James 4

James · Chapter 4

James 4:1

1From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?2Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.5Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.11Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.12There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?13Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:14Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.15For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.16But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
1From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?Whence come wars and whence come fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members?

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

James 4:1-10Submit to God

About James 4James says quarrels come from "your lusts that war in your members," and "ye have not, because ye ask not," or ask amiss, while "the friendship of the world is enmity with God." "God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble," so "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." Do not speak evil of one another, and do not boast about tomorrow, for life "is even a vapour": "ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that." James 4:1James 4:2James 4:3James 4:4James 4:6James 4:7James 4:8James 4:11James 4:14James 4:15James overviewJames 4:13James 4:16

Who, where and when in this chapter

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
From whereΠόθενPothenG4159
whence

πόθεν (pothen) πόθεν adv., whence; (a) of place: Mat.15:33, Luk.13:25, 27, Jhn.3:8 6:5 8:14 9:29-30 19:9, Rev.7:13; metaphorically, of condition, Rev.2:5; (b) of origin: Mat.13:27, 54 13:56 21:25, Mrk.6:2, Luk.20:7, Jhn.2:9, Jas.4:1; of parentage, Jhn.7:27-28; (with) of cause: Mrk.8:4 12:37, Luk.1:43, Jhn.1:49 4:11.† (AS)

[come] disputesπόλεμοιpolemoiG4171
war

πόλεμος (polemos) πόλεμος, -ον, ό [in LXX chiefly for מִלְחָמָה ;] 1. war: Mat.24:6, Mrk.13:7, Luk.14:31 21:9, Heb.11:34; π. ποιεῖν, before μετά, with genitive (cf. πολεμέω), Rev.11:7 12:17 13:7 19:19. 2. = μάχη, a fight, battle: 1Co.14:8, Rev.9:7, 9 12:7 16:14 20:8; hyperb., of private quarrels (cf. πολεμέω), Jas.4:1.† (AS)

andκαὶkaiG2532
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. …

quarrelsμάχαιmachaiG3163
quarrel

μάχη (machē) μάχη, -ης, ἡ (μάχομαι), [in LXX chiefly for רִיב ;] 1. a fight. 2. a strife, contention, quarrel: 2Co.7:5, 2Ti.2:23, Jas.4:1; pl., Tit.3:9.† (AS)

amongἐνenG1722
in/on/among

ἐν (en) ἐν, prep, (the most frequently of all in NT), with dative (= Heb. בְּ, Lat. in, with abl.). I. Of place, with dative of thing(s), of person(s), in, within, on, at, by, among: ἐν τ. πόλει, Luk.7:37; τ. οφθαλμῷ, Mat.7:3; τ. κοιλίᾳ, Mat.12:40; τ. ὄρει, 2Pe.1:18; τ. θρόνῳ, Rev.3:21; τ. δεξιᾷ τ. θεοῦ, Rom.8:34; ἐν ἡμῖν Abbott-Smith has ὑμῖν., Luk.1:1; of books, ἐν τ. βιβλίῳ, Gal.3:10; τ. νόμῳ, Mat.12:5, al.; ἐν τοῖς τ. Πατρός, in my Father's house (RV; cf. M, Pr., 103), Luk.2:49; trop., of the region of thought or feeling, ἐν τ. καρδίᾳ (-αις), Mat.5:28, 2Co.4:6, al.; τ. συνειδήσεσιν, 2Co.5:11; af …

you?ὑμῖν;huminG4771
you

σέ (se) 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; …

SurelyοὐκoukG3756
no

οὐ (ou) οὐ, before a vowel with smooth breathing οὐκ, before one with rough breathing οὐχ (but improperly οὐχ ἰδού, Act.2:7, WH, mg.; cf. WH, Intr., §409; M, Pr., 44, 244), [in LXX for אֵין ,אַיִן ,לֹא ;] neg. particle, not, no, used generally with indic, and for a denial of fact (cf . μή); 1. absol. (accented), οὔ, no: Mat.13:29 Jhn.1:21 21:5; οὒ οὕ, Mat.5:37 Jas.5:12. …

