James 1

James · Chapter 1

James 1:18

1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.5If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.7For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.8A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.9Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:10But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.11For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.12Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.13Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.16Do not err, my beloved brethren.17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.18Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.19Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:20For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.21Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.23For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.26If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.27Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
18Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we would be a kind of firstfruits of His creation.Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

James 1:12-18Temptation and every good gift

About James 1James writes to "the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad": "count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations," for "the trying of your faith worketh patience," and anyone who lacks wisdom should "ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally." God tempts no one; "every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust," while "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above." So be "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath," and be "doers of the word, and not hearers only," for pure religion is "To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:1James 1:2James 1:3James 1:5James 1:13James 1:14James 1:17James 1:19James 1:22James 1:27

Who, where and when in this chapter

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
Having willed [it]βουληθεὶςboulētheisG1014
to plan

βούλομαι (boulomai) βούλομαι, [in LXX for חפץ, אבה, יעץ, etc. ;] to will, wish, desire, purpose, be minded, implying more strongly than θέλω (which see), the deliberate exercise of volition (see Hort on Jas.1:18): with inf. (M, Pr., 205; Bl., §69, 4), Mrk.15:15, Act.5:28, 33 12:4 15:37 17:20 18:15, 27 19:30 22:30 23:28 27:43 28:18, 2Co.1:15, 1Ti.6:9, Heb.6:17, II Jhn.12, 3Jo.10, Ju 5; with accusative, 2Co.1:17; with accusative and inf., Php.1:12, 1Ti.2:8 5:14, Tit.3:8, 2Pe.3:9; of the will making choice between alternatives, Mat.1:19 11:27, Luk.10:22, Act.25:20, 1Co.12:11, Jas.3:4 4:4; εἰ βούλει (cl., a courteo …

He brought forthἀπεκύησενapekuēsenG0616
to generate

ἀποκυέω (apokueō) ἀπο-κυέω (Rec. -κύω), -ῶ (ἀπό, κυέω or κύω, to be pregnant), [in LXX: 4Ma.15:17 * ;] prop., "the medical word for birth as the close of pregnancy" (Hort, Ja., 26 f.). In κοιν, "an ordinary syn. of τίκτω, but definitely 'perfectivised' (M, Pr., 111 ff.; MM, see word) by the ἀπό, and so implying safe delivery," to bring forth, give birth to: Jas.1:15, 18.† (AS)

usἡμᾶςhēmasG3165
me

μέ (me) 1. apostrophe for με. 2. rarely for μοι, (Homer) (ML)

by [the] wordλόγῳlogōG3056
word

λόγος (logos) λόγος, -ου, ὁ (λέγω) [in LXX chiefly for דָּבָר, also for מִלָּה ,אֵמֶר, etc. ;] I. Of that by which the inward thought is expressed, Lat. oratio, sermo, vox, verbum. 1. a word, not in the grammatical sense of a mere name (ἔπος, ὄνομα, ῥῆμα), but a word as embodying a conception or idea: Mat.8:8, Luk.7:7, 1Co.14:9, 19 Heb.12:19, al. …

of truth,ἀληθείας,alētheiasG0225
truth

ἀλήθεια (alētheia) ἀλήθεια, -ας, ἡ (ἀληθής), [in LXX chiefly for אֱמֶת (on which, see Cremer, 627f.), אֱמוּנָה ;] truth (see DB, iv, 818f.). 1. Objectively, "the reality lying at the basis of an appearance; the manifested, veritable essence of a matter" (Cremer, 86): Rom.9:1, al.; of religious truth, Rom.1:25, al.; esp. of Christian doctrine, Gal.2:5, al.; ἀ. θεοῦ, Rom.15:8. 2. Subjectively, truthfulness, truth, not merely verbal (cl.), but sincerity and integrity of character: Jhn.8:44, 3Jo.3. …

forεἰςeisG1519
toward

εἰς (eis) εἰς, prep. with accusative, expressing entrance, direction, limit, into, unto, to, upon, towards, for, among (Lat. in, with accusative). I. Of place. 1. After verbs of motion; (a) of entrance into: Mat.8:23, 9:7, Mrk.1:45, Luk.2:15, 8:31, al.; (b) of approach, to or towards: Mrk.11:1, Luk.6:8, 19:28, Jhn.11:31, 21:6, al.; (with) before pl. and collective nouns, among: Mrk.4:7, 8:19, 20, Luk.11:49, Jhn.21:23, al.; …

