From: Over 50 Interpreters Explain the Book of
James Return to Home
By
Roland H. Worth, Jr. © 2017
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Quoted At End of File
CHAPTER 1:1-15
1:1 Translations
WEB: James,
a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are
in the Dispersion: Greetings.
Young’s: James,
of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ a servant, to the Twelve Tribes who are in
the dispersion: Hail!
Conte (RC): James, servant of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, to
the twelve tribes of the dispersion, greetings.
1:1 James. According to the superscription, this
Epistle is written by a certain James, who describes himself only as one who,
by serving the exalted Lord Jesus, has dedicated his life to the exclusive
service of God. He must, accordingly,
have occupied a very high position in the congregation, because he thinks that
the mere use of his name, which was a very common one, would suffice to
identify him, and accordingly he can have been none other than the best known
James, who in later times stood at the head of the congregation in Jerusalem, as Peter originally did. [9]
a servant of God
and of the Lord Jesus Christ. A unique phrase; the closest parallel is Titus 1:1, “Paul, a servant of
God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ.” [45]
The term servant is used not in any sense of
servitude, but rather as expressing consecrated devotion, springing from the
full acceptance of the gospel as the truth.
[1]
The co-ordinate mention of God the Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ implies their co-equal dignity. [50]
servant. Properly, hired
servant. Compare Philippians 1:1;
Jude, verse 1. [2]
Or: Greek, bondservant. One brought with a price (1
Corinthians
Rosenmann observes, that from this expression it cannot be
inferred either that James “was”, or was “not” of the twelve Apostles. And, on the other hand, from the omission of
[the word apostle], it cannot be concluded that he was “not” an Apostle. For (as Benson observes) he was writing to persons
to whom his qualifications were well known; therefore it was unnecessary to
insert it. Thus neither does
Jesus Christ. Not
mentioned again save in 2:1. [21]
In
the Gospels our Lord is usually spoken of by his personal name, “Jesus;” while
“Christ” is purely a title, the Anointed One, or Messiah, the promised
deliverer of
to the twelve
tribes. According to Galatians 6:16; Romans 2:29,
this address might refer to Christians as the “true
which are scattered
abroad. Literally, “who are in the
dispersion,” in different lands, whether of a voluntary or of an involuntary
nature, by war, commerce, or pleasure.
[3] --second of three usage’s
The
body of the Jews then scattered throughout the
As
the entire Epistle shows how intimately the author is acquainted with the
circumstances of the readers, it was natural that it should be sent to certain
circles of the believing Jews in the Dispersion, concerning whom James will
have received more complete information.
The author, however, presupposes that conditions in other portions of
the Diaspora will not be different, and that the word of admonition from the
head of the original congregation, addressed to them, will, as a matter of
course, be communicated to believers in other places also. [9]
The epistle as encouragement for
those in all ages who are scattered due to adversity, persecution, or
circumstances. Apply here that of the prophet Ezekiel, “Thus
saith the Lord God,
Although I have cast them far off among the heathen,
and although I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them
as a little sanctuary in these countries where they shall come” Ezekiel
11:16. God has a particular care of his
outcasts: “Let my outcasts dwell with
thee,
greeting. It seems to answer to the Hebrew salutation, peace,
which was comprehensive of all happiness; and so is this here to be
understood. [28]
That is, wishing you
all blessings, temporal, spiritual, and eternal. [47]
The salutation is
the same as in the Epistle purporting to come from the Church over which St
James presided, in Acts 15:23. The
literal meaning of the word is to rejoice, and the idiomatic use of the
infinitive is a condensed expression of the full “I wish you joy.” It was primarily a formula of Greek
letter-writers, but it had been used by the LXX for the Hebrew “peace” in
Isaiah 48:22; Isaiah 57:21, and appears in the superscription of the letters of
Antiochus in 2 Maccabees
In depth: Weakness of the “lost tribes” theory. Weakness of the “lost tribes”
argument against the text referring to Jewish Christians in particular. [The
description used] of
That
some of the ten tribes remained in, and some of them returned to, the land of
Israel, we are assured from the mention made of the children of Israel, that were
come again out of their captivity ([1] Esdras 6:21),
and the sin-offering made by Ezra, at the dedication of the temple, of twelve
goats, “according to the number of the tribes of Israel” (5:17), and from these
following words, 8:25, “The children of those which had been carried away,
which were come out of the captivity, offered twelve goats for a sin-offering:”
and, lastly, from the mention of the twelve tribes by the apostle Paul, who
“instantly served God day and night” (Acts 26:7). [4]
The
Jews, though mainly of the tribes of Judah, Levi, and Benjamin, included
families from the other tribes, e.g. Anna (Luke
Much of the scattered tribes voluntarily remained in exile, but that the Israelites—collectively—still counted themselves as twelve tribes can be shown from both Biblical and non-Biblical usage [47]: That the twelve tribes were actually in existence when James wrote his epistle, will appear from the following facts. 1st, Notwithstanding Cyrus allowed all the Jews in his dominions to return to their own land, many of them did not return, but continued to live among the Gentiles, as appears from this, that in the days of Ahasuerus, one of the successors of Cyrus, who reigned from India to Ethiopia, over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces (Esther 3:8), the Jews were dispersed among the people in all the provinces of his kingdom, and their laws were diverse from the laws of all other people; so that, by adhering to their own usages, they kept themselves distinct from all the nations among whom they lived.
2d, Josephus considered the twelve tribes as being in existence when the Old Testament Scriptures were translated into Greek, (namely, in the time of Ptolemy Philadelphus, about two hundred and fifty or two hundred and sixty years before Christ,) as he says that six persons were sent out of every tribe to assist in that work.
3d, On the day of Pentecost, as mentioned [in] Acts 2:5, 9, there were dwelling at Jerusalem devout men out of every nation under heaven, Parthians, Medes, &c: so numerous were the Jews, and so widely dispersed through all the countries of the world.
4th, When Paul traveled through Asia and Europe, he found the Jews so numerous, that in all the noted cities of the Gentiles they had synagogues, in which they were assembled for the worship of God, and were joined by multitudes of proselytes from among the heathens.
6th, Josephus (Antiq., 50. 14. c. 12) tells us, that in his time one region could not contain the Jews, but they dwelt in most of the flourishing cities of Asia and Europe, in the islands and continent, not much less in number than the heathen inhabitants.
From all which it is evident that the Jews of the dispersion were more numerous than even the Jews in Judea; and that James very properly inscribed his letter to the twelve tribes which were in the dispersion, seeing the twelve tribes really existed then, and do still exist, although not distinguished by separate habitations, as they were anciently in their own land.
1:2 Translations
WEB: Count
it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations.
Young’s: All
joy count it, my brethren, when ye may fall into
temptations manifold.
Conte (RC): My
brothers, when you have fallen into various trials, consider everything a joy
1:2 My brethren. The
constant form of address in this Epistle; his readers were his brethren, both
on account of their nationality and of their Christian faith; both in the flesh
and in the Lord. [51]
count it all joy. “Nought but joy,” i.e., a matter of entire rejoicing. So we say, it is
“all for the best.” [20]
It is implied that troubles and afflictions may be
the lot of the best Christians, even of those who have the most reason to think
and hope well of themselves. [5]
He
does not mean that we are to court disaster or to seek for trouble or to deny
the reality of pain and sorrow, but we are to regard all these adversities as
tests of faith and as means of moral and spiritual growth. We are to rejoice, not because distresses
come, but in view of their possible results.
They may produce “patience,” which is not mere passive submission, but
steadfast endurance and triumphant trust.
We are urged therefore to allow “patience” to do its full work in
producing a maturity of character in which every virtue is fully developed and
no grace is lacking. [7]
when ye fall into. Not go
in step by step, but are precipitated, plunged. Or when ye fall among, as he
that went down towards
ye. Seeing that they are “the twelve tribes
which are scattered abroad,” the width of that superscription makes it
improbable that the recipients were undergoing any common experience. It is the
more noteworthy, therefore, that at the very outset
James gives this exhortation hearing upon trials and troubles. Clearly it is
not, as we often take it to be, a counsel only for the sorrowful, or an address
only to a certain class of persons, but it is a general exhortation applicable
to all sorts of people in all conditions of life, and indispensable, as he goes
on to say, for any progress in Christian character. “Let patience have her perfect work” [verse
4] is an advice not only for sad hearts, or for those who may be bowed down
under any special present trouble, but for us all. [27] –1
of only 4 usages
divers. The word “divers” here refers to
the various kinds of trials which they might experience--sickness,
poverty, bereavement, persecution, etc. [31]
temptations [various
trials, NKJV]. Trials
suited to develop their character, and if rightly borne, to make them
better. [14]
The
Christian is bidden to pray “lead us not into temptation” (= trial); but for
him, trial, when it comes, may be made to yield “peaceable fruit”
(Hebrews
It
is the same word as the Lord uses when He says to His Apostles, “Ye are they
that have continued with me in my temptations” (Luke
The
“temptations” may mean—1. Afflictions
and losses in this world: these are
called temptations because they try and prove our patience and submission to our
Father’s will: and inasmuch as they
will, if taken rightly, wean our hearts from earth and fix them on heaven. 2.
Again, the Spirit may be speaking here of persecutions for Christ’s take
such as those to which Matthew alludes (
“Temptations”
are generally understood to refer to the persecutions to which the Christians
were subjected, yet manifold renders the term inclusive of more. [16]
1:3 Translations
WEB: knowing
that the testing of your faith produces endurance.
Young’s: knowing
that the proof of your faith doth work endurance.
Conte (RC): knowing that the proving of your faith
exercises patience.
1:3 Knowing this. “Inasmuch as ye recognize” &c. The tense implies a constantly recurring
recognition. [37]
Being well assured of the fact, the reason
or ground of the joy.
[51]
that the trying of your faith. The word for “trying” implies at once a
“test,” and a “discipline” leading to improvement. The same phrase meets us, in
conjunction also with “divers temptations,” in 1 Peter
1:7. Each was, perhaps, quoting what had
become an axiom of the Church’s life. [38]
These temptations
are regarded as the tests or proofs of faith, and in this consists their
value. By them faith is being tested as
gold in the furnace, and is thus recognized and purified. [51]
Let persons enter into the spirit of Christianity
now, as the Christians did in the Apostles’ days, and they will be treated
precisely as they were, so far at least as the laws of the land will admit of
it: and, if they be not persecuted unto
death, it will not be from there being any more love to piety in the carnal
heart now, than there was then; but from the greater protection which is
afforded by the laws of the land, and from a spirit of toleration which modern
usages have established. [10]
of your faith. Of your firm confidence and trust in the
Gospel. Faith here is not used
objectively for the doctrines of Christianity; but subjectively for our
personal persuasion of the truth of the Gospel.
[51]
worketh. Produceth. [51]
The calling our spiritual and moral power into
successful action increases the power, just as the muscle is hardened by
exercise. Hence the perfectness
of our Christian life is much the result of time, trial, and experience. [39]
patience. In its usual Scriptural
sense of steadfast endurance. [14]
The ship that lies at anchor, with a strong cable and a firm grip of the flukes in a good holding-ground, and rides out any storm without stirring one fathom’s length from its place, exhibits one form of this perseverance, that is patience. The ship with sails wisely set, and a firm hand at the tiller, and a keen eye on the compass, that uses the utmost blast to hear it nearer its desired haven, and never yaws one hairbreadth from the course that is marked out for it, exhibits the other and the higher form. And that is the kind of thing that the Apostle is here recommending to us--not merely passive endurance, but a brave, active perseverance in spite of antagonisms, in the course that conscience, illuminated by God, has bidden us to run. [27]
1:4 Translations
WEB: Let
endurance have its perfect work, that you may be
perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Young’s: and
let the endurance have a perfect work, that ye may be
perfect and entire -- in nothing lacking.
Conte (RC): and patience brings a work to perfection,
so that you may be perfect and whole, deficient in
nothing.
1:4 But let patience. He must learn to “endure hardness” (2
Timothy 2:3), and bear meekly and even gladly all the trials which are to
strengthen him for the holy war. “You
cannot,” says the old German divine, “prevent the birds flying over your head,
but you can from making nests in your hair;” and the soul victorious over some
such trying onset is by that very triumph stronger and better able to undergo
the next assault. [46]
have her perfect
work. Produce its full and appropriate effects,
through your enduring to the end all the trials which God appoints to you. Matthew 24:13. [14]
Give
it full scope, under whatever trials befall you. [15]
Better,
and let endurance have a perfect work, there being
sequence of thought but not contrast.
The word for “perfect” expresses the perfection of that which reaches
its end, and so implies, possibly, a reference to our Lord’s words in Matthew
10:22. The form of the counsel implies
that the work might be hindered unless the will of those who were called to
suffer co-operated with the Divine purpose.
[38]
“Perfect,” in this verse,
is teleioi, finished, brought to an end,
complete. It is the strongest adjective in the Greek language, descriptive of a
work actually and absolutely finished. [48]
The Syro-Phoenician woman (Mark
that ye may be. I.e.,
in order to accomplish this goal. [rw]
perfect. The word is
used in the N.T. of Christians who have attained maturity of character and
understanding (Colossians
The word “perfect” has been misinterpreted by some as
if it meant an assumed Christian perfection or sinlessness. It does not mean that, but it means the
perfect work of patience, enduring to the end, when self will is subdued and
the will of God is fully accepted.
The result is that there is no deficiency in the practical life of the
believer. [23]
and entire
[complete, NKJV]. Fully developed in all the
attributes of a Christian character.
