Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?

“Compare 1Jo 2:15, "love . . . the world . . . the love of the Father." whosoever . . . will be--The Greek is emphatic, "shall be resolved to be."”

Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?

“If so translated, "Does the (Holy) Spirit that God hath placed in us lust to (towards) envy" (namely, as ye do in your worldly "wars and fightings")?”

But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

“The quotation here is probably from Pr 3:34; as probably Pr 21:10 was generally referred to in Jas 4:5. In Hebrew it is "scorneth the scorners," namely, those who think "Scripture speaketh in vain."”

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

“Resist . . . devil--Under his banner pride and envy are enlisted in the world; resist his temptations to these. Faith, humble prayers, and heavenly wisdom, are the weapons of resistance. The language is taken from warfare.”

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

“None but the clean-handed can ascend into the hill of the Lord (justified through Christ, who alone was perfectly so, and as such "ascended" thither). purify . . .”

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

“The tree, to grow upwards, must strike its roots deep downwards; so man, to be exalted, must have his mind deep-rooted in humility.”

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it.

“ALFORD rightly takes the "law" to be the old moral law applied in its comprehensive spiritual fulness by Christ: "the law of liberty." if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer . . .”

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.”

“Others read, "To-day and to-morrow." such a city--literally, "this the city" (namely, the one present to the mind of the speaker). This city here. continue . . . a year--rather, "spend one year."”

Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.

“The general principle illustrated by the particular example just discussed is here stated: knowledge without practice is imputed to a man as great and presumptuous sin.”

Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.

“ALFORD translates more literally, "In these last days (before the coming judgment) ye laid up (worldly) treasure" to no profit, instead of repenting and seeking salvation (see on Jas 5:5).”

Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you.

“Sins peculiarly offensive to God are said to "cry" to Him. The rich ought to have given freely to the poor; their not doing so was sin. A still greater sin was their not paying their debts.”

You have condemned and murdered the righteous, who did not resist you.

“Ye have condemned . . . the just--The Greek aorist expresses, "Ye are accustomed to condemn . . . the just." Their condemnation of Christ, "the Just," is foremost in James' mind.”

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.

“Even if English Version be retained, the receiving of the early and latter rains is not to be understood as the object of his hope, but the harvest for which those rains are the necessary preliminary.”

Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!

“The Greek is the same in both passages, and so ought to be translated here as there, "doors," plural. The phrase means "near at hand" (Ge 4:7), which in the oldest interpretations [Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem] is explained, "thy sin is reserved unto the…”

See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord.

“If Job had much to "endure," remember also Job's happy "end." Hence, learn, though much tried, to "endure to the end." that--ALFORD and others translate, "inasmuch as," "for." pitiful . . . of tender mercy--The former refers to the "feeling"; the latter, to the act.”

Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath.

“But above all--as swearing is utterly alien to the Christian meek "endurance" just recommended. swear not--through impatience, to which trials may tempt you (Jas 5:10, 11).”

Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.

“"Let them use oil who can by their prayers obtain recovery for the sick: let those who cannot do this, abstain from using the empty sign" [WHITAKER].”

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.

“A righteous man's prayer is always heard generally, but his particular request for the healing of another was then likely to be granted when he was one possessing a special charism of the Spirit. ALFORD translates, "Availeth much in its working."”

Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.

“ALFORD is wrong in saying, Elias' prayer that it might not rain "is not even hinted at in the Old Testament history."”

My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,

“The blessing of reclaiming an erring sinner by the mutual consent and intercessory prayer just recommended. do err--more literally, "be led astray." the truth--the Gospel doctrine and precepts. one--literally, "any"; as "any" before. Everyone ought to seek the salvation of everyone [BENGEL].”

consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

“The Greek verb in the middle voice requires this. Pr 10:12 refers to charity "covering" the sins of others before men; James to one's effecting by the conversion of another that that other's sins be covered before God, namely, with Christ's atonement.”