiar to them of an area that could be destroyed by fire, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “how a small fire can quickly spread and burn much grassland” or “how a small fire can quickly spread and burn everything in a large area” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown]])
JAS 3 6 wm5q figs-metonymy καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα πῦρ 1 The tongue is also a fire James is using the **tongue** figuratively to represent what people say, by association with the way the tongue is used for speech. Alternate translation: “What we say is also a fire” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 3 6 j193 figs-metaphor καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα πῦρ 1 The tongue is also a fire James is using **fire** as an analogy for the destructive effects of what people say. Alternate translation: “What we say can also be very destructive” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 6 i61e figs-idiom ὁ κόσμος τῆς ἀδικίας 1 a world of unrighteousness This is an idiom. The sense is that all the **unrighteousness** in the **world** could be expressed in what someone said. Alternate translation: “a vast source of unrighteousness” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 3 6 j194 figs-abstractnouns τῆς ἀδικίας 1 of unrighteousness If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **unrighteousness**, you could express the idea behind it with an equivalent expression. In this context, the term refers to wrong things that people say. Alternate translation: “of sinful sayings” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 3 6 j195 figs-activepassive καθίσταται ἐν 1 is placed among If your readers would misunderstand this phrase, you could express this with an active verbal form. Alternate translation: “is in the middle of” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 3 6 j196 τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν 1 our members Alternate translation: “the other parts of our body”
JAS 3 6 sv44 figs-metaphor σπιλοῦσα ὅλον τὸ σῶμα 1 staining the whole body James speaks figuratively of the effects of speech as if a person’s tongue were **staining** his **body**. Alternate translation: “making the whole body impure” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 6 j198 figs-metaphor σπιλοῦσα ὅλον τὸ σῶμα 1 staining the whole body James is figuratively using the **body** to represent the entire person, since he is saying in this verse that bad speech has morally corrupting effects. Alternate translation: “making the whole person morally corrupt” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 6 j199 figs-idiom φλογίζουσα τὸν τροχὸν τῆς γενέσεως 1 setting the course of existence on fire The **course of existence** is an idiom that could refer to: (1) a person’s entire life, from birth to death. Alternate translation: “setting a person’s entire life on fire” (2) succeeding generations. Alternate translation: “setting on fire one generation of people after another” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 3 6 lf1j figs-metaphor φλογίζουσα τὸν τροχὸν τῆς γενέσεως 1 setting the course of existence on fire James is speaking figuratively of the destructive effects of bad speech as if they were **setting** a person’s life **on fire**. Alternate translation: “causing destruction throughout a person’s entire life” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 6 a7qd figs-activepassive φλογιζομένη ὑπὸ τῆς Γεέννης 1 it is set on fire by Gehenna If your readers would misunderstand this phrase, you could express this with an active verbal form. Alternate translation: “Gehenna sets it on fire” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 3 6 j200 figs-metaphor φλογιζομένη ὑπὸ τῆς Γεέννης 1 it is set on fire by Gehenna James continues to speak figuratively of the destructive effects of bad speech as if they were **fire**. Alternate translation: “its destructive effects come from Gehenna” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 6 j201 translate-names τῆς Γεέννης 1 Gehenna **Gehenna** is the Greek name for a place, the Valley of Hinnom just outside Jerusalem. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-names]])
JAS 3 6 j202 figs-metaphor τῆς Γεέννης 1 Gehenna James is figuratively using the name of this place, where refuse was thrown and fires burned continually, to mean hell. Alternate translation: “hell” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 6 j203 figs-metaphor τῆς Γεέννης 1 Gehenna Since hell, as a location, would not be able to influence people’s speech and conduct, James is likely using the name **Gehenna** figuratively to mean the devil by association. Alternate translation: “the devil” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 7 j204 grammar-connect-time-background γὰρ 1 For James uses **For** to introduce background information in the form of an illustration that will help his readers understand what he wants to teach them. Alternate translation: “Now” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-time-background]])
JAS 3 7 j205 figs-hyperbole πᾶσα…φύσις θηρίων τε καὶ πετεινῶν, ἑρπετῶν τε καὶ ἐναλίων, δαμάζεται καὶ δεδάμασται 1 every kind, both of beasts and birds, both of reptiles and marine animals, is being tamed and has been tamed Here, **every** is a generalization for emphasis. Alternate translation: “many different kinds of beasts, birds, reptiles, and marine animals are being tamed and have been tamed” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole]])
JAS 3 7 j206 πᾶσα γὰρ φύσις θηρίων τε καὶ πετεινῶν, ἑρπετῶν τε καὶ ἐναλίων 1 every kind, both of beasts and birds, both of reptiles and marine animals If you retain the generalization in your translation, it might be more natural in your language to use the singular for the creatures on this list. Alternate translation: “every kind of beast, bird, reptile, and marine animal”
JAS 3 7 j207 figs-merism πᾶσα γὰρ φύσις θηρίων τε καὶ πετεινῶν, ἑρπετῶν τε καὶ ἐναλίων 1 every kind, both of beasts and birds, both of reptiles and marine animals James is figuratively using various categories of creatures to mean every creature. Alternate translation: “every kind of creature that exists” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-merism]])
JAS 3 7 zw5m figs-nominaladj ἐναλίων 1 marine animals James is using the adjective **marine** in the plural as a noun. (ULT adds **animals** to show this.) Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate the term with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “sea creatures” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 3 7 ug59 figs-activepassive δαμάζεται καὶ δεδάμασται τῇ φύσει τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ 1 is being tamed and has been tamed by the human kind If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation (place the phrase right after “For”): “the human kind is taming and has tamed” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 3 7 j208 figs-doublet δαμάζεται καὶ δεδάμασται τῇ φύσει τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ 1 is being tamed and has been tamed by the human kind James says both **is being tamed** and **has been tamed** for emphasis. If your readers would misunderstand these phrases, you could combine them. Alternate translation (place the phrase right after “For”): “the human kind is in the process of taming” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])
JAS 3 7 j209 τῇ φύσει τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ 1 by the human kind Alternate translation: “by people”
JAS 3 8 j210 figs-gendernotations οὐδεὶς…ἀνθρώπων 1 none of men James is using the term **men** in a generic sense that includes all people. Alternate translation: “no human being” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
JAS 3 8 q9xe figs-metaphor δαμάσαι 1 to tame By analogy with the animals he discussed in the previous verse, James is using the word **tame** to mean “control.” Alternate translation: “to control” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 8 j211 figs-metonymy τὴν…γλῶσσαν 1 the tongue James is using the **tongue** figuratively to represent what people say, by association with the way the tongue is used for speech. Alternate translation: “what he says” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 3 8 j212 figs-nominaladj ἀκατάστατον κακόν 1 an unsettled evil James is using the adjective **evil** as a noun. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “an unsettled evil thing” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 3 8 j213 figs-personification ἀκατάστατον κακόν 1 an unsettled evil In this context, the word **unsettled** means “restless.” James is speaking figuratively of the **tongue** as if it were a living thing that could never rest because it always had to be saying bad things. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “We are constantly saying evil things” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 3 8 m7vi figs-metaphor μεστὴ ἰοῦ θανατηφόρου 1 full of deadly poison James is using **deadly poison** as an analogy for the destructive effects of what people say. Alternate translation (continuing a new sentence): “and what we say has very destructive effects” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 9 le6h writing-pronouns ἐν αὐτῇ εὐλογοῦμεν…καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ καταρώμεθα 1 With it we bless … and with it we curse The pronoun **it** refers to the tongue. Alternate translation: “With our tongue we bless … and with our tongue we curse” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 3 9 j214 figs-metonymy ἐν αὐτῇ εὐλογοῦμεν…καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ καταρώμεθα 1 With it we bless … and with it we curse James is using the **tongue** figuratively to represent what people say, by association with the way the tongue is used for speech. Alternate translation: “We use our tongue in speech to bless … and we use our tongue in speech to curse” or “By what we say, we bless … and by what we say, we curse” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 3 9 ucm9 εὐλογοῦμεν 1 we bless In this context, **bless** does not mean to confer a blessing on someone, as a superior would to an inferior. Rather, it means to say good things about someone. Alternate translation: “we say good things about”
JAS 3 9 j215 figs-hendiadys τὸν Κύριον καὶ Πατέρα 1 the Lord and Father James is not talking about two different people. He is expressing a single idea by using two nouns connected with **and**. The noun **Father** further identifies **the Lord**. Alternate translation: “the Lord our Father” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys]])
JAS 3 9 j216 guidelines-sonofgodprinciples Πατέρα 1 Father **Father** is an important title for God. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/guidelines-sonofgodprinciples]])
JAS 3 9 j217 figs-gendernotations τοὺς ἀνθρώπους 1 men James is using the term **men** in a generic sense that includes all people. Alternate translation: “people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations]])
JAS 3 9 umg1 figs-explicit τοὺς καθ’ ὁμοίωσιν Θεοῦ γεγονότας 1 who have come into being according to the likeness of God James means implicitly that God created people in his own **likeness**. Alternate translation: “whom God made according to his own likeness” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 3 10 j218 figs-metonymy ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος ἐξέρχεται εὐλογία καὶ κατάρα 1 Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing James is using the **mouth** figuratively to represent what people say, by association with the way the mouth is used for speech. Alternate translation: “The same person speaks blessing and cursing” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 3 10 a1ly figs-abstractnouns ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ στόματος ἐξέρχεται εὐλογία καὶ κατάρα 1 Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **blessing** and **cursing**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “The same person says things to bless God and to curse people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 3 10 j219 εὐλογία 1 blessing See how you translated the word “bless” in [3:9](../03/09.md). You may wish to use a similar translation here. Alternate translation: “good sayings”
