Deuteronomy 32:15

Israel’s Rebellion

32:15 But Jeshurun ¹  became fat and kicked,

you ²  got fat, thick, and stuffed!

Then he deserted the God who made him,

and treated the Rock who saved him with contempt.

Isaiah 3:16

Washing Away Impurity

3:16 The Lord says,

“The women ³  of Zion are proud.

They walk with their heads high ⁴ 

and flirt with their eyes.

They skip along ⁵ 

and the jewelry on their ankles jingles. ⁶ 

Hosea 13:6

13:6 When they were fed, ⁷  they became satisfied;

when they were satisfied, they became proud; ⁸ 

as a result, they forgot me!

James 5:5

5:5 You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ⁹ 

James 5:2

5:2 Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten.

James 2:18

2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” ¹⁰  Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by ¹¹  my works.

¹ tn To make the continuity of the referent clear, some English versions substitute “Jacob” here (NAB, NRSV) while others replace “Jeshurun” with “Israel” (NCV, CEV, NLT) or “the Lord’s people” (TEV).

² tc The LXX reads the third person masculine singular (“he”) for the MT second person masculine singular (“you”), but such alterations are unnecessary in Hebrew poetic texts where subjects fluctuate frequently and without warning.

³ tn Heb “daughters” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).

⁴ tn Heb “with an outstretched neck.” They proudly hold their heads high so that others can see the jewelry around their necks.

⁵ tn Heb “walking and skipping, they walk.”

⁶ tn Heb “and with their feet they jingle.”

⁷ tc The MT reads כְּמַרְעִיתָם (kÿmar’itam, “according to their pasturage”; preposition כְּ (kaf) + noun מַרְעִית, mar’it, “pasture” + 3rd person masculine plural suffix). Text-critics propose: (1) כְּמוֹ רְעִיתִים (kÿmo rÿ’itim, “as I pastured them”; preposition כְּמוֹ (kÿmo) + Qal perfect 1st person common singular from רָעַה, ra’ah, “to pasture, feed” + 3rd person masculine plural suffix) and (2) כִּרְעוֹתָם (“when they had pastured”; preposition כְּ + Qal perfect 3rd person masculine plural from רָעַה). Some English versions follow the MT: “according to their pasture” (KJV), “as they had their pasture” (NASB), “when you entered the good land” (TEV). Others adopt the first emendation: “when I fed them” (NIV, NRSV), “I fed you [sic = them]” (CEV). Still others follow the second emendation: “but when they had fed to the full” (RSV), “when they grazed” (NJPS).

⁸ tn Heb “their heart became exalted”; KJV, ASV “was exalted.”

⁹ sn James’ point seems to be that instead of seeking deliverance from condemnation, they have defied God’s law (fattened your hearts) and made themselves more likely objects of his judgment (in a day of slaughter).

¹⁰ tn There is considerable doubt about where the words of the “someone” end and where James’ reply begins. Some see the quotation running to the end of v. 18; others to the end of v. 19. But most punctuate as shown above. The “someone” is then an objector, and the sense of his words is something like, “Some have faith; others have works; don’t expect everyone to have both.” James’ reply is that faith cannot exist or be seen without works.

¹¹ tn Or “from.”