James 2

James · Chapter 2

James 2:17

1My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.2For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;3And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:4Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?5Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?6But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?7Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?8If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:9But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.10For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.11For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.12So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.13For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.14What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?15If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,16And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?22Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?23And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.24Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.25Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.Even so faith, if it have not works, is dead in itself.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

James 2:14-26Faith without works is dead

About James 2James warns against favouring a rich man with "a gold ring" over "a poor man in vile raiment," for God has "chosen the poor of this world rich in faith," and respect of persons breaks "the royal law according to the scripture," to love one's neighbour as oneself. He asks what it profits if "a man say he hath faith, and have not works," and says, "faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." Abraham and Rahab were "justified by works," and "as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." James 2:1James 2:2James 2:5James 2:8James 2:9James 2:14James 2:17James 2:21James 2:25James 2:26James overview

Why this verse matters here"Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." James gives the case of saying "be ye warmed and filled" without giving "those things which are needful to the body." James 2:15James 2:16James 2:17James overview

Who, where and when in this chapter

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
SoοὕτωςhoutōsG3779
thus(-ly)

οὕτως (ohutō, ohutōs) οὕτως, rarely (Bl., §5, 4; WH, App., 146f.) οὕτω, adv. (οὗτος), [in LXX chiefly for כֵּן ;] in this way, so, thus; 1. referring to what precedes: Mat.5:16 6:30, Mrk.10:43 14:59, Luk.1:25 2:48 15:7, Jhn.3:8, Rom.1:15, 1Co.8:12, al.; οὕτως καί, Mat.17:12, Mrk.13:29, al.; pleonastically, resuming a ptcp. (cl.; see Bl., §74, 6), Act.20:11 27:17. 2. Referring to what follows: Mat.1:18 6:9, Luk.19:31, Jhn.21:1, 1Pe.2:15; bef. quotations from OT, Mat.2:5, Act.7:6, 1Co.15:45, Heb.4:4. 3. C. adj. (marking intensity): Heb.12:21, Rev.16:18; similarly with adv., Gal.1:6 (cl.). …

alsoκαὶkaiG2532
and

καί (kai) καί, conj., and I. Copulative. 1. Connecting single words; (a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. (b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; (with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. 2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. …

faith,πίστις,pistisG4102G
faith

πίστις (pistis) πίστις, -εως, ἡ (πείθω), [in LXX chiefly for אֱמוּנָה ;] 1. in active sense, faith, belief, trust, confidence, in NT always of religious faith in God or Christ or spiritual things: Mat.8:10, Luk.5:20, Act.14:9, Rom.1:8, 1Co.2:5, 2Co.1:24, 1Ti.1:5, al.; with genitive obj., Mrk.11:22, Act.3:16, Rom.3:22, Gal.2:16, Eph.3:12, Jas.2:1, al.; with prep., ἐν, Rom.3:25, Gal.3:26, Eph.1:15, Col.1:24, 1Ti.1:14 3:13, 2Ti.1:13 3:15, 2Pe.1:1; εἰς, Act.20:21 24:24 26:18, Col.2:5, 1Pe.1:21; πρός, 1Th.1:8, Phm 5; ἐπί, with accusative Heb.6:1; ἐν τῇ π. στήκειν (εἶναι, μένειν), 1Co.16:13, 1Co.13:5, 1Ti.2:15; ὑ …

onlyἐὰνeanG1437
if

ἐάν (ean) ἐάν, contr. fr. εἰ ἄν, conditional particle, representing something as "under certain circumstances actual or liable to happen," but not so definitely expected as in the case of εἰ with ind. (Bl., §65, 4; cf. Jhn.13:17, 1Co.7:36), if haply, if; 1. with subjc. (cl.); (a) pres.: Mat.6:22, Luk.10:6, Jhn.7:17, Rom.2:25, 26 al.; { (b) aor. (= Lat. fut. pf.): Mat.4:9 16:26 (cf. ptcp. in Luk.9:25; M, Pr., 230), Mrk.3:24, Luk.14:34, Jhn.5:43, Rom.7:2, al.; = cl. εἰ, with opt., Jhn.9:22 11:57, Act.9:2; as Heb. אִם = ὅταν, Jhn.12:32 14:3, I Jhn.2:28 3:2, Heb.3:7" (LXX) . …