JAS 3 10 n9zy figs-idiom οὐ χρή, ἀδελφοί μου, ταῦτα οὕτως γίνεσθαι 1 It is not necessary, my brothers, for these things to happen thus James is speaking idiomatically here. Alternate translation: “My brothers, things like this should not happen” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 3 10 qrs2 figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί μου 1 my brothers See how you translated the term **brothers** in [1:2](../01/02.md). Alternate translation: “my fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 11 j220 figs-doublenegatives μήτι ἡ πηγὴ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ὀπῆς βρύει τὸ γλυκὺ καὶ τὸ πικρόν 1 A spring does not gush the sweet and the bitter from the same opening, does it The first word of this sentence in Greek is a negative word that can be used to turn a statement into a question that expects a negative answer. ULT shows this by adding “does it?” Your language may have other ways of asking a question that expects a negative answer, for example, by changing the word order of a positive statement. Alternate translation: “Does a spring gush the sweet and the bitter from the same opening” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives]])
JAS 3 11 mz8d figs-rquestion μήτι ἡ πηγὴ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ὀπῆς βρύει τὸ γλυκὺ καὶ τὸ πικρόν? 1 A spring does not gush the sweet and the bitter from the same opening, does it? James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: “A spring does not gush the sweet and the bitter from the same opening!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 3 11 j221 ἡ πηγὴ 1 A spring In this context, the term **spring** refers to a spring of water, that is, a source of water that comes up from the ground. Alternate translation: “A spring of water”
JAS 3 11 j222 figs-nominaladj τὸ γλυκὺ καὶ τὸ πικρόν 1 the sweet and the bitter James is using the adjectives **sweet** and **bitter** as nouns to refer to types of water. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “sweet water and bitter water” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 3 12 j223 figs-doublenegatives μὴ δύναται, ἀδελφοί μου, συκῆ ἐλαίας ποιῆσαι 1 A fig tree is not able to make olives, is it The first word of this sentence in Greek is a negative word that can be used to turn a statement into a question that expects a negative answer. ULT shows this by adding “is it?” Your language may have other ways of asking a question that expects a negative answer, for example, by changing the word order of a positive statement. Alternate translation: “Is a fig tree able to make olives” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives]])
JAS 3 12 z3qg figs-rquestion μὴ δύναται, ἀδελφοί μου, συκῆ ἐλαίας ποιῆσαι 1 A fig tree is not able to make olives, is it James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement. Alternate translation: “A fig tree is not able to make olives” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 3 12 j224 translate-unknown μὴ δύναται, ἀδελφοί μου, συκῆ ἐλαίας ποιῆσαι 1 A fig tree is not able to make olives, is it A **fig tree** is a tree that produces small, sweet fruit. **Olives** also grow on trees, so they are technically fruit, but they are oily and pungent. If your readers would not be familiar with these kinds of fruit, you could use two other contrasting kinds of fruit as examples, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation (as a statement): “One kind of tree is not able to produce fruit that would grow on a different kind of tree” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown]])
JAS 3 12 jjj8 figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί μου 1 my brothers See how you translated the term **brothers** in [1:2](../01/02.md). Alternate translation: “my fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 12 bu4l figs-ellipsis ἢ ἄμπελος σῦκα 1 or a grapevine, figs James is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from earlier in the sentence. Alternate translation: “or is a grapevine able to make figs” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
JAS 3 12 j225 figs-rquestion ἢ ἄμπελος σῦκα 1 or a grapevine, figs James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement if you also translated the question in the earlier part of the sentence as a statement. Alternate translation: “and a grapevine is not able to make figs” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 3 12 j226 translate-unknown ἢ ἄμπελος σῦκα 1 or a grapevine, figs A **grapevine** is a woody vine that produces small, juicy fruit. This fruit is quite different from **figs**. If your readers would not be familiar with these kinds of fruit, you could use two other contrasting kinds of fruit as examples, or you could use a general expression. If you already used a general expression earlier in the verse, you could restate it here as a separate sentence for emphasis. Alternate translation: “No, a tree is not able to do that” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown]])
JAS 3 12 j227 figs-explicit οὔτε ἁλυκὸν γλυκὺ ποιῆσαι ὕδωρ 1 Nor salty to make sweet water James concludes his teaching about speech with this final example. It may be helpful after this example to restate the implications of all the examples that James has given in this verse and in the previous verse, as UST does. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 3 12 j228 figs-ellipsis οὔτε ἁλυκὸν γλυκὺ ποιῆσαι ὕδωρ 1 Nor salty to make sweet water James is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from earlier in the verse. Alternate translation: “And something that is salty is not able to produce sweet water” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
JAS 3 12 j229 figs-nominaladj ἁλυκὸν 1 salty James is using the adjective **salty** as a noun. Since James is speaking of something that can **make** or produce **water**, he is likely speaking of a spring. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “a saline spring” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 3 13 fgb7 figs-rquestion τίς σοφὸς καὶ ἐπιστήμων ἐν ὑμῖν? δειξάτω 1 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show James is not looking for information. He is using the question form to express a condition. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate this as a conditional statement. Alternate translation: “If anyone is wise and understanding among you, let him show” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 3 13 j230 figs-doublet σοφὸς καὶ ἐπιστήμων 1 wise and understanding The words **wise** and **understanding** mean similar things. James is using them together for emphasis. If your readers would misunderstand this connection, you could translate them with a single expression. Alternate translation: “truly wise” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])
JAS 3 13 f9xv figs-abstractnouns δειξάτω ἐκ τῆς καλῆς ἀναστροφῆς τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ ἐν πραΰτητι σοφίας 1 Let him show his works from good conduct in the humility of wisdom If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **works**, **conduct**, **humility**, and **wisdom**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “Let him show by conducting himself well, and by being humble as a wise person should be, that he does what God wants him to do” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 3 13 j231 figs-possession ἐν πραΰτητι σοφίας 1 in the humility of wisdom James is using the possessive form to describe **humility** that comes from **wisdom**. Alternate translation: “in the humility that comes from wisdom” or “with the humble attitude that comes from being wise” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
JAS 3 14 j232 figs-metaphor ζῆλον πικρὸν ἔχετε, καὶ ἐριθείαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν 1 you have bitter envy and ambition in your heart James is using the **heart** figuratively to represent the thoughts and emotions. Alternate translation: “you have bitterly envious and ambitious thoughts and feelings” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 14 js7b figs-abstractnouns ζῆλον πικρὸν ἔχετε, καὶ ἐριθείαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν 1 you have bitter jealousy and ambition in your heart If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **jealousy** and **ambition**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “in your heart you resent what other people have and you want to be more successful than anyone else” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 3 14 j233 τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν 1 your heart Since **you** and **your** are plural in this verse, if you retain the metaphor **heart** in your translation, it might be more natural in your language to use the plural form of that word. Alternate translation: “your hearts”
JAS 3 14 j234 figs-explicit μὴ κατακαυχᾶσθε καὶ ψεύδεσθε κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας 1 do not boast and lie against the truth Since James says in the previous verse that someone who is truly wise will be humble, he could be saying here that if someone claims to be wise but is jealous and ambitious, he is showing that he is actually not wise. Alternate translation: “then do not boast that you are wise, because that would not be true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 3 14 a191 figs-abstractnouns ψεύδεσθε κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας 1 lie against the truth If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **truth**, you could express the idea behind it with an adjective such as “true.” Alternate translation: “tell lies that are not true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 3 14 j235 figs-explicitinfo ψεύδεσθε κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας 1 lie against the truth In your language, it might seem that this phrase expresses unnecessary extra information. If so, you could express the same meaning in a different way. Alternate translation: “say things that are not true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicitinfo]])
JAS 3 15 j236 figs-explicit αὕτη 1 This **This** refers to the “bitter jealousy and ambition” that James describes in the previous verse. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “This bitter jealousy and ambition” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 3 15 g44u figs-abstractnouns ἡ σοφία 1 the wisdom If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **wisdom**, you could express the idea behind it with an adjective such as “wise.” Alternate translation: “the wise way of living” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 3 15 clz6 figs-metaphor ἄνωθεν κατερχομένη 1 that comes down from above James says **from above**, meaning “from heaven,” as a spatial metaphor that means “from God.” Alternate translation: “that comes from God” or “that God teaches” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 15 h36b figs-metonymy ἐπίγειος 1 earthly The word **earthly** refers to the values and behavior of people who do not honor God. James uses the word by association with the way such people live on earth without regard for the values and behavior that are characteristic of heaven. Alternate translation: “not honoring to God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 3 15 a2u6 figs-metonymy ψυχική 1 soulish James is figuratively using one part of the human being, the soul, as opposed to another part, the spirit, to mean “unspiritual.” The sense could be either that this behavior has no regard for spiritual things or that it does not come from the Holy Spirit. Alternate translation: “unspiritual” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 3 15 mzc9 δαιμονιώδης 1 demonic Alternate translation: “from demons” or “like the behavior of demons”
JAS 3 16 j237 grammar-connect-logic-result γὰρ 1 For James is giving the reason for the statement he made in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “It is clear that this is not godly wisdom, because” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 3 16 x5jz figs-abstractnouns ὅπου…ζῆλος καὶ ἐριθεία, ἐκεῖ ἀκαταστασία καὶ πᾶν φαῦλον πρᾶγμα 1 where there is envy and ambition, there is unsettledness and every wicked deed If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **envy**, **ambition**, and **unsettledness**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “when people are envious and ambitious, this causes them to act in disorderly and evil ways” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 3 16 vmt4 figs-hyperbole πᾶν φαῦλον πρᾶγμα 1 every wicked deed Here, **every** is a generalization for emphasis. Alternate translation: “many kinds of wicked deeds” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole]])
