Download discussion questions: James 4:1-10
After spending some time looking at the passage individually, our group discussion began with the questions, “What part of this passage do you find the most puzzling or confusing?” “What part seems the most difficult to understand or to explain to another person?” The unanimous answer was verse 5:
Or do you think it’s without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely?
Rather than begin trying to understand that verse, we took the “bony-fish approach” to inductive study.
When you come to a problem in Bible study, treat it as you would a bone while eating a fish. Take the bone out and carry on with the fish. After you have finished the fish, come back and collect the bones.[1]
Like the fish in the illustration, when a passage contains a particularly confusing or perplexing part, see what you can learn from the rest of the passage, then go back to that obscure part. Often the understanding gained from the rest of the text will shed helpful light on the “bony part” of the passage. With that principle in mind, we left verse 5 for the end of the hour (and one member set a timer to make sure we didn’t forget!).
Atmosphere
One of the first observations about this passage is the atmosphere or “tone” of the passage. The tone of a passage may be indicated by emotional terms that reveal the writer’s attitude.
Is it one of anger? A scolding tone? A sorrowful tone? Or one of unimpassioned explanation? … [For example, in Galatians, Paul] even sounds as if he may be a little angry or at least disappointed with his readers, or both [Galatians 3:1-4].[2]
Our group noted that the tone of this passage comes out in the terms James uses to address his readers, “you adulterous people” in verse 4, “sinners” and “you double-minded” in verse 8. The change in tone also seems emphasized in contrast with his previous affectionate addresses to “my brothers” (1:2, 16; 2:1, 14; 3:1, 10, 11) and even “my dear brothers” (literally, “my beloved brothers, ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοί , adelphoi mou agapētoi, 1:16, 19; 2:5). Just after the passage for this week (James 4:1-10), he again calls them “brothers” (4:11).
An obvious question came up in our group, “Why?” Why this sudden, dramatic, and brief shift of tone? One suggestion from the group was that James felt particularly passionate about the problem addressed in this passage. Perhaps he knew (or at least suspected) that the issues of competition and controversy (“wars and fights among you” in verse 1) were particularly serious among his readers.
We briefly discussed the accusation of murder in verse 2. James isn’t clear if zealous people were literally killing others or if he was thinking of the words of his half-Brother about anger being equivalent to murder (Matthew 5:21-22). Either way, the thought of broken, toxic relationships between people he normally addressed as “beloved” was enough to stir James to severe, uncompromising language.
Context
Another “Why?” question: Why did James write this passage at this point in his letter? Is this passage a sudden, random outburst? Or does it follow from the themes James has already been developing?
A person in our discussion group pointed out verse 14 in the previous section (in the lighter print on the handout) about “bitter envy and selfish ambition.” In the section about genuine, heavenly wisdom leading to peace (James 3:13-18), James offers a general description about the purity and other characteristics (3:17). Then he immediately describes the destructive consequences of self-centered wisdom: wars and fights (4:1). (Remember, the chapter and verse divisions were not part of the letter that James wrote. They were added roughly a thousand years later for convenience. Unfortunately, those artificial divisions can sometimes get in the way of seeing the flow of the writer’s thought process.)
Indicatives
Another noticeable characteristic of this passage is how James arranges his material. Verses 1-3 consist entirely of statements of fact about James’ readers: the wars and fights, the desires and coveting, the implied frustration of not getting what they want. From a grammatical perspective, everything in this paragraph is written in the indicative mood:
the declarative mood or the mood of certainty. This is a statement of fact which assumes reality from the speaker’s [or writer’s – mw] point of view. This mood simply states a thing as being a fact.[3]
James is making his case, explaining the reason for his sudden severe tone. He is not suggesting that maybe there might be a possibility of friction or potential trouble between believers (that would be the subjunctive mood, expressing probability). James is stating facts that he doesn’t expect his readers to deny.
Imperatives
In contrast to those indicative statements of fact, the later part of this passage (v. 7-10) consists of imperative verbs, “the mood of volition or will…. [that] makes a demand on the will of the reader to obey the command; it is used to indicate prohibition and authority.”[4]
The strong reaction James has toward the trouble (what one writer calls the “chaos”[5]) between his readers is seen in the atmosphere or tone discussed above. That reaction is even more evident in the grammar he uses. He is not suggesting or hinting or recommending some possible self-help tips. He is commanding with all his authority as a “servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (James 1:1), as an apostle (Galatians 1:19), a “pillar” of the church (Galatians 2:9), and the leader of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13). His reaction to relational chaos among Christians should make us consider how to heal our relationships.