[21]
wanting [lacking,
NKJV] nothing. Of
St. James’s perfect man we may note [that] he
is not a sudden product, even by faith, but a growth from trial, persistence,
and experience. [39]
[The process] must not be broken off in the
middle of its operation but must be allowed to continue till the metal of the
soul is fully refined. There is a story,
often repeated, that someone was observing a silversmith smelting silver [and]
asked him how long the process took.
“Till I can see clearly my own image reflected on the surface,” was the
answer. [41]
1:5 Translations
WEB: But
if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and
without reproach; and it will be given to him.
Young’s: and if
any of you do lack wisdom, let him ask from God, who is giving to all
liberally, and not reproaching, and it shall be given to him.
Conte (RC): But if
anyone among you is in need of wisdom, let him petition God, who gives
abundantly to all without reproach, and it shall be given to him.
1:5 If. The
connection of this verse with the preceding is not very obvious. It may be as follows: You may by your trials be thrown into a state
of perplexity; you may want wisdom; if so, ask it of God. [51]
any of you lack wisdom. To feel and act right under all circumstances, especially in trials. [14]
‘Wisdom’
is not knowledge, though it involves knowledge, for the most learned persons
are often the least wise. ‘Wisdom’ is
the right use of knowledge. [49]
Wisdom is necessary for the due discharge of every
office of life: but it is more
particularly necessary for a Christian, on account of the many difficulties to
which he is subjected by his Christian profession. For no sooner does he give himself up to the
service of his God, than his friends and relatives exert themselves to draw him
back again to the world. [10]
Wisdom, unlike the Torah, was not regarded as
the exclusive possession of the Jews, though these had it in more abundant
measure, e.g., it is said in Kiddushin,
49 b: “Ten measures of wisdom came down from heaven, and nine of them
tell to the lot of the
It is the same as the wisdom of the Book of
Proverbs, in which [it] is inseparably joined [with] the knowledge of the will
of God and the doing of it. Thus it
comprehends, as we may say, all moral excellence. Thus, “with the lowly is wisdom” (11:2);
“With the well-advised is wisdom” (
Cf.
Wisdom of Solomon (9:6), “For even if a man be perfect among the sons of men,
yet if the wisdom that cometh from thee be not with him, he shall be held in no
account.” [45]
let him ask of God. By believing, fervent prayer. [28]
We should not pray so much for removal of an
affliction as for wisdom to make a right use of it. And who is there that does not [lack] wisdom
under any great trials to guide him in his judging of things, in the government
of his own spirit and temper, and in the management of his affairs? To be wise in trying times is a special gift
of God, and to Him we must seek for it. [5]
In one of Cicero’s moral books, in speaking of the things which we could properly ask of the gods, he enumerates such things as wealth, honor, or health of body, but he adds it would be absurd to ask wisdom of any god, for it would be totally out of his power to give such a thing to his worshippers, whereas we Christians, and even the sincere and faithful Jews in the old times, believed that it was the first thing we have to ask of the true God. [41]
To
obtain ‘wisdom,’ the first thing you have to do is to recognize it to be a
gift. ‘Wisdom’ seems to be such a
natural development of mind that we cannot easily get rid of the idea that if
we only think enough—think long enough and think deeply enough, we shall think
ourselves into wisdom. But to the ‘wisdom’
such as God gave Joseph in the sight of Pharaoh—that ‘wisdom’ of which some
asked, ‘Whence hath this man wisdom?’—the wisdom ‘which is first pure’—the
‘wisdom’ no science, no self-discipline, no effort will secure—the road is
prayer, only prayer, communion with the Unseen.
Now the way to ‘ask’ is practically twofold. There is making it the
subject of your stated prayer, and there is also the secret prayer in the
heart, darted forth just at the moment when the emergency occurs and the need
is felt. [49]
that giveth to all men. That ask aright. [15]
Who
ask according to God’s directions. [14]
James
has an arrangement of words in the original which can scarcely be reproduced in
an English translation, but which may be partially represented thus: “Let him ask of the giving God.” That represents not so much the divine giving
as an act, but, if I may so say, as a divine habit. [27]
liberally. Literally,
simply, in contrast with giving with the upbraiding, as follows. There are givers that insult and rebuke while
they give, and whom it is an agony to approach with a request. But to those who ask aright, God is ready;
there need not be any fear that he will refuse or give with [insults]. [39]
“Open thy mouth wide and I shall fill it” [Psalms
81:10]. “If ye, being evil, give good gifts
unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven
give good things to them that ask him?”
“It shall come to pass that before they call I will answer; and while
they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24). [41]
and upbraideth not. Either with their past
wickedness, or present unworthiness.
[15]
Does not reproach, rebuke,
or treat harshly. He does not coldly
repel us, if we come and ask what we need, though we do it often and with [passion]. Compare Luke 18:1-7. The proper meaning of the Greek word is to
rail at, reproach, revile, chide; and the object here is probably to place the
manner in which God bestows his favors in contrast with what sometimes occurs
among men. We shall never be reproached
in an unfeeling manner, or meet with a harsh response. [31]
This is added, lest any
one should fear to come too often to God.
Those who are the most liberal among men, when any one asks often to be
helped, mention their formal acts of kindness, and thus excuse themselves for
the future. Hence, a mortal man, however
open-handed he may be, we are ashamed to weary by asking too often. But James
reminds us, that there is nothing like this in God; for he is ready ever to add
new blessings to former ones. [35]
and it shall be given him. Patience is more in the power of a good
man than wisdom; the former is to be exercised, the
latter to be asked for. [26]
Compare Jeremiah
29:12-13, “Then shall ye call upon me, and go and pray unto me, and I will
hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me,
and find me, when ye shall search for me with your whole heart.” See also Matthew 7:7-8; Matthew 21:22; Mark
11:24; 1 John 3:22; 1 John 5:14. This
promise in regard to the wisdom that may be necessary for us,
is absolute; and we may be sure that if it be asked in a proper manner it will
be granted us. About many things there
might be doubt whether, if they were granted, they would be for our real
welfare, and therefore there may be a doubt whether it would be consistent for
God to bestow them; but there can be no such doubt about wisdom. That is always
for our good; and we may be sure, therefore, that we shall obtain that, if the
request be made with a right spirit. [31]
1:6 Translations
WEB: But
let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of
the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.
Young’s: and
let him ask in faith, nothing doubting, for he who is doubting
hath been like a wave of the sea, driven by wind and tossed.
Conte (RC): But he
should ask with faith, doubting nothing. For he who doubts is like a wave on
the ocean, which is moved about by the wind and carried away;
1:6 But. As an essential
prerequisite to our obtaining an answer to our prayers. [51]
let him ask in faith. The hearty and loving trust
that God is ready and willing. [39]
The prominence thus given to faith at the very outset
of the Epistle must be borne in mind in connection with the subsequent teaching
of James 2:14-26. Faith, i.e. trust in
God, as distinct from belief in a dogma, is with him, as with Paul, of the very
essence of the spiritual life. [38]
Interpreted as a general
statement: The object of the prayer is not here named,
where only the necessary condition of prayer is treated of. [8]
That
is, in confidence that God will grant what is asked. [16]
Believing that God is; that he has all good; and that
he is ever ready to impart to his creatures whatever they need. [18]
Interpreted
specifically of the “wisdom” that is explicitly mentioned: In confidence
that God will do as he has declared, and give to those who thus ask Him the
wisdom which they need. [14]
Ancient Jewish concept of faith [36]: [Faith] as used in this Epistle, refers to the state of mind in which a man not only believes in the existence of God, but in which His ethical character is apprehended and the evidence of His good-will towards man is acknowledged; it is a belief in the beneficent activity, as well as in the personality, of God; it includes reliance on God and the expectation that what is asked for will be granted by Him. The word here does not connote faith in the sense of a body of doctrine.
This idea of faith is not specifically Christian; it was, and is, precisely that of the Jews; with these אמונה (Emûnah) is just that perfect trust in God which is expressed in what is called the “Creed of Maimonides,” or the “Thirteen principles of faith”; it is there said: “I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be His name, is the Author and Guide of everything that has been created, and that He alone has made, does make, and will make all things”.
In Talmudical literature,
which, in this as in so much else, embodies much ancient material, the Rabbis
constantly insist on the need of faith as being that which is “perfect trust in
God”; “those who are lacking in faith,” (cf.Matthew 6:30) are held up to rebuke; it is said in Sotah,
ix. 12 that the disappearance of “men of faith” will bring
about the downfall of the world.
Faith therefore, in the sense in which it is used in this Epistle, was
the characteristic mark of the Jew as well as of the Christian.
nothing wavering [with
no doubting, NKJV]. Not doubting the truth of his
declarations. [14]
Compare
Matt. 21:21. Not equivalent to unbelief,
but expressing the hesitation which balances between faith and unbelief, and
inclines toward the latter. This idea is
brought out in the next sentence. [2]
It seems as if the
Apostle had here the words of the Lord before him: “Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray,
believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them” (Mark
For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea. Never at rest. [34]
Not fixed or settled in
purposes, plans, or efforts. [14]
Revision,
surge. Only here and Luke
driven with
the wind and tossed. Better, driven by the winds and blasts, both
words describing the action of a storm at sea, the latter pointing especially
to sudden gusts and squalls. The
image, true at all times and for all nations, was specially
forcible for a people to whom, like the Jews, the perils of the sea were
comparatively unfamiliar. Compare the description of the storm in Proverbs
So he that comes to God with unsettled convictions
and hopes, is liable to be driven about by every new
feeling that may spring up in the mind.
At one moment, hope and faith impel him to come to God; then the mind is
at once filled with uncertainty and doubt, and the soul is agitated and
restless as the ocean. Compare Isaiah
57:20. Hope on the one hand, and the
fear of not obtaining the favor which is desired on the other, keep the mind
restless and discomposed [= disturbed and agitated]. [31]
Another possibility: It may be that the Apostle has in his mind
not only doubting as to whether he will receive (as all seem to agree that he
has), but also hesitancy as regards his request if it is for some spiritual
grace. He is not quite sure that he
would like to receive it. He has
reservations. He does not with his whole
soul desire the grace that his lips ask for.
[41]
1:7 Translations
WEB: For
let that man not think that he will receive anything
from the Lord.
Young’s: for
let not that man suppose that he shall receive anything from the Lord--
Conte (RC): then a
man should not consider that he would receive anything from the Lord.
1:7 For let not that
man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. The man whose mind is divided, who is not properly persuaded either
of his own wants or God’s sufficiency.
Such persons may pray, but having no faith, they can get no answer. [8]
Such a distrustful, shifting, unsettled person is not
likely to value a favor from God as he should do, and therefore cannot expect
to receive it. In asking for heavenly
wisdom we are never likely to prevail if we have not a heart to prize it above
rubies, and the greatest things in this world. [5]
This warning supposes that the doubter fancies that
he will receive an answer to his prayers; but it is a vain delusion: his
expectations will be disappointed. [51]
of the Lord. It is a
question whether the Divine Title is used in the Old Testament sense, for the
Father, or, as generally, though not exclusively, in the New Testament, for the
Son. On the whole, looking (1) to the
meaning of the word in James 5:7,
1:8 Translations
WEB: He is
a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Young’s: a two-souled man is unstable in all his ways.
Conte (RC): For a
man who is of two minds is inconstant in all his ways.
1:8 A double minded man. A man of no fixed, decided purpose. [22]
The same word ( δίψυχος)
is applied, James 4:8, to those who have not a heart pure and simply
given up to God. The word does not occur
elsewhere in the New Testament, or in the Septuagint. It may be translated “having two souls,”
as we speak of “a double-tongued” man.
Such a man has, as it were, two souls, of which the one holds one
opinion, the other holds another. Sirach 2:12, “Woe be to fearful
hearts, and faint hands, and the sinner that goeth
two ways!” [26]
The double-minded man is one who has two such opposite
modes of thought and conduct alternately prevailing as to seem to be two
different individuals at different times.
He is “unlike himself.” So a
young Persian explained to Cyrus his two opposite courses of conduct under
different influences by saying, “I must have two souls.” The word two-souled
was probably St. James’s invention, but it was so expressive as to be
adopted by the early Christian writers.
So the Apostolic Constitutions say, “Be not two-souled
in thy prayer, as to whether it shall be fulfilled or not.” And Clement of Rome says, “Wretched are the
double-souled, who divide their souls in two.” [39]
is unstable. “Unstable,” perhaps with the meaning of “inconsistent,” attempting at
once to serve the world and God. [41]
The
Greek word is found in the LXX of Isaiah 54:11, where the English version has
“tossed with tempest.” It is not found
elsewhere in the New Testament, except as a various reading in James 3:8, but
the corresponding noun is often used both literally and figuratively (Luke
21:9; 1 Corinthians 14:33; 2 Corinthians 6:5, 12:20; James 3:16 and the LXX of
Proverbs 26:28). There is a slight
change of imagery, and the picture brought before us is that of a man who does
not walk straight onward, but in “all his ways” goes to and fro, now on this
side, now on that, staggering, like a drunken man. [38]
in all his ways.
That is, not merely in regard to prayer, the point
particularly under discussion, but in respect to everything. The hesitancy which manifested on that one
subject would extend to all; and we might expect to find such a man irresolute
and undetermined in all things. [31]
This necessarily
arises from his double-mindedness. Where
there is a want of unity in the internal life, it is also wanting in the
external life (Huther). The man is actuated sometimes by one impulse,
and sometimes by another; and thus will be perpetually running into
inconsistencies of conduct. He wants [=
lacks] decision of character. [51]
1:9 Translations
WEB: But
let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position.
