You also be patient: better “You too must be patient” (Barclay, New American Bible, Revised English Bible). James repeats what he has already said in 5.7. Just as there is nothing the farmer can do to speed up the process of rainfall and the harvest but to wait for God’s appointed time, so the Christian community must be patient even in the midst of exploitation and suffering. The Lord’s return will come at God’s time. The point then is not the length of time for waiting but the need to remain steady during that time.

Establish your hearts: the verb Establish means “to strengthen” or “to make stable.” “To establish your heart” is “to have an unwavering confidence.” The imperative has been rendered in various ways; for example, “be … stouthearted” (New English Bible, Revised English Bible), “you must hold inflexibly to your purpose” (Barclay), “do not lose heart” (New Jerusalem Bible), “Keep your hopes high” (Good News Translation), “stand firm” (New International Version), “don’t give up” (Contemporary English Version), or “You must be courageous” (similarly Translator’s New Testament).

Christians must be patient and courageous in the midst of suffering hardships because the coming of the Lord is at hand. The return of the Lord is the ground of their living hope. The verb is at hand is the same word used to express the “drawing near” of “the Kingdom of God” (Mark 1.15) and of “the end of all things” (1 Peter 4.7). James believes that the return of the Lord is near. The clause may be rendered “because the Lord’s coming will be soon” (New Jerusalem Bible), “for it will not be long until the Lord comes” (Barclay), or “because the Lord will return soon.”

Quoted with permission from Loh, I-Jin and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Letter from James. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .