James 4:5

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? IN VAIN - no Scripture can be so. The quotation, as in Ephesians 5:14, seems not so much from a particular passage, as gathered under inspiration from the general tenor of the Old and New Testaments (Numbers 11:29; Septuagint, Psalms 62:10 [ mee (G3361) epipotheite], 'lust not on robbery;' Proverbs 21:10; Galatians 5:17)....

5_Do ye think_. He seems to adduce from Scripture the next following sentence. Hence interpreters toil much, because none such, at least none exactly alike, is found in Scripture. But nothing hinders the reference to be made to what has been already said, that is, that the friendship of the world is adverse to God. Moreover; it has been rightly said, that this is a truth which occurs everywhere in Scripture. And that he has omitted the pronoun, which would have rendered the sentence clearer, is not to be wondered at, for, as it is evident, he is everywhere very concise. _The Spirit_, or, _Does the Spirit? _Some think that the soul of man is meant, and therefore read the sentence affirmatively, and according to this meaning, — that the spirit of man, as it is malignant, is so infected with envy, that it has ever a mixture of it. They, however, think better who regard the Spirit of God as...

1-10 Since all wars and fightings come from the corruptions of our own hearts, it is right to mortify those lusts that war in the members. Wordly and fleshly lusts are distempers, which will not allow content or satisfaction. Sinful desires and affections stop prayer, and the working of our desires toward God. And let us beware that we do not abuse or misuse the mercies received, by the disposition of the heart when prayers are granted When men ask of God prosperity, they often ask with wrong aims and intentions. If we thus seek the things of this world, it is just in God to deny them. Unbelieving and cold desires beg denials; and we may be sure that when prayers are rather the language of lusts than of graces, they will return empty. Here is a decided warning to avoid all criminal friendships with this world. Worldly-mindedness is enmity to God. An enemy may be reconciled, but "enmity...

DO YE THINK THAT THE SCRIPTURE SAITH IN VAIN - Few passages of the New Testament have given expositors more perplexity than this. The difficulty has arisen from the fact that no such passage as that which seems here to be quoted is found in the Old Testament; and to meet this difficulty, expositors have resorted to various conjectures and solutions. Some have supposed that the passage is spurious, and that it was at first a gloss in the margin, placed there by some transcriber, and was then introduced into the text; some that the apostle quotes from an apocryphal book; some, that he quotes the general spirit of the Old Testament rather than any particular place; some regard it not as a quotation, but read the two members separately, supplying what is necessary to complete the sense, thus: “Do you think that the Scripture speaks in vain, or without a good reason, when it condemns such a w...

EXPOSITION JAMES 4:1 REBUKE OF QUARRELS ARISING FROM PRIDE AND GREED. A terribly sadden transition from the "peace" with which James 3:1. closed. JAMES 4:1 WHENCE WARS AND WHENCE FIGHTINGS AMONG YOU? The second "whence" (πόθεν) is omitted in the Received Text, after K, L, Syriac, and Vulgate; but it is supported by א, A, B, C, the Coptic, and Old Latin. WARS … FIGHTINGS (πόλεμοι … μάχαι). To what is the reference? Μάχαι occurs elsewhere in the New Testament only in...

DO YE THINK THAT THE SCRIPTURE SAITH IN VAIN?.... Some think that the apostle refers to a particular passage of Scripture in the Old Testament, and that he took it from Genesis 6:3 as some; or from Exodus 20:5, as others; or from Deuteronomy 7:2 or from Job 5:6 or from Proverbs 21:10 others think he had in view some text in the New Testament; either Romans 12:2 or Galatians 5:17 and some have imagin

James 4:1. _From whence come wars and fightings among you?_ Whether between nations, or parties or individuals,-if there be wars and fightings, whence do they come? James 4:1. _Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?_ Do they not arise from one desiring something, and another desiring the same thing? Is there not a competition or emulation of an evil kind, in which each one prefers himself, and seeks not the good of his neighbor? James 4:2. _Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not,-_ This is nature's way of trying to get by contention what it desires to possess,-fighting, and warring

JAMES 4:5 katw,|kisen {B} The two verbal forms, which, because of itacism, were pronounced alike, have slightly different meanings: katw,|kisen is causative (“the spirit which he [God] has made to dwell in us”), whereas katw,|khsen is intransitive (“the spirit [or, Spirit] which dwells 1 in us”). On the score of external evidence katw,|kisen is somewhat better attested (î74 a A B Y 049 104 226 241 462 547 807 1241 1739 1877*) than katw,|khsen (K L P 056 0142 most minuscules and all versions — most of which, however, could not easily represent the causative idea). O...

IV. FURTHER EXHORTATIONS TO RIGHT LIVING CHAPTER 4 _ 1. Fightings and worldliness rebuked (James 4:1)_ 2. The Godly walk (James 4:7) James 4:1 A strong rebuke follows the statements concerning the wisdom from beneath and the wisdom from above. It must be borne in mind that these exhortations are addressed to the twelve tribes scattered abroad; to say that these words mean believers only would be a serious mistake; while Christians are contemplated, those of the tribes of Israel who are not believers are equally in view. It applies therefore to those who were born of God, real believers, and to those who were not, an entirely different matter from the Pauline Epistles, which are exclusively addressed to th

The climax of the last paragraph leads to a diagnosis of the disease that poisoned quarrelsome Jewish communities. Faction fights were the logical outcome of unbridled passions; they campaign against man's self (1 Peter 2:11), and weaken his power of control. James 4:2 is best rendered, You covet, and miss what you want then you murder. Aye, you are envious and cannot get your desire then you fight and wage war. It is hard to see how faction that would not stick at bloodshed could be found in a primitive Christian community; among Jews it is easily illustrated. These adulterous souls (James 4:4) have broken the marriage vow that unites God and His people; men cannot serve God and mammon, or give friendship at once to God and the worl