4:3a–b

And when you do ask, you do not receive: The clause And when you do ask, you do not receive refers to prayer. James’ readers were praying to God for certain things, but God was not answering their prayers.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

And even when you ask, you don’t get it (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
When you pray for things, you don’t get them (God’s Word)
-or-
Yet even when you do pray, your prayers are not answered (Contemporary English Version)

4:3c

because: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because introduces the reason that people do not get what they pray for.

you ask with wrong motives: The clause you ask with wrong motives is more literally “you ask wrongly” (as in the Revised Standard Version). This indicates that James’ readers were asking for things from God for the wrong reasons. They were asking for things for selfish reasons rather than for God’s glory.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

the reason you ask is wrong (New Century Version)
-or-
the reason why you^(plur) ask is not right
-or-
you pray just for selfish reasons (Contemporary English Version)

4:3d

that you may squander it on your pleasures: The clause that you may squander it on your pleasures means that James’ readers intended to use what they prayed for to satisfy their own desires.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

You want things so you can use them for your own pleasures. (New Century Version)
-or-
The reason you
^(plur) ask for it is so that you might fulfill your evil desires.

squander: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as squander means “use wastefully.” It does not only refer to spending money, although wasting money is one aspect.

Another way to translate this word is:

use (Good News Translation)

pleasures: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pleasures is the same as the word translated “passions” in 4:1b. This word refers to wrong, selfish desires. It is a desire for personal wealth, glory, and pleasure.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

passions (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
selfish desires
-or-
enjoyment
-or-
satisfy your heart

General Comment on 4:3a–d

In some languages, it is more natural to put the reason (in 4:3c–d) before the result (in 4:3a–b). For example:

^3cYou ask with wrong motives ^3dthat you may spend what you get on your pleasures. ^3bTherefore, you do not receive ^3awhat you ask for.

General Comment on 4:3b–d

In some languages, it will be more natural to change the order of some of the clauses in 4:3b–d. For example:

^3byou do not receive, ^3cbecause you ask for things ^3dso that you can spend/use what you get on your pleasures. ^3cThat is the wrong reason for praying!

© 2012 by SIL International®

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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.