With this verse James begins to explain that hearing without doing is a self-deception. This may be considered one of the major themes of the letter. The thought is strikingly similar to that of Rom 2.13, where both “hearers” and “doers” appear.

According to James the word demands response by action. His command is But be doers of the word. The particle translated But is often used by James to introduce an imperative (for example, 1.6, 22; 5.12) and to serve as a transition between thoughts without having an adversative force. For this reason many translations have left the particle untranslated and instead have chosen to begin a new paragraph to mark the transition (so Good News Translation, La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch).

The imperative be, translating a verb that normally means “become,” is in the present tense and therefore has the force of “continue to be,” or even more strongly, “make sure that you continue to be.”

The expression doers of the word is apparently a Hebrew idiom that if rendered literally would mean “a word maker,” namely a writer or orator. This, however, is not the intended meaning. Paul has a similar usage in Rom 2.13, where he uses “a law maker” to mean someone who observes and obeys law. It is obvious then that doers of the word here means those who put the word into practice (compare Good News Translation), who “obey the message” (Goodspeed), “who live by the word” (Knox), and who “act on the message” (Revised English Bible).

James goes on to caution his readers not to remain hearers only. The word hearers is used in the New Testament only in this context and in Rom 2.13. It suggests hearing the public reading of Scriptures, but in the present context it obviously refers to hearing the gospel message. The author is emphasizing that merely hearing, or even knowing, the message is not enough. What really counts is to practice what you hear and know, that is, to live out the gospel message, transforming it into action. Therefore to think that hearing is enough is deceiving yourself. To deceive means, literally, to reason beside the point and therefore to misjudge, to deceive by false reasoning (see La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée) or to fool yourself (so Living Bible).

Grammatically deceiving yourselves is a phrase that can modify both “doers” and “hearers,” assuming that they refer to the same group of people; or it can be taken as referring only to the “hearers,” if they are two separate groups. In the first case the reflexive pronoun should be yourselves, “you” (the readers) being the subject of the imperative be. In the second case, taking the phrase to be modifying only the hearers, the pronoun should be changed to “themselves”; for example, “who deceive themselves” (New Revised Standard Version). Most translations take it to be the first.

The exhortation has two sides, one positive, be …, and the other negative, not …. In translation we can begin with the positive first, as Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version, and others have done. However, in some languages it may be more appropriate, and indeed more forceful, to begin with the negative, such as Translator’s New Testament, Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and others have done.

Alternative translation models for this verse may be:
• You must obey [or, follow] God’s message and not just listen to it. If you only listen, it is the same as lying to yourself.
• Don’t just listen to God’s message, but obey it. Otherwise you simply deceive yourself.

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 .

Let not … my brethren: it is perhaps best to begin the sentence with “My brothers,” rather than keeping more or less the order of the original Greek (as in Revised Standard Version). For one thing, this is the structure demanded by many languages. For another, this will immediately serve to indicate that a new subject is being introduced. Here again my brethren is inclusive and therefore may be rendered as “My friends” (Good News Translation, Revised English Bible), “my brothers and sisters,” (New Revised Standard Version), or “my fellow Christians.” (See 1.2 for a further comment.)

Let not many of you become teachers: James warns about aspiring to the teaching office. In Greek the negative not is placed at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis. Instead of saying Let not many …, we may say more directly “not many of you should…” (Good News Translation) or “we should not all try to…” (Contemporary English Version). Moffatt has brought out the sense graphically, thus “do not crowd in….” In some languages it is best to say this in a positive way; for example, “Only a few of you should…” (New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible).

Teachers, along with apostles and prophets, are people engaged in one of the three most important ministries in the New Testament (1 Cor 12.28; they are also given importance in Acts 13.1; Rom 12.7; Eph 4.11). To be a teacher was to occupy a position with prestige and authority within the Christian community in the early church. Because of this many people aspired to be teachers, obviously crowding into this ministry for wrong reasons. And it is for this reason that James warns about the serious responsibilities as well as the consequences of being a teacher.

