4:1 Where do the conflicts and where 2 do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, 3 from your passions that battle inside you? 4
1:2 My brothers and sisters, 6 consider it nothing but joy 7 when you fall into all sorts of trials,
1:1 From James, 8 a slave 9 of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. 10 Greetings!
1:1 From James, 11 a slave 12 of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. 13 Greetings!
29:13 The sovereign master 14 says,
“These people say they are loyal to me; 15
they say wonderful things about me, 16
but they are not really loyal to me. 17
Their worship consists of
nothing but man-made ritual. 18
7:8 Ephraim has mixed itself like flour 19 among the nations;
Ephraim is like a ruined cake of bread that is scorched on one side. 20
7:9 Foreigners are consuming what his strenuous labor produced, 21
but he does not recognize it!
His head is filled with gray hair,
but he does not realize it!
7:10 The arrogance of Israel testifies against him,
yet they refuse to return to the Lord their God!
In spite of all this they refuse to seek him!
7:11 Ephraim has been like a dove,
easily deceived and lacking discernment.
They called to Egypt for help;
they turned to Assyria for protection.
10:2 Their heart is slipping;
soon they will be punished for their guilt.
The Lord 22 will break their altars;
he will completely destroy their fertility pillars.
6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, 23 your whole body will be full of light.
6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate 24 the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise 25 the other. You cannot serve God and money. 26
1 tn Or “two-minded” (the same description used in 1:8).
2 tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.
3 tn Grk “from here.”
4 tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”
5 tn Or “with meekness.”
6 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” as here (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). Where the plural term is used in direct address, as here, “brothers and sisters” is used; where the term is singular and not direct address (as in v. 9), “believer” is preferred.
7 tn Grk “all joy,” “full joy,” or “greatest joy.”
8 tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
9 tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
10 tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.
11 tn Grk “James.” The word “From” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
12 tn Traditionally, “servant” or “bondservant.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
13 tn Grk “to the twelve tribes in the Diaspora.” The Greek term διασπορά (diaspora, “dispersion”) refers to Jews not living in Palestine but “dispersed” or scattered among the Gentiles.
14 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonai).
15 tn Heb “Because these people draw near to me with their mouth.”
16 tn Heb “and with their lips they honor me.”
17 tn Heb “but their heart is far from me.” The heart is viewed here as the seat of the will, from which genuine loyalty derives.
18 tn Heb “their fear of me is a commandment of men that has been taught.”
19 tn The words “like flour” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied by the imagery.
20 tn Heb “a cake of bread not turned.” This metaphor compares Ephraim to a ruined cake of bread that was not turned over in time to avoid being scorched and burned (see BDB 728 s.v. עֻגָה). Cf. NLT “as worthless as a half-baked cake.”
21 tn Heb “foreigners consume his strength”; NRSV “devour (sap NIV) his strength.”
22 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
23 tn Or “sound” (so L&N 23.132 and most scholars). A few scholars take this word to mean something like “generous” here (L&N 57.107). partly due to the immediate context concerning money, in which case the “eye” is a metonymy for the entire person (“if you are generous”).
24 sn The contrast between hate and love here is rhetorical. The point is that one will choose the favorite if a choice has to be made.
25 tn Or “and treat [the other] with contempt.”
26 tn Grk “God and mammon.”
27 tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today. The giving of alms was highly regarded in the ancient world (Deut 15:7-11).
28 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
29 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
30 tn The feminine singular genitive noun νυκτός (nuktos, “night”) indicates the time during which the action of the main verb takes place (ExSyn 124).
31 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
32 tn Grk “behold the heavens.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
33 tn Or “sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ourano") may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The same word is used in v. 17.
34 tc ‡ αὐτῷ (autw, “to/before him”) is found in the majority of witnesses (א1 C Ds L W 0233 Ë1,13 33 Ï lat), perhaps added as a point of clarification or emphasis. NA27 includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
35 sn The phrase like a dove is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descended like one in some sort of bodily representation.