James 2:5

τῷ κόσμῳ with אA*BC*. The T. R. τοῦ κόσμου τούτου has very slight support; τοῦ κόσμου appears in A2C2KLP and other authorities. It is an instance of the more difficult giving place to the easier reading.

5. ἀκούσατε emphasizes the important reasoning which follows; comp. our Lord’s frequent formula ὁ ἔχων ὦτα�

ἐξελέξατο. Comp. 1 Corinthians 1:26-28 βλέπετε γὰρ τὴν κλῆσιν ὑμῶν, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι οὐ πολλοὶ σοφοὶ κατὰ σάρκα, οὐ πολλοὶ δυνατοί, οὐ πολλοὶ εὐγενεῖς· ἀλλὰ τὰ μωρὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελέξατο ὁ θεός, ἵνα καταισχύνῃ τοὺς σοφούς, καὶ τὰ�, ἵνα καταισχύνῃ τὰ ἰσχυρά· καὶ τὰ�, κ.τ.λ. But the statement rests immediately on the first beatitude: Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοί, ὅτι ὑμετέρα ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ, Luke 6:20. In Acts 2:39 the Godward side of the thought is expressed: καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς εἰς μακρὰν ὅσους ἂν προσκαλέσηται Κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν. Comp. also διὰ τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς οὓς ἐξελέξατο, Mark 13:20, and ἐκλεκτοί frequently as those chosen out to do the work of Christ in the world. So St Paul is σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς, Acts 9:15.

τῷ κόσμῳ (for the reading see critical notes), in respect of the world, in the world’s regard. Comp. ἀστεῖος τῷ θεῷ, Acts 7:20; δυνατὰ τῷ θεῷ, 2 Corinthians 10:4; νικᾶν πᾶσι τοῖς κριταῖς, Aristoph. Aves, 445; θεοῖσιν οὗτοι κἀνδράσιν ῥιψάσπιδες, Aristoph. Pax 1186, ‘in the judgment of.’ ἐμοὶ γὰρ ὅστις ἄδικος ὢν σοφὸς λέγειν │ πέφυκε πλείστην ζημίαν ὀφλισκάνει, Eur. Med. 580, Jelf 600, Winer, III. § xxxi. 4 a.

For κόσμος see on James 1:27.

πλουσίους ἐν πίστει, i.e. not that their riches consist in faith, but that faith is the sphere or region in which they are rich, in which their riches lie, they are rich as being οἱ πιστεύοντες. In fact ἐν πίστει qualifies πλουσίους much as τῷ κόσμῳ qualifies πτώχους. See Beyschlag ad loc. and Bp Westcott on Hebrews 11:2 ἐν ταύτῃ γὰρ ἑμαρτυρήθησαν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι. The expression is to be distinguished from πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει, Ephesians 2:4, where the genitive would be required in the classical idiom, as πλούσιος κακῶν, Eur. Or. 394.

ἧς ἐπηγγείλατο. The reference may be to an ἄγραφον or unrecorded saying of the Lord’s, possibly of the Risen Lord to St James himself. But the words of the first beatitude cited above are the words of a promise, see also Matthew 25:34. For the attraction of ἧς into the case of the antecedent comp. Acts 1:1 περὶ πάντων ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν.