4:14a–b
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life?: There are two ways to punctuate 4:14a–b. Consequently, there are two ways to interpret the clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as What is your life. They are:
(1) It is a rhetorical question and goes with what follows in 4:14c–e. According to this interpretation, James was emphasizing the shortness of life. For example, the NET Bible says:
You do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like?
(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version (2011 Revision), Revised English Bible, King James Version, NET Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation, 1996 edition, New Century Version, English Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
(2) It is a statement and goes with what precedes in 4:14a. According to this interpretation, James was emphasizing that the traders were ignorant of what their life would be like tomorrow. (Martin, page 158.) For example, the Good News Translation says:
You don’t even know what your life tomorrow will be!
(Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
It is recommended that you follow option (1). This is followed by the majority of commentators and English versions. James’ point is not about what your life will be like tomorrow, but whether you will be alive at all. This is clear from 4:15.
4:14a
There is a contrast between 4:13 and 4:14. The contrast is between the rich people’s plans, and the fact that they do not know what will happen the next day. Some ways to show this contrast are:
But (New Century Version)
-or-
You talk like that, however
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow!: The Berean Standard Bible uses even as a way of communicating the exclamation in English. The New International Version (2011 Revision) tries to show this exclamation and the contrast mentioned above by using the word “Why.”
Some ways to translate this sentence are:
• As an exclamation. For example:
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. (New International Version (2011 Revision))
-or-
But you do not know what will happen tomorrow! (New Century Version)
-or-
You have no idea/clue what will happen tomorrow!
• As a rhetorical question that emphasizes that we do not know what will happen tomorrow. For example:
But do you even know what will happen tomorrow? Of course not!
-or-
What do you know about tomorrow? (Contemporary English Version)
4:14b
What is your life?: This is a rhetorical question. It emphasizes how uncertain life is. James responded to his own rhetorical question in the next sentence.
Some ways to translate this rhetorical question are:
• As a rhetorical question. For example:
What is your life after all? (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Do you know how long you will live?
-or-
To what can your life be compared?
• As a statement. For example:
Think about your life.
-or-
Consider the time you have to live.
• As a phrase connected to and introducing 4:14c. For example:
Your life is…. (New Century Version)
-or-
The time you live is like
Translate this rhetorical question in a way that is natural in your language.
4:14c–e
Most English versions use no connecting word at the beginning of this sentence. In Greek, there is a connector showing that this sentence explains the reason why life is uncertain. The Revised Standard Version translates the Greek conjunction as “For.” Use a natural way of connecting this sentence to the question that came before it.
You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes: This is a metaphor. In this metaphor, James compared a person’s life to a mist. The way that they are similar is that both exist for only a short time.
Some ways to translate this metaphor are:
• Keep the metaphor. For example:
It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears. (Contemporary English Version)
• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
For your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)
• Translate the meaning without using the metaphor. For example:
You live for a brief while and then pass away.
4:14c
You are: The words You are introduce an answer to the question “What is your life?” In some languages, it may be necessary to say “Your life is….” For example:
your life is like (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
a mist: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a mist means “a vapor or smoke that goes into the air.” Some other ways to translate this word are:
puff of smoke (NET Bible)
-or-
morning fog (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
steam
4:14d
appears for a little while: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as appears means “exists” or “is here.” Some other ways to translate this clause are:
it’s here a little while (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
that is seen for a moment (God’s Word)
-or-
You can see it for a short time (New Century Version)
4:14e
and then vanishes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as vanishes also means “disappear.” Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
and then disappears (Good News Translation)
-or-
then it goes away (New Century Version)
If you translate the meaning of 4:14c–e without using a metaphor, some ways to translate vanishes are:
and then you pass away
-or-
then it’s over
-or-
and then you die
© 2012 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
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.