The reason for restraining ourselves from anger is that the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God. Here again, man in the anger of man is to be taken as general. Reflecting this understanding, New Revised Standard Version takes the second person “you” as the subject of anger and has rendered the phrase “your anger,” while Good News Translation and Revised English Bible have translated it as “human anger.” The verb work here can be taken in the sense of “produce” (Goodspeed, Barclay, New Revised Standard Version), “promote” (Translator’s New Testament, Revised English Bible), “accomplish” (New American Bible), “bring about” (New International Version), or “achieve” (Good News Translation). In Greek the tense of the verb is present, giving the sense that it is always true that human anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. In many languages the clause for the anger of man does not work … may be rendered as “When a person gets angry he does not do what…” or “When you have a hot heart [or, liver] you don’t achieve….”

The expression the righteousness of God can be understood in several ways. First, it is sometimes taken as a genitive of origin; in this case righteousness is something that comes from God, something that God gives, namely the verdict of acquittal, and therefore salvation. Secondly, it can be taken as a subjective genitive, making righteousness as part or quality of God’s character. This interpretation is reflected in translations like “For human anger does not promote God’s justice” (Revised English Bible) or “For men’s temper is never the means of achieving God’s true goodness” (Phillips). Thirdly, it can be understood as an objective genitive, meaning that righteousness is something that God demands, a standard set for believers. This understanding is seen in some translations; for example, “for men’s anger does not produce the uprightness God wishes” (Goodspeed), “Human anger can never produce the kind of conduct God desires” (Barclay), “Human anger does not achieve God’s righteous purpose” (Good News Translation; similarly Translator’s New Testament), or “if you are angry you cannot do any of the good things that God wants done” (Contemporary English Version). The last understanding appears to be the one favored by the majority of interpreters and translators.

An alternative translation model for this verse may be:
• For when people get angry they do not do the good things God wants them to do.

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 .

At this point James adds one final illustration to prove his point that faith has to be put into action in order to win God’s approval.

And in the same way serves to show that this is the second illustration to prove the same point as the first. It is possible to render the phrase as “It was the same with…” (Good News Translation), “The same is true…” (Revised English Bible), or simply “Likewise…” (New Revised Standard Version).

The next statement is cast as a rhetorical question, was not also Rahab … another way? And the expected answer is “Yes.” Rahab is a comparatively minor character in the Old Testament. She is remembered for doing two things. First, she is known as a Gentile prostitute who, in talking to the two Israelite spies, made that famous confession, “The Lord your God is God in heaven above and here on earth” (Josh 2.11, TEV). Secondly, she is also known as a foreigner who has identified herself with Israel and entered its community, and “Her descendants have lived in Israel to this day” (Josh 6.25, TEV). The choice of Rahab as an example, in contrast to Abraham, is interesting. Abraham is the father of the faithful, and Rahab is a Gentile woman and “a prostitute.” If we are convinced that a contrast between the two is intended, the clause was not also Rahab … may be rendered “was not even Rahab…” (New International Version). Other terms for harlot or “prostitute” in various languages are “woman who sells her body,” “woman of the night,” or “woman of bad reputation.”

In any case the point of the illustration is to show that Rahab too was declared righteous on the basis of the deeds that issued from her faith. To be sure, her faith is not even mentioned, but it is assumed all along. It is her faith that gave her strength and willingness to risk her life to save the messengers. Nevertheless the focus James wants his readers to see is still her deeds. The phrase justified by works has the same meaning as in verse 21. In this case Rahab’s works consisted of her friendly welcome of the Israelite spies and assisting in their escape. Here the phrase justified by works may also be expressed as “God accepted her as a good person because of the good things she did.”

The verb “to receive” in the clause she received the messengers is to be understood as “to welcome” or “to receive hospitably,” and in particular, in the event reported in Joshua 2, “to welcome into the house” (similarly Revised English Bible, here in James, “welcoming the messengers into her house,” and New International Version “gave lodging to the spies”). The messengers in the original account are described as literally “young men” (Josh 6.23), and in Heb 11.31 as “spies.” In the New Testament the term is often used of “heavenly messengers” and therefore “angels.” In the historical context the mission of the “young men” was military; they were not carrying any message but were trying to spy out Jericho city. In order to bring the meaning out more clearly in the present context, Good News Translation has rendered the clause as “by welcoming the Israelite spies” (so also Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch). In languages that do not have a special term for “spies,” it will be necessary to translate the meaning; for example, “the Israelite men who secretly came to explore the land.” “Sent out” in sent them out another way is one word in Greek that means literally “to throw out”; it is not to be understood in a bad sense involving any violence, but in the sense of “to help to escape” (compare “helping them to escape,” Good News Translation). Another way means “a different route” (New American Bible, Revised English Bible), or “a different road” (Good News Translation).