Young’s: And
let the brother who is low rejoice in his exaltation.
Conte (RC): Now a
humble brother should glory in his exaltation.
1:9 Let. The connection with the preceding
is not obvious. It appears to be
this: we must avoid all doubting of God
in prayer, all double-mindedness; we must exercise confidence in Him, and
realize His gracious dealings in all the dispensations of His Providence; and,
whether rich or poor, we must place implicit trust in Him. [51]
the brother of low degree. Low degree is to be taken literally, as
poor or oppressed. Let such a one glory
in his inner integrity, and perhaps also in the hope of future exaltation in
the Messianic kingdom. [16]
Now
we hear what it was that so often made the Christian brethren in foreign lands
to doubt their faith. It was their low
and oppressed condition, which seemed to stand in such a glaring contradiction to
the time of redemption, which they had promised themselves from the
Messiah. Christianity, we know, among
Jews and Gentiles (cf. 1 Cor. 1:26), had found
acceptance in the lower circles; and if their rich associates, who had remained
in their unbelief, even before this already despised and oppressed the poor,
they thought that they could now abuse the renegades to their hearts’
content. But the believers are to know
that, in contrast to these they could boast of the greatest advantage in the
possession of redemption, which has already been given them through Christ, and
which has been guaranteed them for the future.
[9]
Rejoice [glory,
NKJV] in that he is exalted. In his privileges and hopes as a
Christian. [34]
To be a
child of God, and an heir of glory.
[15]
Paradox for both the poor and
the rich: “I know thy poverty,” said the Spirit
unto the Church in
WEB: and
the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he
will pass away.
Young’s: and
the rich in his becoming low, because as a flower of grass he shall pass away.
Conte (RC): and a
rich one, in his humiliation, for he will pass away like the flower of the
grass.
[This
would be a] Christian, who would be a special mark for persecutors, and would
have much to lose by persecution. Some scholars on account of the disparagement
of the “rich” in 2:6-7, 5:1-6, suppose that the rich heathen are meant, and
take the construction somewhat differently, e.g. “the rich man glories in that
which is really his humiliation,” verses 2-3.
But this view is improbable. [45]
Although most of the
early Christians were poor, yet there were several among them who were rich;
and to them there were addressed special exhortations; as when
in that he is
made low. Spiritually, by being
brought into a lowly and humble state of mind. The apostle exhibits, in this and the
preceding verse, the two sides of Christian character which are appropriate to
the two conditions of rich and poor. [14]
Is humbled by a deep sense of his true condition. [15,
47]
Or: Though he be made low by affliction and distress,
his true exaltation must be, like that of the poor man, inward. [16]
There were indeed
not many rich or mighty among the early Christians (1 Corinthians
because as the flower of the grass. In the Hebrew, “flower of
the field.” The LXX, which James follows, perhaps
intended this phrase to mean “the flowers found among the grass;” or they may
have given what they supposed to be a literal rendering of the Hebrew without
troubling themselves to think what it mean. [45]
he shall pass away. A common figure in the O.T., expressive of the instability of
earthly blessings. ‘All flesh is
grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, and the flower fadeth’
(Isaiah 40:6-7). [51]
A general
truth applicable to all, but especially neglected by the rich. [50]
WEB: For
the sun arises with the scorching wind, and withers the grass, and the flower
in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So also will the rich
man fade away in his pursuits.
Young’s: for
the sun did rise with the burning heat, and did wither the grass, and the
flower of it fell, and the grace of its appearance did perish, so also the rich
in his way shall fade away!
Conte (RC): For the
sun has risen with a scorching heat, and has dried the grass, and its flower
has fallen off, and the appearance of its beauty has perished. So also will the
rich one wither away, according to his paths.
with a burning heat. The
figure is borrowed from Isa. xl.
6-8; Ps. xc. 6, ciii. 15; Job
xiv.2. [16]
Some understand the
burning heat here to be that of the sun’s rays only, others that the burning
heat is the hot blast from the desert to the south or the east of
Rev., with the scorching wind. The [Greek] article denotes something
familiar; and the reference may be to the scorching east-wind (Job
but it withereth the grass and the flower thereof falleth. The reader will remember the words
of the Lord, “Consider the lilies of the field. . . . I say unto you that Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these.” [41]
The
aorist tenses, in
the original, give liveliness to the picture, and signify how suddenly the grass withered. [50]
and the grace of
the fashion of it [its beautiful appearance, NKJV] perisheth. A very graphic
description. On account of the
blighting of the planet, we see the flower not only fading, but actually
falling off. The grace and beauty of its
appearance is destroyed. [50]
so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways [pursuits, NKJV]. In his wanderings in pursuit of business or pleasure, perhaps with a special reference to the activity manifested by the Jews in trading. [50]
Earthly
glory is transient; and a man may well rejoice in what leads him to feel this,
and secure the glory which is abiding.
Thus will the poor be kept from envying the rich, and the rich from
glorying in their wealth and despising the poor. [14]
Of
course allusion is here made to the man who trusts in his riches. However his temporal life may be easy and
prosperous, his spiritual life shall wither and decay. In the words of the Lord: “The cares of this world, and the
deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, shall choke
the word, and it will be unfruitful” (Mark
Or: Laurentius incorrectly understands by the sun “Christ,” and
by the rising of the sun
“the day of the Lord:”
thus the whole is an image of the judgment destroying the rich, yet so
that the individual parts are to be retained in their appropriate meaning. [8]
his ways
[pursuits, NKJV]. [Ways:] better, “goings”; perhaps used of the journeyings of rich merchants (James
Or: Only
elsewhere in the New Testament, Luke 13:22, in the sense of “journey;” it is
sometimes taken in this literal sense here, of the journeyings
of merchants. This seems awkward. In the O.T. a man’s “steps” or “goings” are
often a figure for the course and conduct of his life, e.g., Psalms 17:5, “My
steps have held fast to thy paths;” cf. also the phrase “going out and coming
in,” Isaiah 37:28; so probably here. [45]
Or—the emphasis is on the wealth passing away rather than the rich man himself? Not
the rich brother, observe, is to fade thus, though his wealth will so
pass away. The warning is rather (as in
Mark
WEB: Blessed
is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will
receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.
Young’s: Happy
the man who doth endure temptation, because, becoming approved, he shall
receive the crown of the life, which the Lord did promise to those loving Him.
Conte (RC): Blessed
is the man who suffers temptation. For when he has been proven, he shall
receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.
is the man. Whether poor or rich.
[16]
that endureth temptation. Bears his trials with a right spirit. [14]
The
writer here returns to the thought in verse 2.
