James / Chapter 5

James 5

20 verses • SBL Greek New Testament

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

James 5 opens with a thundering prophetic denunciation of the rich who have hoarded wealth, defrauded workers, and lived in self-indulgent luxury (vv. 1-6). The tone then shifts to pastoral encouragement: believers are called to patience until the Lord's coming, following the example of the prophets and Job (vv. 7-11). The chapter addresses oath-taking (v. 12), prayer in suffering, singing in cheerfulness, and the anointing of the sick by elders (vv. 13-15). It closes with the confession of sins, the power of Elijah-like prayer, and the restoration of wandering believers (vv. 16-20).

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The denunciation of the rich (vv. 1-6) is among the most ferocious social criticism in the New Testament, rivaling the prophetic oracles of Amos and Isaiah. The rust on hoarded gold and silver will 'testify against you' and 'eat your flesh like fire' — wealth itself becomes the instrument of judgment. The prayer-and-anointing passage (vv. 14-15) has shaped Christian practice for two millennia, from Catholic last rites to Protestant healing ministries. The closing verses (19-20) contain no formal farewell — the letter simply ends with the urgency of rescuing the wanderer, as if James cannot be bothered with epistolary conventions when souls are at stake.

Translation Friction

The relationship between James's denunciation of the rich (vv. 1-6) and his audience is debated — are these rich people within the church or outsiders? The shift to 'brothers and sisters' in verse 7 suggests the rich of verses 1-6 may be outside the community, but the warning still functions for believers. The anointing with oil (v. 14) may be medicinal (olive oil was used therapeutically), sacramental, or both — the text does not separate the physical from the spiritual. The phrase 'the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick' (v. 15) must be read alongside the letter's emphasis on God's sovereignty (4:15).

Connections

The condemnation of the rich echoes Amos 2:6-7, 5:11-12, and Isaiah 5:8-9. 'The Lord of hosts' (v. 4) is a rare NT use of the title Kyrios Sabaōth, drawn from Isaiah 5:9 (LXX). The farmer's patience (v. 7) echoes Deuteronomy 11:14. Job's endurance (v. 11) connects to the book of Job and the 'compassion of the Lord' echoes Exodus 34:6. The Elijah prayer passage (vv. 17-18) draws on 1 Kings 17-18. The restoration of wanderers (vv. 19-20) echoes Ezekiel 34 and Jesus's parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7).

James 5:1

Ἄγε νῦν οἱ πλούσιοι, κλαύσατε ὀλολύζοντες ἐπὶ ταῖς ταλαιπωρίαις ὑμῶν ταῖς ἐπερχομέναις.

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.

KJV Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The opening age nyn ('come now') echoes 4:13 but now addresses the rich directly. The verb ololyzontes ('howling, wailing') is an onomatopoeic word used in the prophets for the shrieking of those under divine judgment (Isaiah 13:6, 14:31 LXX). The miseries (talaipōriais) are not present but eperchomenais ('coming, approaching') — eschatological judgment is on the way.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 13:6. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
James 5:2

ὁ πλοῦτος ὑμῶν σέσηπεν, καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν σητόβρωτα γέγονεν,

Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.

KJV Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The perfect tenses sesēpen ('have rotted') and gegonen ('have become') present the decay as already accomplished — from God's perspective, the judgment is already underway. Hoarded wealth is not merely useless but actively decomposing. Garments were a primary form of stored wealth in the ancient world (cf. Acts 20:33), making moth damage a vivid image of wealth's impermanence.
James 5:3

ὁ χρυσὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται, καὶ ὁ ἰὸς αὐτῶν εἰς μαρτύριον ὑμῖν ἔσται καὶ φάγεται τὰς σάρκας ὑμῶν ὡς πῦρ. ἐθησαυρίσατε ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις.

Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.