from there,ἐντεῦθεν,enteuthenG1782
from here

ἐντεῦθεν, ἔνθεν (enteuthen, enthen) ἐντεῦθεν adv. (ἔνθεν), [in LXX chiefly for זֶה ;] 1. of place, hence: Luk.4:9 13:31, Jhn.2:16 7:3 14:31 18:36; ἐ. καὶ ἐ. (for cl. ἔνθεν κ. ἔνθεν), on this side and on that, on each side, Jhn.19:18; similarly, ἐ. καὶ ἐκεῖθεν, Rev.22:2. 2. Of time, thereupon. 3. Causal; hence, therefore: Jas.4:1.† ἔνθεν, adv., [in LXX for זֶה, פֹּה, etc. ;] hence: Mat.17:20, Luk.16:26.† (AS)

out ofἐκekG1537
out from

ἐκ (ek) ἐκ (ἐξ), prep. with genitive, from out of, from (see Addendum, p. 492). This entry is included here, but in the print version the entry is found on p. 492. ἐκ, before a vowel ἐξ, prep. with genitive, of motion outwards, separation from (opposite to εἰς; = Lat. e, ex), from out of, from among, from. I. Of Place, …

passionsἡδονῶνhēdonōnG2237
pleasure

ἡδονή (hēdonē) ἡδονή, -ῆς, ἡ (ἥδομαι, to be glad) [in LXX: Num.11:8 (טַעַם), Pro.17:1, Wis.7:2 16:20, and frequently in 4Mac ;] pleasure: 2Pe.2:13; pl., Luk.8:14, Tit.3:3, Jas.4:1, † (AS)

of youὑμῶνhumōnG4771
you

σέ (se) 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; …

warringστρατευομένωνstrateuomenōnG4754
to battle

στρατεύω (strateuō) στρατεύω and depon., -ομαι, so always in NT (στρατός, an encamped army), [in LXX for מההּ hith., יָצָא, צָבָא; metaphorically, 4Ma.9:23 ;] used of the general, to make war, do battle, and (chiefly) of the soldiers serving under him, to serve as a soldier: Luk.3:14, 1Co.9:7, 2Ti.2:4. Metaphorical (cf. MM, ii, xxiii), of spiritual conflict, to war, make war: 2Co.10:3, 1Ti.1:18, Jas.4:1, 1Pe.2:11.† (AS)

inἐνenG1722
in/on/among

ἐν (en) ἐν, prep, (the most frequently of all in NT), with dative (= Heb. בְּ, Lat. in, with abl.). I. Of place, with dative of thing(s), of person(s), in, within, on, at, by, among: ἐν τ. πόλει, Luk.7:37; τ. οφθαλμῷ, Mat.7:3; τ. κοιλίᾳ, Mat.12:40; τ. ὄρει, 2Pe.1:18; τ. θρόνῳ, Rev.3:21; τ. δεξιᾷ τ. θεοῦ, Rom.8:34; ἐν ἡμῖν Abbott-Smith has ὑμῖν., Luk.1:1; of books, ἐν τ. βιβλίῳ, Gal.3:10; τ. νόμῳ, Mat.12:5, al.; ἐν τοῖς τ. Πατρός, in my Father's house (RV; cf. M, Pr., 103), Luk.2:49; trop., of the region of thought or feeling, ἐν τ. καρδίᾳ (-αις), Mat.5:28, 2Co.4:6, al.; τ. συνειδήσεσιν, 2Co.5:11; af …

membersμέλεσινmelesinG3196
member

μέλος (melos) μέλος, -ους, τό [in LXX chiefly for נֵתַח ;] a member, limb of the body: 1Co.12:14 12:19 12:26 Eph.4:16 (WH, mg.), Jas.3:5; pl. (as always in cl.), τὰ μ. : Mat.5:29-30, Rom.6:13, 19 7:5, 23 12:4, 1Co.12:12 ff, Col.3:5, Jas.3:6 4:1. Metaphorical, πόρνης, 1Co.6:15; of Christians, μ. ἀλλήλων, Rom.12:5, Eph.4:25; Χριστοῦ, 1Co.6:15; σώματος Χριστοῦ, 1Co.12:27, Eph.5:30.† (AS)

of you?ὑμῶν;humōnG4771
you

σέ (se) 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; …

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