unlessμὴmēG3361
not

μή (mē) μή, subjective negative particle, used where the negation depends on a condition or hypothesis, expressed or understood, as distinct from οὐ, which denies absolutely. μή is used where one thinks a thing is not, as distinct from an absolute negation. As a general rule, οὐ negatives the indic, μή the other moods, incl, ptcp. [In LXX for אֵין ,אַיִן ,אַל ] I. As a neg. adv., not; 1. with ref. to thought or opinion: Jhn.3:18, Tit.1:11, 2Pe.1:9. 2. In delib. questions, with subjc. (M, Pr., 185): Mrk.12:14, Rom.3:8. …

it shall haveἔχῃechēG2192
to have/be

ἔχω (echō) ἔχω, [in LXX for אָצֵל (ἐχόμενος), יֵשׁ,בַּעַל, etc., 59 words in all ;] (on the Aktionsart of the various tenses, see M, Pr., 110, 145, 150, 183), to have, as in cl., in various senses and constructions. I. Trans.; 1. 1. to have, hold, hold fast, etc.; (a) to hold, as, in the hand: Rev.5:8 14:6, al.; ἐν τ. χειρί, Rev.1:16 10:2, al.; (b) of arms and clothing, = φέρω, φορέω, to bear, wear: Mat.3:4 22:12, al.; so frequently present ptcp. (LS, see word, A, I, 6; Bl., 74, 2), Mrk.11:13, Jhn.18:10, Rev.9:17, al.; (with) of a woman, ἐν γαστρὶ ἔ, to be with child: Mrk.13:17, Rom.9:10; …

worksἔργα,ergaG2041
work

ἔργον (ergon) ἔργον, -ου, τό (originally Ϝέργον, work), [very frequently in LXX, chiefly for מַשֶׂה, מְלָאכָה, also for עֲבֹדָה, פֹּעַל, etc. ;] 1. work, task, employment: Mrk.13:34, Jhn.4:34 17:4, Act.13:2, Php.1:22 2:30, 1Th.5:13, al.; of an enterprise or undertaking (Deu.15:10, Wis.2:12), Act.5:38. …

[then] deadνεκράnekraG3498
dead

νεκρός (nekros) νεκρός, -α, -ον, [in LXX chiefly for מֵת ;] dead, I. as adj., 1. prop.: Act.5:10 20:9, Jas.2:26, Rev.1:18, al.; ὡσεὶ ν., Mat.28:4, Mrk.9:26, Rev.1:17; of that which is subject to death, Rom.8:10. 2. Metaphorical, (a) of persons: Luk.15:24, 32; of those immersed in worldly cares, Mat.8:22, Luk.9:60; of spiritual death, Jhn.5:25, Rom.6:13, Eph.5:14, Rev.3:1; τ. παραπτώμασιν, Eph.2:1, 5 Col.2:13; of the opposite condition, ν. τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, Rom.6:11; (b) of things regarded as inoperative, devoid of power: ἁμαρτία, Rom.7:8; πίστις, Jas.2:17, 26; ἔργα, Heb.6:1 9:14. …

it isἐστινestinG1510
you are

εἶ (ei) 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. …

byκαθ᾽kath᾽G2596
according to

κατά (kata) κατά (bef. a vowel κατ᾽, καθ᾽; on the frequently neglect of elision, see Tdf., Pr., 95; WH, App., 146a), prep. with genitive, accusative, down, downwards. I. C. genitive (WM, §47, k; Bl., §42, 2). 1. C. genitive of thing(s), in local sense; (a) down, down from: Mat.8:32, Mrk.5:13, Luk.8:33, 1Co.11:4; (b) throughout (late usage; Bl, l.with): κ. ὅλης κ.τ.λ., Luk.4:14 23:5, Act.9:31 10:37; (with) in a peculiar adjectival phrase: ἡ κ. βάθους, deep or extreme poverty, 2Co.8:2. 2. C. genitive of person(s), usually in hostile sense; …

itself.ἑαυτήν.¶he'autēnG1438
/him/herself

αὑτοῦ (ahutou) αὑτοῦ, -ῆς, -οῦ = ἑαυτοῦ (which see), Mat.6:34, Luk.12:17, al. (MM, see word) (AS)

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