complete verse (James 4:3)

Following are a number of back-translations of James 4:3:

  • Uma: “Or even if you request it, you still aren’t given it, for your purposes are wrong. For what you are requesting you want to use just to satisfy your heart.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “And even if you ask, you are not given because the reason why you ask is not right. You ask simply in order to indulge your greedy-desire.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And even if you ask him for it, he does not give it to you for your purpose in asking for it is bad. The reason you ask for it is so that you might fulfill your evil desires.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “But even if you ask, he doesn’t give it anyway, because of course your intentions in asking are bad. You want to use it only as your source-of-enjoyment.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And even if you will ask, he won’t give it to you anyway, because the motive in your mind/inner-being isn’t good, for you will use it in deeds which are in harmony with your own desires only, not the will of God.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “When you do ask God for something, it isn’t given to you because it is not right that which you ask God to give to you. You only want to have it to use for doing what pleases you.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on James 4:3

You ask and do not receive: this statement may be misunderstood, since the literal translation may suggest that it is contradictory to what James has just said, that is, “you do not ask” (verse 2). To avoid this possible misunderstanding, two solutions are possible.

The first solution is that there are some who do not ask, and there are others who do ask, but ask wrongly. In this case we may render You ask as “Some of you do ask….”

The second solution is to take the author as wishing to say that those who sometimes do not pray to God at other times do pray, but they ask in the wrong spirit. In this case it is necessary to provide some connective such as the temporal conjunction “when”; for example, “And when you ask” (Good News Translation; so also New International Version), or “And when you do ask” (Phillips, Barclay). Another way to express this is “Or, if you do, …” (New American Bible, Revised English Bible), or even “Yet even when you do, …” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

Do not receive means “do not get what you ask for” (Barclay), or “your requests are not granted” (New English Bible, Revised English Bible), or “God does not give you what you ask for.”

Prayers are not answered because you ask wrongly. This is the exact opposite of 1 John 5.14, where it says “… if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” Ask wrongly may mean “ask for the wrong things” or, to judge from what James goes on to say, “ask from wrong motives.” This is reflected in some translations; for example, “because your motives are bad” (Good News Translation), “you ask for the wrong reasons” (Barclay), “you pray from wrong motives” (New English Bible, Revised English Bible), or “you pray just for selfish reasons” (Contemporary English Version). The verb ask is used three times in verses 2 and 3, first in the middle voice, then the active, and finally the middle again. Some scholars try to distinguish between the two forms and show different shades of meaning, but it is difficult to detect any real difference.

The prayers will be granted only if they are in accordance with the will of God. The reason why some prayer is wrong is that people ask in order to spend it on your passions. In Greek this is a purpose clause, indicating that the intention for asking is to satisfy a desire for pleasure. This is brought out clearly in some translations; for example, “so that you may spend it on your pleasures” (New American Standard Bible), “All you want to do with what you get is to spend it on your own pleasure” (Barclay), and “in order to squander what you get on your pleasures” (Revised English Bible). The verb spend can have a neutral meaning, but in Luke 15.14 it is used of the prodigal son wasting and squandering all he had. This obviously is the meaning intended here, as the gift is spent to satisfy personal desires. If this is so, the verb may be rendered as “indulge” (Translator’s New Testament, New Jerusalem Bible) or “squander” (Revised English Bible). Here again an object of the verb spend, though not in the Greek, may be required. Revised Standard Version has supplied it, and others “what you get” (Barclay, Revised English Bible). On the word passions see the discussion in 4.1.

A possible alternative translation model for this verse is:
• But even when you do ask God for something, he doesn’t give it to you because you pray to him for selfish reasons. You plan to spend what you get on your own personal pleasures.

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 .

SIL Translator's Notes on James 4:3

4:3a–b

And when you do ask, you do not receive: The clause And when you do ask, you do not receive refers to prayer. James’ readers were praying to God for certain things, but God was not answering their prayers.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

And even when you ask, you don’t get it (New Living Translation (2004 Revision))
-or-
When you pray for things, you don’t get them (God’s Word)
-or-
Yet even when you do pray, your prayers are not answered (Contemporary English Version)

4:3c

because: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because introduces the reason that people do not get what they pray for.

you ask with wrong motives: The clause you ask with wrong motives is more literally “you ask wrongly” (as in the Revised Standard Version). This indicates that James’ readers were asking for things from God for the wrong reasons. They were asking for things for selfish reasons rather than for God’s glory.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

the reason you ask is wrong (New Century Version)
-or-
the reason why you(plur) ask is not right
-or-
you pray just for selfish reasons (Contemporary English Version)

4:3d

that you may squander it on your pleasures: The clause that you may squander it on your pleasures means that James’ readers intended to use what they prayed for to satisfy their own desires.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

You want things so you can use them for your own pleasures. (New Century Version)
-or-
The reason you
(plur) ask for it is so that you might fulfill your evil desires.

squander: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as squander means “use wastefully.” It does not only refer to spending money, although wasting money is one aspect.

Another way to translate this word is:

use (Good News Translation)

pleasures: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pleasures is the same as the word translated “passions” in 4:1b. This word refers to wrong, selfish desires. It is a desire for personal wealth, glory, and pleasure.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

passions (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
selfish desires
-or-
enjoyment
-or-
satisfy your heart

General Comment on 4:3a–d

In some languages, it is more natural to put the reason (in 4:3c–d) before the result (in 4:3a–b). For example:

3cYou ask with wrong motives 3dthat you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 3bTherefore, you do not receive 3awhat you ask for.

General Comment on 4:3b–d

In some languages, it will be more natural to change the order of some of the clauses in 4:3b–d. For example:

3byou do not receive, 3cbecause you ask for things 3dso that you can spend/use what you get on your pleasures. 3cThat is the wrong reason for praying!

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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.