For you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness: James hastens to add the reason why the office of teacher is not something that many people should be seeking. The teaching office brings with it honor, responsibility, and accountability. Consequently he warns that those who teach come under closer and greater scrutiny and therefore are liable to receive greater and more severe judgment from God. For you know that in Greek is a participle “knowing that,” often used to introduce something already known. It means something like “knowing as you already do” (Hort) and may be rendered as “you may be certain that” (Revised English Bible), “Remember that” (Phillips), “for you are well aware that” (Barclay), or “In fact” (Contemporary English Version).

Notice the shift from the second person plural you to the first person plural we. The we here is an exclusive term, referring only to the teachers, but it includes James himself. The severe warning applies to himself! For languages where there is a difference between the inclusive and exclusive “we,” the exclusive one should be used here. The statement we … shall be judged with greater strictness in Greek is literally closer to the King James Version rendering, “we shall receive the greater condemnation.” These two renderings reflect two ways of understanding the meaning in Greek, the one with a focus on the standard or criterion of judgment, and the other with a focus on the extent of judgment or penalty. The majority of translations appear to favor the first: those who teach are liable to receive greater judgment if they mislead others or do not practice what they teach. For the person who has more responsibility, the demand on her or him will naturally be greater, thus “teachers will be judged more strictly than others” (Contemporary English Version). Most likely the judgment here refers to the Last Judgment, and the one who pronounces the judgment is God. In some languages it is best to restructure the sentence into an active form; for example, “God will judge us [or, us (exclusive) teachers] with greater strictness” or “God will judge us strongly more than [he will] other people” (Kituba common language). The comparison of the severity of judgment is between what happens to “us” and what happens to others, and so some translations have included “others”; for example, “with greater strictness than others” (Good News Translation).

An alternative way to express this verse may be:
• My dear fellow Christians, we [inclusive] should not all try to become teachers. In fact God will judge us [exclusive] teachers more strictly than other people.

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 .

Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills…”: James goes on to say what the right attitude is that business people should have. In face of the uncertainty in human life, they should entrust their future totally to God. Instead (“rather,” Moffatt) points out a contrast with the thought expressed in verse 13; Instead of saying “Today or tomorrow we will…,” they should say what is recommended in this verse. Rather than their self-confident attitude, business people should commit all their plans and hopes entirely to the will of God. The expression If the Lord wills, or “If the Lord is willing” (Good News Translation), is not merely a casual formula but a conviction and acknowledgment that God has the final say on everything, and that the future is in the hand of God (compare Acts 18.21; 1 Cor 4.19; 16.7; Phil 2.19, 24). The Lord here refers not to Jesus as in 2.1, but to God. It is a functional term describing God’s absolute control, authority, and sovereignty over everything. (See 1.1 for a discussion on the translation of Lord.) In cases where Lord will be rendered as “Big Chief” or “The Highest Chief,” or something similar, it may be helpful to simply use “God” in this verse; for example, “If God is willing….”

Only if it is the will of God can we say we shall live and we shall do this or that. Knox, obviously based on the Latin Vulgate, which follows inferior manuscripts, has taken the first verb shall live as a subjunctive and therefore part of the conditional clause; thus “We will do this or that if it is the Lord’s will, and if life is granted us.” This interpretation has not won wide acceptance. Aside from the superior manuscript evidence, it is more probable that James would include everything, including life and death, not simply human actions, as being conditional on the will of God. In Greek the clause may be rendered as “we shall both live and do this or that.” A number of translations have taken the “and” construction as referring to one and the same action, thus “we shall live to do this or that” (Goodspeed, New American Bible, New English Bible; similarly Revised English Bible). The expression this or that is a way of referring to a plan that is not stated in detail. As with “such and such a town” in verse 13, it is understood that the speaker may be referring to a specific plan, but this expression allows the sentence to be applied to any plan the hearer may have. The Contemporary English Version rendering may serve as a helpful model for many translators: “If the Lord lets us live, we will do these things.” In this translation the idea of wills is included in the expression “lets us.”

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 .

But you have dishonored the poor man: James goes on to accuse his readers, pointing out that their action of showing partiality to the rich is in conflict with the purpose of God, who chooses the poor as his special concern. He goes on to say that it is an irony that the rich are actually the ones who exploit them.

But you is a strong contrast. The particle rendered as But indicates that what the readers are doing is in contrast to God’s attitude. The pronoun you in Greek is in emphatic position, in contrast to God; God chose the poor, but you, the Christians, the dear brothers and sisters (verse 5), have dishonored him. In order to bring out the emphatic force of you in the original, we may render But you in English as “You, on the other hand” (New Jerusalem Bible).

