James 2:1
in James 2My brothers, as you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
KJV
My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
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This verse in James 2
Commentary
12 notes on this verseMy brothers, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with bias to individuals. "with bias to individuals." For he who does something with respect to individuals fills himself with many blemishes and much reproach, afflicting his neighbor with disgrace, and also himself …
This site's exposition
do not show favoritism
on James 2:1-4
As you hold out your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, do not show favoritism, prosopolempsia, the face-receiving Leviticus 19:15 forbade judges. The scene is set in your meeting, sunagoge, the synagogue's word. Those who seat the rich and stand the poor become judges with evil thoughts.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
What does it matter if you think highly of yourself, when someone else despises you? Are we not all one body, both great and small? Therefore if in principle we are all one and members of each other, why do you mindlessly exalt yourself? Why do you bring shame on your brother? For just as he is a part of you, so you too are a part of him.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Whoever does anything with partiality brings great disgrace upon himself as one who does not respect his fellow and, even before his fellow, himself, because the treatment of one like oneself is also directed back to the one who acts.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
My brethren -- the equality of Christians, intimated by this name, is the ground of the admonition. Hold not the faith of our common Lord, the Lord of glory - Of which glory all who believe in him partake. With respect of persons - That is, honour none merely for being rich; despise none merely for being poor.
My brethren,....
The character of Christians fully implied: they are such as have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ; they embrace it; they receive it; they govern themselves by it; they entertain the doctrine, and submit to the law and government, of Christ; they have it as a trust; they have it as a treasure.
5 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
My brethren - Perhaps meaning brethren in two respects - as Jews, and as Christians. In both respects the form of address would be proper. Have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ - Faith is the distinguishing thing in the Christian religion, for it is this by which man is justified, and hence, it comes to be put for religion itself. Notes, 1Ti 3:
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
brethren--The equality of all Christians as "brethren," forms the groundwork of the admonition. the faith of . . . Christ--that is, the Christian faith.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
My brethren, have not - This verse should be read interrogatively: My brethren, do ye not make profession of the faith or religion of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with acceptance of persons? That is, preferring the rich to the poor merely because of their riches, and not on account of any moral excellence, personal piety, or public usefulness. Πιστις, faith, is put here for religion; and της δοξης, of glory, should, according to some critics, be construed with it as the Syriac and Coptic have done. Some connect it with our Lord Jesus Christ - the religion of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. Others translate thus, the faith of the glory of our Lord Jesus. There are many various readings in the MSS. and versions on this verse: the meaning is clear enough, though the connection be rather obscure.
Modern Voices2 voices
The truth of the matter is really quite simple. An aristocracy is a secret society; and this is especially so when, as in the modern world, it is practically a plutocracy. The one idea of a secret society is to change the password. Lady Grove …
The moderns have invented a much subtler and more poisonous kind of eulogy. The modern method is to take the prince or rich man, to give a credible picture of his type of personality, as that he is business-like, or a sportsman, or fond of …
The words behind it
15 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ἀδελφοί | adelphoi | Brothers | G80 → | 343 times |
| μου, | mou | of Mine, | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| μὴ | me | not | G3361 → | 1066 times |
| ἐν | en | with | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| προσωπολημψίαις | prosopolempsiais | partiality | G4382 → | |
| ἔχετε | echete | do hold | G2192 → | 707 times |
| τὴν | ten | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πίστιν | pistin | faith | G4102 → | 242 times |
| τοῦ | tou | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| κυρίου | kuriou | Lord | G2962 → | 711 times |
| ἡμῶν | hemon | of us | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| Ἰησοῦ | iesou | Jesus | G2424 → | |
| Χριστοῦ | christou | Christ | G5547 → | |
| τῆς | tes | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δόξης. | doxes | of glory. | G1391 → |
ἈδελφοίBrothers
adelphoiG80 →343 times
μου,of Mine,
mouG3165 →1936 times
μὴnot
meG3361 →1066 times
ἐνwith
enG1722 →2738 times
προσωπολημψίαιςpartiality
prosopolempsiaisG4382 →
ἔχετεdo hold
echeteG2192 →707 times
τὴνthe
tenG3588 →19766 times
πίστινfaith
pistinG4102 →242 times
τοῦof the
touG3588 →19766 times
κυρίουLord
kuriouG2962 →711 times
ἡμῶνof us
hemonG3165 →1936 times
ἸησοῦJesus
iesouG2424 →
ΧριστοῦChrist
christouG5547 →
τῆς<the>
tesG3588 →19766 times
δόξης.of glory.
doxesG1391 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
James 2:9But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
it leads to
- Leviticus 19:15
You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
Reached by 4 separate paths from here.
- Leviticus 19:15
Through
Leviticus 19:15You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
it leads to
- Proverbs 24:23
These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 1:17
Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I…
- Deuteronomy 27:19
‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’
- Exodus 23:6–8
You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.
- Proverbs 24:23
Through
Deuteronomy 1:17Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 16:19
Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.
- Exodus 18:26
And they judged the people at all times; they would bring the difficult cases to Moses, but any minor issue they would judge themselves.
- James 2:9
But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
- Deuteronomy 16:19
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About James
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); GK Chesterton, All Things Considered, Demagogues and Mystagogues (1908); GK Chesterton, All Things Considered, The Worship of the Wealthy (1908); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, CATENA; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Oecumenius, Commentary on James and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on James.