Paragraph 5:12

The Jews used oaths frequently, especially when they had strong feelings. They swore oaths when they made promises or threats, or when they wanted to strengthen the statement they were making. Some examples from the Bible are: 1 Samuel 1:26, 20:3, 20:12; 1 Kings 17:1; Matthew 14:7, 26:72. James here taught that Christian people should avoid oaths.

5:12a

Above all: The phrase Above all here means “most of all,” or “most important of all.” James was probably ranking the avoidance of swearing oaths as even more important than avoiding other sins of the tongue such as grumbling. (See Mayor, page 161; Ropes, page 300; Adamson (1976), page 194. Huther, page 215, thinks the comparison is with all the other warnings of the epistle. Other commentators think that James meant, “What I am going to say now is extremely important,” and that he was not comparing the importance of this topic with the importance of what he had said before. See Davids (1982), page 189; Mitton, page 191; Hiebert, page 308; Laws, pages 219–220; Martin, page 203.)

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

But most of all (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
It is of the highest importance (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
Most importantly

my brothers: Notice that the Berean Standard Bible places the phrase my brothers at the end of 5:12a. This follows the word order of the Greek text. In some languages, it is more natural to place it at the beginning. For example:

My friends, if any of you wander away from the truth… (Good News Translation)

In some languages, it is not natural to repeat my brothers so often. Read 5:7–12 to see if it would be more natural to omit one or more of the phrases my brothers.

5:12b

do not swear: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as swear refers to calling upon God or some other being or object to be a witness that what you are saying is true. It is implied that God will punish you if what you are saying is not true. James said that his readers should stop swearing or using oaths.

Another way to translate this word is:

do not use an oath (Good News Translation)

Be sure to distinguish the word “swear” from the words “curse” and “bad words/language.”

If there is no expression that refers to this word in your language, you may need to explain what James means. For example:

do not call on God to punish you if you are lying

5:12c

not by heaven or earth: The phrase by heaven or earth means “calling on heaven or earth as a witness that you are telling the truth.” These are examples of the common oaths that the Jews used in the days when James wrote. In this context, heaven means the place where God lives, and earth means this world where human beings live.

In some languages, it will be natural to translate this phrase as a separate sentence. For example:

Don’t use the name of heaven, earth…to prove what you say (New Century Version)
-or-
Do not swear by using anything in heaven or on earth to support your words

5:12d

or by any other oath: The phrase or by any other oath means “do not swear by using anything else as a witness that you are telling the truth.”

5:12e

Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no: This clause implies that when you talk:

(a) You should not add any oaths to your words. A simple “yes” or “no” is sufficient.

(b) You should always be honest and tell the truth. You should not lie.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

“Yes” or “No” is all you need to say. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
If you mean yes, say yes. If you mean no, say no. (God’s Word)
-or-
Speak the truth without an oath. Say only “yes” when you mean “yes” and say only “no” when you mean “no.”

5:12f

so that you will not fall under judgment: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as so that you will not fall under judgment indicates the basis for what James wrote in 5:12a–d.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

otherwise, you^(plur) will be condemned
-or-
If you say anything more, you will be condemned. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
and then you will not come under God’s judgment (Good News Translation)

In other words, if you follow James’ advice, God will not condemn you on the Day of Judgment. This is because a person who is in the habit of swearing oaths will sooner or later break his promise or tell a lie. So he will be guilty of using God’s name in an unacceptable way.

fall under judgment: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as fall under judgment mean “be declared/judged guilty” of having done something wrong. This also includes the idea that the person will be punished for doing wrong. But “judgment” here does not refer to eternal condemnation and punishment in hell.

Some other ways to translate this are:

be judged guilty (New Century Version)
-or-
be pronounced/declared guilty of sin

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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.

1:11a

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces a more detailed explanation of what was said in 1:10b. Do not translate this verse as if it were the reason for 1:10b. It further explains 1:10b, but it is not a reason. Some English versions do not translate this conjunction.

the sun rises with scorching heat: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as scorching heat refers to heat that is so great that it causes plants to die.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

The sun rises with burning heat (New Century Version)
-or-
the sun becomes high and scorches
-or-
the sun becomes hot and burns

1:11b

and withers: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as withers means “dries up.” In Israel, the rainy period ends early in the year. After that, there are no more clouds, and the sun is so hot that flowers dry up and die quickly.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

causes to dry up
-or-
causes to die
-or-
kills

the plant: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as plant may refer to any plant with flowers on it.

1:11c

its flower: The word flower refers to the flower of the plant.

falls: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as falls refers to when a flower “drops” or “falls off” its stem to the ground. For example:

The flowers drop off (God’s Word)
-or-
the plants lose their blossoms

1:11d

its beauty is lost: The phrase its beauty is lost means that “the plant’s beauty is gone.”

In some languages, it is not possible to talk about something abstract like beauty being lost. If that is true in your language, you may be able to use an adjective form and say:

It is no longer beautiful at all.
-or-
what was lovely to look at is lost for ever (Revised English Bible)

is lost: This is a passive verb. It is the heat of the sun that destroys the beauty of the flowers. So there are at least two ways to translate this:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

is destroyed (New American Standard Bible)

• Use an active verb. For example:

the heat destroys its beauty
-or-
the sun causes it to lose its beauty

• Use an intransitive verb. For example:

its beauty is gone (New Century Version)
-or-
its beauty fades away (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))

General Comment on 1:10b–11d

James was talking about wild flowers in general, not one specific blossom or plant. So in some languages, it may be natural to use plural forms. For example:

10b–11bRich people will disappear like wild flowers scorched by the burning heat of the sun. 11cThe flowers lose their blossoms, 11dand their beauty is destroyed. (Contemporary English Version)

1:11e

So too: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So too introduces an explanation of how rich people will fade away like flowers.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

So also (NET Bible)
-or-
The same thing will happen to (God’s Word)

the rich man: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as the rich man is the same as the phrase translated “the one who is rich” in 1:10a. There it referred to the rich brother/believer. James was probably still thinking of the rich brother/believer, but what he says is true of all rich people. You can translate this either as “rich brother/believer” or as “rich man/person.”

This phrase does not refer to one specific rich man. It refers to all rich people. To make this clear, it may be best to translate this with a plural. For example:

rich people (God’s Word)

will fade away: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will fade away refers to a plant withering and dying. James used this verb to show how rich people will fade away like wild flowers. They will die and lose all the things that made people admire them, just as a flower loses its beauty when it dies. After that, people do not pay attention to them any longer.

If it is not natural in your language to talk about a person “fading,” you can say:

will die (New Century Version)
-or-
will end up being nothing

1:11f

in the midst of his pursuits: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in the midst of his pursuits here means, “while he is doing his normal activities.” James was probably thinking of the rich man’s daily business activities such as trading.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

while they are still taking care of business (New Century Version)
-or-
while he is busy working
-or-
while he is earning money

General Comment on 1:11e–f

In some languages, it will be more natural to change the order of some of the clauses in this verse. For example:

^11eIt will be the same with the rich person also. ^11fWhile he is busy at his work, ^11ehe will die.

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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.

2:17

In 2:17, James stated the lesson he was trying to teach in the illustration in 2:15–16.

2:17a

So too: The phrase So too introduces the general principle that 2:16 illustrates. Words of greeting are of no help to a cold and hungry man unless we also give him what he needs. So also, our faith is of no value unless we also do good deeds for God.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

So also (NET Bible)
-or-
Even so (King James Version)
-or-
So it is with faith (Good News Translation)
-or-
Likewise

faith by itself: The word faith in this context refers to the act of trusting in or relying on Jesus Christ (as in 2:14b). The phrase by itself means “when faith is alone.” This indicates that a person only believes, but he has no deeds to accompany his belief.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

faith alone
-or-
only/just trusting

In some languages, it is more natural to use a verb instead of the noun faith. For example:

a person just trusts
-or-
you only believe in Jesus

2:17b

if it does not result in action: This phrase means that the person does not also do good deeds that show that he believes in Jesus. Instead, he behaves the same way as people who do not believe in Jesus.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

if that faith does not cause him to do any good deeds
-or-
if he does not also do things which show that his faith/trust is genuine
-or-
if he fails to show that he believes by what he does

2:17c

is dead: The phrase is dead is a metaphor. James meant that the person’s faith had no power to do anything and so was of no use. (Compare 2:14.) There are several ways to translate this phrase:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

is dead (NET Bible)
-or-
has no life in it

• Use a simile. For example:

is as if dead
-or-
is like a dead thing

• Use a simile with a word that explains the metaphor. For example:

is powerless as if dead
-or-
is as useless as a dead thing

• Use a word or phrase that explains the metaphor. For example:

is powerless
-or-
is useless
-or-
is unable to do anything
-or-
he does not truly trust in God

General Comment on 2:17a–c

In some languages, it may be natural to change the order of the clauses in 2:17. For example:

^17aIn the same way, faith by itself ^17cis dead ^17bif it doesn’t cause you to do any good things. (God’s Word)

© 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.

Paragraph 4:7–10

In this paragraph, James gave a series of exhortations or commands on how to get back into a proper relationship with God. He said that his readers should turn back to God and submit to him.

The exhortations in this paragraph are all plural. They are general and are addressed to everyone to whom James was writing.

4:7a

Submit yourselves, then, to God: The clause Submit yourselves…to God means “Put yourselves under God’s control,” “Accept God’s authority,” or “Surrender to God.” For example:

Surrender to God! (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
place yourselves under God’s authority (God’s Word)

then: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as then introduces a new paragraph. In this new paragraph, James gave many exhortations (or commands). These exhortations are based on all that James said in this chapter up to this point.

Some other ways to introduce these exhortations are:

So then (Good News Translation)
-or-
therefore (Revised Standard Version)

In many languages, this conjunction should come at the beginning of the sentence.

4:7b–c

In Greek, 4:7b–c begins with the conjunction that indicates a contrast. The contrast is between what we should do for God and what we should do in regard to Satan. One way to translate this contrast is:

But resist the devil (NET Bible)

In some languages, no conjunction is necessary here.

4:7b

Resist: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Resist means “Oppose” or “Stand firmly against” the enemy. This means that we should not listen to or yield to the devil’s temptations. Resist is the opposite of “submit.”

Some other ways to translate this word are:

Oppose
-or-
Do not obey
-or-
Refuse to do what the devil wants you to do
-or-
Fight

the devil: The phrase the devil refers to Satan, the leader of the evil spirits. You may already have a word in your language that describes the supreme evil being. If not, some other ways to translate this word are:

Satan
-or-
the leader/chief of the demons
-or-
the supremely bad/evil one
-or-
the enemy of God

4:7c

he will flee from you: The clause he will flee from you is a metaphor. In this metaphor, Satan is compared to a human enemy. They are similar in that both will flee if you resist them.

There are at least two ways to translate this metaphor:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

he will run away from you (Good News Translation)

• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:

he will soon stop tempting you

© 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.

Paragraph 1:22–25

Believers must not forget the word of God that they had heard. They must do/obey it.

1:22

In 1:22, there are three clauses in Greek. The Berean Standard Bible follows the Greek order but some other English versions change the Greek order of these clauses. Compare the order of the clauses in the Berean Standard Bible and New International Version (2011 Revision) below.

^22aBe doers of the word, ^22band not hearers only, ^22c…deceiving yourselves. (Berean Standard Bible)

^22bDo not merely listen to the word, ^22cand so deceive yourselves. ^22aDo what it says. (New International Version (2011 Revision))

You should arrange the clauses in 1:22 in a way that is natural in your language. See the General Comment at the end of 1:22c for more discussion on reordering these clauses.

In Greek, this verse begins with a conjunction that means “But” in some contexts. Some English versions have translated it as “But” here. However, in this context, it is not indicating a contrast. It simply introduces the next point about the “word.” So, in many languages, no conjunction is necessary here.

1:22a

Be doers of the word: The clause Be doers of the word refers to those who always do what God’s word tells them to do. Such people put the word’s teaching into practice and regularly obey its commands.

Translate this clause in such a way that the action is habitual, repeated action.

Some other ways to translate this are:

Do what it says (New International Version (2011 Revision))
-or-
put it into practice (Good News Translation)
-or-
obey God’s message (Contemporary English Version)

the word: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the word refers to the gospel.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

God’s word (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
God’s message

The same word occurs in 1:18a and 1:21c.

1:22b

and not hearers only: The clause and not hearers only indicates that it is not enough to just listen to someone preaching or reading from the word of God.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Do not only be hearers of the word
-or-
don’t just listen to God’s word (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
You must do more than just hear God’s word/message
-or-
Do not limit yourselves to just hearing the gospel

Be careful not to translate this in a way that implies that it is not good to listen to the word.

not hearers only: The phrase hearers only refers to those who only hear the gospel teaching. They never do what it tells them to do.

In many languages, the usual word for “hear” includes the idea of obeying. If this is so in your language, be careful here to use an expression that describes hearing without obeying.

1:22c

Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as deceiving yourselves can also be translated as “fool yourselves.” It refers to wrong thinking that leads a person astray. Anyone who just listens to the message of the gospel but does not obey its commands is mistaken if he thinks that God is pleased.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

or you will fool yourselves (God’s Word)
-or-
and lie to yourselves

General Comment on 1:22a–c

In Greek and the Berean Standard Bible, a clause with a positive command (“Be doers of the word”) comes first. This is followed by a clause with a negative command (“do not only be hearers”). The New International Version (2011 Revision) reverses the order of the positive and negative commands. Use the order that is most natural in your language.

Another possible way to translate the verse is:

He who hears the word and does not do what it says is deceiving himself. Therefore you should be people who both hear and do, not people who only hear.

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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.

3:3

Verse 3:3 reinforces and illustrates the point that James made in 3:2. Human beings are like horses: by controlling the mouth one can control the whole body.