KJV Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Gold and silver do not literally rust, but James uses katiōtai ('has corroded') to make a theological point: hoarded wealth self-destructs. The corrosion (ios) serves double duty — it testifies against the hoarders at judgment (martyrion) and consumes their flesh like fire (phageai tas sarkas). The final phrase is devastating: ethēsaurisate en eschatais hēmerais — 'you have treasured up in the last days.' With judgment imminent, hoarding is not merely foolish but insane.
James 5:4

ἰδοὺ ὁ μισθὸς τῶν ἐργατῶν τῶν ἀμησάντων τὰς χώρας ὑμῶν ὁ ἀπεστερημένος ἀφ' ὑμῶν κράζει, καὶ αἱ βοαὶ τῶν θερισάντων εἰς τὰ ὦτα κυρίου σαβαὼθ εἰσελήλυθαν.

Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

KJV Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth; and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

σαβαώθ sabaōth
"hosts" — hosts, armies, heavenly powers

A Hebrew loanword (tseva'ot) left untranslated in the Greek, preserving the original prophetic force. 'The LORD of hosts' is one of the most frequent divine titles in the Hebrew prophets, emphasizing God's sovereign command over all powers, earthly and heavenly.

Translator Notes

  1. The personification is extraordinary: the withheld wages themselves krazei ('cry out') — echoing the blood of Abel crying from the ground (Genesis 4:10). Wage theft violates Leviticus 19:13 and Deuteronomy 24:14-15. The title Kyrios Sabaōth ('Lord of hosts/armies') appears only here and in Romans 9:29 in the New Testament (both quoting Isaiah). It emphasizes God's power to act on behalf of the oppressed. The defrauded workers have an advocate who commands armies.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Genesis 4:10. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Leviticus 19:13. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
  4. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Deuteronomy 24:14-15. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
James 5:5

ἐτρυφήσατε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐσπαταλήσατε, ἐθρέψατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ σφαγῆς.

You have lived on the earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.

KJV Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verbs etryphēsate ('lived in luxury') and espatalēsate ('lived self-indulgently, lived wantonly') describe extravagant consumption. The image shifts to cattle: ethrepsate tas kardias hymōn ('you fattened your hearts') pictures the rich as livestock being fattened for hēmera sphagēs ('a day of slaughter'). The day of slaughter is the day of judgment — and the rich have been preparing themselves for it through their own indulgence. The irony is brutal: they think they are feasting; they are actually being fattened for the kill.
James 5:6

κατεδικάσατε, ἐφονεύσατε τὸν δίκαιον· οὐκ ἀντιτάσσεται ὑμῖν.

You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

KJV Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The climax of the indictment: the rich have used the legal system (katedikasate, 'condemned in court') to destroy (ephoneusate, 'murdered') the righteous person (ton dikaion). The singular 'the righteous one' may refer to a specific person (possibly Jesus, or James the Just himself), or to a type — the vulnerable righteous person who cannot fight back. The final clause ouk antitassetai hymin ('he does not resist you') underscores the victim's helplessness and, by implication, the gravity of the crime. The same verb (antitassetai) was used in verse 4:6 of God opposing the proud — the righteous does not resist, but God will.
James 5:7

Μακροθυμήσατε οὖν, ἀδελφοί, ἕως τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ κυρίου. ἰδοὺ ὁ γεωργὸς ἐκδέχεται τὸν τίμιον καρπὸν τῆς γῆς, μακροθυμῶν ἐπ' αὐτῷ ἕως λάβῃ πρόϊμον καὶ ὄψιμον.

Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.

KJV Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

παρουσία parousia
"coming" — coming, arrival, presence, advent

A term used in the Hellenistic world for the official visit of a king or emperor. In Christian usage it became the standard term for Christ's return in glory. James uses it without elaboration, assuming the expectation is shared.

Translator Notes

  1. The tone shifts dramatically from judgment oracle to pastoral encouragement. The verb makrothymēsate ('be patient, be long-tempered') is the chapter's keyword, appearing four times (vv. 7, 8, 10). The parousia ('coming, arrival, presence') of the Lord is the hoped-for event that makes present suffering endurable. The farmer analogy is drawn from Palestinian agriculture: the 'early rain' (proimon) comes in October-November to soften the ground for plowing, and the 'late rain' (opsimon) comes in March-April to mature the grain before harvest.
James 5:8

μακροθυμήσατε καὶ ὑμεῖς, στηρίξατε τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν, ὅτι ἡ παρουσία τοῦ κυρίου ἤγγικεν.

