James 1:2

πᾶσαν χαράν, all joy, nothing but joy, all that constitutes joy—merum gaudium. Comp. ἐν πάσῃ ὑπομουνῇ, 2 Corinthians 12:12. μετὰ πάσης προθυμίας, Acts 17:11. πᾶν κέρδος ἡγοῦ ζημιουμένη φυγῇ, Eur. Med. 454, ‘pure gain.’ For the use of πᾶσαν compare also χάριν σοι ἔχω πᾶσαν, Arrian Epict. III. 5, ‘I am entirely grateful.’ Winer, P. III. § 18. 4. For the thought comp. 1 Peter 4:13 καθὸ κοινωνεῖτε τοῖς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παθήμασιν χαίρετε, ἵνα καὶ ἐν τῇ�.

ἀδελφοί. The special word for the Christian community, ὑμεῖς�, St Matthew 23:8 : ἐξῆλθεν οὖν ὁ λόγος εἰς τοὺς�.τ.λ., St John 21:23; ἀπαγγείλατε Ἰακώβῳ καὶ τοῖς�, Acts 12:17; just as it denoted the brotherhood of the Jewish Church: ἐξῆλθεν πρὸς τοὺς�, Exodus 2:11. καὶ ἄξουσιν τοὺς�, Isaiah 66:20.

ὅταν περιπέσητε. The aorist points to the several occasions of temptation in each single instance, as often as,—a single act—ye fall, &c., consider it all joy.

περιπίπτειν, to fall around or upon, generally, perhaps always, in connection with things evil: τοιούτῳ μὲν πάθει … περιπεσόντες, Thuc. II. 54. νοσήματι περιπίπτωμεν, Xen. Cyr. VI. 2. 27. ἐαυτῷ περιπίπτειν, ‘to fall into one’s own snare,’ Hdt. I. 108. λῃσταῖς περιέπεσεν, St Luke 10:30. ‘The word brings out the externality of the temptation,’ Mayor.

πειρασμός. Not classical, a proof, putting to the test, trial, temptation, not primarily in the sense of enticement or allurement, though this thought is not excluded, enticement to pleasure being a ‘trial’ as well as pain or persecution. πειρασμός in LXX. is used to translate Hebr. Massah, Exodus 17:7 καὶ ἐπωνόμασεν πειρασμὸς καὶ λοιδόρησις. In the N.T. it is used in an important passage speaking of our Lord’s πειρασμοί: ὑμεῖς δέ ἐστε οἱ διαμεμενηκότες μετʼ ἐμοῦ ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς μου, Luke 22:28. Comp. δακρύων καὶ πειρασμῶν, Acts 20:19. Satan is called ὁ πειράζων Matthew 4:3 and 1 Thessalonians 3:5, where the reference is especially to a test of faith, as here.

ποικίλοις. So also 1 Peter 1:6 ἐν ποικίλοις πειρασμοῖς. Here greater prominence is given to the variety of trials by the position of ποικίλοις at the end of the clause and by its separation from its substantive. The πειρασμοί of the Christian are varied; spiritual, intellectual, sensual. The whole Epistle may be regarded as a treatise on πειρασμοί, and this first clause is in brief the apostle’s answer to the suffering Churches of the dispersion. πειρασμός is necessary to the active exercise of πίστις, and without it ὑπομονή is impossible. The emphatic position of πᾶσαν χαράν shews the importance of the thought.