The verb dishonored has the sense of an outward expression of contempt, of treating someone with disrespect. It is rendered in various ways; for example, “ye have despised” (King James Version), “you have humiliated” (Translator’s New Testament, Revised English Bible), “you have insulted” (New English Bible, New International Version). In cultures where the concept of “face” is important, we may express dishonored as “you have made the poor lose face,” or “you have taken away the face of the poor.” The aorist tense in Greek and the reference to the poor here have convinced some scholars that the author is referring to the incident mentioned in verses 2-4 rather than speaking in general terms. In this case the force is best brought out in English as a perfect, as a number of translations have done. However, it is more likely that James is referring to the general action or inclination of the Christians in showing partiality. If this is so, it is best to use the present tense in English; for example, “but you dishonor the poor” (Good News Translation; so also Barclay), “but you humiliate the poor” (Goodspeed), “and you insult the poor” (Moffatt), “you mistreat the poor” (Contemporary English Version), “you make the poor lose face” and so on.

James goes on to list three charges against the rich expressed in two rhetorical questions. First, literally “Is it not the rich who oppress you, and they who drag you into court?” Most translations, for stylistic reasons, have split this sentence into two; for example, “Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court?” (New Revised Standard Version). The verb oppress is often used in the Septuagint to describe the rich and powerful exploiting the poor (Amos 4.1), the foreigners, widows, and orphans (Ezek 22.7, 29). In the New Testament the underlying Greek word is used only here and in Acts 10.38, where it refers to the oppression by the devil. The verb means literally “to exercise power over,” or in a bad sense “to lord it over” (so Moffatt and New Jerusalem Bible), suggesting an abuse of power. Barclay‘s rendering of the first charge is graphic and interesting: “the rich treat you as tyrants treat their slaves.” Contemporary English Version translates “But isn’t it the rich who boss you around…?” Other ways to express the phrase oppress you are “treat you badly,” “be cruel to you,” or “show you no mercy.” In view of its social and economic sense in this context, it can also be rendered as “the rich are exactly the kind of people who cheat and oppress you!” (Today’s Chinese Version). The verb oppress, as well as the verb drag, is in the present tense, giving the sense of habitual action. Phillips tries to bring this out by rendering the sentence as “Isn’t it the rich who are always trying to rule your lives…?”

The second charge is that they, that is, the very same rich people, are the ones who drag you into court. It is very likely that this means the rich are applying legal pressures to the poor Christians over such things as wages, debts, rents, and so on, and does not necessarily refer to physical oppression or persecution of the Christians. The verb drag is a strong term. It is used in Acts 21.30 of people dragging Paul out of the Temple. It is often used of hauling someone into court (so New American Bible “haul you off to court”). The phrase may also be rendered as “they are the ones who force you to go before the judges.” In cultures where “chiefs” do the judging, we may say, for example, “they are the ones who illegally take you before the chiefs to judge you.” The court here may be the local synagogue or church court, or even the Jewish sanhedrin. In any case it will not affect the translation if we use the general term “court” without trying to state what kind of court it is.

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 .

For the next two examples, James turns to plants. A fruit tree produces fruit according to its nature, and no tree can bear two different kinds of fruits. The idea is similar to Jesus’ teaching about the good tree producing good fruit (Matt 7.16), but the language is different.

The point is emphasized by repeating the address my brethren. Here again we may wish to render it inclusively as “my brothers and sisters” (New Revised Standard Version) or “my friends” (Revised English Bible). (See also comments at 1.2.)

Fig tree, olives, and grapevine are very common plants in the Middle East. The reference to these fruits does not keep to the precise point made in verses 10 and 11. To be fully logical, James would have to speak of a fruit tree bearing two kinds of fruit. However, it is not necessary for the analogy to be as precise in detail as this. The point James wants to make is clear enough: just as it is out of the question for one fruit tree to produce a different fruit against its nature, in the same way the presence of good and bad speech in one Christian person is inadmissible and self-contradictory. The verb yield may be rendered “produce” (Goodspeed, Barclay, Revised English Bible) or “bear” (Good News Translation, New International Version).