Structure
Scripture is the Word of God, and we look to it for its content. However, Scripture also often displays a literary beauty as well in the way the Spirit-inspired writers used their human skill.
Identifying literary features … helps us both better appreciate the literary beauty of God’s inspired Word and identify important themes.[6]
This passage illustrates examples of that literary beauty. James used several ways of expressing his message.
Chiasm
Chiasms (often found in Psalms as a Hebrew poetic structure) consist of elements (words, phrases, etc.) that form a pattern of parallel ideas, such as A-B-B’-A’. This pattern may serve as a mnemonic device, or it may be a way to express similar or related (or even contrasting) ideas in multiple ways to increase clarity.
In a chiasm an author presents a series of ideas and then repeats them in the opposite order. This can be used to mark off the text or to emphasize the point in the middle. The structure might look like A-B-C-B‘-A’. In this case A and A’ would share something in common, as would B and B’. This would help the reader identify the author’s focus on C.[7]
The opening verses of this passage form a simple chiasm:
1 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you? 2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war.
The chiastic structure can be seen as:
A 1 What is the source of wars and fights among you?
B Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you?
B’ 2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain.
A’ You fight and wage war.
One commentator suggested a cyclical pattern that would be self-perpetuating:
A Fights and quarrels (v. 1a)
B come from wrong desires (v 1b)
B’ Frustrated desire (v. 2a) leads to
A’ Quarrels and fights (v. 2b)[8]
Contrasting Pairs
In the section of indicative statements about his readers (v. 2-3) James uses a series of contrasting pairs of statements:
2 You desire
. and do not have.
You murder and covet
. and cannot obtain.
You fight and wage war
. You do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask
. and don’t receive
. because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.[9]
One observation in our group was that the statements seem to form a progression of increasing intensity. Desire grows into murder and coveting, then into fighting and waging war, and finally turning to God, but with prayers corrupted by the previous experience.
Bookends
Sometimes a Biblical writer will mention an idea, then explain or expand that idea, and then come back to the same idea. The writer’s main point, mentioned at the beginning and the end, acts like a set of bookends, setting off the intervening explanation. The more formal terminology is an inclusion:
An inclusio occurs when an author places the same idea, word, phrase, or character both at the beginning and end of a unit of thought. What falls between these two markers should be included (inclusio!) in the same unit of thought.[10]
Or in less technical language, an inclusio is the “repetition of the same language at the beginning and end of a section of literature forming bookends.”[11]
The solution James gives (in repeated imperatives) for the conflicts appears to be such a bookended structure:
7 Therefore, submit to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Cleanse your hands, sinners, and
purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Be miserable and
mourn and
weep.
Let your laughter be turned to mourning and
. your joy [be turned] to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will exalt you.[12]
Humble submission to God (v. 7, 10) summarizes the commands James gives. Enclosed by those bookends, he offers a series of more specific orders, using still another structure of parallel statements.
The parallel bookends (“submit to God”, “humble yourself before the Lord”) express essentially the same thought in two different ways. The sequence of parallel statements expands the meaning of what that humble submission looks like
Structure and Interpretation
Perhaps the best question asked in our group was essentially, “So what?” Does the structure a writer uses help us interpret the passage? Or does that structure simply provide an interesting academic or literary analysis? In the three examples noted, the structure does indeed aid our understanding of the passage.
- The chiasm James used (v. 1-2) brings out the potentially endless cycle of envy-driven conflict.
- The contrasting pairs (v. 2-3) highlight the escalating nature of envy and ambition and unsatisfied desire.
- The bookends (v. 7, 10) surround a clearer description of the characteristics (v. 8-9) of how we are to submit our lives to God.
It probably is possible to see those interpretive insights without bothering with the structure of the passage, but noticing (not inventing!) the structure that a writer might have used often can help our interpretive efforts.
