James 4:11 - Exposition

Speak not evil. καταλαλεῖν : only here and 1 Peter 2:12 ; 1 Peter 3:16 . Vulgate, detrahere. But the context shows that the writer is thinking rather of harsh censorious judging. R.V., "Speak not one against another." And judgeth ; rather, or judgeth ; ἢ ( א , A, B, Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic) for καὶ of the Textus Receptus. Speaketh evil of the law. What law? According to Dean Plumptre, "the royal law of Christ, which forbids judging ( Matthew 7:1-5 )." Alford: "The law of Christian life: the old moral Law, glorified and amplified by Christ: the νόμος βασιλικός of James 2:8 ; νόμος τῆς ἐλευθερίας of James 1:25 ." Huther: " the law of Christian life which, according to its contents, is none other than the law of love."