James 4:4-5 KJV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - James 4:1-10

The former chapter speaks of envying one another, as the great spring of strifes and contentions; this chapter speaks of a lust after worldly things, and a setting too great a value upon worldly pleasures and friendships, as that which carried their divisions to a shameful height. I. The apostle here reproves the Jewish Christians for their wars, and for their lusts as the cause of them: Whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members,... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - James 4:4-7

4:4-7 Renegades to your vows, do you not know that love for this world is enmity to God? Whoever makes it his aim to be the friend of this world thereby becomes the enemy of God. Do you think that the saying of Scripture is only an idle saying: "God jealously yearns for the spirit which he has made to dwell within us"? But God gives the more grace. That is why Scripture says, "God sets himself against the haughty, but gives grace to the humble." So, then, submit yourselves to God. Resist the... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - James 4:4-7

In this passage James says that love of the world is enmity with God and that he who is the friend of the world thereby becomes the enemy of God. It is important to understand what he means. (i) This is not spoken out of contempt for the world. It is not spoken from the point of view which regards earth as a desert drear and which denigrates everything in the natural world. There is a story of a Puritan who was out for a walk in the country with a friend. The friend noticed a very lovely... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - James 4:4-7

James 4:5 is exceedingly difficult. To begin with, it is cited as a quotation from Scripture, but there is no part of Scripture of which it is, in fact, anything like a recognizable quotation. We may either assume that James is quoting from some book now lost which he regarded as Scripture; or, that he is summing up in one sentence what is the eternal sense of the Old Testament and not meaning to quote any particular passage. Further, the translation is difficult: There are two alternative... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - James 4:4-7

James goes on to meet an almost inevitable reaction to this picture of God as the jealous lover. If God is like that, how can any man give to him the devotion he demands? James' answer is that, if God makes a great demand, he gives great grace to fulfil it; and the greater the demand, the greater the grace God gives. But grace has a constant characteristic--a man cannot receive it until he has realized his need of it, and has come to God humbly pleading for help. Therefore, it must always... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - James 4:4

Ye adulterers and adulteresses ,.... Not who were literally such, but in a figurative and metaphorical sense: as he is an adulterer that removes his affections from his own wife, and sets them upon another woman; and she is an adulteress that loves not her husband, but places her love upon another man; so such men and women are adulterers and adulteresses, who, instead of loving God, whom they ought to love with all their hearts and souls, set their affections upon the world, and the things... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - James 4:5

Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain ?.... Some think that the apostle refers to a particular passage of Scripture in the Old Testament, and that he took it from Genesis 6:3 as some; or from Exodus 20:5 , as others; or from Deuteronomy 7:2 or from Job 5:6 or from Proverbs 21:10 others think he had in view some text in the New Testament; either Romans 12:2 or Galatians 5:17 and some have imagined that he refers to a passage in the apocryphal book: "For into a malicious... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:4

Ye adulterers and adulteresses - The Jews, because of their covenant with God, are represented as being espoused to him; and hence their idolatry, and their iniquity in general, are represented under the notion of adultery. And although they had not since the Babylonish captivity been guilty of idolatry; according to the letter; yet what is intended by idolatry, having their hearts estranged from God, and seeking their portion in this life and out of God, is that of which the Jews were then... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:5

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain - This verse is exceedingly obscure. We cannot tell what scripture St. James refers to; many have been produced by learned men as that which he had particularly in view. Some think Genesis 6:5 ; : "Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Genesis 8:21 ; : "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth." Numbers 11:29 ; : "Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake?" and Proverbs 21:10 ; : "The... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:4

Verse 4 4Ye adulterers. I connect this verse with the foregoing verses: for he calls them adulterers, as I think, metaphorically; for they corrupted themselves with the vanities of this world, and alienated themselves from God; as though he had said, that they had become degenerated, or were become bastards. We know how frequent, in Holy Scripture, is that marriage mentioned which God forms with us. He would have us, then, to be like a chaste virgin, as Paul says, (2 Corinthians 11:2.) This... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - James 4:1-10

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - James 4:4-7

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - James 4:4-7

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - James 4:4-7

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - James 4:4-7

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - James 4:4

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - James 4:5

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:4

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:5

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:4

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