An alternative translation model for this verse may be:
• A similar example is Rahab the prostitute. God accepted her because of the good thing she did. For she welcomed the Israelite men who were secretly exploring the land, and helped them to escape by another road [or, way].

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 .

Come now: James shifts to a conversational style by calling for the attention of his readers. This expression is used only here and in 5.1 in the New Testament. It is a form of address, an attention getter, for which a number of equivalent expressions may be used; for example, “Now listen to me” (Good News Translation), “Listen carefully” (Japanese New Interconfessional Translation), “But wait” (Translator’s New Testament), “Stop and think a minute!” (Barclay), “Just a moment, now” (Phillips), “You should know better than…” (Contemporary English Version). The people addressed are you who say …, an imaginary group of business people who say what is said in the quotation.

Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain: what we have here are the typical plans of ordinary business people. Their business plans include setting the time of departure, selecting a location, determining the length of stay, projecting the profit, and so on. Notice that all four verbs are in the future tense: “will go,” “will spend,” “will trade,” and “will get gain.” This shows that their plans are firm and full of confidence and expectations. Notice also the progression Today … tomorrow … a year. In cultures where it is not natural to talk about particular times such as Today, tomorrow, or a year, we may translate, for example, “Very soon [or, In a little while] we will go to the town, where we will stay for a long time [or, for many moons].” The expression such and such a town is an idiomatic way of referring to a certain location without naming the place specifically. In this way the story can be applied to any city and any situation. Thus the idiom may be rendered as “this and that town” (Barclay, New International Version). Other translations restructure this as “we’ll go to the city” (Contemporary English Version), or “we will travel to a certain city” (Good News Translation); such a restructuring will be more natural in many languages. In cultures where large towns do not exist, but only villages of various sizes, we may express town as “a large village,” “a place with many houses,” or even “a large village with a strong wall [or, fence] around it.” The verb trade means “do business” (Translator’s New Testament) or “go into business” (Good News Translation). The expression get gain may be rendered more naturally as “make money” (Translator’s New Testament, New International Version) or “make a profit” (New American Bible). James is obviously not rebuking his readers for making detailed and wise business decisions in advance. The problem is that they make plans without the Great Planner; they leave God out of their planning.

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 .

Have you not…?: this verse represents the main clause of the long conditional sentence that begins in verse 2. This transition may be marked with “then” as Good News Translation has done. However, if translators begin verse 3 with a command such as “You must not…” (see the alternative translation model for verse 3) and end the verse with a full stop (period), then verse 4 will begin with something like “If you do this, it is the same as….” Another possibility is to change the rhetorical question Have you not…? to a statement; for example, “You have indeed made distinctions…” or “You are indeed guilty of….” James is condemning the partiality and prejudice of his readers. They are rebuked for this behavior on two counts: first, they create distinctions; secondly, they become judges with evil motives.

The verb rendered made distinctions has two possible meanings. The verb is in the passive voice. It can therefore mean that a person is “divided,” “wavering,” “in doubt,” or “torn between two directions,” as in 1.6. This is apparently the meaning intended by New English Bible when it renders “do you not see that you are inconsistent.” In this case our author is condemning his readers’ inability to be consistent in their faith; they are torn between the standards of God and those of the world. The majority of commentators and translators, however, prefer to take the verb with a middle force, giving the sense “to judge between,” “to make distinctions,” “discriminating between” the rich and the poor visitor. This line of interpretation is reflected in translations like “Do you not see that you are making class distinctions among yourselves…” (Translator’s New Testament), “Do you not see that you are discriminating among your members…” (Revised English Bible), and “That is the same as saying that some people are better than others” (Contemporary English Version). This understanding is preferable, as there seems to be a deliberate play on words in the use of this verb (“to judge between”) and the related expression become judges in the next clause, which comes from the same root. Furthermore the translation “to doubt” or “to be inconsistent” does not fit the next statement “you have become judges.” If, however, the translator feels that the whole range of meaning is intended, it is possible to render as Barclay has done, “Do you not thereby inconsistently introduce class distinction into your fellowship…?”

