James 4:1-12
CH. 4:1–12. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH WHICH ARE THE CAUSE OF EVIL CONTENTION... [ Continue Reading ]
CH. 4:1–12. THE STRUGGLE AGAINST THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH WHICH ARE THE CAUSE OF EVIL CONTENTION... [ Continue Reading ]
ΠΌΘΕΝ ΠΌΛΕΜΟΙ ΚΑῚ ΠΌΘΕΝ ΜΆΧΑΙ ἘΝ ὙΜΙ͂Ν; The transition to this paragraph is immediately suggested by εἰρήνην (James 3:18). But the thought follows naturally on the whole preceding section, especially on the clause, εἰ δὲ ζῆλον πικρὸν ἔχετε, κ.τ.λ. (James 3:14). πόλεμοι … μάχαι, _bella et lites_, V.,... [ Continue Reading ]
2 and 3. These two verses are among the examples of poetical form in this epistle: ζηλοῦτε is an advance on ἐπιθυμεῖτε as οὐ δύνασθε ἐπιτυχεῖν is an advance on οὐκ ἔχετε. 2. ἘΠΙΘΥΜΕΙ͂ΤΕ, ΚΑῚ ΟΥ̓Κ ἜΧΕΤΕ. The zealot’s aims are disappointed; his means, murder, perverted zeal, quarrels and contentions,... [ Continue Reading ]
ΑἸΤΕΙ͂ΤΕ … ΑἸΤΕΙ͂ΣΘΕ. The active and middle seem to be used indiscriminately as in the case of some other verbs, as ἀκούω and ἀκούομαι, ἰδεῖν and ἰδέσθαι, φλέγειν and φλέγεσθαι. Clyde, § 31 d. Comp. also Luke 15:6; Luke 15:9, συγκαλεῖ … συγκαλεῖται, ADE al. plu.: the cause of this being that the old... [ Continue Reading ]
The omission of μοιχοὶ καί is supported by א* AB and some important versions. Old Latin _fornicatores_, Vulgate _adulteri._ The words are included in אcKLP and later authorities. 4. ΜΟΙΧΑΛΊΔΕΣ, for the omission of μοιχοὶ καί see crit. notes. The address is still to men. But the feminine form and the... [ Continue Reading ]
κατῷκισεν with אAB: κατῷκησεν KLP and a preponderance of later evidence. The variation arises from itacism, or confusion of form from similarity of sound, a frequent source of error. 5. Ἡ ΓΡΑΦῊ ΛΈΓΕΙ. The citation which follows is from an unknown source, but the form in which it is made gives the wo... [ Continue Reading ]
ΜΕΊΖΟΝΑ ΔῈ ΔΊΔΩΣΙΝ ΧΆΡΙΝ. BUT (God) GIVETH GREATER GRACE. These words are also obscure. Either (_a_) a larger favour, even than the indwelling Spirit, for He contends against the proud, who represent the φιλία τοῦ κόσμου, and gives grace to the humble who have renounced that friendship, (_b_) or mor... [ Continue Reading ]
ὙΠΟΤΆΓΗΤΕ ΟΥ̓͂Ν ΤΩ͂Ι ΘΕΩ͂Ι. Therefore, in this warfare, take God’s side, place yourself under Him as Captain. Polyb. uses οἱ ὑποταττόμενοι or ὑποτεταγμένοι for ‘subjects.’ The passage which follows is another example of regularly constructed Hebrew poetry. ὙΠΟΤΆΓΗΤΕ, ἈΝΤΊΣΤΗΤΕ κ.τ.λ. The aorist im... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑΘΑΡΊΣΑΤΕ ΧΕΙ͂ΡΑΣ κ.τ.λ. Comp. Psalms 24:4 ἀθῶος χερσὶ καὶ καθαρὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ κ.τ.λ. and 1 Peter 1:22 τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν ἡγνικότες ἐν τῇ ὑπακοῇ τῆς�. ἉΜΑΡΤΩΛΟΊ … ΔΊΨΥΧΟΙ. Those addressed in this paragraph are either worldly men outside the Christian brotherhood, or else those of the brethren who had be... [ Continue Reading ]