[16]
The temptation or trial here must not be limited to what are usually called the trials of life, but must also refer to temptation to sin. Blessed is the man who when tempted to think that life is not worth living, looks to the trials of the Son of God, and how unflinchingly He bore Himself under them, and overcame them by submitting to the will of God in them. And blessed is the man who, when tempted to fall from God by sin, looks to the Son of God enduring the assaults of Satan in the wilderness, and beating him back by the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. [41]
Not
merely falleth into divers
temptations, but endureth them, cometh out of them
unscathed, does not succumb under them.
A man who has been tempted, and has come victorious out of the
temptation, is a far nobler man than one who preserves a moral character,
because he has never been tempted.
Temptations impart a manliness, a strength, a
vigor to virtue. Victory over temptation
is a higher attainment than untried innocence.
Untried innocence is the negative innocence of children: righteousness
approved by trial is the positive holiness of apostles, martyrs, and
confessors. ‘Behold,’ says St. James elsewhere, ‘we count them happy that
endure’ (James
for when he is
tried [has been approved, NKJV]. He is
approved because he has victoriously endured, and this approval is the reason
why “he shall receive the crown of life.”
[50]
he shall receive.
Not now, but at the last; as St. Paul says, “I have fought
the good fight, . . . henceforth there is laid up for me at the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give me at that day”
(2 Timothy 4:8)—not at the time of trial, or even the time of death, but at the
time of the Second Advent. [41]
The
crown of life is promised not only to great and eminent saints, but to all
those who have the love of God reigning in their hearts. [5]
According to this
the apostle here suggests a twofold condition of receiving the crown of
life--(a) believing patience, (b) believing love. In the same way he elsewhere often associates
together faith, love, hope, and patience.
[6]
the crown of life. Eternal life is called "a crown:" 1. For the
perpetuity of it; for a crown hath neither beginning nor ending. 2. For the plenty; because as the crown compasseth on every side, so there is nothing wanting in
this life. 3. The dignity; eternal life
is a coronation day. (
The same phrase
occurs in Revelation 2:10. We read also
of “crowns” of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8) and glory (1 Peter 5:4). [45]
This crown consists in life eternal (1 John
crown. There can be no crown of victory
without a battle. And the very enduring
of temptation, which is this battle, is declared to be blessed. Though Satan may, and sometimes doth indeed,
get a point upon the Child of God, yea, to the extent of deep wounds, as in the
instances of David, and of Peter; yet it is the end, which crowns the
action. Soldiers in battle, may be
hardly put to it at times [= heavily endangered], and sometimes taken
prisoners, and sometimes receive dreadful wounds; yet, if victory at length is
obtained by them, they lose sight of former skirmishes, prisons, or wounds, in
the joy of a complete conquest at last.
[25]
If these words were found in one of
of life. Life
here is used in the same sense as in John 17:3:
“And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God,
and him whom, thou didst send, even Jesus Christ.” [1]
which the Lord hath
promised to them that love Him. The tense of the verb (“which the Lord
promised”), as if referring to some special utterance, may lead us to think of
such words as those of John 14:21,
Or: It is highly probable that in this verse we
have a record of the oral teaching of the Lord Jesus, such as we have in Acts
20:35. [50]
In depth: Crowns as Roman royal and military awards [20]. ‘Here is an allusion to the crowning of victors in war, or in the games. After a victory, the general assembled his troops, and, in presence of the whole army, bestowed rewards on those who deserved them. The highest reward was the civic crown, corona civica. Given to him who had saved the life of a citizen, with the inscription ob civem servantum; it was of oak leaves, and, by the appointment of the general, presented by the person who had been saved, to his preserver, whom he ever after respected as a parent. [Compare 1 Thess. 2: 19, 20]. Under the emperors it was always bestowed by the prince. The person who received it, wore it at the spectacles, and sat next to the senate. When he entered, the audience rose up, as a mark of respect.
The corona vallaris, or castrensis, was given to him who first mounted the rampart, or entered the camp, of the enemy. It was golden, and given by the general: as also the corona navalis, to him who first boarded an enemy’s ship, and the corona muralis, to him who first scaled the walls in an assault.
When an army was freed from a blockade, the soldiers gave to their deliverer, a crown, made of the grass which grew in the place where they had been blocked up; hence called graminea corona obsidionalis. This, of all military honors, was esteemed the greatest.
Smaller rewards [were given such] as
bracelets, necklaces, etc. These
presents were conferred by the general, in presence of the army; and such as
received them, after being publicly praised, were placed next him. They ever after kept them with great
care, and wore them at the spectacles, and on all public occasions.’ Roman Antiquites. Adam. [20]
WEB: Let
no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by
God," for God can't be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one.
Young’s: Let no
one say, being tempted -- 'From God I am tempted,' for God is not tempted of
evil, and Himself doth tempt no one.
Conte (RC): No one
should say, when he is tempted, that he was tempted by
God. For God does not entice toward evils, and he himself
tempts no one.
This
warning is very necessary, for nothing is more common among men than to
transfer to another the blame of the evils they commit; and they then
especially seem to free themselves, when they ascribe it to God Himself. [35]
I am tempted of
God. We may not use those words, but we are all
inclined to excuse our wrong-doing on the ground of some circumstance or
inheritance which is logically related to the providence of God, which
therefore comes from God. [7]
Man would fain shift
off responsibility for his sins upon
These
conditions of life in which we find ourselves have been ordained for a test,
and not as a temptation; for God, who Himself can be induced by nothing to do
any thing evil, certainly cannot cause others to do evil. That which converts the test into a
temptation is solely the sinful lust that comes from our own
hearts. [9]
Those who have embraced this attitude: [The attitude is presented] in the utterer’s own words, implying that there were errorists who declared outright that we have above us an
evil Infinite. Others, as Huther well remarks, disown the responsibility for
wickedness, by imputing its causation to God.
So in Homer’s Iliad, “But I am not the cause, but Jupiter and
Fate.” And in the comic poet, Plautus, “God was the impeller to me.” And Terence, “What if some
god willed this?” So the
Gnostics, descending from Simon Magus, held all sins to be predestinated, and
were strenuously opposed by Justin Martyr and the early Church, as thereby
making God responsible for sin.
Predestination, as Pressense truly says, was
viewed by the early Church as a heresy.
