From the merely careless rich James turns to the actively oppressive, the fellows of those whom he lashes in James 2:6 f. For him, of course, the prophetic Day of the Lord was more assured and more definite _than_ to the Jews he addressed; he had in thought the apocalypse of Mark 13, which was to re... [ Continue Reading ]
Patience in James 5:7; James 5:10 is different from endurance in n, Hebrews 12:1 f.; it is the opposite of short-temperedness or impatience. The farmer does his work and then can only wait for a harvest which he can do nothing to hurry. The Coming of the Lord is a phrase appropriating to Yahweh and... [ Continue Reading ]
JAMES 5:12. A disconnected maxim, warning Jews against a very prevalent sin, and again directly quoting the unnamed Master (Matthew 5:34 ff; cf. Matthew 23:16). The Quaker-like self-control which makes Yes or No carry more weight than a whole string of oaths, is a virtue not inappropriately commende... [ Continue Reading ]
The key to this hard passage seems to lie in the climax, the example of Elijah, who in 1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 18:41 ff., is not said to have prayed for drought or for rain. His prayer is in the phrase before whom I stand a life in the Presence, bringing with it an instinctive knowledge of God's will;... [ Continue Reading ]
JAMES 5:19 F. These concluding words return to the thought of James 5:16. How great a thing it is to bring back to the truth one who has strayed from it! Understand [see _mg._] that he who has brought a sinner back when he has lost his way will save a life out of death, and - cover a multitude of si... [ Continue Reading ]