Some interpreters, especially those favoring the meaning “to be inconsistent” or “to be in doubt,” understand the phrase among yourselves as some sort of mental activity within the person, or else a subjective opinion, and render it accordingly as “in your heart” or “in your own minds” (Moffatt; similarly Phillips). This actually reflects a more literal rendering of the Greek expression. However, the majority of translators take among yourselves to mean distinctions between or discriminations among members or visitors in the Christian community. Other possible translation models, then, are as follows:
• … then you have indeed made distinctions among yourselves.
• When you do this it is the same as saying that some people are better [or, have more face] than other people.

The second condemnation against the readers is that they have become judges with evil thoughts. James is saying that it is wrong to pass judgment on others based on outside appearances or social status. The readers are accused of being literally “judges of evil reasonings.” “Of evil reasonings” is a genitive of quality with an adjectival force, indicating what kind of judges they are. The expression with evil thoughts can be misleading, as in Greek it may mean either that they are judging the evil thoughts of others, or that they are “evil-minded judges.” What James wants to say here is rather that they are passing judgment on others that is based on evil motives (see Good News Translation), or that they have used unacceptable standards in judging other people; “you are … judging by wrong standards” (Revised English Bible). Contemporary English Version has an interesting rendering: “you would be acting like a crooked judge.” In modern colloquial English this carries the meaning “using wrong motives to judge others.”

Alternative translation possibilities for verses 3 and 4 are:
• If you show more respect to [or, lift up the face of] the well-dressed man and say to him, “Please sit in this place of honor here,” but say to the poor man, “Stand over there, or sit here on the floor by my feet,” then you have indeed made distinctions among yourselves, and are using wrong standards [or, criteria] to judge other people.
• You must not give the best [or, honored] seat to the well-dressed man and tell the poor man to stand to the side, or tell him to sit on the floor. When you do this it is the same as saying that some people are better [or, have more face] than others, and you would be guilty of using wrong standards to judge others.

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 .

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing: this emphasizes and makes clearer the problem that James has referred to in verse 9. It is interesting to note that he shifts from the “tongue” to the mouth, both of which are essential for speech. It is possible that his words may be echoing Jesus’ teaching about the defilement of speech (Matt 15.11, 17-18). In any case what James wants to convey is that doubleness in speech is not right and therefore must be rejected.

My brethren is not used here as a marker for the introduction of new subject matter, as it is in some other places. Here it is used for emphasis, as the author tries to make a passionate appeal to his readers. The address is meant to be inclusive and therefore may be rendered “My brothers and sisters” (New Revised Standard Version), or even “my friends” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible). (See 1.2 for a further discussion on this expression.)

This ought not to be so is a rare expression; the sentence is literally “It is not fitting, my brethren, that these things should so be” (Hort). The impersonal verb translated “it is fitting” appears only here in the New Testament. Its original sense is apparently “there is need,” and in ethical applications it takes on the meaning “it is fitting” or “it ought to be.” The negative not in Greek is in emphatic position. To bring the force out properly, we may render the statement as “surely, my brothers, this is the sort of thing that never ought to happen!” (Phillips), or even “No, my brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.” Contemporary English Version combines verses 9 and 10 in order to eliminate some of the repetition that is not good style in modern English. A similar alternative translation model is the following:
• My dear fellow Christians, we use our tongues to speak both praises and curses. We praise our Lord and Father and call down curses on our fellow human beings whom God created to be like himself. We should not do this!

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 .

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 .

What James goes on to say is that, in contrast to the “poor,” the rich person should boast in his humiliation. Just as the poor often signifies low status and powerlessness in society, so the rich often has the sense of high position and power in society (compare “the rich and mighty,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

Scholars do not agree as to whether or not the rich is a Christian. Some maintain that the rich is not a Christian for the following reasons: (1) If the rich were a Christian, our author would have used the word “brother” here as in the previous clause. (2) Elsewhere in this letter (2.6-8; 5.1-6) the rich are always depicted as bad people outside the Christian community. (3) If the rich were a Christian, the humiliation would have to be understood in a literal sense, namely a loss of wealth, as the following verses appear to confirm. However, the “exaltation” that the poor Christian enjoys can only be a spiritual blessing. It is most unlikely, it is argued, that our author would use a spiritual sense (“exaltation”) and a literal sense (humiliation) together in a single sentence. (4) It would be strange for James to speak of a Christian brother “passing away” and “fading away.”

On the other hand, the main reasons for interpreting the rich as a Christian are: (1) The structure of the sentence demands that “brother,” appearing before the modifier “lowly” in verse 9, is most naturally taken as governing “the rich” in verse 10 also. (2) Since verse 10a does not have a verb, structurally the natural one to supply is “boast” of verse 9. If so, it is reasonable to assume that it will have the same sense. The train of thought of verse 10 is then “and let the rich brother boast in his humiliation.” (3) It is unlikely and strained for our author to be giving exhortation to rich non-Christians. If that were the case, what our author says here will make sense only if he gives the meaning of “boast” a forced and ironic twist.

Here we have a case where there is no complete agreement among scholars and translators, and therefore individual interpreters and translators have to make their own decisions. It is possible to remain neutral by rendering the saying more literally, such as “The lowly brother should take pride in … and the rich in…,” leaving it to the teacher or preacher to explain what it should mean here. If, however, we decide on the first interpretation, the translation will most likely come out something like Knox: “(9) Is one of the brethren in humble circumstances? Let him be proud of it; it exalts him, (10) whereas the rich man takes pride in what in truth abases him.” Notice two interesting shifts: First there is a shift from an imperative “let him be proud of” to an indicative “… takes pride in.” This is the ironic twist mentioned above. Incidentally, in Knox‘s translation the irony is also seen in the expression “in truth.” Secondly, there is a shift from “one of the brethren in humble circumstances” to “the rich man.”

If, however, we accept the second interpretation, which appears to fit the context and the tone of the letter better, then we understand that the author is simply instructing the rich Christian to take no pride in worldly possessions or position, but to humble himself before God. The only adjustment needed in translation then is to make it clear that the rich is a Christian. This can be done in various ways; for example, “the rich Christians” (Good News Translation), “the wealthy [church] member” (Revised English Bible), or “the rich brother” (Bible en français courant). This second interpretation is the more likely one, and is recommended for translators.

The question remains as to what the author means by humiliation. Some take it in a literal sense to mean that by becoming a Christian the rich person has had to suffer loss of property through persecution, or to lose business connections and therefore incomes, as the rendering “being reduced in circumstances” (Goodspeed) appears to show. Others interpret it to mean loss of social standing or position in the general community, being treated as a social outcast by the person’s former peers; for example, “low position” (New International Version). Still others, taking it as a parallel in usage but opposite in meaning to exaltation, understand it to mean “humility” in a spiritual sense, in identifying with the humbling and self-emptying Christ (compare Phil 2.8). Translations that follow this understanding usually recognize God as the one who creates the attitude of humility; for example, “when God brings them down” (Good News Translation; similarly Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Bible en français courant), or “God has shown him his spiritual poverty” (Phillips). This interpretation seems the more likely one. Other ways to express in his humiliation may be “The rich Christian boasts only that he has been humbled [or, that God has humbled him],” or “The rich person boasts when God shows him that in his heart he is humble.” Another way of rendering this first sentence may be “But any Christian who is rich should be glad when God humbles him.” In languages where inclusive language is preferred, the subject may be changed to the plural, as Good News Translation has done: “Those Christians … they….”

Because like the flower of the grass he will pass away: what James goes on to say next is best taken not as an explanation of the meaning of humiliation but as the reason for the rich Christian to be glad or boast in humiliation. It is quite possible that James is here alluding to the proverbial saying in Isa 40.6-8, and the similar thought that appears in Psa 103.15, 16. In both passages there is a contrast between the brief life span of humankind and the permanence of God. It is idle to debate whether flower of the grass is a correct rendering of the Hebrew original that should have been translated “flower of the field.” Most likely they mean the same thing, both referring to an uncultivated flower growing in the wild. At least this would be the case in some languages. In translation something like “wild flower” (New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible), or “flower of the field” (New English Bible, New American Bible), or “the flower of a weed” will do. In many languages there will be no difference between “wild” flowers or “cultivated” flowers. In such cases flower of the grass will simply be translated as “flowers”; for example, “like flowers he will fade and pass away.”

He will pass away is normally taken to refer to the rich person in the first part of the sentence, even though it is possible also for the word to be translated “it will pass away,” referring to that person’s wealth. A number of commentators and translators, however, while understanding the rich person to be a Christian, have apparently taken he as referring to rich people in general. Note the subtle shift in 1.9-10a: “The brother … the wealthy brother … the rich man” (New English Bible, Bible en français courant), “the [Christian] wealthy member … the rich man” (Revised English Bible), or “But if any of you are rich… Rich people…” (Contemporary English Version). This is possible, and in this case it is the richness of the rich that will pass away, no matter whether the rich is Christian or not. The rich person does not need to be reminded of the certainty of death, but he needs to be made aware of the passing nature of wealth. It is recommended that translators follow the interpretation that James is talking about rich Christians in general. Another way to translate this final sentence is “For the possessions of the rich person will disappear just like the flower of a wild plant.”

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 .