to beεἶναιeinaiG1511
to exist

εἶναι (einai) εἰμί, with various uses and significations, like the English verb to be. I. As substantive verb. 1. Of persons and things, to be, exist: Act.17:28, Jhn.1:1, 8:58, 17:5, al; ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν (for past ptcp.), Rev.1:4, 8, 4:8, 11:17, 16:5 (see Swete, Ap., 5; M, Pr., 228); τὰ (μὴ) ὄντα, Rom.4:17, 1Co.1:28. 2. Of times, events, etc., to be, happen, take place: Mat.24:3, Mrk.14:2, 15:42, Luk.21:23, Jhn.4:6, 23, 5:10, al. …

usἡμᾶςhēmasG3165
me

μέ (me) 1. apostrophe for με. 2. rarely for μοι, (Homer) (ML)

firstfruitsἀπαρχήνaparchēnG0536
firstfruits

ἀπαρχή (aparchē) ἀπ-αρχή, -ῆς, ἡ (ἀπάρχομαι, to make a beginning in sacrifice, offer first fruits) [in LXX chiefly for תְּרוּמָה, רֵאשִׁית ;] 1. the beginning of a sacrifice. 2. first fruits: τοῦ φυράματος (cf. Num.15:20), Rom.11:16. Metaphorical, ἀ. τοῦ πνεύματος: Rom.8:23; of Christians: Rom.16:5, 1, 1Co.16:15, 2Th.2:13 (WH, mg., R, mg., txt., ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς; see Lft., Notes, 119 f.), Jas.1:18, Rev.14:4; of Christ: 1Co.15:20 15:23 (Cremer, 117; MM, VGT, see word).† (AS)

a certainτιναtinaG5100
one

τις (tis) τις, neut., τι, genitive, τινός, enclitic indefinite pron., related to interrog. τίς as πού, πως, ποτέ to ποῦ, πῶς, πότε. I. As subst., 1. one, a certain one: Luk.9:49, Jhn.11:1, Act.5:25, al.; pl., τίνες, certain, some: Luk.13:1, Act.15:1, Rom.3:8, al. 2. someone, anyone, something, anything: Mat.12:29, Mrk.9:30, Luk.8:46, Jhn.2:25, Act.17:25, Rom.5:7, al.; = indef., one (French on), Mrk.8:4, Jhn.2:25, Rom.8:24, al.; pl., τινες, some, Mrk.14:4, al. II. II. As adj., …

of HisαὐτοῦautouG0846
it/s/he

αὐτός (autos) αὐτός, -ή, -ό, determinative pron., in late Gk. much more frequently than in cl. (WM, 178f.; Jannaris, HGG, §1399). 1. Emphatic (so always in nom. exc. when preceded by the art., see infr., iii); (1) self (ipse), expressing opposition, distinction, exclusion, etc., αὐ. ἐκχυθήσεται, Luk.5:37; αὐ. ἐγινώσκεν, Jhn.2:25; αὐ.ὑμεῖς, Jhn.3:28; καὶ αὐ. ἐγώ, Rom.15:14; αὐ. Ἰησοῦς, Jhn.2:24; αὐ. καὶ οἱ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, Mrk.2:25; ὑμεῖς αὐ., Mrk.6:31; esp. (as freq in cl.) αὐ. ὁ, Mat.3:4, Mrk.6:17, Jhn.16:27, 1Th.3:11, al.; in late Gk., sometimes weakened, ἐν αὐτῇ τ. ὥρᾳ, in that hour, Luk.10:21 (M, Pr., 91; …

creatures.κτισμάτων.¶ktismatōnG2938
creature

κτίσμα (ktisma) κτίσμα, -τος, τό (κτίζω), [in LXX: Wis.9:2 13:5 14:11, Sir.36:20 (17), Sir.38:34, 3Ma.5:11 * ;] 1. (cl.) a colony. 2. a created thing, creature: 1Ti.4:4, Jas.1:18, Rev.5:13 8:9.† (AS)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.