James 2:14 BSB — MannaFest

James 2:14

What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

What doth it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but have not works? can that faith save him?

KJV

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

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Commentary

2 voices

Bede

Commentary on the Catholic Epistles (735)

What will it profit, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? And so on. Here he discusses the works of mercy more extensively, so that he might console those he had strongly frightened with knowledge preceding, by reminding them …

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

He exposes the error and folly of those who boast of faith without works, telling us that this is but a dead faith, and such a faith as devils have, not the faith of Abraham, or of Rahab,

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

What doth it profit - though a man say he hath faith - We now come to a part of this epistle which has appeared to some eminent men to contradict other portions of the Divine records. In short, it has been thought that James teaches the doctrine of justification by the merit of good works, while Paul asserts this to be insufficient, and that man is justified by faith.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

"Believing and doing are blood relatives" [RUTHERFORD]. What doth it profit--literally, "What is the profit?" though a man say--James' expression is not, "If a man have faith," but "if a man say he hath faith"; referring to a mere profession of faith, such as was usually made at baptism.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

20 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
Τί	Ti	What [is]	G5101 →
τὸ	to	the	G3588 →
ὄφελος,	ophelos	profit,	G3786 →
ἀδελφοί	adelphoi	brothers	G80 →
μου,	mou	of mine,	G3165 →
ἐὰν	ean	if	G1437 →
πίστιν	pistin	faith	G4102 →
λέγῃ	legē	shall say	G3004 →
τις	tis	anyone	G5100 →
ἔχειν,	echein	to have,	G2192 →
ἔργα	erga	works	G2041 →
δὲ	de	however	G1161 →
μὴ	mē	not	G3361 →
ἔχῃ;	echē	he may have?	G2192 →
μὴ	mē	Surely not	G3361 →
δύναται	dunatai	is able	G1410 →
ἡ	hē	the	G3588 →
πίστις	pistis	faith	G4102 →
σῶσαι	sōsai	to save	G4982 →
αὐτόν;	auton	him?	G846 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Titus 1:16
They profess to know God, but by their actions they deny Him. They are detestable, disobedient, and unfit for any good deed.
leads to
- Ezekiel 33:31
  So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest…
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- 1 John 2:4
  If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
- Isaiah 29:13
  Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught…
- Ephesians 5:6
  Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
- 2 Timothy 3:5–8
  having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!
Through
Luke 6:49
But the one who hears My words and does not act on them is like a man who built his house on ground without a foundation. The torrent crashed against that house, and immediately…
leads to
- James 1:22–26
  Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.
- Matthew 13:20–22
  The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
- 1 John 2:3–4
  By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments.

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About James

The Feeding of the Multitude — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

James: the study guide →Read chapter 2 →The featured study →

Continue: James 2 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About James

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About James