James 4:1, James 4:2 NIV

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 4:1-3

4:1-3 Whence come feuds and whence come fights among you? Is this not their source--do they not arise because of these desires for pleasures which carry on their constant warring campaign within your members? You desire but you do not possess; you murder; you covet but you cannot obtain. You fight and war but you do not possess, because you do not ask. You ask but you do not receive, because you ask wrongly, for your only desire is to spend what you receive on your own pleasures. James is... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - James 4:1-3

This pleasure-dominated life has certain inevitable consequences. (i) It sets men at each other's throats. Desires, as James sees it, are inherently warring powers. He does not mean that they war within a man--although that is also true--but that they set men warring against each other. The basic desires are for the same things--for money, for power, for prestige, for worldly possessions, for the gratification of bodily lusts. When all men are striving to possess the same things, life... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - James 4:1

From whence come wars and fightings among you ?.... Which are to be understood, not of public and national wars, such as might be between the Jews and other nations at this time; for the apostle is not writing to the Jews in Judea, as a nation, or body politic, but to the twelve tribes scattered abroad, and to such of them as were Christians; nor were Christians in general as yet increased, and become such large bodies, or were whole nations become Christians, and much less at war one... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:1

From whence come wars and fightings - About the time in which St. James wrote, whether we follow the earlier or the later date of this epistle, we find, according to the accounts given by Josephus, Bell. Jud. lib. ii. c. 17, etc., that the Jews, under pretense of defending their religion, and procuring that liberty to which they believed themselves entitled, made various insurrections in Judea against the Romans, which occasioned much bloodshed and misery to their nation. The factions also,... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:1

Verse 1 1From whence come wars. As he had spoken of peace, and had reminded them that vices are to be exterminated in such a way as to preserve peace, he now comes to their contentions, by which they created confusion among themselves; and he shews that these arose from their invidious desires and lusts, rather than from a zeal for what was just and right; for if every one observed moderation, they would not have disturbed and annoyed one another. They had their hot conflicts, because their... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - James 4:1

Whence wars and whence fightings among you? The second "whence" ( πόθεν ) is omitted in the Received Text, after K, L, Syriac, and Vulgate; but it is supported by א , A, B, C, the Coptic, and Old Latin. Wars … fightings ( πόλεμοι … μάχαι ). To what is the reference? ΄άχαι occurs elsewhere in the New Testament only in 2 Corinthians 7:5 , "Without were fightings, within were fears;" and 2 Timothy 2:23 ; Titus 3:9 , in both of which passages it refers to disputes and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - James 4:1

The origin of strife sad conflict to be sought in selfish lust. Our "members" are the field of battle in which, or rather the instruments with which, the conflict is fought; and all the while they are really warring against the soul ( 1 Peter 2:11 ). The conflict, therefore, is a suicidal one. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - James 4:1-3

Wars and fightings. Gazing upon the fair portraiture of the heavenly wisdom with which James 3:1-18 . closes, we perhaps feel as if we could make tabernacles for ourselves in its peaceful presence, that we might continue always to contemplate its beauty. Immediately, however, James brings us down again from the holy mount into the quarrelsome and murderous world. He points us to the "wars" and "fightings" that rage throughout the human family. He returns to the " bitter jealousy and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - James 4:1-10

War or peace? He has just been speaking of peace. But this leads him to survey the actual state of things: disputes, strifes, murders. (For condition of Jewish society at this time, see Plumptre's notes: " rife with atrocities.") And he will ascend to the origin of them. Whence come they? They proceed from the restlessness of the unregenerate nature, seeking, but seeking in vain, its satisfaction in the world. These two topics, then, are introduced to us: dissatisfaction with the... read more

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

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - James 4:1-3

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - James 4:1-3

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - James 4:1

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:1

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:1

The Pulpit Commentary - James 4:1

The Pulpit Commentary - James 4:1

The Pulpit Commentary - James 4:1-3

The Pulpit Commentary - James 4:1-10

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