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

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

2You 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.

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

4You 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.

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

6But 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]ΠόθενG4159AdverbconflictsπόλεμοιG4171Noun - Nominative Masculine PluralandκαὶG2532Conjunction-πόθενG4159AdverbquarrelsμάχαιG3163Noun - Nominative Feminine PluralamongἐνG1722PrepositionyouὑμῖνG4771Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person PluralDon’t [they]οὐκG3756Adverb[come]ἐντεῦθενG1782AdverbfromἐκG1537Preposition[the]ὑμῶνG4771Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural-τῶνG3588Article - Genitive Feminine PluralpassionsἡδονῶνG2237Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural-τῶνG3588Article - Genitive Feminine Pluralat warστρατευομένωνG4754Verb - Present Participle Middle - Genitive Feminine PluralwithinἐνG1722PrepositionyouὑμῶνG4771Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural. . .τοῖςG3588Article - Dative Neuter Plural. . .μέλεσινG3196Noun - Dative Neuter Plural

BSB notes

  • Literally passions warring among your members?
Verse 2

Original words

You craveἐπιθυμεῖτεG1937Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural[what]καὶG2532Conjunction{you do} notοὐκG3756AdverbhaveἔχετεG2192Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Pluralyou killφονεύετεG5407Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person PluralandκαὶG2532ConjunctioncovetζηλοῦτεG2206Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person PluralbutκαὶG2532ConjunctionvvvοὐG3756Adverbare unableδύνασθεG1410Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Pluralto obtain [it]ἐπιτυχεῖνG2013Verb - Aorist Infinitive ActiveYou quarrelμάχεσθεG3164Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person PluralandκαὶG2532ConjunctionfightπολεμεῖτεG4170Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person PluralvvvοὐκG3756AdverbYou do not haveἔχετεG2192Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person PluralbecauseδιὰG1223PrepositionyouὑμᾶςG4771Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 2nd Person Plural{do} notμὴG3361Adverb-τὸG3588Article - Accusative Neuter SingularaskαἰτεῖσθαιG154Verb - Present Infinitive Middle
Verse 3

Original words

[And when] you do askαἰτεῖτεG154Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural. . .καὶG2532Conjunction{you do} notοὐG3756AdverbreceiveλαμβάνετεG2983Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person PluralbecauseδιότιG1360Conjunctionyou askαἰτεῖσθεG154Verb - Present Indicative Middle - 2nd Person Pluralwith wrong motivesκακῶςG2560AdverbthatἵναG2443Conjunctionyou may squander [it]δαπανήσητεG1159Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person PluralonἐνG1722PrepositionyourὑμῶνG4771Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural-ταῖςG3588Article - Dative Feminine PluralpleasuresἡδοναῖςG2237Noun - Dative Feminine Plural
Verse 4

Original words

[You] adulteressesΜοιχαλίδεςG3428Noun - Vocative Feminine PluralvvvοὐκG3756AdverbDo you not knowοἴδατεG1492Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 2nd Person PluralthatὅτιG3754Conjunction-G3588Article - Nominative Feminine SingularfriendshipφιλίαG5373Noun - Nominative Feminine Singularwith theτοῦG3588Article - Genitive Masculine SingularworldκόσμουG2889Noun - Genitive Masculine SingularisἐστινG1510Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularhostilityἔχθραG2189Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular[toward]τοῦG3588Article - Genitive Masculine SingularGodΘεοῦG2316Noun - Genitive Masculine SingularThereforeοὖνG3767ConjunctionwhoeverὃςG3739Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular. . .ἐὰνG1437ConjunctionchoosesβουληθῇG1014Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 3rd Person Singularto beεἶναιG1510Verb - Present Infinitive Activea friendφίλοςG5384Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singularof theτοῦG3588Article - Genitive Masculine SingularworldκόσμουG2889Noun - Genitive Masculine Singularrenders himselfκαθίσταταιG2525Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singularan enemyἐχθρὸςG2190Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular-τοῦG3588Article - Genitive Masculine Singularof GodΘεοῦG2316Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular

BSB notes

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

Original words

OrG2228Conjunctiondo you thinkδοκεῖτεG1380Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural-ὅτιG3754ConjunctiontheG3588Article - Nominative Feminine SingularScriptureγραφὴG1124Noun - Nominative Feminine SingularsaysλέγειG3004Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singularwithout reason [that]κενῶςG2761AdverbtheτὸG3588Article - Accusative Neuter SingularSpiritπνεῦμαG4151Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular-G3739Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter SingularHe caused to dwellκατῴκισενG2730Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularinἐνG1722PrepositionusἡμῖνG1473Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person PluralyearnsἐπιποθεῖG1971Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularwithΠρὸςG4314PrepositionenvyφθόνονG5355Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular

BSB notes

  • Or the spirit
Verse 6

Original words

ButδὲG1161ConjunctionHe gives [us]δίδωσινG1325Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingularmoreμείζοναG3173Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular - ComparativegraceχάρινG5485Noun - Accusative Feminine SingularThis is whyδιὸG1352Conjunctionit saysλέγειG3004Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular-G3588Article - Nominative Masculine SingularGodΘεὸςG2316Noun - Nominative Masculine SingularopposesἀντιτάσσεταιG498Verb - Present Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular[the] proudὑπερηφάνοιςG5244Adjective - Dative Masculine PluralbutδὲG1161ConjunctiongivesδίδωσινG1325Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person SingulargraceχάρινG5485Noun - Accusative Feminine Singularto [the] humbleταπεινοῖςG5011Adjective - 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.