James concludes this section with a call for prayer. This is clearly the major theme of the paragraph in that it appears in every verse from 13 to 18. Prayer is necessary especially for those who are suffering and feeling depressed. James wants people to remember God in all circumstances, good as well as bad. When things are bad, they should pray; when good, they should sing praises.

Is any one among you suffering?: the verb is … suffering is related to the noun “suffering” used in 5.10 and may be rendered simply as “in trouble” (Good News Translation, New International Version, Revised English Bible) or “in distress” (Barclay). The suffering may include distress caused by physical circumstances, such as the persecution suffered by the prophets, or exploitation of the poor by the rich. The phrase “in trouble” can also have a negative meaning in English; for example, “You are really in trouble” means “You have done something wrong, so you are going to receive….” Thus “having trouble” (Contemporary English Version) is perhaps a better English model. Translators should try to find a term that covers a wide variety of troubles and difficulties, not just physical suffering.

The imperative Let him pray may be rendered more naturally as “He should pray” (New International Version) or “He must pray” (Barclay). We may wish to use the inclusive form by shifting the subject to the plural; for example, “Are any among you suffering? They should pray” (New Revised Standard Version); “Are any among you suffering? You [plural] must pray.” The one to whom the prayer is spoken is understood to be God.

These two sentences in the form of a rhetorical question and an answer may be rendered differently. Some scholars feel that the form should be a declarative sentence followed by an imperative, thus “Someone among you suffers. He must pray!” This may also be rendered inclusively, “Some among you suffer. They [or, You (plural)] must pray!” It is also possible to take the two sentences in the form of a conditional sentence followed by an imperative; for example, “If any one of you is in trouble, he should pray” (Jerusalem Bible; similarly Phillips) or “If you are having trouble, you should pray” (Contemporary English Version). This again can be rendered inclusively, “If some among you are suffering, they [or, you (plural)] must pray!” On the whole the structure of a rhetorical question and an answer appears to be more effective and is therefore the one adopted by most translations. Translators, however, will have to decide for themselves which style or form will be more effective in their own languages.

Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise: this is a parallel to the first part of the verse. The verb Is … cheerful is used in Acts 27.22, 25, where Paul encouraged his companions to “take heart” (Revised Standard Version) when they were in immediate danger of shipwreck. It means cheerful courage in the face of danger and difficult circumstances. It is a serenity of the heart unaffected by any outward circumstances. The rhetorical question may be rendered “Is anyone in good spirits?” (similarly Goodspeed, New American Bible), “Is anyone feeling cheerful?” (Translator’s New Testament), “And if you are feeling good” (Contemporary English Version), or simply “Are any among you happy?” (Good News Translation). In happy circumstances people should sing praise. The Greek verb translated “to sing praise” is from the same root from which the word “psalm” is derived (compare King James Version, “let him sing psalms”). In the Old Testament it referred originally to playing a stringed instrument (1 Sam 16.23), then to singing with string accompaniment (Psa 33.2, 3), and later generally to singing any song of praise (Psa 7.17; 9.2). The imperative here is best rendered as “They should sing praises” (Good News Translation), “He must sing praises,” or “he must sing a hymn” (Barclay). The object of sing praise is understood to be God. In some languages this will be expressed as “You should praise God by singing.”

Here again the two sentences are most often rendered in the form of a question and an answer. It is also possible to render them as a declarative sentence followed by an imperative; for example, “Someone among you is cheerful. He must [or, should] sing praises.” This may also be expressed inclusively, “Some among you are cheerful. They [or, You (plural)] must [or, should] sing praises.” Another possibility is to make the first clause a conditional clause and the second an imperative; for example, “If someone among you is cheerful, he must [or, should] sing praises”; or inclusively, “If some among you are cheerful, they [or, you (plural)] must [or, should] sing praises.”

Quoted with permission from Loh, I-Jin and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Letter from James. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .