Paragraph 3:14–16

In 3:14–16, James discussed false wisdom. People who have envy and personal ambition show that the wisdom that they claim to have is false. It does not come from God.

3:14a–b

if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts: This clause begins with the word if. But James was assuming that some of his readers did have bitter envy and selfish ambition. In some languages, it may be best not to translate this as an “if” sentence. It may be better to say:

Some of you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts.

From the context, it seems that James was still addressing men who wanted to be recognized as teachers in the church. No doubt there was more than one teacher, and they were competing with one another. Every teacher and his supporters thought that their way was correct. They were dedicated to their way so much that they argued bitterly and fiercely with their opponents.

3:14a

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But introduces a contrast with 3:13c. The “bitter envy and selfish ambition” that James saw in people are in contrast to the “humility” (3:13c) that he wanted to see.

you harbor: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as harbor is literally “have” (as in the Revised Standard Version). Some other ways to translate this word are:

you have (NET Bible)
-or-
you are (New Century Version)

bitter jealousy: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bitter is often used to describe water that is not drinkable because of its bad taste (as it was used in 3:11). It is used figuratively here to refer to an attitude that is harsh, unpleasant, and resentful.

The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as jealousy also means “envy.” It is intense, negative feelings when someone else succeeds in ways that you have not succeeded.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

bitter envy (New International Version (2011 Revision))
-or-
severe envy
-or-
very jealous
-or-
extremely unhappy when others succeed

3:14b

and selfish ambition: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as selfish ambition can also be translated as “selfishness” (as in the NET Bible). It refers to the attitude of someone who works to advance his own interests even if it harms or offends others.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

self-centered ambition (God’s Word)
-or-
selfishness (NET Bible)
-or-
and you want only you yourself to be dominant
-or-
and you only think about yourself
-or-
want to succeed more than others are succeeding

In this verse, James seems to have been warning teachers not to seek to increase the number of people in the church who supported them. He was also warning their groups of supporters not to promote their own teacher and try to destroy the reputation of the other teachers.

This same word occurs in Philippians 2:3–4.

in your hearts: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as hearts refers to the part of a person where his thoughts and feelings come from. Some languages refer to this part of a person as the liver or stomach. In other languages, it may be most natural to omit this phrase altogether and leave the meaning implicit. For example:

if you are bitterly jealous and selfish

Or you may translate it in another way that refers to someone’s inward thoughts and attitudes. For example:

if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness inside yourself
-or-
if you are bitterly jealous and filled with self-centered ambition (God’s Word)

3:14c

do not boast in it: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as do not boast in it is literally “do not boast” (as in the Revised Standard Version). Most scholars agree that the boast is a claim to be wise. You may want to make this clear in your translation. For example:

do not boast of your wisdom (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
don’t brag about being wise (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

boast: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as boast here means to brag or say good things about oneself. James was telling his readers not to make confident or arrogant claims that they were wise.

3:14d

or deny the truth: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deny the truth is literally “do not lie against the truth.” There are several ways to interpret this clause. The two most common ways are: (There is a third view: the truth which is contradicted is the truth that true wisdom is accompanied by meekness. When someone claims to be wise but is full of selfishness and jealousy, his life contradicts this truth. (See Martin, pages 130–131; Moo (2000), page 172; Laws, page 160–161.))

(1) The word truth refers to the truth regarding the boast that they are wise. According to this interpretation, those who boasted that they were wise were not telling the truth. They were lying. (Huther, page 167; Mayor, page 123; Mitton, page 137; Davids (1982), page 151.) For example:

^14cDon’t say that you are wise ^14dwhen it isn’t true. (God’s Word)

(God’s Word, New Living Translation, 1996 edition; possibly Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version (These last four versions which speak about hiding, covering up, or defying the truth may mean “do not cover up the truth that you are really full of jealousy and selfish ambition and so cannot have true wisdom.”))

(2) The word truth refers to the truth that is found in the gospel or God’s word. (Or it may refer more specifically to the truth about what wisdom really is like.) According to this interpretation, those who boasted that they were wise “denied, contradicted, or hid from others” the truth of the gospel by the way they lived. They prevented or hindered people from knowing what real truth was.

Many English translations are ambiguous, and it is not possible to tell which interpretation they follow. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

This is a lie.
-or-
Do not lie like that.
-or-
You are lying. It’s not true.
-or-
when what you do contradicts the truth

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