To this saying our apostle opposes a true analysis of the inward nature
of our temptations and yieldings to sin. [39]
for God cannot be
tempted. Evil is contrary to His nature. [19]
There is nothing in Him that has a tendency to wrong; there can be nothing presented from without to induce Him to do wrong: (1) There is no evil passion to be gratified, as there is in men; (2) There is no want of power, so that an allurement could be presented to seek what He has not; (3) There is no want of wealth, for He has infinite resources, and all that there is or can be is his, Psalms 50:10-11; (4) There is no want of happiness, that he should seek happiness in sources which are not now in his possession. Nothing, therefore, could be presented to the divine mind as an inducement to do evil. [31]
“Cannot be tempted” is a single word in the Greek. The word only occurs here in the New Testament; it is unusual in Greek literature generally, and its meaning is a matter of controversy. The most probable rendering is that common to the A.V. and to the R.V. text, on which we are commenting. Another translation is that of the R.V. margin, “God is untried in evil,” i.e. “has no experience of evil, does not know from His own experience what it is to feel or follow the promptings of an evil nature.” Either view gives the same general sense. It is absurd to think of God as tempting men, in the sense of trying to induce them to do evil, because such tempting on His part would imply that He took pleasure in evil. So far from that, He is either (according to the view taken) unversed in evil, or cannot even feel in the suggestion of evil any temptation; how then can He take an active delight in trying to bring about evil? [45]
with evil. Evil has
no power over God, and no alliance with him.
[13] That it is the special temptation to
lust, and not, as at verse 2, the temptations arising from affliction which are
here spoken of, is evident from verse 14.
[6]
neither tempteth he any man. To commit sin: that is not God’s design in sending trials,
or in any thing He does: what He does is
designed to promote holiness and happiness.
If men commit sin, or grow worse under any of his dealings, they pervert
and abuse them; the fault is theirs, not His.
[14]
In depth: In what sense does
God tempt/not tempt? One
approach: the difference between
internal and external sources of temptation [10]: There
are temptations necessarily connected with the Christian life, and which often,
through the weakness of our nature, become the “occasions” of sin: and there are other temptations which are the
direct and immediate “cause” of sin. The
former are external; the latter are within a man’s own bosom. The former may be referred to God as their
author, and be considered as a ground of joy:
the latter must be traced to our own wicked hearts; and are proper
grounds of the deepest humiliation. This
distinction is made in the passage before us.
In the foregoing verses the former are spoken of (verses 2, 12); in the
text, the latter.
Argument that there are two kinds of “temptation:” only that designed to test our loyalty
to Him can be described as of Divine origin [23]: There are two sources of temptations. There are temptations, the trial of faith
which comes from God for our own good; there is a temptation of the flesh, of
inward evil, which is not of God, but of the devil. Trial of faith God permits, but when it comes
to temptations of evil, to do evil, to be tempted in this fashion, God never is
the author of that. God cannot be tempted with evil, nor tempteth
He any man.
In depth: Could Jesus be tempted to sin [23]? This passage [“God cannot be tempted with evil”] settles the question with which so many believers are troubled: “Could the Lord Jesus Christ sin?” They generally quote in connection with this Hebrews 4:15, that He was tempted in all points as we are. They claim that “all points” includes temptation to sin coming from within. Even excellent Christians are at sea about this question.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is very God. Being manifested
in the flesh does not mean that He laid aside His Deity. James says, “God cannot be tempted with evil,” for God is absolutely
holy. Therefore our Lord could not be
tempted with evil. He had nothing of
fallen man in Him; the prince of this world (Satan) came and found nothing in
Him. Furthermore, the correct
translation of Hebrews
WEB: But
each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
Young’s: and
each one is tempted, by his own desires being led away and enticed.
Conte (RC): Yet
truly, each one is tempted by his own desires, having been enticed and drawn
away.
When he is drawn away of [by, NIKJV] his own
lust. His desire to obtain
something which he cannot without doing wrong. [14]
We
are therefore to look for the cause of every sin in (not out of)
ourselves. [15]
The word lust has here its wider significance, of all
desire toward sense gratification as used in 1 John 2.16, 17: “For all that is in the world, the lust of
the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the
Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away and the lust
thereof.” [1]
his own lust. Even the
suggestions of the devil do not occasion danger, before they are made our
own. Every one has his own peculiar lust, arising from his own peculiar disposition,
habit, and temperament. [26]
Not all “lusts”
(“desires”) are evil, but even the most legitimate ones can be twisted into a rationale for evil if we
do not guard our actions:
There is no sin in the mere desire for gain or enjoyment, which may
suggest an evil impulse, but there is sin when this desire leads to
wrong action. The exposition of these
verses has been based upon the view that “lust,” or rather “desire,” is used
here in a bad sense as inclination to evil.
If so, the treatment of the subject is not exhaustive. In many temptations, the suggestion or
impulse arises from an innocent desire for advantages, lawful in themselves,
but only to be obtained, in the special circumstances, by wrongdoing. The desire to provide for a family may prompt
a man to avail himself of opportunities of making unfair profits. If the man yields, it is not through any positive
inclination to evil, but through the lack of loyalty to righteousness. Such cases do not seem to be in the Apostle’s
mind. [45]
Drawn away . .
. and enticed. Only here in New Testament. This and the following word are metaphors
from hunting and fishing. “Drawn away,” as
beasts are enticed from a safe covert into a place beset with snares. “Enticed” as a fish with
bait. [2]
and enticed. If it’s not “interesting” to us it is going
to be ignored. Hence Satan has to shape
his temptations of us in a form that is the most likely to gain a positive
response. [rw]
The Greek has the figure of catching fish,
drawing the fish alluringly from the rocks.
The “smell” draws him out, the smell smelled good: he was drawn out by his own desire to take
the bait. The devil got you with his
bait and you [blame] it on the Lord. The
desire brings sin, and sin death. That
is the natural history of sinful desire.
The fish came out of the cool rocks smelling and soon he is dead up on
the bank. [43]
WEB: Then
the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown,
brings forth death.
Young’s: afterward
the desire having conceived, doth give birth to sin,
and the sin having been perfected, doth bring forth death.
Conte (RC): Thereafter,
when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. Yet truly sin, when it has
been consummated, produces death.
When I was a
little boy going around hunting up the eggs, my mother would say, “Willie, be
sure you leave a nest egg, or the hen will leave the nest.” Good Lord, help us all to take every nest egg
out of our hearts, so the devil will quit the nest. So long as you leave a nest egg the devil will
lay more and hatch them out, and you will have an everlasting brood of snakes
in your heart. [48]
hath conceived. The sinful desire is the conception; the
sinful deed the birth; moral and eternal death the final result. [22]
it bringeth forth. The
image is interpreted in two ways. Either
(1) Sin, figured as female, is already pregnant with death, and, when full
grown, bringeth forth death (so Rev., and the
majority of commentators). “The harlot,
Lust, draws away and entices the man.
The guilty union is committed by the will embracing the temptress: the consequence is that she beareth sin. . . . Then the sin, that particular sin, when
grown up, herself, as if all along pregnant with it, bringeth
forth death” (Alford). Or (2) Sin,
figured as male when it has reached maturity, becomes the begetter of
death. So the Vulgate, generat, and Wycliffe, gendereth. It has the high endorsement of Bishop
Lightfoot. [2]
sin. We are
therefore to look for the causes of every sin chiefly in ourselves; in our
appetites, passions, and corrupt inclinations.