JAS 3 17 s8w4 figs-abstractnouns ἡ…σοφία 1 the wisdom If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **wisdom**, you could express the idea behind it with an adjective such as “wise.” Alternate translation: “the wise way of living” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 3 17 hhk5 figs-metaphor ἄνωθεν 1 from above See how you translated this in [3:15](../03/15.md). Alternate translation: “that comes from God” or “that God teaches” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 17 hfh9 figs-metaphor καρπῶν ἀγαθῶν 1 good fruits James speaks figuratively of **good fruits** to mean kind things that people do for others as a result of having wisdom from God. Alternate translation: “good deeds” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 17 by2l ἀνυπόκριτος 1 sincere Alternate translation: “not hypocritical” or “honest” or “truthful”
JAS 3 18 md56 figs-metaphor καρπὸς…δικαιοσύνης ἐν εἰρήνῃ σπείρεται, τοῖς ποιοῦσιν εἰρήνην 1 the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace James speaks figuratively of those who **make peace** as if they were sowing seeds, and of righteousness as if it were **fruit** that grew from those seeds. Alternate translation: “those who work in peace to make peace produce righteousness” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 3 18 htr1 figs-abstractnouns καρπὸς…δικαιοσύνης ἐν εἰρήνῃ σπείρεται, τοῖς ποιοῦσιν εἰρήνην 1 the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **righteousness** and **peace**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “those who work peacefully to help people live together peacefully are helping those people to live in the right way” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 3 18 j238 figs-activepassive καρπὸς…δικαιοσύνης ἐν εἰρήνῃ σπείρεται, τοῖς ποιοῦσιν εἰρήνην 1 the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace If you decide to retain the metaphor of sowing, you could express it with an active verbal form, if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “those who make peace sow the fruit of righteousness in peace” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 4 intro r6vv 0 # James 4 General Notes<br><br>## Structure and formatting<br><br>1. Worldly desires and the sin and conflict they cause (4:1-12)<br>2. A warning against boasting about tomorrow (4:13-17)<br><br>## Important figures of speech in this chapter<br><br>### Adultery<br><br>Writers in the Bible often speak of adultery as a metaphor for people who say they love God but do things that God hates. James uses the same metaphor in [4:4](../04/04.md). (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]] and [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/godly]])
JAS 4 1 j239 πόθεν πόλεμοι καὶ πόθεν μάχαι ἐν ὑμῖν 1 Whence are wars and whence are battles among you The word translated **whence** means “from where.” Your language may have a similar word that you can use in your translation. Otherwise, you can express the same meaning in a way that would be natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Where do wars and battles among you come from”
JAS 4 1 j240 figs-metaphor πόθεν πόλεμοι καὶ πόθεν μάχαι ἐν ὑμῖν 1 Whence are wars and whence are battles among you James is using the terms **wars** and **battles** figuratively. Alternate translation: “Where do the conflicts and disputes that you are having come from” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 1 pqx2 figs-rquestion πόθεν πόλεμοι καὶ πόθεν μάχαι ἐν ὑμῖν? 1 Whence are wars and whence are battles among you? James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement. Alternate translation: “I will tell you where the conflicts and disputes that you are having come from.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 4 1 ub82 figs-doublet πόθεν πόλεμοι καὶ πόθεν μάχαι ἐν ὑμῖν? 1 Whence are wars and whence are battles among you? The words **wars** and **battles** mean similar things. James is using them together for emphasis. If your readers would misunderstand this connection, you could translate them with a single expression. Alternate translation (as a statement): “I will tell you where the continual conflicts that you are having come from.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])
JAS 4 1 j241 figs-rquestion οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν ἐκ τῶν ἡδονῶν ὑμῶν, τῶν στρατευομένων ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ὑμῶν? 1 Are they not hence, from your lusts, which fight in your members? James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement. Alternate translation: “This is where they come from: from your lusts, which fight in your members.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 4 1 j242 οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν 1 Are they not hence The word translated **hence** means “from here.” Your language may have a similar word that you can use in your translation. Otherwise, you can express the same meaning in a way that would be natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Do they not come from here”
JAS 4 1 v5kg figs-metaphor τῶν ἡδονῶν ὑμῶν, τῶν στρατευομένων ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ὑμῶν 1 your lusts, which fight in your members As in [3:6](../03/06.md), **members** means “parts of the body.” This could mean: (1) the phrase **in your members** indicates the location of the **lusts** that James is describing. He could be saying that the outward fights between members of the community have their origin in inward lusts that lead people to fight for what they want, as he describes in the next verse. If so, he is using the parts of the body figuratively to represent a person’s thoughts and emotions. Alternate translation: “the lusts inside of you that fight” (2) the word translated **in** means “among.” The sense would then be that these **lusts** fight against one part of the person after another, seeking to gain control of the whole person. Since the **lusts** would actually be gaining control over non-physical aspects of a person, such as his will and values, James would once again be using the physical parts of the body figuratively to express his meaning. Alternate translation: “your lusts, which fight to control you” (3) James is speaking figuratively of the community of believers as if it were a body and of individual believers as if they were parts of that body. Alternate translation: “your lusts, which fight against other believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 1 vpe2 figs-personification τῶν ἡδονῶν ὑμῶν, τῶν στρατευομένων ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ὑμῶν 1 your lusts, which fight in your members In all of the cases that the previous note discusses, James would be speaking figuratively of **lusts** as if they were living things that could **fight.** Alternate translation: “the lusts inside of you that cause you to fight to get what you want” of “your lusts, which cause you to value and choose certain things in order to gratify them” or “your lusts, which cause you to fight against other believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 4 2 j243 grammar-connect-logic-contrast ἐπιθυμεῖτε καὶ οὐκ ἔχετε; φονεύετε καὶ ζηλοῦτε, καὶ οὐ δύνασθε ἐπιτυχεῖν 1 You covet, and you do not have. You kill and envy, and you are not able to obtain In both of these sentences, James is using the word translated **and** to introduce a contrast between the first and second clauses. Alternate translation: “You covet, but you do not have. You kill and envy, but you are not able to obtain” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
JAS 4 2 j244 ἐπιθυμεῖτε καὶ οὐκ ἔχετε; φονεύετε καὶ ζηλοῦτε, καὶ οὐ δύνασθε ἐπιτυχεῖν 1 You covet, and you do not have. You kill and envy, and you are not able to obtain Your language may require you to specify the objects of **have** and **obtain**. Alternate translation: “You covet, but you do not have what you covet. You kill and envy, but you are not able to obtain the things that you envy”
JAS 4 2 j245 figs-parallelism ἐπιθυμεῖτε καὶ οὐκ ἔχετε; φονεύετε καὶ ζηλοῦτε, καὶ οὐ δύνασθε ἐπιτυχεῖν 1 You covet, and you do not have. You kill and envy, and you are not able to obtain These two sentences mean similar things. James is using them together for emphasis. If your readers would misunderstand this connection, you could combine them. Alternate translation: “You desperately want things that other people have, but you cannot get them” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
JAS 4 2 khh9 figs-metaphor φονεύετε καὶ ζηλοῦτε 1 You kill and envy James probably does not mean the word **kill** literally. Rather, this could mean: (1) James is using the word in a figurative and spiritual sense to mean “hate.” This usage would reflect the teaching of Jesus and the apostles. Jesus said that the meaning of the commandment “do not kill” also applied to being angry with others and insulting them ([Matthew 5:21-22](../mat/05/21.md)). The apostle John wrote that “everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” ([1 John 3:15](../1jn/03/15.md)). Alternate translation: “You hate and envy” (2) James is describing someone wanting something so badly that he would almost kill to get it. Alternate translation: “You envy almost to the point of murder” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 2 j246 figs-hendiadys φονεύετε καὶ ζηλοῦτε 1 You kill and envy James is expressing a single idea by using two words connected with **and.** The word **kill** describes how his readers **envy** what others have. Alternate translation: “you envy hatefully” of “you envy murderously” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys]])
JAS 4 2 j247 figs-metaphor μάχεσθε καὶ πολεμεῖτε 1 You battle and war As in [4:1](../04/01.md), James is using the terms **battle** and **war** figuratively. Alternate translation: “You engage in disputes and conflicts” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 2 v9m8 figs-doublet μάχεσθε καὶ πολεμεῖτε 1 You battle and war The words **battle** and **war** mean similar things. James is using them together for emphasis. If your readers would misunderstand this connection, you could translate them with a single expression. Alternate translation: “You have continual conflicts” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])
JAS 4 2 j248 figs-explicit οὐκ ἔχετε, διὰ τὸ μὴ αἰτεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς 1 You do not have because you do not ask If it would be helpful to your readers, you could express more fully what this means. Alternate translation: “You do not get what you want because you do not ask God for it” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 4 3 j249 grammar-connect-logic-contrast αἰτεῖτε καὶ οὐ λαμβάνετε 1 You ask and you do not receive James is using the word translated **and** to introduce a contrast between these two clauses. Alternate translation: “You ask but you do not receive” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast]])
JAS 4 3 nk57 κακῶς αἰτεῖσθε 1 you ask badly James does not mean that his readers are asking for things in the wrong way. He means that they are asking for the wrong reason. Alternate translation: “you are asking for the wrong reason”
JAS 4 3 j250 figs-metaphor ἵνα ἐν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ὑμῶν δαπανήσητε 1 so that you may spend on your lusts James says figuratively that his readers would **spend** what they acquired on their lusts. Alternate translation: “so that you can gratify your sinful desires” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 4 j251 μοιχαλίδες 1 Adulteresses James is addressing his readers in the vocative. If your language has a vocative case, it would be appropriate to use it here. If not, you could express the meaning in another way that would be natural in your language. Alternate translation: “You adulteresses”
