2:3a

If you lavish attention on the man in fine clothes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lavish attention on means “look at someone in a way that shows that you care about them and are interested in their needs.”

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

If you show more respect to the well-dressed man (Good News Translation)
-or-
You honor the rich man
-or-
and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes (New Revised Standard Version)

2:3b

Here is a seat of honor: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Here is a good seat of honor is literally “You sit here well.” There are two ways to interpret the word “well” in this context:

(1) It refers to a good seat, either because the seat is more comfortable than others or because it is a seat of honor. (Alford, page 291; Huther, page 102; Mayor, page 81; Hiebert, page 153; Adamson (1976), page 106; Laws, page 99; Davids (1982), page 109; Martin, page 62.) For example, the NET Bible says:

You sit here in a good place.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version, English Standard Version)

(2) It indicates a polite request, “please” (Ropes, page 190; Adamson (1989), page 279 note 43; Dibelius, page 131; Lenski, page 565.) For example, the Revised English Bible says:

Please take this seat.

(Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, God’s Word)

In many cultures, it is important to speak politely to important people. So, even though interpretation (1) is the preferred interpretation, your translation may combine interpretations (1) and (2). For example:

Sir, here is a good seat for you
-or-
Please, sir, sit here in this nice seat

2:3c–d

“You must stand” or “Sit at my feet,”: In the earliest Greek manuscripts, there were no punctuation marks. There are two ways to punctuate this sentence:

(1) There should be two separate quotations. According to this interpretation, these two clauses are two possible commands. (Adamson (1976), page 101; Dibelius, page 132; Lenski, page 565.) For example, the NET Bible says:

“You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor.”

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version (2011 Revision), New Jerusalem Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Century Version, English Standard Version)

(2) There should be only one quotation. According to this interpretation, the poor man was given two choices: sit on the ground or stand. (Alford, page 291; Huther, page 102; Mitton, page 83; Hiebert, page 153; Moo (1985), page 89; Martin, page 62.) For example, the Revised English Bible says:

‘You stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my footstool,’

(King James Version, Revised English Bible, New American Standard Bible, Good News Translation, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

It seems unlikely that people would give the poor man a choice between sitting or standing. It seems more likely that James mentioned two commands that people might give to a poor man. Therefore, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Another way to translate this is:

but to the poor man you either say, “Stand over there,” or you say, “Sit on the ground/floor.”

2:3d

“Sit at my feet,”: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sit at my feet is literally “sit below my footstool.” At the time when James lived, important people used to sit on a fine chair with a low stool in front of it. They would rest their feet on this stool. This was called a footstool. Poor people would sit on the floor below the level of the rich person’s feet on the footstool.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

sit here on the floor by my footstool (Revised English Bible)
-or-
sit on the floor next to my chair
-or-
sit down next to my feet

What is important here is not the footstool itself but the fact that “below the footstool” represents the most inferior place. Use an expression that shows that the speaker is showing contempt for the poor man. For example:

sit on the ground
-or-
go sit over there

General Comment on 2:3a–d

When translating the words spoken to the two men who might come into the worship place, it is more natural in some languages to use indirect speech. For example:

You must not give the best seat to the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or sit on the floor. (Contemporary English Version)

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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.