Paragraph 3:17–18

This paragraph discusses true wisdom. This wisdom is from God.

3:17

In this verse, James used seven Greek terms to describe true wisdom. The number of words that you need in your language to translate these seven terms is not the important matter. In some languages, it may be natural to translate these seven Greek terms with fewer than seven terms. In other languages, more than seven terms may be needed. For example, the Contemporary English Version uses eight terms:

But the wisdom that comes from above leads us to be pure, friendly, gentle, sensible, kind, helpful, genuine, and sincere.

You should use the number of terms necessary in your language to cover the same area of meaning that the Greek does with its seven terms.

3:17a

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But introduces a contrast. The contrast is between earthly wisdom (in 3:15) and heavenly wisdom (here in 3:17).

the wisdom from above: The term “from above” refers to God. For example:

the wisdom that comes from God (New Century Version)

(This same term also occurs in 3:15a.)

This clause contains a figure of speech called personification. In this personification, James speaks of wisdom as if it were a person who is pure, peace-loving, considerate, and so on.

There are at least two ways to translate this clause:

• Keep the personification. For example:

the wisdom from above (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
the wisdom that comes from above (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the wisdom that God gives

• Translate the meaning. For example:

the person whose wisdom comes from God
-or-
the person whom God makes wise

is first of all pure: The phrase first of all means “most importantly.” James listed seven Greek terms to describe wisdom. Being pure is the most important one.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

is firstly pure
-or-
is most importantly pure

In some languages, the most important term in a list occurs last. If this is the case in your language, you should put your word for “pure” at the end of the list.

pure: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pure means “free from faults,” and “morally undefiled.” If a person is pure, he is not contaminated by any desires that do not come from God.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

faultless
-or-
without sinful desires
-or-
only desires to please God

3:17b

peace-loving: A peace-loving person is someone who has peaceful relationships with other people. He also helps others get along peacefully. For example, he may try to stop people from quarreling or try to make peace among enemies.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

peaceful (Good News Translation)
-or-
cooperative
-or-
friendly (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
does not cause quarrels/fights

3:17c

gentle: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gentle in the sense of not insisting on one’s own rights and opinions. A person with this quality considers the feelings and needs of others. This word often describes a leader (king or judge) who is considerate/merciful in dealing with people rather than being strict and severe.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

considerate (New International Version (2011 Revision))
-or-
considers the opinions/needs of others
-or-
respectful to others
-or-
not harsh toward people

3:17d

accommodating: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as accommodating refers to someone who is:

(a) open to listen to and be persuaded by the good reasons and ideas of others

(b) obedient and submissive

Such a person is not stubborn. If you have a word that combines the ideas of (a) and (b), it would be good to use it here. If you have words that mean either (a) or (b), it is recommended that you choose a word that means (a).

Some other ways to translate this word are:

willing to yield (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
open to reason (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
not stubborn
-or-
open-minded (Revised English Bible)
-or-
listens to what other people say

3:17e

full of mercy: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as full of mercy means always ready to show kindness to people who are in need. It is not just feeling sympathetic but includes doing deeds that express love and concern for them.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

completely merciful
-or-
has pity/mercy
-or-
always ready to help those who are troubled (New Century Version)

See also the note on mercy at 2:13a.

full of…good fruit: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as full of…good fruit describes a person who does many good, kind actions. The word fruit refers to the actions that wisdom produces. So other ways to translate this are:

filled with…good deeds (God’s Word)
-or-
always ready to…do good for others (New Century Version)
-or-
helpful (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
generous

These two expressions, mercy and good fruit, describe the same behavior in two different ways.

3:17f

impartial: There are two main ways to interpret the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as impartial:

(1) It means without making distinctions, without being partial. This person is someone who treats everyone fairly. He is not one who treats some people kindly and other people unkindly. (Laws, page 164; Davids (1982), page 154; Mitton, page 141; Moo (1985), page 136; Martin, page 134.) For example, the Good News Translation says:

it is free from prejudice

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version (2011 Revision), New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, NET Bible, God’s Word, Good News Translation, King James Version, English Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004 Revision), New Century Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) It means without doubting, without uncertainty. A person such as this stands wholeheartedly for the truth and does not have divided loyalties. (Alford, page 310–311; Huther, page 169; Mayor, page 127; Ropes, page 250; Adamson (1976), page 156; Hiebert, page 236; McCartney, page 202.) For example, the New American Standard Bible says:

unwavering

(New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), which is followed by the majority of recent versions and commentators.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

does not treat people differently
-or-
does not show favoritism
-or-
does not prefer/favor one person above another

sincere: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sincere describes a genuine servant of God and the church. It describes someone who is not trying to deceive others. He is not pretending to be something that he is not.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

honest (New Century Version)
-or-
without hypocrisy (King James Version)
-or-
does not pretend

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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.