Focused Passage

James 4:1-6

Worldliness, Humility, and Life Under God’s Will

James moves from exposing quarrels as the fruit of disordered desires, to rebuking worldliness as spiritual adultery, to calling for humble repentance before God, to condemning slanderous judgment, and finally to warning against arrogant planning that forgets the Lord’s will.

Berean Standard Bible, Public Domain - Translation notes - Reference sources

1 What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?

2 You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.

3 And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.

4 You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.

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

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

Study Helps

References and Original Words

Verse 1

Original words

What [causes] Πόθεν G4159 Adverb conflicts πόλεμοι G4171 Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural and καὶ G2532 Conjunction - πόθεν G4159 Adverb quarrels μάχαι G3163 Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural among ἐν G1722 Preposition you ὑμῖν G4771 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural Don’t [they] οὐκ G3756 Adverb [come] ἐντεῦθεν G1782 Adverb from ἐκ G1537 Preposition [the] ὑμῶν G4771 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural - τῶν G3588 Article - Genitive Feminine Plural passions ἡδονῶν G2237 Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural - τῶν G3588 Article - Genitive Feminine Plural at war στρατευομένων G4754 Verb - Present Participle Middle - Genitive Feminine Plural within ἐν G1722 Preposition you ὑμῶν G4771 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural . . . τοῖς G3588 Article - Dative Neuter Plural . . . μέλεσιν G3196 Noun - Dative Neuter Plural

BSB notes

  • Literally passions warring among your members?
Verse 2

Original words

You crave ἐπιθυμεῖτε G1937 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural [what] καὶ G2532 Conjunction {you do} not οὐκ G3756 Adverb have ἔχετε G2192 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural you kill φονεύετε G5407 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural and καὶ G2532 Conjunction covet ζηλοῦτε G2206 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural but καὶ G2532 Conjunction vvv οὐ G3756 Adverb are unable δύνασθε G1410 Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Plural to obtain [it] ἐπιτυχεῖν G2013 Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active You quarrel μάχεσθε G3164 Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Plural and καὶ G2532 Conjunction fight πολεμεῖτε G4170 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural vvv οὐκ G3756 Adverb You do not have ἔχετε G2192 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural because διὰ G1223 Preposition you ὑμᾶς G4771 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 2nd Person Plural {do} not μὴ G3361 Adverb - τὸ G3588 Article - Accusative Neuter Singular ask αἰτεῖσθαι G154 Verb - Present Infinitive Middle
Verse 3

Original words

[And when] you do ask αἰτεῖτε G154 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural . . . καὶ G2532 Conjunction {you do} not οὐ G3756 Adverb receive λαμβάνετε G2983 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural because διότι G1360 Conjunction you ask αἰτεῖσθε G154 Verb - Present Indicative Middle - 2nd Person Plural with wrong motives κακῶς G2560 Adverb that ἵνα G2443 Conjunction you may squander [it] δαπανήσητε G1159 Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person Plural on ἐν G1722 Preposition your ὑμῶν G4771 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural - ταῖς G3588 Article - Dative Feminine Plural pleasures ἡδοναῖς G2237 Noun - Dative Feminine Plural
Verse 4

Original words

[You] adulteresses Μοιχαλίδες G3428 Noun - Vocative Feminine Plural vvv οὐκ G3756 Adverb Do you not know οἴδατε G1492 Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural that ὅτι G3754 Conjunction - G3588 Article - Nominative Feminine Singular friendship φιλία G5373 Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular with the τοῦ G3588 Article - Genitive Masculine Singular world κόσμου G2889 Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular is ἐστιν G1510 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular hostility ἔχθρα G2189 Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular [toward] τοῦ G3588 Article - Genitive Masculine Singular God Θεοῦ G2316 Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular Therefore οὖν G3767 Conjunction whoever ὃς G3739 Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular . . . ἐὰν G1437 Conjunction chooses βουληθῇ G1014 Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 3rd Person Singular to be εἶναι G1510 Verb - Present Infinitive Active a friend φίλος G5384 Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular of the τοῦ G3588 Article - Genitive Masculine Singular world κόσμου G2889 Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular renders himself καθίσταται G2525 Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular an enemy ἐχθρὸς G2190 Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular - τοῦ G3588 Article - Genitive Masculine Singular of God Θεοῦ G2316 Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular

BSB notes

  • See Hosea 3:1.
  • Or is appointed
Verse 5

Original words

Or G2228 Conjunction do you think δοκεῖτε G1380 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural - ὅτι G3754 Conjunction the G3588 Article - Nominative Feminine Singular Scripture γραφὴ G1124 Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular says λέγει G3004 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular without reason [that] κενῶς G2761 Adverb the τὸ G3588 Article - Accusative Neuter Singular Spirit πνεῦμα G4151 Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular - G3739 Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular He caused to dwell κατῴκισεν G2730 Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular in ἐν G1722 Preposition us ἡμῖν G1473 Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person Plural yearns ἐπιποθεῖ G1971 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular with Πρὸς G4314 Preposition envy φθόνον G5355 Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular

BSB notes

  • Or the spirit
Verse 6

Original words

But δὲ G1161 Conjunction He gives [us] δίδωσιν G1325 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular more μείζονα G3173 Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular - Comparative grace χάριν G5485 Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular This is why διὸ G1352 Conjunction it says λέγει G3004 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular - G3588 Article - Nominative Masculine Singular God Θεὸς G2316 Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular opposes ἀντιτάσσεται G498 Verb - Present Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular [the] proud ὑπερηφάνοις G5244 Adjective - Dative Masculine Plural but δὲ G1161 Conjunction gives δίδωσιν G1325 Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular grace χάριν G5485 Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular to [the] humble ταπεινοῖς G5011 Adjective - Dative Masculine Plural

BSB notes

  • Proverbs 3:34 (see also LXX)

Berean Standard Bible (BSB): CC0 Public Domain Scripture text. Focused passages are drawn from the same reader contract as the full chapter. Reference sources explains external study-link sources.