James 4

James · Chapter 4

James 4:8

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
8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.

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

Why this verse matters here"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." James 4:7James 4:8James 4:10

Who, where and when in this chapter

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
do draw nearἐγγίσατεengisateG1448
to come near

ἐγγίζω (engizō) ἐγγίζω (ἐγγύς). [in LXX for נגשׁ, קרב, etc. ;] 1. trans., to bring near: Gen.48:10, Isa.5:8. 2. Intrans., to come near: absol., Mat.26:46, Mrk.14:42, Luk.18:40 19:41 21:20, 28 24:15, Act.21:33 23:15; with adv., ὅπου, Luk.12:33; with dative, Luk.7:12 15:1, Luke.15.25 22:47, Act.9:3 10:9 22:6; τ. θεῷ, Heb.7:19, Jas.4:8; before εἰς, Mat.21:1, Mrk.11:1, Luk.18:35 19:29 24:28; πρός, with dative, Luk.19:37; μέχρι θανάτου, Php.2:30; of time, ὥρα, Mat.26:45; ἡμέρα, Rom.13:12, Heb.10:25; καιρός, Mat.21:34, Luk.21:8; χρόνος, Act.7:17; ἑορτή, Luk.22:1; παρουσία, Jas.5:8; τέλος, 1Pe.4:7; ἐρήμωσις, Luk. …

to GodθεῷtheōG2316
God

θεός (theos) θεός, -οῦ, ὁ, ἡ (Act.19:37 only; see M, Pr., 60, 244), late voc., θεέ (Mat.27:46; cf. Deu.3:24, al.), [in LXX chiefly for אֱלֹהִים, also for אֵל and other cognate forms, יהוה, etc. ;] a god or deity, God. 1. In polytheistic sense, a god or deity: Act.28:6, 1Co.8:4, 2Th.2:4, al.; pl., Ac. 14:11 19:26, Gal.4:8, al. 2. Of the one true God; …

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. …

He will draw nearἐγγιεῖengieiG1448
to come near

ἐγγίζω (engizō) ἐγγίζω (ἐγγύς). [in LXX for נגשׁ, קרב, etc. ;] 1. trans., to bring near: Gen.48:10, Isa.5:8. 2. Intrans., to come near: absol., Mat.26:46, Mrk.14:42, Luk.18:40 19:41 21:20, 28 24:15, Act.21:33 23:15; with adv., ὅπου, Luk.12:33; with dative, Luk.7:12 15:1, Luke.15.25 22:47, Act.9:3 10:9 22:6; τ. θεῷ, Heb.7:19, Jas.4:8; before εἰς, Mat.21:1, Mrk.11:1, Luk.18:35 19:29 24:28; πρός, with dative, Luk.19:37; μέχρι θανάτου, Php.2:30; of time, ὥρα, Mat.26:45; ἡμέρα, Rom.13:12, Heb.10:25; καιρός, Mat.21:34, Luk.21:8; χρόνος, Act.7:17; ἑορτή, Luk.22:1; παρουσία, Jas.5:8; τέλος, 1Pe.4:7; ἐρήμωσις, Luk. …

to 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; …

do cleanseκαθαρίσατεkatharisateG2511
to clean

καθαρίζω (katharizō) καθαρίζω (Hellenistic-FlJ, Inscr.-for Attic καθαίρω, which see, on the vulgar -ερ-, Mat.8:3, Mrk.1:42, see Bl., § 6, 1; Thackeray, Gr., 74) [in LXX chiefly for טָהֵר ;] to cleanse, make clean. 1. In physical sense: with accusative of thing(s), figuratively, Mat.23:25-26, Luk.11:39; of disease (leprosy), with accusative of person(s), Mat.8:2-3 10:8 11:5, Mrk.1:40-42 Luk.4:27 5:12-13 7:22 17:14, 17; ἡ λέπρα ἐκαθερίσθη (on the spelling see supr.), Mat.8:3. …

[your] hands,χεῖρας,cheirasG5495
hand

χείρ (cheir) χείρ, genitive, χειρος (accusative, χεῖραν, 1Pe.5:6 T), ἡ, [in LXX chiefly for יָד ;] the hand: Mat.3:12, Mrk.3:1, Luk.6:6, al. mult.; ἡ χ., acting subject, Luk.22:21; pl., Act.17:25 20:34, 1Jn.1:1; τ. ἔργα τῶν χ., Act.7:41, Rev.9:20; ὁ ἀσπασμὸς τ. ἐμῇ χ., 1Co.16:21, Col.4:18, 2Th.3:17; prepositional phrases, esp. those without art., similar to Heb. constructions (Bl., §32, 4; 40, 9; 46, 9), ἐν χ.; with genitive (Lft., in l.), Gal.3:19; σὺν χ. ἀγγέλου, Act.7:35; διὰ (τῶν) χειρῶν (διὰ χειρός), Mrk.6:2, Act.5:12 7:25, al.; ἐπὶ χειρῶν, Mat.4:6, Luk.4:11; ellipse of χ. (ἡ δεξία, ἀριστερα; Bl., § …

[you] sinners,ἁμαρτωλοί,hamartōloiG0268
sinful

ἁμαρτωλός (hamartōlos) ἁμαρτωλός, -όν (ἁμαρτάνω), [in LXX chiefly for רָשָׁע ;] sinful, a sinner: of all men, 1Ti.1:15; of those especially wicked, 1Ti.1:9, 1Pe.4:18; p1., Mat.9:10-13 11:19 26:45, al. (see MM, VGT, see word; Cremer, 102, 634) (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. …

do purifyἁγνίσατεhagnisateG0048
to purify

ἁγνίζω (hagnizō) ἁγνίζω (> ἁγνός), [in LXX always ceremonially, chiefly for קָדַשׁ ;] to purify, cleanse from defilement; (a) ceremonially: Jhn.11:55, Act.21:24, 26 24:18; (b) morally: Jas.4:8, 1Pe.1:22, 1Jn.3:3. † SYN.: καθαρίζω, which see (and see: ἁγνός). (AS)

hearts,καρδίας,kardiasG2588
heart

καρδία (kardia) καρδία, -ας, ἡ, [in LXX chiefly for לֵבָב ,לֵב ;] the heart, 1. the bodily organ which is regarded as the seat of life ( 2Ki.18:14, 4Ki.9:24, al.). 2. In a psychological sense, the seat of man's collective energies, the focus of personal life, the seat of the rational as well as the emotional and volitional elements in human life, hence that wherein lies the moral and religious condition of the man (DB, ii, 317f.; DGG, ii, 344a); (a) of the seat of physical life ( Jdg.19:5, Psa.101 (102):5 103 (104):15): Act.14:17, Jas.5:5; …

[you] double-minded.δίψυχοι.dipsuchoiG1374
double-minded

δίψυχος (dipsuchos) δίψυχος, -ον (δίς, ψυχή), of two minds, wavering: Jas.1:8 4:8 (Cremer, 588; DB, iv, 528).† (AS)

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