You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

KJV Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The command stērixate tas kardias hymōn ('strengthen, establish, make firm your hearts') calls for inner resolve. The assurance that the parousia ēggiken ('has drawn near, is at hand') uses the same verb Jesus used in Mark 1:15: 'The kingdom of God has drawn near.' The nearness of the Lord's coming provides both urgency and comfort.
James 5:9

μὴ στενάζετε, ἀδελφοί, κατ' ἀλλήλων, ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε· ἰδοὺ ὁ κριτὴς πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἕστηκεν.

Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door.

KJV Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb stenazete ('grumble, groan, sigh') refers to complaining against fellow believers under the pressure of suffering — blaming each other rather than enduring together. The image of the Judge standing pro tōn thyrōn ('before the doors') is vivid and immediate: Christ the judge is not distant but at the threshold, about to enter. The urgency makes petty mutual grievances absurd.
James 5:10

ὑπόδειγμα λάβετε, ἀδελφοί, τῆς κακοπαθείας καὶ τῆς μακροθυμίας τοὺς προφήτας οἳ ἐλάλησαν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι κυρίου.

As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

KJV Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The prophets serve as a hypodeigma ('example, model, pattern') of both kakopatheia ('suffering, enduring hardship') and makrothymia ('patience, long-suffering'). The prophets suffered not despite speaking God's word but because of it — their faithfulness to the divine message brought them persecution. The audience is to see their own suffering in this prophetic lineage.
James 5:11

ἰδοὺ μακαρίζομεν τοὺς ὑπομείναντας· τὴν ὑπομονὴν Ἰὼβ ἠκούσατε, καὶ τὸ τέλος κυρίου εἴδετε, ὅτι πολύσπλαγχνός ἐστιν ὁ κύριος καὶ οἰκτίρμων.

Behold, we consider blessed those who remained steadfast. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

KJV Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Job is the supreme Old Testament example of endurance (hypomonē) under suffering whose cause is hidden. The phrase to telos kyriou ('the end/purpose of the Lord') means the outcome that God brought about — Job's restoration (Job 42:10-17). The final description of God as polysplanchnos ('deeply compassionate,' literally 'of many intestines/feelings') is found only here in the New Testament. The companion word oiktirmōn ('merciful, pitying') echoes the great self-description of God in Exodus 34:6.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Job 42:10-17. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Exodus 34:6. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
James 5:12

Πρὸ πάντων δέ, ἀδελφοί μου, μὴ ὀμνύετε, μήτε τὸν οὐρανὸν μήτε τὴν γῆν μήτε ἄλλον τινὰ ὅρκον· ἤτω δὲ ὑμῶν τὸ ναὶ ναὶ καὶ τὸ οὒ οὔ, ἵνα μὴ ὑπὸ κρίσιν πέσητε.

But above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your 'yes' be yes and your 'no' be no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

KJV But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase pro pantōn ('above all, before everything') marks this as a matter of supreme importance. The prohibition against oath-taking closely parallels Jesus's teaching in Matthew 5:33-37. The point is not that oaths are inherently evil but that a community of truth-tellers should need no oaths — their simple word should be sufficient. The warning hypo krisin pesēte ('fall under judgment') connects oath-breaking to the eschatological judgment theme that runs through the chapter.
James 5:13

Κακοπαθεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν; προσευχέσθω. εὐθυμεῖ τις; ψαλλέτω.

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

KJV Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Two terse instructions covering the full range of human experience: suffering (kakopathei) calls for prayer (proseuchesthō), and cheerfulness (euthymei) calls for praise-singing (psalletō). The verb psalletō ('sing praise, make music') originally meant to pluck a stringed instrument and came to mean singing psalms or hymns. Every emotional state has an appropriate spiritual response.
James 5:14

ἀσθενεῖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν; προσκαλεσάσθω τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους τῆς ἐκκλησίας, καὶ προσευξάσθωσαν ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἀλείψαντες αὐτὸν ἐλαίῳ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου·

Is any sick in the midst of you? let him call for the elders of the church. And let them pray over him, anointing him with oil by the authority of the Lord:.