In translation we may break the sentence into two; for example, “Can a fig tree bear olives? Or can a grapevine bear figs?” Again these rhetorical questions, expecting a negative answer, may be rendered as negative statements, as Good News Translation has done. Another way to handle this is to add the answer “Of course not” at the end of the questions, as Translator’s New Testament has done. In cultures where “figs,” “olives,” and “grapes” do not exist and there are no words for these types of fruit, translators may use cultural equivalents; for example, “a mango tree cannot produce bananas; a breadfruit tree cannot produce custard apples.” The point here is that a tree produces only its own kind of fruit.

James closes this section by going back to the contrast of two different kinds of water. There are a couple of textual variants in the last sentence No more can salt water yield fresh. Some manuscripts add “so” or “similarly” before the negative in order to harmonize and to enhance the comparison. But this adverb is absent from important manuscripts and so represents a later attempt to smooth out the connection. A second problem is seen in the King James Version rendering “so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh,” where the words “so,” “no fountain both,” and “and” represent a different Greek text than that translated by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. Obviously the word “fountain” is added after “salty” to avoid the strange and difficult notion that salty water can produce fresh. The most reliable text, adopted by Revised Standard Version and most modern translations, is perfectly intelligible though a bit awkward. The use of the word salt here, instead of “bitter” in verse 11, probably has no significance; it is simply a matter of stylistic variation. The salt water may be taken to be a salt water spring, thus the rendering “salty spring” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch; similar also Goodspeed). The Contemporary English Version rendering provides a good alternative translation model: “Does fresh water come from a well full of salt water?” This translation seems to take account of the fact that in most places known by human beings springs normally don’t produce salt water.

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 .

This verse contains a third plea for patience, using the example of the prophets. The indication that this is a third plea is seen in the use of the address brethren, meaning fellow believers, for the third time in the paragraph. The prophets are used as an example of suffering and patience. “Prophets” are primarily not people who predict the future, as the rendering in some languages suggests. They are basically spokesmen for God and interpreters of God’s will, and the term is often expressed as “persons who speak [or, proclaim] God’s message.” Here the term refers to the Old Testament prophets. Not only did they often fail to gain a hearing for their message (Isa 6.9-10), they were also frequently the targets of persecution (Jer 20.8; Matt 5.12). A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark, page 7, provides a list of helpful examples on the translation of “prophet” from a number of languages; for example, “one who speaks for God,” “one who speaks the voice of God,” “God’s sent-word person,” and others. The word example is used of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet (John 13.15) and of Jesus’ suffering (1 Peter 2.21). In some languages it may be desirable to use a word like “model” or “pattern” for example, as Revised English Bible has done. And in certain languages this clause may be translated as “you must act as they did” or “you must behave as they did.”

The word suffering in suffering and patience is used only here in the New Testament. It basically means “hardship” (so New American Bible) suffered at the hand of others and therefore may be rendered as “ill-treatment” (New English Bible/ Revised English Bible) or “adversity” (so R.P. Martin). The pair of nouns can be taken as a hendiadys, that is, two terms expressing one idea, and may be rendered in a single phrase such as “patient endurance under suffering” (Good News Translation), “patience under ill-treatment” (Revised English Bible), or “suffering patiently endured” (Goodspeed).

The prophets are people who spoke in the name of the Lord. Here the Lord refers to God. By making this statement James seems interested in conveying the thought that these spokesmen for God were subject to suffering because of their service to him, not because of their wrongdoing. And despite their suffering the prophets remained patient. To speak in the name of the Lord means to speak as a representative of the one who sent them, indicating that their messages bear the authority of God (compare Contemporary English Version “spoke for the Lord”). In languages where prophets will be expressed as “people who proclaim God’s message,” we may render the clause the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord as “those people who proclaimed the Lord’s message,” it being understood that they spoke in his name.

In translating this verse it may be desirable to structure the sentence somewhat differently. In some languages we may have to take the prophets as the primary focus, and so they are best identified at the beginning of the sentence; for example:
• My brothers and sisters, remember the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Take them as examples of patient endurance under suffering.
• My fellow believers, the prophets proclaimed the message on behalf of the Lord. Take them as examples of people who endured suffering patiently.
• My fellow believers, do you remember those people who proclaimed God’s message long ago? They were patient even when they had to suffer. You should be patient like this too.

