James 1:13 - Exposition

God is not the author of temptation; cf. Ecclesiasticus 15:11, 12, " Say not thou, It is through the Lord that I fell away: for thou oughtest not to do the things that he hateth. Say not thou, He hath caused me to err: for he hath no need of the sinful man." From God ; ἀπὸ θεοῦ (the article is wanting in א , A, B, C, K, L). Contrast ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας . ἀπὸ θεοῦ is a more general expression than ὑπὸ θεοῦ , which would refer the temptation immediately to God. ἀπὸ θεοῦ is frequently used as a kind of adverb divinitus. Cannot be tempted ; ἀπείραστος : an ἅπαξ λεγόμενον . Syriac, "is not tempted with evils;" Vulgate, intentator malorum ; R.V., "cannot be tempted of evil;" R.V. margin, "is untried in evil." Alford has a good note on this word, in which he points out that it has but two meanings:

The rendering of the Vulgate is thus etymologically possible, but is against the context. The use of the word may, perhaps, be extended somewhat wider than the renderings given above would allow, so that it may be paraphrased as "out of the sphere of evils" (Farrar). Neither tempteth he , etc. Here the writer has in his mind the conception of a direct temptation from God. αὐτός is emphatic. Render with R.V., And he himself tempteth no man.