James 2:2

James 2:2. For if there come. St. James does not here mention a mere hypothetical case, but what must frequently have occurred.

unto your assembly. The word employed in the Greek is ‘synagogue,' Some understand it of the Jewish synagogue, from which believers had not yet separated themselves; but against this opinion is the pronoun ‘your,' nor would Christians in a synagogue not their own be permitted to give any preference of place to those who entered. Others think that the reference is to the judicial assemblies which the Christians, in imitation of the Jews, held in their places of meeting, and that the caution is against showing partiality in the administration of justice; but this is an arbitrary opinion for which there is no reason. The reference is undoubtedly to the Christian places of assembly, for worship. To denote these places of assembly, the word ‘synagogue' was employed, because it was more familiar to St. James and the Jewish Christians than the corresponding Greek term. We read in the Acts that there were numerous synagogues in Jerusalem (Acts 6:9), and among them there would be the synagogue of the Christians; and the same would be the case in all the large cities where the Jews of the dispersion congregated.

a man with a gold ring: literally, gold-ringed, wearing many rings. Formerly persons of distinction wore only one signet ring; but at the time when this Epistle was written, as we learn from Roman writers, it was the custom for the wealthy to wear many rings. Such rings could only be worn by free citizens, and were consequently a symbol of rank or riches.

in goodly apparel. The gorgeous dresses of the Orientals may be here alluded to. In that age of luxury the rich prided themselves on the extravagance of their dress.

and there come in also a poor man in vile or shabby raiment. The description is in St. James' graphic style. Into their place for religious assembly two men entered, the one gorgeously arrayed with jewelled fingers and a great display of riches; the other a poor man in shabby apparel, soiled with his daily manual occupations.