James 5:9

Murmur not, brethren, one against another, that ye be not judged: behold, the judge standeth before the doors.

The judge standeth before the doors ... It is agreed by all that "the judge" here is Christ, thus justifying the conclusion that "the judge" mentioned a moment earlier in James 4:12 is also Christ. As Roberts observed, "The clause reflects the very words of Jesus (Mark 13:29; Matthew 24:33). The judge is Christ."[28]

Murmur not ... This is "grudge not" in the KJV, another example of words changing their meaning. "Grudge has curiously changed its meaning from an outward murmur to an inward feeling."[29] The type of murmuring which was likely to have existed in the churches which originally received this letter was that of complaining because so many years had passed and yet the old Sadducean hypocrites were still totally in charge in Jerusalem. During the interval between the governorships of Festus and Albinus, the wicked high priest Ananus seized the opportunity to murder James the author of this epistle.

He convened the judges and brought before them James a brother of Jesus who was called Christ .... He accused him of having transgressed the law and delivered him up to be stoned.[30]

Unlike many early traditions, this one is generally received as being authentic.[31] Punchard has this additional reference to it:

One of the mocking questions put to St. James by his enemies, as they hurried him to death, was "Which is the door of Jesus?" Failing to receive an answer, they said, "Let us stone this James the Just." So, they threw him from the pinnacle of the temple, after which he was beaten to death with a fuller's club.[32]

Thus, it is particularly interesting that James' words in this very verse were mentioned on the occasion of his martyrdom.

Dummelow's paraphrase seems to be an accurate reflection of James' admonition in this verse: "Do not let your irritation and soreness at outside oppression vent itself in impatience and grumbling towards one another."[33]

[28] J. W. Roberts, The Letter of James (Austin, Texas: The Sweet Publishing Company, 1977), p. 154.

[29] E. G. Punchard, op. cit., p. 377.

[30] Flavius Josephus, Antiquities, 20:9. 1 (200).

[31] Jack P. Lewis, Historical Backgrounds of Bible History (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1971), p. 141.

[32] E. G. Punchard, op. cit., p. 377.

[33] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 1037.