James 1:17

1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift ¹  is from above, coming down ²  from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. ³ 

James 4:1

Passions and Pride

4:1 Where do the conflicts and where ⁴  do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this, ⁵  from your passions that battle inside you? ⁶ 

James 4:14

4:14 You ⁷  do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? ⁸  For you are a puff of smoke ⁹  that appears for a short time and then vanishes.

James 5:17

5:17 Elijah was a human being ¹⁰  like us, and he prayed earnestly ¹¹  that it would not rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months!

[1:17]  ¹ tn The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second to what is given.

[1:17]  ² tn Or “All generous giving and every perfect gift from above is coming down.”

[1:17]  ³ tn Grk “variation or shadow of turning” (referring to the motions of heavenly bodies causing variations of light and darkness).

[4:1]  ⁴ tn The word “where” is repeated in Greek for emphasis.

[4:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “from here.”

[4:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “in your members [i.e., parts of the body].”

[4:14]  ⁷ tn Grk “who” (continuing the description of the people of v. 13). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:14]  ⁸ tn Or “you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.”

[4:14]  ⁹ tn Or “a vapor.” The Greek word ἀτμίς (atmis) denotes a swirl of smoke arising from a fire (cf. Gen 19:28; Lev 16:13; Joel 2:30 [Acts 2:19]; Ezek 8:11).

[5:17]  ¹⁰ tn Although it is certainly true that Elijah was a “man,” here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") has been translated as “human being” because the emphasis in context is not on Elijah’s masculine gender, but on the common humanity he shared with the author and the readers.

[5:17]  ¹¹ tn Grk “he prayed with prayer” (using a Hebrew idiom to show intensity).