James 4:9

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep The words are nearly synonymous, the first pointing to the sense of misery (as in "O wretchedman that I am" in Romans 7:24), the second to its general effect on demeanour, the last to its special outflow in tears. The two last verbs are frequently joined together, as in Mark 16:10; Luke 6:25; Revelation 18:15. The words are an emphatic call to repentance, and the blessedness which follows on repentance. Here, as so often in the Epistle, we trace the direct influence of the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:4). The contrast between the "laughter" and the "mourning" in the clause that follows, makes the connexion all but absolutely certain. The "laughter" is that of the careless, selfish, luxurious rejoicing of the world, the "sport" of the fool in Proverbs 10:23.

your joy to heaviness The Greek for the latter word expresses literally the downcast look of sorrow, and is as old in this sense as Homer,

"Joy to thy foes, but heavy shameto thee."

Iliadiii. 51.

It exactly describes the attitude of the publican, who would not "lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven" (Luke 18:13).