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 .

The form Blessed is the man … is very common in the Old Testament (see Job 5.17; Psa 1.1; 32.2; Pro 8.32, 34). In the New Testament it is used by Jesus in Matt 5.3-11 and Luke 6.20-22. The word Blessed is used to describe an inner quality of true happiness and, in this context, an attitude of resolute courage unaffected by external circumstances, even when they are unfavorable. Here it is a blessing pronounced on those who stand the test of faith. This blessing has much in common with what Jesus has offered to the poor and disadvantaged people in Luke 6.22-23. It will be noted that God is the source of this true happiness. The force of Blessed can be brought out more effectively in some languages as “How happy is the person who…,” “Truly happy are those who…,” or “God will bless those who….” In this context God will be the giver of good things. Even though in Greek the word man is normally used of a male person, here, as in 1.8, it should be understood in a general sense and is therefore best rendered as, for example, “Happy are those who…” (Good News Translation), “Blessed is anyone…” (New Revised Standard Version), or “God will bless the person who….”

This true happiness is offered to the person who endures trial, a saying that echoes Dan 12.12. The noun form of the verb endures has already appeared in verse 3, where it is rendered “steadfastness” by Revised Standard Version and “the ability to endure” by Good News Translation. Endurance is an ability to face all kinds of troubles, difficulties, and sufferings with steadfast courage and faithfulness. It means more than negative endurance of hardships and trials; it is the heroic act of someone who “meets trial with unbreakable spirit” (Barclay), who “remains faithful” (Good News Translation), “remains steadfast” (New English Bible), and “stands firm” (Translator’s New Testament, Jerusalem Bible [Jerusalem Bible]) under trials. (See James 1.3, “steadfastness,” for a further comment on how to translate this term.)

The word trial has also appeared in verse 2 and will be used again in the following verses with a different shade of meaning. As explained above, it can mean either “trial,” referring more to external difficulties and troubles, or “temptation,” referring more to internal impulses that may entice a person to evil and sin, depending on a given context. What sense is intended here is debated. Some translations render it as “temptation,” since this is obviously the meaning intended in the following verse (King James Version, New American Bible, New Revised Standard Version). Most others, however, take it to mean “trial,” since the word is used here in connection with the verb endures, and temptation is something to be “resisted,” not “endured” (Ropes). Still others feel that the author is apparently trying to use this word here as a link connecting the thought of “trial” in verse 2 with the theme of “temptation” in the following verses, and have tried to bring this out. They do it either by including both meanings in the translation, “… patiently endures the temptations and trials…” (Phillips), or by suggesting a more inclusive term like “testing” that, in some languages, does include the two components of “trial” and “temptation.” Perhaps this is the better way to translate trial in this context. Alternative ways to render the first sentence, then, may be:
• The person who patiently endures such temptations and difficulties will be fortunate [or, happy];
• The person who passes through such difficulties without failing [or, faltering] will be…;

or, in similar terms to verses 2-3:
• The person who passes through such testing and does not stop believing will be…;
• God will bless the person who does not stop believing when being tested.

In a number of languages it will be helpful to follow Contemporary English Version as a model and use the inclusive pronoun “you” throughout this verse: “God will bless you if you don’t….”

When he has stood the test can be taken as further explanation of the meaning of endures in the previous clause. In Greek it is a participial phrase, literally “because having become tried” or “because having become approved.” It is perhaps best understood here as a time clause, “because when [or, after] he is approved…” or “because having passed the test…,” rather than a conditional clause “because if he is approved….” The goal of enduring external troubles is to pass the test and to be approved as keeping genuine faith (compare New Jerusalem Bible “proven worth”). The noun form “testing” has already been used in verse 2. It is often used of the testing of athletes for fitness in athletic competitions, or of metal cleansed of all impurity. When it is applied to a person, it has a wider sense of proving or testing the genuineness of character. It describes someone who is approved after testing, and can be rendered variously; for example, “succeed in passing such a test” (Good News Translation), “has proved his worth” (Knox), “is of proven worth” (New Jerusalem Bible), “has come through the ordeal” (Barclay), or “who passes through such testing and is victorious.”

