Section 4:13–17

Trust in the Lord and not in yourselves

In this section, James rebuked the merchants who made plans to get rich but did not think about God. It is not clear whether or not the people whom James was denouncing belonged to the Christian community. It may be that among the Jewish traders of the time there were some who claimed to follow Christ but were not living as they should. On the other hand, there were no doubt many rich traders and merchants outside the church (see the references to “the rich” in 2:6–7), and James’ words would have served as a warning to Christians not to desire to follow their example.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Don’t Brag About Your Plans for the Future (God’s Word)
-or-
Warning against Boasting (Good News Translation)

Paragraph 4:13–17

James described the way traders made plans to get rich (4:13). Then he explained that those who think like that are ignoring God (4:14). He told them that instead they ought to submit to the Lord’s will (4:15). He reminded them that their behavior was arrogant (4:16) and warned them that God considered it sinful (4:17).

4:13a

Come now: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as Come now is an idiomatic way of getting people’s attention. This expression introduces a warning. So you should use an expression that indicates that James was about to say something that his hearers would not be happy to hear.

Some other ways to translate this expression are:

Now listen to me (Good News Translation)
-or-
Pay attention to this! (God’s Word)

Here the word now is not the time word that means “at the present time.”

you who say: Some traders and merchants were talking (or at least thinking) in the way that follows. James was addressing these people. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

Some of you say (New Century Version)
-or-
anyone who says

4:13b

Today or tomorrow: The phrase Today or tomorrow means “in the future” or “soon.” The traders intended to go and buy and sell goods, but they had not decided exactly when they would start their trip. (Commentators have suggested an alternative way to understand and punctuate the Greek text:Some of you say, “Today we will go…”, others say, “Tomorrow we will go….”This understanding is supported by Hiebert, page 274; Lenski, page 639; Tasker, page 101. However, as none of the major English versions have followed this punctuation of the text, it is recommended that you punctuate in accordance with the Berean Standard Bible, as in the notes. For support for this punctuation, see Adamson (1976), page 178, and Motyer, page 160.)

we will go: The traders meant that they would leave the place where they were and begin their journey to another place. The Good News Translation translates this as:

we will travel

we: James imagined traders who were making their plans. But it is uncertain who they may have been talking to. They may been making plans among themselves. Or they may have been telling other people what they planned to do. So for languages that have inclusive and exclusive forms for “we”, probably either could be used here.

to this or that city: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as this or that city refers to a city whose name was not important to James. The traders of whom James was speaking would have known the particular city they were going to. So the expression does not mean “some town or other, but we are not sure which one.” (Some commentators have not expressed themselves clearly and a number of English versions are ambiguous, but see Blass-Debrunner-Funk, §289; Liddell-Scott-Jones, 9th ed. The reference of the Greek hode is to a particular entity.)

Some languages have an expression to refer to a particular location without mentioning the name. When someone quotes another person’s words or tells a story, he can use this expression in place of a name. He does this when the exact name is not important. In English, the expressions “such and such” or “so and so” can be used for this purpose.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

to a certain city (Good News Translation)
-or-
to such-and-such a city (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

4:13c

spend a year there: The phrase spend a year there means “live in that city for a year”. For example:

We will stay there a year (New Century Version)

4:13d

carry on business: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as carry on business means “work buying and selling goods for profit.” Some other ways to translate this verb are:

do business (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
trade (Revised Standard Version)

4:13e

make a profit: The phrase make a profit means to gain money.

General Comment on 4:13a–e

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of some of the clauses in this verse. For example:

Some people are saying, 13b–e“Today or tomorrow we will go….” 13aNow, you who are saying such things, listen to me!

In some languages, it is more natural to use indirect speech here. For example:

aListen to me, those of you who say that btoday or tomorrow you are going to some city cto stay a year there dto trade and emake a profit.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible. BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.