[47]
and sin when it is
finished [full-grown, NKJV]. In its consequences. [14]
[When it is] fully
developed or matured. There is no
distinction here between the internal and the external act; as if it were sin
in the form of the external act which worketh
death. St. James speaks of sin in
general, whether in the heart or in the life. Sin may be developed in the heart as well as
in the conduct. [51]
bringeth forth death. Eternal death, which is, to all who continue in sin, its proper
result. [14]
Notice the genealogy
of sin [in this verse:]
Lust is the parent of sin, and sin when matured is the parent of
death. [33]
The result [is]
inevitable; just as much so, and as naturally, as the work of poison on the
body. There are antidotes for both, but
they must be given in time; the door of mercy stands not always open, nor will
the “fountain opened . . . for sin and uncleanness” (Zechariah 13:1) flow on
for ever. “Because,” says the Wisdom of
God (Proverbs
It also cripples our ability to
effectively steer others away from their own weaknesses: The consciousness of sin will always
come across his mind, when he is speaking, checking him, incapacitating
him. ‘Who am I to speak? I, who am living myself
so sinfully!’ And that conviction will
stop his mouth; it will make his words hollow.
And men are keen judges of each other.
They very soon discover what is unreal in all your fine talking. [49]
BOOKS/COMMENTARIES UTILIZED
IN THIS STUDY:
1 [Anonymous]. Teacher’s Testament/Nelson’s Explanatory
Testament
Thomas
Nelson & Sons;
2 Marvin
R. Vincent, D.D. Word
Studies in the New Testament.
Charles
Scribner’s Sons;
3 Robert
Young. Commentary
on the Holy Bible. A. Fullarton & Co;
4 Daniel
Whitby, D.D. and Moses Lowman. A Critical Commentary and
Paraphrase
on the New Testament. Carey Hart,
5 Matthew
Henry. Vol. IV: Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible.
6 Rev. Dr
C. G. Barth. The Bible Manual.
1865
7 Charles
R. Erdman. The
General Epistles.
Press, 1918.
8 Joh. Ed. Huther, Th. D., Critical
and Exegetical Handbook to the
General
Epistles of James, Peter, John, and Jude
[Meyer’s Commentary
on the New Testament].
9 Professor
Bernhard Weiss, D.D. A
Commentary of the New Testament Vol. IV.
10 Charles
Simeon, M.A. Horae
Homileticae Vol. XX.
and Ball, 1833.
11 Rev. S.
T. Bloomfield, M.A. Recensio
Symoptica Annotations Sacrae
[
12 George
Leo Haydock. Haydock’s Catholic Family Bible and Commentary
UTS,
13 Howard
Crosby, D.D. New
Testament, With Brief Explanatory Notes. New
14 Anonymous [Justin
Edwards]. The New
Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
This edition has more notes, but Edwards’ name is
attached to a shorter
edition of the
same material at UTS,
15 John
Wesley, M.A. Explanatory Notes upon
the New Testament.
16 Orello Cone, D.D. International Handbooks to the N.T. Vol. 3:
The Epistles. New York:
G. P. Putnam’s Sons / Knickerbocker Press,
1901.
17 Philip
Doddridge, D.D. The Family Expositor
(Paraphrase and Version of
the New
Testament [American edition]).
Amherst, Ms.: J. S. & C.
Adams,
and L. Boltwood;
18 Adam
Clarke, LL.D., F.S.A., etc.
The New Testament of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ Vol. VI.
19 Donald
Fraser, M.A., D.D. Synoptical
Lectures of the Books of Holy Scripture Vol.
II.
20 Rev. William
Jenks, D.D. The Conprehensive
Commentary of the Holy
Bible. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott
& Co., 1838 copyright; 1847 printing.
21 Rev. Robert Jamieson, D.D., Rev. A. R. Fausset, A.M., Rev. David Brown, D.D. A Commentary, Critical and explanatory, on
the Old and New Testaments
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22 Barton
W. Johnson. People’s New Testament. 1891.
23 Arno Gaebelein. Annotated Bible. 1920s.
24 John R. Dummelow. Dummelow’s Commentary on the Bible.
1909.
25 Robert Hawker. Poor Man’s Commentary. 1828.
26 Johann
A. Bengel. Gnomon of the New
Testament. 1742.
27 Alexander
MacLaren. Exposition of the Holy Scriptures. 18--.
28 Matthew
Poole. English
Annotations on the Holy Bible.
1685.
29 John Trapp. Complete Commentary. Written 1600s; 1865-1868 edition.
30 Joseph Sutcliffe. Commentary on the Old
and New Testaments. 1835.
31 Albert Barnes. Notes on the New
Testament. 1870.
32 James Gray. Concise Bible Commentary. 1897-1910.
33 F.
B. Meyer. Thru The
Bible (Commentary). 1914 edition.
34 John and Jacob Abbott. Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament. 1878.
35 John Calvin. Commentaries. Written in 1500s. Printing:
1840-1857.
36 William R. Nicoll,
editor. Expositor’s Greek Testament. 1897-1910.
37
38
E. M. Plumptre. 1890.
39 D. (Daniel) D. Whedon. Commentary on the New Testament;
volume 5:
Titus to Revelation.
40 Ariel A. Livermore. The Epistles to the Hebrews, the Epistles
of James,
Peter, John, and Jude and the Revelation of John the Divine[:] Commentary
and Essays.
41 M[ichael] F.
Sadler. The General Epistles of SS.
James, Peter, John, and
Jude. Second
Edition.
42 Robert S. Hunt. The Epistle to the
Hebrews and the General Epistles.
In
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43 A. T. Robertson. New Testament Interpretation (Matthew to
Revelation):
Notes on
Lectures. Taken
stenographically. Revised Edition by William
M.
Fouts and Alice M. Fouts.
44 William G. Humphry. A Commentary on the Revised Version of the
New
Testament.
45 W. H. Bennett. The General Epistles: James, Peter, John and Jude. In the
Century Bible series.
46 E. G. Punchard. “James” in Ellicott’s New Testament
Commentary for
English Readers.
1884.
47 Joseph Benson. Commentary on the Old
and New Testaments. 1811-1815.
48 William B. Godbey. Commentary on the New
Testament. 1896-1900.
At:
http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ges/
49 James Nisbett,
editor. Church
Pulpit Commentary. 1876. [Note:
this is not
“The Pulpit
Commentary.”] At:
http://www.studylight.org/ commentaries/cpc/
50 Revere F. Weidner. Annotations on the General Epistles of
James, Peter,
John,
and Jude. In the Lutheran
Commentary series.
Literature Company, 1897.
51 Schaff’s
Popular Commentary on the New Testament.
1879-1890.
At: http://www.studylight.org/commentaries/scn/