JAS 4 4 efi8 figs-metaphor μοιχαλίδες 1 Adulteresses James is figuratively describing his readers as married women who have sexual relations with men who are not their husbands. This metaphor is used many places in the Bible to represent unfaithfulness to God. Alternate translation: “You are not being faithful to God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 4 wu5v figs-rquestion οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἡ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου, ἔχθρα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν? 1 Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? James is using the question form for emphasis and as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Certainly you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 4 4 j252 figs-abstractnouns ἡ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου, ἔχθρα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν 1 friendship with the world is enmity with God If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **friendship** and **enmity**, you could express the ideas behind them with the concrete nouns “friend” and “enemy.” Alternate translation: “if you are a friend of the world, you are an enemy of God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 4 4 b5ly figs-metonymy ἡ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου 1 friendship with the world As in [1:27](../01/27.md), James is using the term **world** figuratively to mean the system of values shared by people who do not honor God. Alternate translation: “friendship with an ungodly value system” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 4 4 br36 figs-personification ἡ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου 1 friendship with the world James is speaking figuratively of this ungodly value system as if it were a person with whom someone could be friends. Alternate translation: “living by an ungodly value system” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 4 4 jf1g figs-metaphor ἔχθρα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν 1 is enmity with God James probably does not consider that his readers have literally become sworn enemies of God. He is using the term **enmity** figuratively to describe how opposed the worldly value system is to the way God wants people to live. Alternate translation: “is contrary to what God wants” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 4 j253 figs-metonymy φίλος εἶναι τοῦ κόσμου 1 to be a friend of the world See how you translated the term **world** earlier in this verse. Alternate translation: “to be a friend of an ungodly value system” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 4 4 j254 figs-personification φίλος εἶναι τοῦ κόσμου 1 to be a friend of the world James speaks figuratively again of the ungodly value system as if it were a person with whom someone could be friends. Alternate translation: “to live by an ungodly value system” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 4 4 j255 figs-activepassive καθίσταται 1 is made If your readers would misunderstand this passive verb, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “makes himself” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 4 4 j256 figs-metaphor ἐχθρὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ 1 an enemy of God See how you translated the similar expression earlier in this verse. Alternate translation: “someone who lives in a way contrary to what God wants” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 5 i2y4 figs-rquestion ἢ δοκεῖτε ὅτι κενῶς ἡ Γραφὴ λέγει 1 Or do you think that the Scripture says vainly James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement. (In this context, the term **vainly** means “for no good reason,” not “in a conceited way.”) Alternate translation: “There is a good reason why the Scripture says” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 4 5 j257 ἡ Γραφὴ λέγει 1 the Scripture says James is describing the general teaching of the Bible, not referring to a specific passage. In cases like this, your language might use the plural instead of the singular. Alternate translation: “the Scriptures say”
JAS 4 5 j258 figs-personification ἡ Γραφὴ λέγει 1 the Scripture says James is speaking figuratively of the Bible as if it could speak on its own. Alternate translation: “it is written in the Scriptures” or “we can read in the Scriptures” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 4 5 bx68 πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ Πνεῦμα ὃ κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν 1 The Spirit whom he caused to live in us longs with jealousy Here, **Spirit** could mean: (1) the Holy Spirit, who could be the subject of the verb **longs**. The idea of the Spirit being jealous would fit with the adultery metaphor in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “The Spirit whom God has caused to live in us longs for us to live faithfully to God” (2) the Holy Spirit, who could be the object of the verb **longs**, in which case God would be the subject of that verb. This interpretation would also fit with the adultery metaphor. Alternate translation: “God longs jealously for us to live by the Spirit whom he has caused to live in us” (3) the human spirit, in which case the statement would be repeating what James said in [4:2](../04/02.md) about people coveting and envying. Alternate translation: “The spirit that God has caused to live in us longs jealously for things that it does not have”
JAS 4 5 j259 writing-pronouns ὃ κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν 1 whom he caused to live in us Whatever the interpretation of the entire sentence, the pronoun **he** in this clause refers to God. Alternate translation: “whom God caused to live in us” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 4 6 ub8z figs-explicit μείζονα δὲ δίδωσιν χάριν 1 But he gives greater grace In light of what he says in the previous two verses, James is drawing a contrast between what God might be expected to do and what God actually does. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state the contrast more explicitly. Alternate translation: “But even though God is jealous if we are friends with the world, he does not reject us. Instead, he gives us even more grace to be friends with him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 4 6 j260 writing-pronouns μείζονα δὲ δίδωσιν χάριν 1 But he gives greater grace The pronoun **he** refers to God. Alternate translation: “But God gives greater grace” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 4 6 j261 μείζονα…χάριν 1 greater grace The comparative **greater** refers to quantity rather than to size. Alternate translation: “even more grace”
JAS 4 6 hyh2 writing-pronouns διὸ λέγει 1 Therefore it says The pronoun **it** refers to the Scripture, the antecedent from the previous verse. Even though James is now quoting a specific passage, [Proverbs 3:34](../pro/03/34.md), rather than a general teaching, the reference is to the Bible as a whole. Alternate translation: “Therefore the Scripture says” or “Therefore the Scriptures say” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 4 6 j262 figs-personification λέγει 1 it says James is speaking figuratively of the Bible as if it could speak on its own. Alternate translation: “it is written in the Scriptures” or “we can read in the Scriptures” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 4 6 qs61 figs-nominaladj ὑπερηφάνοις…ταπεινοῖς 1 the proud … the humble James is using the adjectives **proud** and **humble** as nouns to refer to types of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “proud people … humble people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 4 7 g7e5 figs-activepassive ὑποτάγητε οὖν 1 Be submitted, therefore If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “Submit, therefore” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 4 7 da5t grammar-connect-logic-result ὑποτάγητε οὖν 1 Be submitted, therefore James is giving the reason for the result he described in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “Because God gives grace to the humble, be submitted” or “Because God gives grace to the humble, submit” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 4 7 j263 grammar-connect-logic-result ἀντίστητε δὲ τῷ διαβόλῳ, καὶ φεύξεται ἀφ’ ὑμῶν 1 But resist the devil, and he will flee from you James is using the word translated **and** to describe a result. Alternate translation: “But resist the devil. If you do, then he will flee from you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 4 7 nud3 ἀντίστητε…τῷ διαβόλῳ 1 resist the devil Alternate translation: “resolve not to do what the devil wants”
JAS 4 7 w9ue figs-metaphor φεύξεται ἀφ’ ὑμῶν 1 he will flee from you James is speaking figuratively of the devil as if he would run away from a believer who resisted him after humbling himself before God. Alternate translation: “he will stop trying to get you to do what he wants” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 8 j264 grammar-connect-logic-result ἐγγίσατε τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐγγιεῖ ὑμῖν 1 Come near to God and he will come near to you James is using the word translated **and** to describe a result. Alternate translation: “If you come near to God, then he will come near to you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 4 8 g62m figs-metaphor ἐγγίσατε τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐγγιεῖ ὑμῖν 1 Come near to God and he will come near to you James is using a spatial metaphor to describe two people in a good relationship as if they were **near** to one another. Alternate translation: “Do your part to have a good relationship with God, and you will find that God also wants to have a good relationship with you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 8 j265 figs-metaphor καθαρίσατε χεῖρας 1 Cleanse your hands James is using the image of washing hands to describe a person removing sin from his life. Alternate translation: “Stop sinning” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 8 elh1 figs-metonymy καθαρίσατε χεῖρας 1 Cleanse your hands James is using the word **hands** figuratively to mean actions, by association with the way people use their hands to do things. Alternate translation: “Stop doing things that are wrong” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 4 8 j266 ἁμαρτωλοί 1 sinners James is addressing his readers in the vocative. If your language has a vocative case, it would be appropriate to use it here. If not, you could express the meaning in another way that would be natural in your language. Alternate translation: “you sinners”
JAS 4 8 j267 figs-metaphor ἁγνίσατε καρδίας 1 purify your hearts James says **hearts** figuratively to mean people’s thoughts and desires. Alternate translation: “purify your thoughts and desires” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 8 mw54 figs-metaphor ἁγνίσατε καρδίας 1 purify your hearts The term **purify** refers to a ceremonial cleansing that allows a person to participate in religious activities. James is speaking figuratively as if his readers’ **hearts** could be cleansed in this way. Alternate translation: “make sure you are not thinking or desiring anything wrong” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 8 j268 figs-nominaladj δίψυχοι 1 double-minded James is using the adjective **double-minded** as a noun to refer to a type of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “double-minded people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 4 8 j269 δίψυχοι 1 double-minded James is addressing his readers in the vocative. If your language has a vocative case, it would be appropriate to use it here. If not, you could express the meaning in another way that would be natural in your language. Alternate translation: “you double-minded people”
JAS 4 8 iw61 figs-metaphor δίψυχοι 1 double-minded See how you translated the same expression in [1:8](../01/08.md). James is speaking figuratively of his readers as if they had two minds, with one mind deciding to do one thing and the other mind deciding to do something else. Alternate translation: “you people who cannot decide whether to obey God or not” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 9 kdn8 figs-doublet ταλαιπωρήσατε, καὶ πενθήσατε, καὶ κλαύσατε 1 Be miserable and mourn and weep These three verbs have similar meanings. James is using them together to emphasize how sorry his readers should be. Alternate translation: “Be extremely sorry” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet]])
JAS 4 9 j270 figs-explicit ταλαιπωρήσατε, καὶ πενθήσατε, καὶ κλαύσατε 1 Be miserable and mourn and weep If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly what James is telling his readers to be sorry for. Alternate translation: “Be extremely sorry for not obeying God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 4 9 j271 figs-ellipsis ὁ γέλως ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος μετατραπήτω, καὶ ἡ χαρὰ εἰς κατήφειαν 1 Let your laughter be changed into mourning, and your joy into gloom In the second part of this sentence, James leaves out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the first part of the sentence. Alternate translation: “Let your laughter be changed into mourning, and let your joy be changed into gloom” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
