James 5:1-20
REBUKE AND ENCOURAGEMENT 2. Are corrupted, etc.] prophetic tense, in which the future is spoken of as though it were already come to pass.... [ Continue Reading ]
REBUKE AND ENCOURAGEMENT 2. Are corrupted, etc.] prophetic tense, in which the future is spoken of as though it were already come to pass.... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THE LAST DAYS] RV '_in_ the last days.' The warning was fulfilled during the siege of Jerusalem, when many rich Jews were slain by Zealots (Jos. 'Wars,' 5. 10).... [ Continue Reading ]
LORD OF SABAOTH] an OT. phrase = 'Lord of Hosts.' It is not found elsewhere in the NT., except once in a quotation (Romans 9:29).... [ Continue Reading ]
AS IN A DAY OF SLAUGHTER] omit 'as,' and cp. Jeremiah 12:3; Jeremiah 25:34.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE JUST] RV 'righteous one,' may refer (as Acts 3:14; Acts 7:52) to our Lord, but is perhaps a general statement, although in that case the plural rather than the singular would naturally be used. 7-11. A message of patience and hope to the persecuted Christians.... [ Continue Reading ]
There will be a final Judgment, when justice will be done. Therefore BE PATIENT (better, 'longsuffering,' Romans 2:4).... [ Continue Reading ]
THE COMING OF THE LORD] here clearly the reference is to the Lord Christ, to whom St. James applies the sacred Name given by the Jews to God the Father. To a Christian Jew the promise was fulfilled in the siege and destruction of Jerusalem. EARLY AND LATTER RAIN] Another illustration from Palestine... [ Continue Reading ]
Do not let your irritation and soreness at outside oppression vent itself in impatience and grumbling towards one another.... [ Continue Reading ]
PATIENCE] better, 'endurance.' This is the only NT. reference to Job, though the book is quoted 1 Corinthians 3:19. END OF THE LORD] In the end God turned Job's sorrow into joy, and showed that He is full of compassion and mercy.... [ Continue Reading ]
See Matthew 5:33. It was a common Jewish sin to confirm statements by an oath or curse (Matthew 23:16; Mark 14:71). The question of judicial oaths is not touched either here or in the Gospels. ABOVE ALL THINGS] i.e. in your controversies and quarrels (referring back to James 5:9) 'avoid especially t... [ Continue Reading ]
The true means of sanctifying times of excitement, whether joyful or sorrowful. We must make the worship of God the outlet for our emotion. 14-16. In order to understand this passage, round which much controversy has raged, we must remember that it was, and is, a Jewish custom for a sick man to make... [ Continue Reading ]
CONFESS YOUR FAULTS] RV 'Confess _therefore_ your sins,' referring back to the previous vv. St. James is throughout talking about the confession of a sick man to the elders. He does not touch upon the wider question of the lawfulness of confession generally. THE EFFECTUAL FERVENT PRAYER OF A RIGHTE... [ Continue Reading ]
The glorious privilege of the man who brings a human soul to repent and believe. He saves a soul from spiritual death, and is himself blessed.... [ Continue Reading ]
The concluding words (quoted from Proverbs 10:12 and found also in 1 Peter 4:8) are usually referred to the sinner. But passages like Sir 3:30; Daniel 4:27; Tob 4:10; Tob 12:9 show that the later Jews held that good deeds blot out the sins of those who do them. Probably St. James has these passages... [ Continue Reading ]