KJV Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The instruction is specific and communal: the sick person (asthenei, 'is weak/ill') initiates by calling (proskalesasthō) the elders (presbyterous), who pray and anoint with olive oil (elaion). The anointing is done en tō onomati tou kyriou ('in the name of the Lord'), indicating that the oil is not merely medicinal but functions as a sign of the Lord's healing power. Olive oil was widely used medicinally in antiquity (cf. Luke 10:34), so the action may be both therapeutic and sacramental.
James 5:15

καὶ ἡ εὐχὴ τῆς πίστεως σώσει τὸν κάμνοντα, καὶ ἐγερεῖ αὐτὸν ὁ κύριος· κἂν ἁμαρτίας ᾖ πεποιηκώς, ἀφεθήσεται αὐτῷ.

And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

KJV And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'prayer of faith' (euchē tēs pisteōs) — not the oil — is the operative element. The verb sōsei ('will save') can mean physical healing or spiritual salvation; both may be intended. The Lord (not the elders) is the one who egerei ('will raise up') the sick person. The conditional clause about sin (kan hamartias ē pepoiēkōs, 'even if he has committed sins') acknowledges a possible connection between sickness and sin without making it automatic — 'if' (kan) leaves the connection open, not assumed.
James 5:16

ἐξομολογεῖσθε οὖν ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁμαρτίας καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, ὅπως ἰαθῆτε. πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

KJV Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The instruction is mutual — allēlois ('to one another') — not hierarchical. Confession is to fellow believers, not exclusively to clergy. The purpose is healing (iathēte), which may be physical, spiritual, or both. The final sentence is often quoted in isolation: deēsis dikaiou energoumenē poly ischyei. The participle energoumenē can be middle ('effective, at work') or passive ('energized by God'). Either way, the point is that righteous prayer is not passive wishing but a powerful force.
James 5:17

Ἠλίας ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁμοιοπαθὴς ἡμῖν, καὶ προσευχῇ προσηύξατο τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι, καὶ οὐκ ἔβρεξεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐνιαυτοὺς τρεῖς καὶ μῆνας ἕξ·

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.

KJV Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. James emphasizes that Elijah was homoiopathēs hēmin ('of like nature/feelings with us') — not a superhuman figure but an ordinary person whose prayer had extraordinary power. The phrase proseuchē prosēuxato ('he prayed with prayer') is a Hebraism (cognate dative) meaning 'he prayed earnestly/fervently.' The three-and-a-half-year drought is drawn from 1 Kings 17-18, though the Old Testament does not specify the exact duration. Luke 4:25 gives the same timeframe.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on 1 Kings 17-18. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
James 5:18

καὶ πάλιν προσηύξατο, καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ὑετὸν ἔδωκεν καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐβλάστησεν τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς.

Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

KJV And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The simplicity is the point: Elijah prayed, and heaven responded. The sequence — rain from heaven, fruit from earth — echoes the farmer analogy of verse 7 and completes the chapter's agricultural imagery. Prayer is the means by which heaven's resources reach earth's needs.
James 5:19

Ἀδελφοί μου, ἐάν τις ἐν ὑμῖν πλανηθῇ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ τις αὐτόν,

My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,

KJV Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The letter closes without a formal farewell, turning instead to the urgent matter of reclaiming the straying. The verb planēthē ('wanders, goes astray, is deceived') is the root of the English 'planet' (wandering star). The 'truth' (alētheias) here encompasses both correct doctrine and faithful living — James makes no separation between the two.
James 5:20

γινωσκέτω ὅτι ὁ ἐπιστρέψας ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ σώσει ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκ θανάτου καὶ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν.

Indeed, let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death, and will hide a crowd of sins.

KJV Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The letter's final sentence is not about personal salvation but about the rescue of others. The one who turns a sinner back sōsei psychēn autou ek thanatou ('will save his soul from death') — the 'his' most naturally refers to the sinner being rescued, though some take it as the rescuer's own soul. The phrase kalypsei plēthos hamartiōn ('will cover a multitude of sins') echoes Proverbs 10:12 and 1 Peter 4:8. To 'cover' sins is to secure their forgiveness. The letter ends as it began — with practical, community-oriented faith that acts.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Proverbs 10:12 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
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