James 5:12-20

12 This prohibition is essentially the same as that given by our Lord (Mat_5:34).

15 "The prayer of faith will save the sick" is a very loose rendering of this passage. The word which they translate "prayer" thirty-seven times is not here. In its place is one of its elements, which the A. V. itself renders "vow" on the only other occasions on which it occurs (Act_18:18; Act_21:23). In neither context can it possibly mean prayer. So we are sure that a vow, not a prayer, is intended here. So, also, with the word "falter". In Heb_12:3, the only other occurrence, they rendered it "wearied", because it is evidently a synonym of "faint". But they were not willing to say "shall save the wearied". It may be that the confession of sins to one another here inculcated, as a condition for healing, is the text which originally led to the confessional. It has no appeal for those who realize their completeness in Christ and the exclusively spiritual character of God's transcendent grace in this economy.

17 Elijah prayed in his prayer. He did not apportion praise and blame to men, or seek to flatter men and dictate to God.

18 This epistle, in a vague way, seems to be a literary reversal, that is, each subject is considered once in the first half, and referred to again in the second half, but in reverse order. We have the request for wisdom in the beginning (Jam_1:5) and the prayer for healing near the end (Jam_5:13-16). But the correspondences are not sufficiently close or consecutive to create a real skeleton of the epistle.

19-20 The peril of straying will be specially great in the last days (Rev_2:20; Rev_12:9; Rev_13:14). The ministry of restoration will be necessary. A deceived is in a worse plight than a sick man. The elders may help the latter, anyone may help the former. The ministry is its own reward. It does not mean that one can cover his own sins by trying to correct other people-a too common practice, we fear.