JAS 4 9 j272 figs-activepassive ὁ γέλως ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος μετατραπήτω, καὶ ἡ χαρὰ εἰς κατήφειαν 1 Let your laughter be changed into mourning, and your joy into gloom If your readers would misunderstand this sentence, you could express this with active verbal forms. Alternate translation: “Let your laughter become mourning, and let your joy become gloom” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 4 9 j273 figs-abstractnouns ὁ γέλως ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος μετατραπήτω, καὶ ἡ χαρὰ εἰς κατήφειαν 1 Let your laughter be changed into mourning, and your joy into gloom If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **laughter**, **mourning**, **joy**, and **gloom**, you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “Stop laughing and be sad. Stop being joyful and be gloomy” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 4 9 rf6g figs-parallelism ὁ γέλως ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος μετατραπήτω, καὶ ἡ χαρὰ εἰς κατήφειαν 1 Let your laughter be changed into mourning, and your joy into gloom These two clauses mean similar things. James is using them together for emphasis. If your readers would misunderstand this connection, you could combine them. Alternate translation: “Stop being so carefree and show genuine sorrow” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
JAS 4 9 j274 figs-explicit ὁ γέλως ὑμῶν εἰς πένθος μετατραπήτω, καὶ ἡ χαρὰ εἰς κατήφειαν 1 Let your laughter be changed into mourning, and your joy into gloom If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly why James is telling his readers to show such sorrow. Alternate translation: “Stop being so carefree and show genuine sorrow for your sin” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 4 10 j275 grammar-connect-logic-result ταπεινώθητε ἐνώπιον Κυρίου, καὶ ὑψώσει ὑμᾶς 1 Be humbled before the Lord, and he will lift you up James is using the word translated **and** to describe a result. Alternate translation: “If you are humbled before the Lord, then he will lift you up” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 4 10 j276 figs-activepassive ταπεινώθητε 1 Be humbled If your readers would misunderstand this passive verb, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “Humble yourselves” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 4 10 an8i figs-metaphor ἐνώπιον Κυρίου 1 before the Lord The word **before** means “in front of” or “in the presence of” another person. While in one sense God is present everywhere, the believers to whom James is writing are not in the direct physical presence of God, so he likely means this expression in a figurative sense. He is referring to the attitude they should have towards God. Alternate translation: “in your attitude towards God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 10 tn5w figs-metaphor ὑψώσει ὑμᾶς 1 he will lift you up James is speaking figuratively as if his readers would humbly kneel down or bow down in front of God to show their repentance and as if God would have them stand up to show that he accepted them. Alternate translation: “he will show that he accepts you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 11 uyi9 figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί…ἀδελφοῦ…τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ 1 brothers … a brother … his brother See how you translated the term **brothers** in [1:2](../01/02.md). Alternate translation: “my fellow believers … a fellow believer … his fellow believer” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 11 j277 figs-explicit καταλαλεῖ νόμου καὶ κρίνει νόμον 1 speaks against the law and judges the law By **the law**, James means the same thing that he calls the “royal law” in [2:8](../02/08.md) and the “law of freedom” in [1:25](../01/25.md) and [2:12](../02/12.md). That is, he means the commandment “you will love your neighbor as yourself.” James is teaching his readers that by saying or assuming that their fellow believers were doing wrong things, they were not following this commandment and they were treating the commandment as if it were not important to follow. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. See how you translated the term “neighbor” in [2:8](../02/08.md). Alternate translation: “contradicts the law that says to love other people as oneself and judges that law to be unimportant” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 4 11 j278 figs-youcrowd εἰ…νόμον κρίνεις, οὐκ εἶ ποιητὴς νόμου 1 if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law The word **you** is singular in these two cases because even though James is addressing a group of people, he is describing an individual situation. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-youcrowd]])
JAS 4 11 j279 figs-ellipsis οὐκ εἶ ποιητὴς νόμου, ἀλλὰ κριτής 1 you are not a doer of the law, but a judge In the second phrase, James is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the first phrase. Alternate translation: “you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of the law” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
JAS 4 11 jlx4 figs-explicit οὐκ εἶ ποιητὴς νόμου, ἀλλὰ κριτής 1 you are not a doer of the law, but a judge If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state more explicitly what this means. See how you translated the similar phrase at the end of the previous sentence. Alternate translation: “instead of loving other people, you are saying that it is not important to love them” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 4 12 e9da εἷς ἐστιν νομοθέτης καὶ κριτής 1 The lawgiver and judge is one Alternate translation: “The lawgiver and judge are the same person”
JAS 4 12 j280 figs-distinguish ὁ δυνάμενος σῶσαι καὶ ἀπολέσαι 1 the one who is able to save and to destroy James uses this phrase, which identifies God by two of his attributes, to clarify whom he means by **the lawgiver and judge**. Alternate translation: “God, who is able to save and to destroy” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-distinguish]])
JAS 4 12 m49q figs-rquestion σὺ δὲ τίς εἶ, ὁ κρίνων τὸν πλησίον? 1 But who are you, the one judging a neighbor? James is using the question form to challenge and teach his readers. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: “But you have no right to judge a neighbor!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 4 12 j281 writing-pronouns σὺ δὲ τίς εἶ 1 But who are you For emphasis, James includes the pronoun **you** even though it is not required with the verb. If your language does not ordinarily require pronouns with verbs but it can include them for emphasis, it would be appropriate to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may be able to convey this emphasis in other ways, such as by repeating the pronoun. Alternate translation: “But you, who are you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 4 12 j282 figs-youcrowd σὺ…τίς εἶ 1 who are you As in the previous verse, James is using the singular form of **you** because even though he is addressing a group of people, he is describing an individual situation. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-youcrowd]])
JAS 4 12 j283 τὸν πλησίον 1 a neighbor See how you translated the term “neighbor” in [2:8](../02/08.md). Alternate translation: “another person”
JAS 4 13 j284 figs-idiom ἄγε νῦν 1 Come now This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “Now listen” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 4 13 j285 οἱ λέγοντες 1 the ones saying James is addressing his readers in the vocative. If your language has a vocative case, it would be appropriate to use it here. If not, you could express the meaning in another way that would be natural in your language. (If you use the word “you,” it would be plural, since James is addressing a group of people.) Alternate translation: “you who say”
JAS 4 13 j286 figs-exclusive πορευσόμεθα 1 we will travel These people are speaking only of themselves, so the pronoun **we** is exclusive here. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
JAS 4 13 j287 figs-idiom τήνδε τὴν πόλιν 1 this city This is an idiom. No specific city is intended. Your language may have a comparable idiom that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “such-and-such a city” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 4 13 iz9h figs-idiom ποιήσομεν ἐκεῖ ἐνιαυτὸν 1 do a year there This is another idiom. Alternate translation: “stay there for a year” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 4 13 j288 κερδήσομεν 1 gain Alternate translation: “make a profit”
JAS 4 14 b7ir figs-rquestion οἵτινες οὐκ ἐπίστασθε τὸ τῆς αὔριον, ποία ἡ ζωὴ ὑμῶν? 1 You who do not know the thing of tomorrow, what is your life? James is using the question form to challenge and teach his readers. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate his words as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You do not know what will happen tomorrow, and you may not even be alive then!” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 4 14 a9v2 figs-metaphor ἀτμὶς γάρ ἐστε, ἡ πρὸς ὀλίγον φαινομένη, ἔπειτα καὶ ἀφανιζομένη 1 For you are a mist that appears for a little and then disappears James is speaking figuratively of his readers as if they were a **mist** that forms briefly in the morning but then quickly dissipates when the sun rises. In your translation you could explain the meaning of this image, or you could represent it as a simile, as UST does. Alternate translation: “For you will only be alive for a short time, and then you will die” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 4 15 e1il καὶ ζήσομεν καὶ ποιήσομεν 1 we will both live and do James is using a construction that puts the word “and” before two things that would both be the case, more literally “and we will live and we will do.” Your language may have a similar construction that you can use here. If not, it may not be necessary for you to translate the first occurrence of “and,” which ULT represents as **both**. (The term **both** in ULT does not mean “the two of us.”) Alternate translation: “we will live and we will do”
JAS 4 15 j289 figs-exclusive καὶ ζήσομεν καὶ ποιήσομεν 1 we will both live and do These people would be speaking only of themselves, so the pronoun **we** is exclusive. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive]])
JAS 4 15 j290 figs-idiom τοῦτο ἢ ἐκεῖνο 1 this or that This is an idiom. No specific actions are intended. Your language may have a comparable idiom that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “such-and-such” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 4 16 j291 figs-abstractnouns καυχᾶσθε ἐν ταῖς ἀλαζονίαις ὑμῶν. πᾶσα καύχησις τοιαύτη πονηρά ἐστιν 1 you are boasting in your pretensions. All such boasting is evil If your readers would misunderstand the abstract nouns **pretensions** and **boasting** (the second occurrence of the word in ULT), you could express the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “you are boasting about what you presume you will be able to do. It is always wrong to boast like that” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 4 17 q84z εἰδότι οὖν καλὸν ποιεῖν, καὶ μὴ ποιοῦντι, ἁμαρτία αὐτῷ ἐστιν 1 Therefore to the one having known to do good and not doing it, to him it is sin James is using the word **therefore** to describe a further inference rather than a conclusion. He is saying that if it is wrong to plan to do things without knowing whether God wants you to do them, then it is also wrong not to do things that you do know God wants. Alternate translation: “From this we can also recognize that if someone does know what God wants him to do but he does not do it, then he is also sinning”
JAS 5 intro ud8q 0 # James 5 General Notes<br><br>## Structure and formatting<br><br>1. Rebuke of rich people (5:1-6)<br>2. Waiting patiently for the Lord’s return (5:7-11)<br>3. Oaths forbidden (5:12)<br>4. Prayer, forgiveness, and healing (5:13-18)<br>5. Restoration of a sinner (5:19-20)<br><br>## Special concepts in this chapter<br><br>### Living for eternity<br><br>The first section of this chapter, which is a warning to rich people, contrasts living for things of this world, which will not last, with living for things that will last for eternity. The second section of the chapter is related to that first section. In it, James stresses that it is important to live with the expectation that Jesus will return soon. (See: [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/eternity]])<br><br>### Oaths<br><br>In [5:12](../05/12.md), James tells his readers not to swear any oaths. However, biblical scholars are divided over whether James intends to teach literally that all oaths are wrong. Some scholars believe that some oaths are permissible and that James is emphasizing how Christians should have integrity in what they say.<br><br>## Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter<br><br>### Elijah<br><br>The illustration that James gives from the life of the prophet Elijah in [5:17-18](../05/17.md) may be difficult for your readers to appreciate if the books of 1 and 2 Kings have not yet been translated. See the first note to 5:17 for a suggestion about how to help your readers understand this illustration better.
JAS 5 1 j292 figs-idiom ἄγε νῦν 1 Come now This is an idiom. See how you translated it in [4:13](../04/13.md). Alternate translation: “Now listen” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 5 1 j293 οἱ πλούσιοι 1 the rich James is addressing these people in the vocative. If your language has a vocative case, it would be appropriate to use it here. If not, you could express the meaning in another way that would be natural in your language. (If you use the word “you,” it would be plural, since James is addressing a group of people.) Alternate translation: “you who are rich”
JAS 5 1 j294 figs-nominaladj οἱ πλούσιοι 1 the rich James is using the adjective **rich** as a noun to refer to a type of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “you people who are rich” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 5 1 gel9 figs-explicit οἱ πλούσιοι 1 the rich James is most likely addressing believers who are rich, or at least rich people who were attending assemblies of believers, rather than unbelievers who are rich or rich people in general. (This letter was meant to be read aloud in those assemblies, and James notes in [1:10](../01/10.md) that some of the believers were rich.) If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “you believers who are rich” or “you rich people who say you want to follow Jesus” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 5 1 j295 ἐπὶ ταῖς ταλαιπωρίαις ὑμῶν ταῖς ἐπερχομέναις 1 because of your coming miseries Your language may similarly speak of something that is going to happen in the future as if it were **coming**. If it does not, you can express this in another way. Alternate translation: “because of the miseries you will soon experience”
JAS 5 1 l3wd figs-abstractnouns ἐπὶ ταῖς ταλαιπωρίαις ὑμῶν ταῖς ἐπερχομέναις 1 because of your coming miseries If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **miseries**, you could express the idea behind it with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “because many bad things are going to happen to you soon” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 5 2 j296 translate-versebridge 0 If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine [5:2](../05/02.md) and [5:3](../05/03.md) into a verse bridge. You could put the last sentence of [5:3](../05/03.md) first, followed by all of [5:2](../05/02.md) and then the rest of [5:3](../05/03.md). This would allow you to address several translation issues that are discussed in the notes to this verse and the next verse. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-versebridge]])
JAS 5 2 gq45 figs-pastforfuture ὁ πλοῦτος ὑμῶν σέσηπεν, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν σητόβρωτα γέγονεν 1 Your wealth has rotted and your clothes have become moth-eaten James is using the past tense to refer to things that will happen in the future. If your readers would misunderstand this sentence, you could use the future tense in your translation. Alternate translation: “Your wealth is going to rot and your clothes are going to be eaten by moths” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-pastforfuture]])
JAS 5 2 v241 figs-synecdoche ὁ πλοῦτος ὑμῶν σέσηπεν, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν σητόβρωτα γέγονεν 1 Your wealth has rotted and your clothes have become moth-eaten In these two clauses and in the first clause in the next verse (“your gold and silver have been tarnished”), James is figuratively using certain things that these rich people own to mean everything that they own. If you create a verse bridge, you can combine all of these clauses into a single sentence that expresses this meaning. (You would need to begin a new sentence right afterwards.) Alternate translation: “Everything of value that you own is going to be ruined” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])
JAS 5 2 j297 figs-explicit ὁ πλοῦτος ὑμῶν σέσηπεν, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν σητόβρωτα γέγονεν 1 Your wealth has rotted and your clothes have become moth-eaten Depending on the meaning of the statement “you have stored up in the last days” in the next verse (see the note to that statement), James may be saying figuratively that the wealth and expensive clothing of the rich have become worthless. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly, as UST does. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 5 2 j298 figs-simile ὁ πλοῦτος ὑμῶν σέσηπεν, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν σητόβρωτα γέγονεν 1 Your wealth has rotted and your clothes have become moth-eaten If you decide to indicate explicitly that James is saying that the wealth and expensive clothing of the rich have become worthless, you could do that by expressing his past-for-future statement as a simile, as UST does. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
JAS 5 3 am1u figs-pastforfuture ὁ χρυσὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται 1 Your gold and silver have been tarnished James is using the past tense to refer to something that will happen in the future. If your readers would misunderstand this phrase, you could use the future tense in your translation. Alternate translation: “Your gold and silver are going to be tarnished” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-pastforfuture]])
JAS 5 3 wj9v figs-activepassive ὁ χρυσὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται 1 Your gold and silver have been tarnished If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “Your gold and silver have tarnished” or “Your gold and silver are going to tarnish” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 5 3 j299 figs-explicit ὁ χρυσὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται 1 Your gold and silver have been tarnished Depending on the meaning of the statement “you have stored up in the last days” (see the first note to that statement below), James may be saying figuratively that the gold and silver of the rich have become worthless. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly, as UST does. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 5 3 q4pm figs-simile ὁ χρυσὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται 1 Your gold and silver have been tarnished If you decide to indicate explicitly that James is saying that the gold and silver of the rich have become worthless, you could do that by expressing his past-for-future statement as a simile, as UST does. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
JAS 5 3 j300 καὶ ὁ ἰὸς αὐτῶν εἰς μαρτύριον ὑμῖν ἔσται 1 and their rust will be for a testimony against you If you created a verse bridge and you also combined the statement “your gold and silver have been tarnished” with the two clauses in [5:2](../05/02.md), it would be helpful to begin a new sentence here and to use a general expression that would apply to everything that these rich people own. Alternate translation: “The ruins of your possessions will be for a testimony against you” or “The ruins of your possessions will testify against you”
JAS 5 3 e55t figs-metaphor ὁ ἰὸς αὐτῶν εἰς μαρτύριον ὑμῖν ἔσται 1 their rust will be for a testimony against you James is speaking figuratively of this **rust** as if it would be presented as evidence in a case against the rich people. Alternate translation: “the rust on your gold and silver will show that you did the wrong thing” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 3 j301 figs-explicit ὁ ἰὸς αὐτῶν εἰς μαρτύριον ὑμῖν ἔσται 1 their rust will be for a testimony against you If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly what wrong thing these rich people have done, as evidenced by this **rust**. Alternate translation: “the rust of your gold and silver will show that you have done the wrong thing by devoting yourselves to accumulating wealth rather than to helping other people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 5 3 w3aj figs-metonymy φάγεται τὰς σάρκας ὑμῶν ὡς πῦρ 1 it will eat your flesh James is using the word **flesh** to mean the human body, by association with the way the body is made of flesh. Alternate translation: “it will eat your bodies” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 5 3 j6fe figs-metaphor φάγεται τὰς σάρκας ὑμῶν ὡς πῦρ 1 it will eat your flesh James is saying figuratively that this rust will corrode and consume the owners of the gold and silver that it is also corroding. Alternate translation: “it will consume you” or “it will ruin you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 3 i37x figs-simile ὡς πῦρ 1 like fire It may be helpful to express the meaning of this simile more fully. Alternate translation: “just as fire consumes everything that it burns” or “just as fire ruins everything that it burns” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
JAS 5 3 j302 figs-explicit ἐθησαυρίσατε ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις 1 You have stored up in the last days If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly what these rich people have **stored up** and why it was wrong for them to do that. This could mean: (1) they have accumulated riches in the **last days**, that is, in the time just before Jesus returns. That would be wrong because once Jesus returns, earthly riches will no longer have any value. Instead of trying to get more and more wealth, these people should have been helping others with what they had. Alternate translation: “Instead of helping others, you have wrongly stored up wealth at a time when earthly riches are about to lose all of their value” (2) by their wrongdoing, such as he describes in [5:4-6](../05/04.md), these rich people have **stored up** punishment for themselves. Alternate translation: “God is just about to punish wrongdoers, and you have given God many reasons to punish you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 5 3 j303 grammar-connect-logic-result ἐθησαυρίσατε ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις 1 You have stored up in the last days If the first interpretation of this statement in the note just above is correct, then James is giving the reason for the results that he describes in the previous verse and in the earlier part of this verse. If you created a verse bridge as described in the first note to [5:2](../05/02.md), you could put this reason before the result by placing this statement first in that bridge. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 5 3 np1u figs-idiom ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις 1 the last days This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “the time just before Jesus returns” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 5 4 j304 figs-metaphor ἰδοὺ, ὁ μισθὸς τῶν ἐργατῶν 1 Behold, the pay of the workers The term **Behold** focuses the attention of a listener or reader on what a speaker or writer is about to say. It may be helpful to express its meaning as a separate sentence here. Alternate translation: “Consider this! The pay of the workers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 4 j305 figs-activepassive ὁ μισθὸς τῶν ἐργατῶν, τῶν ἀμησάντων τὰς χώρας ὑμῶν, ὁ ἀφυστερημένος ἀφ’ ὑμῶν, κράζει 1 the pay of the workers who have reaped your fields, which has been withheld from you, is crying out If your language does not use this passive form, you could express it with an active form. When James says **from you**, he does not mean that this payment has been withheld from the rich owners of these fields. He is saying that it was due from them, but they have not paid it to their workers. Alternate translation: “the pay that you have withheld from the workers who reaped your fields is crying out” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 5 4 e9iy figs-personification κράζει 1 is crying out James is speaking figuratively of this **pay** as if it were a living thing that could cry out. Alternate translation: “is obvious evidence that you have done wrong” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 5 4 n21a figs-metonymy αἱ βοαὶ τῶν θερισάντων, εἰς τὰ ὦτα Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ εἰσελήλυθαν 1 the cries of the harvesting ones have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth James is speaking figuratively of the **ears** of the Lord to mean his hearing. Alternate translation: “the Lord of Sabaoth has heard the cries of the harvesting ones” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 5 4 j306 figs-explicit Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ 1 the Lord of Sabaoth James assumes that his readers will know that he is speaking of God by a name by which he is often known in the Old Testament. The Hebrew term **Sabaoth** means “military forces.” Alternate translation: “God, the Lord of the Heavenly Armies” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 5 4 j307 figs-metonymy Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ 1 the Lord of Sabaoth James may be speaking figuratively of God’s almighty power by association with the way that God has all the armies of heaven at his command. Alternate translation: “God, the Lord Almighty” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 5 5 j308 figs-parallelism ἐτρυφήσατε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. καὶ ἐσπαταλήσατε 1 You have lived luxuriously on the earth and have lived self-indulgently These two phrases mean similar things. James is using them together for emphasis. If your readers would misunderstand this connection, you could combine them. Alternate translation: “You have indulged yourselves with earthly luxuries” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