ΕἸΣ ΚΑΤΉΦΕΙΑΝ, ‘to heaviness,’ R.V., or dejection, κατήφεια, defined to be a mixture of shame and grief, lit. with downcast eye, perhaps from κατά and φάος, but deriv. uncertain. This is the natural expression of the painfulness of shame: “There is no outrage,” says Hawthorne, “more flagrant than to... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤΑΠΕΙΝΏΘΗΤΕ, passive form with middle sense. See Monro, _Hom. Grammar_, § 44, where it is shewn that aorists in -ην and -θην had originally an intransitive sense of which the passive sense was a growth or adaptation. Comp. ἐχάρην, ἐδυνάσθην, ἀπεκρίθην.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΜῊ ΚΑΤΑΛΑΛΕΙ͂ΤΕ�. The argument reverts to the main subject. It is a last thought on the evils of the tongue. It is a warning against evil speaking and slandering. The mention of the law however points to a particular kind of evil-speaking. This law is, according to Beyschlag and others, the law of l... [ Continue Reading ]
ΚΑῚ ΚΡΙΤΉΣ with אABP and most versions: KL and others omit. Ὁ ΚΡΊΝΩΝ with אABP: ὄς κρίνεις KL and the later MSS. ΤῸΝ ΠΛΗΣΊΟΝ on the same evidence, as against τὸν ἔτερον. 12. ΝΟΜΟΘΈΤΗΣ. ἅπ. λεγ. in N.T., quite classical and used in a special sense at Athens. For the verb comp. Psalms 27:11 νομοθέτ... [ Continue Reading ]
ἌΓΕ ΝΥ͂Ν ΟἹ ΛΈΓΟΝΤΕΣ. ἄγε like φέρε, ἴθι, ἰδού and in Modern Greek ἄς for ἄφες, is used with singular and plural subject alike, often to strengthen the imperative: ἀλλʼ ἄγε δή τινα μάντιν ἐρείομεν, Hom. _Il._ I. 62: ἀλλʼ ἴθι, ταῦτα δʼ ὅπισθεν�ʼ, _Il._ IV. 362. Monro, _Hom. Gram._ § 327. See also Goo... [ Continue Reading ]
13–17. THE TEMPTATIONS OF WEALTH The address is still probably to the brethren, some of whom engaged in business have not learnt to recognise God’s law and His will in commercial projects and plans. Comp. Sir 26:29 μόλις ἐξελεῖται ἔμπορος�, καὶ οὐ δικαιωθήσεται κάπηλος�.... [ Continue Reading ]
ΤῸ ΤῊΣ ΑΥ̓́ΡΙΟΝ with אKL, several versions and Fathers: τὰ τῆς αὔριν AP and some cursives. The reading τῆς αὔριον only is found in B and adopted from that great authority by Westcott and Hort. ἘΣΤΕ with B and several versions: moreover AKP have ἔσται, probably by itacism for ἐστε: ἐστιν: is read in... [ Continue Reading ]
ΝΥ͂Ν ΔΈ, but now, as it is. ἘΝ ΤΑΙ͂Σ�, IN YOUR BOASTFUL or PRESUMPTUOUS TALK, or your false pretensions. ἀλαζ. from ἀλαζών lit. a wanderer, then of a boastful pretender. Aristotle defines the ἀλαζών as ὁ μείζω τῶν ὑπαρχόντων προσποιούμενος, _Eth. N._ IV. vii. 10 (‘a man who pretends to have greater... [ Continue Reading ]
ΕἸΔΌΤΙ ΟΥ̓͂Ν ΚΑΛῸΝ ΠΟΙΕΙ͂Ν, if a man knows how to do what is right and honest and does it not, to him such a course is sin. CHAPTER 5... [ Continue Reading ]