Bones
When faced with a difficult or confusing verse (like a piece of bony fish), looking at different translations can often be helpful. Unfortunately, with some verses (like James 4:5), the result does not bring a clear solution. In our group we looked at seven different translations,[13] but the two shown below are representative.
Or do you think it’s without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely? (Christian Standard Bible, CSB)
Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? English Standard Version (ESV)
When faced with a question about an Old Testament quotation (“the Scripture says”), reading the source of the quotation would be a great starting point. Unfortunately (once again), that is one of the questions about the quotation James uses.
The difficulty is that the words that James ‘quotes’ do not reproduce any OT text – or even any noncanonical Jewish text, for that matter.”[14]
While many suggestions are offered by different interpreters, the simplest may be that the reference “speaks about the biblical theme of God’s jealousy for his people”[15] rather than a specific verse.
Given the grammar and vocabulary of the “quotation”, either the CSB or the ESV (and the other translations which are comparable to one or the other) can be defended. At least one translation (New Amercian Standard Bible – NASB) capitalizes “Spirit” implying the Holy Spirit, “James has not directly alluded to the Holy Spirit yet in his epistle, so his sudden appearance might be questioned.”[16] Therefore, the reference to “spirit” is probably the human spirit.
A member of our group pointed out that the CSB translation seems to fit better in the context of fighting and wars motivated by envy and ambition. On the other hand, the ESV translation emphasizes God’s jealousy for His people. When James called his readers “adulterous people” (v. 4), the word is actually feminine, or “you adulteresses” (μοιχαλίδες, moichalides). “The feminine … clearly calls one back to the whole OT tradition of Israel as God’s unfaithful wife.”[17] This aspect of the verse may be seen best in the paraphrase of the New Living Translation (NLT):
Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.
How do we deal with so much uncertainty in the exact meaning and interpretation of any Biblical text?
- First, note that neither interpretation of verse 5 changes the main point James is making – the conflicts among believers and the solution in drawing near to God.
- Second, never build major doctrine or application on a single verse, especially when the meaning is not clear.
Conflicts and Resolution
Our discussion group agreed that whatever James meant by verse 5, it does not change the clear intention of the rest of the passage. The conflicts produced by self-obsessed desires (v. 1-3) are contrary to the peace that comes from genuine Godly wisdom (3:14-18). The only hope for avoiding the adulterous friendship with the world and hostility toward God (v. 4) is renewal of our single-minded relationship with Him.
James provides many commands intended to resolve the desperate situation he describes as “wars and fights” among Christians. His imperative “draw near to God” does not create a burden on us but rather an invitation to an incredible opportunity. Whenever we lose sight of the miracle of sinful creatures experiencing intimacy with the Holy Creator, our envy and selfish ambition rule our hearts. Humble submission and repentance return us to the “better hope, through which we draw near to God” (Hebrews 7:19, NASB).
[1] Dr. Oswald Smith, quoted in James F. Nyquist, Leading Bible Discussions (Chicago: Inter-Varsity Press, 1968), 29.
[2] Scott Duvall, J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005), 53.
[3] Kay Arthur, How to Study Your Bible: The Lasting Rewards of the Inductive Method (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1994), 164.
[4] Kay Arthur, How to Study Your Bible: The Lasting Rewards of the Inductive Method (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1994), 165.
[5] Craig L. Blomberg, Mariam J. Kamell, James, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2008), 177.
[6] http://chrisbrauns.com/2015/02/the-gospel-of-matthews-use-of-inclusio-or-bracketing/ Retrieved January 22, 2020.
[7] https://www.knowableword.com/tag/inclusio/ Retrieved January 22, 2020. This “Knowable Word” website includes many other helpful guidelines for inductive Bible Study.
[8] Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000), 184.
[9] Punctuation and outline suggested by Peter H. Davids, The Epistle of James, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1982), 157-158.
[10] https://www.knowableword.com/tag/inclusio/ Retrieved January 22, 2020.
[11] http://www.ulbap.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Inclusio-Examples.pdf Emphasis added. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
[12] Punctuation and outline suggested by Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000), 192.
[13] Translations from Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/James%204:5, retrieved January 19, 2020.
[14] Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000), 190.
[15] Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000), 190, emphasis added.
[16] Craig L. Blomberg, Mariam J. Kamell, James, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2008), 191-192.
[17] Peter H. Davids, The Epistle of James, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1982), 160.