JAS 5 5 xt8h figs-metaphor ἐθρέψατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σφαγῆς 1 You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter James is speaking figuratively of these rich people as if they were cattle that had been fed luxuriously on grain so they would become fattened for slaughter as banqueting food. In this case the banquet is not a positive image, as it often is elsewhere when it describes God’s future reign. Alternate translation: “Your self-indulgence has made you subject to harsh judgment” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 5 pr31 figs-metaphor ἐθρέψατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σφαγῆς 1 You have fattened your hearts James is speaking figuratively of the heart as the center of human desire. Alternate translation: “You have indulged your desires” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 5 j309 figs-idiom ἐν ἡμέρᾳ 1 in a day James is using the term **day** figuratively to refer to a particular time. Alternate translation: “at a time” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
JAS 5 5 j310 figs-metaphor ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σφαγῆς 1 in a day of slaughter James is using the idea of **slaughter** figuratively to refer to God’s judgment. Alternate translation: “at a time when God is about to judge everyone for what they have done” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 6 u5c5 figs-synecdoche κατεδικάσατε, ἐφονεύσατε τὸν δίκαιον 1 You have condemned, you have killed the righteous James probably does not mean that these rich people have done these things personally. He is likely referring to the kind of actions he described in [2:6](../02/06.md), where he told how rich people “overpower” the poor by taking them to court. He may mean that the rich people have gotten the courts to condemn innocent people and in some cases even to execute them. He could also mean that the rich people have gotten the courts to decide lawsuits in their favor and that as a result, some poor people have died because of the great poverty this caused them. James would be speaking figuratively of the rich people as the ones who did these actions, using them to represent all the people who were involved. Alternate translation: “You have gotten the courts to condemn and even execute innocent people” or “You have gotten the courts to decide lawsuits in your favor and, as a result, innocent people have died from poverty” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])
JAS 5 6 j311 figs-nominaladj τὸν δίκαιον 1 the righteous James is using the adjective **righteous** as a noun to refer to a type of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “the righteous person” or “the innocent person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 5 6 lq6p figs-genericnoun τὸν δίκαιον 1 the righteous The expression **the righteous** refers to righteous people in general, not to one specific person. Alternate translation: “righteous people” or “innocent people” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun]])
JAS 5 6 z7w1 figs-explicit οὐκ ἀντιτάσσεται ὑμῖν 1 He does not resist you This could mean: (1) the innocent people are not able to resist what the rich people are doing. Alternate translation: “He is not able to resist you” (2) the innocent people wanted a peaceful resolution and were not fighting back. Alternate translation: “You have done this even though the innocent person wanted a peaceful resolution” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 5 6 j312 figs-explicit οὐκ ἀντιτάσσεται ὑμῖν 1 He does not resist you In light of everything that James says in [5:1-6](../05/01.md), the implications are that even though these innocent people are not able to defend themselves, God will defend them by judging and punishing these rich people. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly, as UST does. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 5 7 a4sv grammar-connect-logic-result οὖν 1 Therefore James uses **Therefore** to introduce a description of what his readers should do as a result of what he has just said about rich people. He is referring specifically to what he said about God’s judgment being imminent. Alternate translation: “Because you know that God will soon judge the people who are oppressing you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 5 7 j313 figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί 1 brothers See how you translated the term **brothers** in [1:2](../01/02.md). Alternate translation: “my fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 7 wgk4 ἕως τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ Κυρίου 1 until the coming of the Lord James is referring to Jesus by a respectful title. Alternate translation: “until Jesus returns” or “until the Lord Jesus returns”
JAS 5 7 j314 figs-metaphor ἰδοὺ, 1 Behold, The term **Behold** focuses the attention of a listener or reader on what a speaker or writer is about to say. James is using the word here to introduce an analogy, as he makes clear at the start of the next verse. So it may be helpful to express the meaning of **behold** as a separate sentence. Alternate translation: “Consider this.” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 7 y4er figs-genericnoun ὁ γεωργὸς ἐκδέχεται 1 the farmer awaits The expression **the farmer** refers to farmers in general, not to one specific farmer. Alternate translation: “a farmer awaits” or “farmers await” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun]])
JAS 5 7 j315 τὸν τίμιον καρπὸν τῆς γῆς 1 the valuable fruit of the earth James uses the word **fruit** in a broad sense to mean things that plants produce that are good for food. He does not mean only the kind of fruit that grows on trees and vines. Alternate translation: “the valuable crops that grow from the earth”
JAS 5 7 j316 writing-pronouns μακροθυμῶν ἐπ’ αὐτῷ ἕως λάβῃ 1 waiting patiently for it until it receives If it would be helpful to your readers, you could specify what the pronoun **it** refers to in each of these cases. Alternate translation: “waiting patiently for this fruit until the earth receives” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 5 7 j317 figs-nominaladj πρόϊμον καὶ ὄψιμον 1 the early and the late James is using the adjectives **early** and **late** as nouns to refer to types of rain. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “the rain that comes early in the growing season and the rain that comes late in the growing season” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 5 7 j318 figs-explicit πρόϊμον καὶ ὄψιμον 1 the early and the late If it would be helpful to your readers, particularly if they would not be familiar with rainfed agriculture, you could state why these farmers needed to wait for rain to fall on their crops. UST models one way to do this. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 5 8 j319 μακροθυμήσατε καὶ ὑμεῖς 1 You also wait patiently Here James makes clear that what he said about farmers in the previous verse was an analogy for his readers. Alternate translation: “You should also wait patiently, just as a farmer does”
JAS 5 8 bbn1 figs-metaphor στηρίξατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν 1 Strengthen your hearts James is using the **heart** figuratively to represent the will. Alternate translation: “Stay committed” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 8 jw3b ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Κυρίου ἤγγικεν 1 the coming of the Lord has come near James is referring to Jesus by a respectful title. (By **near** he means near in time. This is not a spatial metaphor.) Alternate translation: “Jesus will return soon” or “the Lord Jesus will return soon”
JAS 5 9 k74r figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί 1 brothers See how you translated the term **brothers** in [1:2](../01/02.md). Alternate translation: “my fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 9 z3p7 figs-activepassive μὴ κριθῆτε 1 you may be not judged If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who would do the action. Alternate translation: “God may not judge you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 5 9 ita4 figs-metaphor ἰδοὺ, ὁ κριτὴς 1 Behold, the judge The term **Behold** focuses the attention of a listener or reader on what a speaker or writer is about to say. Alternate translation: “Be aware that the judge” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 9 g938 figs-metaphor ὁ κριτὴς πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἕστηκεν 1 the judge is standing at the door James is figuratively comparing Jesus to a judge who is just about to walk into a courtroom. Alternate translation: “Jesus will soon return and judge everyone for what they have done” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 10 j320 ὑπόδειγμα λάβετε, ἀδελφοί, τῆς κακοπαθίας 1 Take an example, brothers, of the suffering Alternate translation: “Take as your example, brothers, the suffering”
JAS 5 10 j321 figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί 1 brothers See how you translated the term **brothers** in [1:2](../01/02.md). Alternate translation: “my fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 10 sic1 figs-hendiadys τῆς κακοπαθίας καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας, τοὺς προφήτας 1 the suffering and the patience of the prophets James is expressing a single idea by using two words connected with **and.** The word **patience** describes how the prophets endured **suffering**. Alternate translation: “of the patient suffering of the prophets” or “of how patiently the prophets suffered” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys]])
JAS 5 10 pvs3 figs-metonymy ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου 1 in the name of the Lord James is figuratively using the **name** of the Lord to mean his person and authority. Alternate translation: “on behalf of the Lord” or “with the authority of the Lord” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 5 11 xwr8 figs-metaphor ἰδοὺ 1 Behold The term **Behold** focuses the attention of a listener or reader on what a speaker or writer is about to say. Alternate translation: “Indeed” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 11 s3nl figs-explicit τὴν ὑπομονὴν Ἰὼβ ἠκούσατε 1 You have heard of the endurance of Job James assumes that his readers will know the story of Job from the Scriptures. If your readers might not be familiar with his story, you could describe it in more detail. Alternate translation: “You know from the Scriptures how a man named Job who lived long ago patiently endured great suffering” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 5 11 j322 figs-metaphor τὸ τέλος Κυρίου εἴδετε 1 you have seen the end of the Lord James is continuing to refer to the story of Job. Here, **end** could mean: (1) purpose. In that case, James would be using the term **seen** figuratively to mean “recognized.” Alternate translation: “you have recognized the purpose that the Lord had for Job’s sufferings” (2) final result. In that case, James would be using the term **seen** figuratively to mean “learned.” Alternate translation: “you have learned from the Scriptures how the Lord helped Job in the end” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 11 j323 grammar-connect-logic-result ὅτι πολύσπλαγχνός ἐστιν ὁ Κύριος καὶ οἰκτίρμων 1 that the Lord is greatly compassionate and merciful Here, **that** could mean: (1) “for” and introduce a reason. James may be giving the reason why God was pursuing a good purpose even in Job’s sufferings or why God helped Job in the end. Alternate translation: “for the Lord is very compassionate and merciful” (2) something further that James’ readers would have learned from the story of Job. Alternate translation: “and you have realized from this story that the Lord is greatly compassionate and merciful” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 5 12 fug7 figs-metaphor πρὸ πάντων 1 before all James is using a spatial metaphor to emphasize the importance of what he is about to say. Your language may use a different spatial metaphor. Alternate translation: “above all” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 12 bjt3 figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί μου 1 my brothers See how you translated the term **brothers** in [1:2](../01/02.md). Alternate translation: “my fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 12 s755 μὴ ὀμνύετε 1 do not swear Here, to **swear** means to guarantee, by appealing to something that is considered to be certain and reliable, that a statement is true or that an action will be performed. Alternate translation: “do not make an oath” or “do not make a vow”
JAS 5 12 j324 figs-ellipsis ἤτω…ὑμῶν τὸ ναὶ, ναὶ, καὶ τὸ οὒ, οὔ 1 let your “Yes” be “Yes” and “No,” “No” In the second phrase, James is leaving out some of the words that a sentence would need in many languages in order to be complete. These words can be supplied from the first phrase. Alternate translation: “let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and let your ‘No’ be ‘No’” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
JAS 5 12 m3ve ἤτω…ὑμῶν τὸ ναὶ, ναὶ, καὶ τὸ οὒ, οὔ 1 let your “Yes” be “Yes” and “No,” “No” Alternate translation: “simply give your word, without making an oath”
JAS 5 12 f6mx figs-metaphor ἵνα μὴ ὑπὸ κρίσιν πέσητε 1 so that you may not fall under judgment James is speaking figuratively of **judgment** as something that a person might **fall under**. Alternate translation: “so that you will not be judged” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 12 j325 figs-explicit ἵνα μὴ ὑπὸ κρίσιν πέσητε 1 so that you may not fall under judgment If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state more explicitly what this means. Alternate translation: “so that God will not have to judge and punish you for breaking your oath” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 5 13 m3e6 figs-rquestion κακοπαθεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν? προσευχέσθω 1 Is anyone among you suffering hardship? Let him pray James is not looking for information. He is using the question form to state a condition, and he describes the result in a short sentence right after the question. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate the question and that sentence together as a single statement. Alternate translation: “If anyone among you is suffering hardship, then he should pray” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 5 13 wdf7 figs-rquestion εὐθυμεῖ τις? ψαλλέτω 1 Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise James is again using the question form to state a condition and describing the result in a following sentence. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate the question and that sentence together as a single statement. Alternate translation: “If anyone is cheerful, then he should sing praise” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 5 14 in34 figs-rquestion ἀσθενεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν? προσκαλεσάσθω τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς ἐκκλησίας, καὶ προσευξάσθωσαν 1 Is anyone among you sick? Let him summon the elders of the church, and let them pray Once again James is using the question form to state a condition and describing the result in a following sentence. If your readers would misunderstand this question, you could translate the question and that sentence together as a single statement. Alternate translation: “If anyone among you sick, then he should summon the elders of the church and they should pray” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
