James 1:9-12

1:9 Now the believer ¹  of humble means ²  should take pride ³  in his high position. ⁴  1:10 But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. ⁵  1:11 For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. ⁶  So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away. 1:12 Happy is the one ⁷  who endures testing, because when he has proven to be genuine, he will receive the crown of life that God ⁸  promised to those who love him.

[1:9]  ¹ tn Grk “brother.” Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. TEV, NLT “Christians”; CEV “God’s people”). The term broadly connotes familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).

[1:9]  ² tn Grk “the lowly brother,” but “lowly/humble” is clarified in context by the contrast with “wealthy” in v. 10.

[1:9]  ³ tn Grk “let him boast.”

[1:9]  ⁴ tn Grk “his height,” “his exaltation.”

[1:10]  ⁵ tn Grk “a flower of grass.”

[1:11]  ⁹ tn Or “perishes,” “is destroyed.”

[1:12]  ¹³ tn The word for “man” or “individual” here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which often means “male” or “man (as opposed to woman).” However, as BDAG 79 s.v. 2 says, here it is “equivalent to τὶς someone, a person.”

[1:12]  ¹⁴ tc Most mss ([C] P 0246 Ï) read ὁ κύριος (Jo kurio", “the Lord”) here, while others have ὁ θεός (Jo qeo", “God”; 4 33^vid 323 945 1739 al). However, several important and early witnesses (̲³ א A B Ψ 81 co) have no explicit subject. In light of the scribal tendency toward clarification, and the fact that both κύριος and θεός are well represented, there can be no doubt that the original text had no explicit subject. The referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity, not because of textual basis.