James 4:7

ὑποτάγητε οὖν τῷ θεῷ : Cf. Hebrews 12:9, οὐ πολὺ μᾶλλον ὑποταγησόμεθα τῷ πατρὶ τῶν πνευμάτων καὶ ζήσομεν. It is not a question of subjection either to God or the devil, but rather one of the choice between self-will and God's will; it is the proud spirit that has to be curbed. ἀντίστητε δὲ τῷ διαβόλῳ, καὶ φεύξεται ἀφʼ ὑμῶν : the two ideas contained in these words are very Jewish; in the first place, the withstanding of the devil is represented as being within the competence of man; the more specifically Christian way of putting the matter is best seen by comparing the words before us with the two following passages: Luke 10:17, Ὑπέστρεψαν δὲ … λέγοντες · κύριε, καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια ὑποτάσσεται ἡμῖν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί σου. And the passage in 1 Peter 5:6 ff. which is parallel to the one before us, is prefaced by the words. “Casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He careth for you,” and followed by the words, “And the God of all grace … shall Himself perfect, stablish, strengthen you”. The difference between the Jewish and Christian doctrines of grace and freewill here cannot fail to be observed. It is useless to cite the words, “Be subject unto God,” as indicating divine assistance in withstanding the devil, because the subject of thought in either passage is quite independent; the meaning is not that ability to withstand the devil is the result of being subject to God; but two courses of action are enjoined, in each of which man is represented as able to take the initiative. In the second place, the representation of Satan (the devil) here is altogether Jewish; the Hebrew root from which “Satan” comes (שׂטן) means “to oppose,” or “to act as an adversary”; the idea is very clearly brought out in Numbers 22:22, where the noun is used: And the Angel of Jahwe placed himself in the way for an adversary (literally “for a Satan”). This is precisely the picture represented in the words before us; the ancient Hebrew idea of something in the way is to some extent present in the Greek ὁ διάβολος, from διαβάλλω “to throw across,” i.e., the pathway is impeded (cf. Ephesians 4:27; Ephesians 6:11). Jewish demonology was full of intensely materialistic conceptions; the presence of demons in various guise, or else invisible, was always feared; primarily it was bodily harm that they did; the idea of spiritual evil, as in the passage before us, was later, though both conceptions existed side by side. The words under consideration are possibly an inexact quotation from Test. of the Twelve Patriarchs, Naphth. viii. 4, “If ye work that which is good my children … and the devil shall flee from you”. Knowling quotes an interesting parallel in Hermas, Mand., xii. 5, 2, where in connection with the devil it is said, “If ye resist him he will be vanquished, and will flee from you disgraced”.