A tested person who succeeds in facing trials will receive the crown of life. This means that “he [or, that person] will be given [by God] the crown of life” or, in the active, “God will give him [or, that person] the crown of life.” Notice that the verb is in future tense, indicating that it is a promise for the new age, a reward given to those who pass the test. The expression the crown of life, which occurs also in Rev 2.10, can be understood as a genitive of quality, with life qualifying crown, giving the meaning “a living crown” or “enduring crown.” Or it may be taken as an appositional genitive, with “life” as the content, meaning “the crown that is life.” In this case the crown promised is life itself, although not physical life but life eternal, the salvation to be received in the new age (compare the “crowns” in 2 Tim 4.8; 1 Peter 5.4; Rev 2.10). Most likely the latter is the intended meaning in this context and is accepted by a number of translations; for example, “his prize the gift of life” (New English Bible; similarly Translator’s New Testament, Revised English Bible), or simply “as their reward the life…” (Good News Translation).

In the New Testament the word crown is used of a wreath made of thorns put on the head of Jesus (Matt 27.29; Mark 15.17; John 19.2, 5), or a wreath as a prize for a victor in battle or athletic competition (1 Cor 9.25; 2 Tim 2.5), or a golden crown as a badge of dignity (Rev 4.4, 10; 6.2). In this context it is used figuratively of some special honor, a reward or prize, to be received with joy by faithful Christians who have proved their worth by successfully withstanding trials and temptations. In many languages crown will need to be expressed as “reward.” In such cases the translator may say “God will give him eternal life as a reward” or “He will reward you with a glorious life” (Contemporary English Version). But other languages can retain the symbol of the crown and say “God will give him eternal life, like a crown that people who conquer receive.” Translators should use whatever is the most natural expression in their language.

God is the one who has promised this special prize to those who love him. In the Greek the subject of the promise is not mentioned in the most reliable text. However, it is evident from the context, as well as from the similar usage in 2.5, that the promise of life is given by God, and this is supplied by most translations. Some translations (King James Version, New Revised Standard Version, La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée), following later manuscripts, have supplied “Lord” as the giver of promise, but this will run into the difficulty of having to decide whether it refers to God or Christ, and therefore it is less desirable.

The supreme gift of life is promised to those who love him. This phrase is a conventional description of faithful and true believers in God (see Exo 20.6; Deut 5.10; Psa 145.20; Rom 8.28). Love in its distinctive biblical understanding is more than “like”; it is unconditional, involving more will than emotion. It is always relational and often implies faithfulness and loyalty. So in this context it refers more to a sense of loyalty toward God.

Alternative translation models for this verse may be:
• God will make the person who passes through [or, endures] such difficulties and does not stop believing, happy. Because when he endures this testing and temptation victoriously, God will give him eternal life as a reward. This is what God gives to those people who love him.
• God will bless you if you don’t stop believing when you endure difficulties. Because when you endure this testing and temptation victoriously, God will give you eternal life as a reward, just as he rewards everyone who loves him.

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 .

So faith by itself …: James now draws the conclusion from the comparison. He does this by using the word So, making the application of the example. So here has the force of “In the same way” (New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). Here the word faith refers back to the so-called “faith” in verse 14. There is some ambiguity in the expression by itself. Does it qualify faith or dead? The position of the Greek makes either a possibility. American Standard Version takes it with dead, thus “is dead in itself.” It is more probable that the phrase is placed at the end for emphasis but is intended to be taken with faith, thus “faith alone” (King James Version), or faith by itself (Revised Standard Version; so also New Revised Standard Version and many others). In this case the clause if it has no works is to be understood as an amplification of by itself.

From the conditional clause if it has no works, it is obvious that works are not something added as extra to faith—they go together. There is no intention to have a contrast between “faith” and “works”; the real contrast is between “faith that has works” and “faith that has no works.” For James faith must be accompanied by deeds; one cannot exist without the other, for the faith that does not have works is dead. Here the word dead is used figuratively to mean “lifeless,” “inactive,” and “useless.” In a number of languages it will be necessary to say something like the following: “your belief is useless” or “believing like that will be of no use [or, gain you nothing].” The conclusion explains that the faith of the professed Christian who extends best wishes to the needy brother and sister without offering practical help is worthless; it is a dead faith.

An alternative translation model for this verse may be:
• So if you only believe and don’t do good deeds, your believing is useless [or, will gain you nothing].

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 .