In some languages, it may be natural to introduce this verse with a phrase that indicates that it is an illustration. For example:

To illustrate: when we put bits…
-or-
Consider how we put bits…
-or-
This is like putting bits….

3:3a

When we put bits into the mouths of horses: In Greek, the illustration of the horse is introduced with the word “if.” The Berean Standard Bible translates this word as When . Some ways to introduce this illustration are:

If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
We put bits in the mouths of horses to make them obey us, and we have control over everything they do. (God’s Word)
-or-
By putting a bit into the mouth of a horse, we can turn the horse in different directions. (Contemporary English Version)

we put: The phrase we put is a general statement concerning what people habitually do. In some languages, it may be more natural to say:

people put
-or-
they put
-or-
you put

bits into the mouths of horses: In Greek, the words bits, mouths, and horses are plural. In some languages, it will be more natural to use singular words. For example:

We put a bit into the mouth of a horse (Good News Translation)

bits:The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bits is the noun form of the verb “bridle” in 3:2d. A bridle is a rope or strap that goes over the horse’s head to control it. (See the illustration of the horse above.) Attached to the bridle is a piece of metal that passes through the horse’s mouth. In English, there is a specific word for this piece of metal. It is called a bit.

The Greek word used here normally refers to the whole bridle: both the straps and the piece of metal. But if your language has a specific word for the piece of metal that is put into the horse’s mouth, you should use it here. That is what the Berean Standard Bible has done.

Some ways to translate this word are:

• Use a specific term for the thing that is put in the mouth of a horse to control it. For example, most English versions say:

bits

• Use a more general term for the things that people use to control a horse. In some cases, it will be more natural to leave the phrase into the mouths untranslated. For example:

bridles
-or-
reins on the head

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

When we put something into the mouths of horses to guide them

• Use a cultural substitute. For example:

rope around the neck
-or-
ring in the nose/snout

horses: Some people are not familiar with horses and have no word for them in their language. If that is the case in your language, you can:

• Use a generic term and describe the function of a horse. For example:

an animal one can ride

• Substitute a different animal that a person can ride and put a bridle on. For example:

an ox
-or-
a camel

3:3b

to make them obey us: The clause to make them obey us is the purpose of using a bit and a bridle. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

to cause them to obey/follow our will
-or-
to force/make them to do what we want

3:3c

we can guide: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as guide means to turn or change the direction of something that is moving. Some other ways to translate this word are:

we can turn
-or-
we guide (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
we can direct (Revised English Bible)
-or-
we are able to make it go where we want (Good News Translation)

whole animal: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as whole animal is literally “whole body.” It refers to the body of the horse. The same Greek words are found in 3:2d. When translating this phrase, it is best to use similar words in both verses so that the reader can see the connection between them. For example:

the whole body of the person (3:2d)

the whole body of the horse (3:3c)

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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.

5:2a

Your riches have rotted: The clause Your riches have rotted is a general statement that all the possessions of the rich people will “spoil” (Some commentators suggest that the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as riches refers specifically to grain (wheat). See Mayor, pages 148–149; Hiebert, page 285; Mitton, page 176; Tasker, page 110; Manton, page 403. They point out that there is evidence that the word translated riches originally referred in the ancient world to having plenty of grain stored in the granaries. Also, the word translated rotted usually means actual rotting, although it can mean decay in general. Thirdly, since 5:2a is connected by “and” to a clause that mentions a specific kind of possessions (5:2b), it seems likely that 5:2a also refers to a specific kind of possessions. Note also that Palestine was primarily an agricultural society, and see Luke 12:16–21. However, none of the major English versions translate this word as “grain.”) or “be ruined.” In 5:2b and 5:3a James went on to mention which possessions in particular had spoiled. Use a word for rotted that goes well with riches. For example:

Your riches have decayed (God’s Word)
-or-
Your richest goods are ruined (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

This future event is so certain that James spoke of it as something that had already happened. This is typical prophetic style. In some languages, it is more natural to use the future tense here. For example:

Your^(plur) wealth will surely become worthless.
-or-
All the things that you have accumulated for yourselves will be destroyed.

5:2b

moths have eaten your clothes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as clothes refers to outer garments such as robes. In the biblical world, beautiful garments were very expensive, and people considered them as part of their wealth. (See Judges 14:12; 2 Kings 5:5; Acts 20:33). The larvae of moths could eat the cloth and make holes in it while the garment was stored.

As in 5:2a, this future event is so certain that James spoke of it as something that had already happened. In some languages, it is more natural to use the future tense here. For example:

moths will eat your clothes

If moths that eat clothes are not known in your area, you can use:

• a more generic name. For example:

insects

• an explanatory phrase

bugs that eat clothes

• another insect that destroys clothes. For example:

termites
-or-
ants
-or-
cockroaches

© 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.