James 1:19

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: WHEREFORE - as your evil is of yourselves, but your good from God. A B C, Vulgate, read [ iste (G1492) for hooste (G5620)] 'YE KNOW IT (so Ephesians 5:5; Hebrews 12:17); BUT let every man be ['Aleph ('): istoo (G1492), "let every man know it, and consequently be] swift to hear," the word of truth' (James 1:18;...

19_Let every man_. Were this a general sentence, the inference would be farfetched; but as he immediately adds a sentence respecting the word of truth suitable to the last verse, I doubt not but that he accommodates this exhortation peculiarly to the subject in hand. Having then set before us the goodness of God, he shews how it becomes us to be prepared to receive the blessing which he exhibits towards us. And this doctrine is very useful, for spiritual generation is not a work of one moment. Since some remnants of the old man ever abide in us, we must necessarily be through life renewed, until the flesh be abolished; for either our perverseness, or arrogance, or sloth, is a great impediment to God in perfecting in us his work. Hence, when James would have us to be _swift to hear_, he commends promptitude, as though he had said, “When God so freely and kindly presents himself to you, yo...

19-21 Instead of blaming God under our trials, let us open our ears and hearts to learn what he teaches by them. And if men would govern their tongues, they must govern their passions. The worst thing we can bring to any dispute, is anger. Here is an exhortation to lay apart, and to cast off as a filthy garment, all sinful practices. This must reach to sins of thought and affection, as well as of speech and practice; to every thing corrupt and sinful. We must yield ourselves to the word of God, with humble and teachable minds. Being willing to hear of our faults, taking it not only patiently, but thankfully. It is the design of the word of God to make us wise to salvation; and those who propose any mean or low ends in attending upon it, dishonour the gospel, and disappoint their own souls....

Verse 19. _SWIFT TO HEAR_] _Talk little and work much_, is a rabbinical adage.-_Pirkey Aboth_, cap. i. 15. _The righteous speak little, and do much; the wicked speak much,_ _and do nothing_.-_Bava Metzia_, fol. 87. The son of Sirach says, cap. v. 11: Γινου ταχυς εν τῃ ακροασει σου, και εν μακροθυμιᾳ φθεγγου αποκρισιν. "Be swift to hear, and with deep consideration give answer." _SLOW TO WRATH_] "There are _four_ kinds of dispositions," says the _Midrash hanaalam_, cap. v. 11: "_First_, Those who are easily incensed, and easily pacified; these _gain_ on one hand, and _lose_ on the other. _Secondly_, Those who are not easily incensed, but are difficult to be appeased; these _lose_ on the one _hand_, and _gain_ on the _other_. _Thirdly_, Those who are difficult to be incensed, and are easily appeased; these are the good

WHEREFORE, MY BELOVED BRETHREN - The connection is this: “since God is the only source of good; since he tempts no man; and since by his mere sovereign goodness, without any claim on our part, we have had the high honor conferred on us of being made the first-fruits of his creatures, we ought to be ready to hear his voice, to subdue all our evil passions, and to bring our souls to entire practical obedience.” The necessity of obedience, or the doctrine that the gospel is not only to be learned but practiced, is pursued at length in this and the following chapter. The particular statement here James 1:19 is, that religion requires us to be meek and docile; to lay aside all irritability against the truth, and all pride of opinion, and all corruption of heart, and to receive meekly the ingrafted word. See the analysis of the chapter....

EXPOSITION JAMES 1:1 SALUTATION. JAMES, A SERVANT OF GOD AND OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. (On the person who thus describes himself, see the Introduction) It is noteworthy that he keeps entirely out of sight his natural relationship to our Lord, and styles himself simply "a bond-servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ." That, and that alone, gave him a right to speak and a claim to be heard. Δοῦλος is similarly used by St. Paul in Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1 by St. Peter in 2 Peter 1:1; and by

WHEREFORE, MY BELOVED BRETHREN,.... Since the Gospel, the word of truth, is the means and instrument which God makes use of in regeneration, and in forming people for himself: LET EVERY MAN BE SWIFT TO HEAR; not anything; not idle and unprofitable talk, or filthy and corrupt communication; but wholesome advice, good instructions, and the gracious experiences of the saints, and, above all, the word of God; to the hearing of which men should fly, as doves to their windows; should make haste, and be early in their attendance on it, as well, as constant; and receive it with all readiness, and with a sort of greediness of mind, that their souls may be profited, and God may be glorified: the phrase is Jewish; things easy and smooth, a man is מהיר לשמען, "swift to hear them l: slow to speak"; against what is heard, without thoroughly weighing and considering what is said; and this may regard s...

James 1:1. _James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting._ James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was an apostle, and he was the Lord's brother, yet he mentions not these greater things, but he takes the lowly title, in which, no doubt, he felt the highest honour, and calls himself «a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.» Happy is that man who serves the Lord, whose whole life is not that of an independent master of himself, but of one who is fully submissive to the divine command. Where is the fiction of the ten lost tribes? He writes to the twelve tribes that were scattered abroad, and gives them greeting, so that this Epistle is first directed to the seed of Israel, and then, as in all things, to all the Church of God, seeing all the saints of God are the true seed of believing Abraham, the f...

JAMES 1:19 i;ste( avdelfoi, mou avgaphtoi,\ e;stw de, {B} Instead of reading the abrupt i;ste, the Textus Receptus connects the following e;stw (dropping de,) more closely with ver. James 1:18 by substituting w[ste, in company with a variety of later witnesses (K P2 Y 614 _Byz_ syrp, h _al_). The reading adopted as the text is strongly supported by both Alexandrian and Western witnesses (ac B C (81) 1739 itff vg _al_)....

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. TRIALS AND THE EXERCISE OF FAITH CHAPTER 1 _ 1. Trials and the power of faith (James 1:1)_ 2. The resources of faith (James 1:5) 3. The realization of faith (James 1:9) 4. The conquest of faith (James 1:12) 5. The result of faith (James 1:16) James 1:1 The first verse is the introduction. The writer is James, but he does not add, as he might have done, “the brother of the Lord.” It would have identified his per