JAS 5 14 j326 προσευξάσθωσαν ἐπ’ αὐτὸν, ἀλείψαντες αὐτὸν ἐλαίῳ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου 1 let them pray over him, having anointed him with oil in the name of the Lord It is unclear whether James means that the prayer or the anointing is to be done in the name of the Lord. Alternate translation: “let them pray over him in the name of the Lord after they have anointed him with oil” or “let them anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord and then pray for him”
JAS 5 14 j327 figs-metaphor προσευξάσθωσαν ἐπ’ αὐτὸν 1 pray over him James is using a spatial metaphor to indicate that the sick person is the beneficiary of the elders’ prayers. Alternate translation: “pray for him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 14 j328 translate-unknown ἀλείψαντες αὐτὸν ἐλαίῳ 1 having anointed him with oil In the biblical culture, anointing people with **oil** was a way of consecrating them to God, but it was also a medical treatment. Since James is talking about a person who is **sick**, he seems to speak of the oil at least in part for its medical value. So he may be telling believers to do what they can practically to help the sick person recover, in addition to praying for him. If your readers would not recognize that the medical benefits were one reason why James says to anoint the sick person with oil, you could include an explanation in your translation or in a note, or you could translate this with a general expression. Alternate translation: “having done what they can to help him practically” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown]])
JAS 5 14 fik7 figs-metonymy ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου 1 in the name of the Lord James is figuratively using the **name** of the Lord to mean his person and authority. Alternate translation: “on behalf of the Lord” or “with the authority of the Lord” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 5 15 qiw4 figs-possession ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα 1 the prayer of faith will save the sick James is using the possessive form to describe **prayer** that is characterized by **faith**. Alternate translation: “the prayer that is offered in faith will save the sick” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
JAS 5 15 j329 figs-possession ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα 1 the prayer of faith will save the sick James is using the word translated **save** in one of its senses to mean “heal.” (He uses a more specific word to mean “healed” in the next verse.) Alternate translation: “the prayer that is offered in faith will heal the sick” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
JAS 5 15 j330 figs-nominaladj ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα 1 the prayer of faith will save the sick James is using the adjective **sick** as a noun in order to indicate a type of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “the prayer that is offered in faith will heal the sick person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 5 15 c8q6 figs-personification ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα 1 the prayer of faith will save the sick James is speaking figuratively of this **prayer** as if it would heal the sick person itself. Alternate translation: “in answer to this prayer that is offered in faith, God will heal the sick person” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 5 15 ei3q figs-metonymy ἐγερεῖ αὐτὸν ὁ Κύριος 1 the Lord will raise him up James is speaking figuratively of the sick person’s restoration to health by association with the way that the person will get **up** out of bed when he recovers. Alternate translation: “the Lord will make him well” or “the Lord will enable him to resume his regular activities” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 5 15 j331 figs-activepassive ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ 1 it will be forgiven to him If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who will do the action. Alternate translation: “God will forgive him” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 5 16 dl5k grammar-connect-logic-result οὖν 1 Therefore James uses **Therefore** to introduce something that believers should do as a result of what he said in the previous verse. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain in more detail what he means, as UST does. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])
JAS 5 16 mzk8 figs-activepassive ἰαθῆτε 1 you may be healed If your readers would misunderstand this passive verb, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who would do the action. Alternate translation: “God may heal you” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 5 16 j332 πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη 1 The working prayer of the righteous is very strong The term **working** has the sense of an adverb rather than an adjective. Alternate translation: “The prayer of the righteous is very strong as it is working” or “The prayer of the righteous is very strong in its effects”
JAS 5 16 j333 figs-nominaladj πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη 1 The working prayer of the righteous is very strong James is using the adjective **righteous** as a noun in order to indicate a type of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “The working prayer of a person who is righteous is very strong” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
JAS 5 16 zk62 figs-personification πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη 1 The working prayer of the righteous is very strong James is speaking figuratively of **prayer** as if it were a living thing that was **very strong** by itself. Alternate translation: “When a person who is righteous prays, God does very powerful things in response” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 5 17 j334 figs-explicit Ἠλείας 1 Elijah James assumes that his readers will know from the Scriptures about this episode in Elijah’s life. If your readers might not be familiar with it, you could describe it in more detail. Alternate translation: “You know from the Scriptures how a prophet named Elijah who lived long ago” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 5 17 j335 figs-explicit ὁμοιοπαθὴς ἡμῖν 1 of similar passions to us This expression means that Elijah had the same feelings as any other human being. In context, James is indicating specifically that he too had the kind of feelings that make it difficult for people to pray. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “who had the same doubts and fears that we all do” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
JAS 5 17 vhw2 figs-explicitinfo προσευχῇ προσηύξατο 1 he prayed with prayer To indicate that Elijah prayed intensely, James is using an indirect object with a verb that comes from the same root. If your language uses a similar construction, it would be appropriate to have it here in your translation. But if this construction would seem to express unnecessary extra information in your language, you could express this emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: “he prayed intensely” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicitinfo]])
JAS 5 18 j336 writing-pronouns πάλιν προσηύξατο 1 he prayed again The pronoun **he** refers to Elijah. Alternate translation: “Elijah prayed again” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 5 18 zwc9 figs-personification ὁ οὐρανὸς ὑετὸν ἔδωκεν 1 the heaven gave rain In this context, **the heaven** means “the sky.” James is speaking figuratively of the sky as if it were a living thing that **gave rain**. Alternate translation: “rain fell from the sky” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 5 18 yi7m figs-personification ἡ γῆ ἐβλάστησεν τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς 1 the earth produced its fruit James is speaking figuratively of the **earth** as if it were a living thing that **produced fruit**. As in [5:7](../05/07.md), James is using the word **fruit** in a broad sense to mean things that plants produce that are good for food. He does not mean only the kind of fruit that grows on trees and vines. Alternate translation: “crops grew from the ground” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
JAS 5 19 xr4l figs-metaphor ἀδελφοί μου 1 My brothers See how you translated the term **brothers** in [1:2](../01/02.md). Alternate translation: “My fellow believers” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 19 dv4v figs-metaphor ἐάν τις ἐν ὑμῖν πλανηθῇ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας 1 if anyone among you may have been led astray from the truth As in [1:16](../01/16.md), James is speaking figuratively as if a deceptive guide may have led one of his readers in the wrong direction. Alternate translation: “if anyone among you may have been deceived regarding the truth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 19 j337 figs-activepassive ἐάν τις ἐν ὑμῖν πλανηθῇ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας 1 if anyone among you may have been led astray from the truth If your language does not use this passive form, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: “if someone may have deceived anyone among you regarding the truth” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
JAS 5 19 j338 figs-abstractnouns τῆς ἀληθείας 1 the truth If your readers would misunderstand the abstract noun **truth**, you could express the idea behind it with an adjective such as “true.” Alternate translation: “what is true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
JAS 5 19 j339 figs-metaphor ἐπιστρέψῃ τις αὐτόν 1 someone turns him back James is continuing the metaphor of someone guiding a person in the right direction. Alternate translation: “someone corrects him” or “someone shows him what is actually true” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 20 j340 writing-pronouns γινωσκέτω 1 let him know The pronoun **him** refers to the person who corrects another believer who has been deceived. Alternate translation: “the person who corrects the deceived believer should know” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns]])
JAS 5 20 j341 figs-possession ὁ ἐπιστρέψας ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ 1 the one who turns back a sinner from the wandering of his way James is using the possessive form to describe a **way** or path that is characterized by **wandering**. Alternate translation: “the one who turns back a sinner who has wandered away” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-possession]])
JAS 5 20 xg1y figs-metaphor ὁ ἐπιστρέψας ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ 1 the one who turns back a sinner from the wandering of his way The expressions **turns back** and **wandering** continue the metaphor of someone guiding a person in the right direction. Alternate translation: “anyone who corrects a sinner who has stopped doing what God wants” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 20 j342 figs-metonymy σώσει ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκ θανάτου 1 will save his soul from death James is speaking figuratively as if this person’s actions would save the sinner’s soul from death. But James means by association that God will use those actions to persuade the sinner to repent and be saved. Alternate translation: “will be an instrument of God’s work to save the sinner’s soul from death” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
JAS 5 20 pd78 figs-metaphor σώσει ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκ θανάτου 1 will save his soul from death James seems to be speaking not of literal, physical death but of spiritual death, that is, of eternal separation from God. Alternate translation: “from spiritual death” (as in UST) or “from eternal separation from God” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
JAS 5 20 j343 figs-synecdoche σώσει ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκ θανάτου 1 will save his soul from death However, some interpreters believe that James actually is speaking of literal, physical death. They believe he is saying that a person who stops his sinful lifestyle will not experience physical death as a consequence of his sin. In that case, James would be using one part of a person, his **soul**, to mean all of the person. Alternate translation: “will keep him from dying” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])
JAS 5 20 rh4d figs-metaphor καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν 1 will cover a multitude of sins James is speaking figuratively of one person’s sins as if they were objects that another person could cover so that God would not see them. He means that by helping a sinner to repent, another believer can help that sinner to be forgiven. Alternate translation: “will help him to be forgiven” (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
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