BibleTools
James 1:2
Compare all

Greeting to the Twelve Tribes

1 James, aa bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.  

Profiting from Trials

2 My brethren, acount it all joy bwhen you fall into various trials,  
3 aknowing that the testing of your faith produces1 patience.  
4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be1 perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  
5 aIf any of you lacks wisdom, blet him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and cit will be given to him.  
6 aBut let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is aa double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.  

The Perspective of Rich and Poor

9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,
10 but the rich in his humiliation, because aas a flower of the field he will pass away.  
Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
<< James 1:1   James 1:3 >>


James 1:2

Count it (hghsasqe). First aorist middle imperative of hgeomai, old verb to consider. Do it now and once for all.

All joy (pasan xaran). "Whole joy," " unmixed joy," as in Philippians 2:29. Not just "some joy" along with much grief.

When (otan). "Whenever," indefinite temporal conjunction.

Ye fall into (peripeshte). Second aorist active subjunctive (with the indefinite otan) from peripiptw, literally to fall around (into the midst of), to fall among as in Luke 10:30 lhstaiv periepesen (he fell among robbers). Only other N.T. example of this old compound is in Acts 27:41. Thucydides uses it of falling into affliction. It is the picture of being surrounded (peri) by trials.

Manifold temptations (peirasmoiv poikiloiv). Associative instrumental case. The English word temptation is Latin and originally meant trials whether good or bad, but the evil sense has monopolized the word in our modern English, though we still say "attempt." The word peirasmov (from peirazw, late form for the old peiraw as in Acts 26:21, both in good sense as in John 6:6, and in bad sense as in Matthew 16:1) does not occur outside of the LXX and the N.T. except in Dioscorides (A.D. 100?) of experiments on diseases. "Trials" is clearly the meaning here, but the evil sense appears in verse James 1:12 (clearly in peirazw in verse James 1:13) and so in Hebrews 3:8. Trials rightly faced are harmless, but wrongly met become temptations to evil. The adjective poikilov (manifold) is as old as Homer and means variegated, many coloured as in Matthew 4:24; II Timothy 3:6; Hebrews 2:4. In I Peter 1:6 we have this same phrase. It is a bold demand that James here makes.




Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing James 1:2:

Matthew 6:13
Luke 22:28
Acts 27:41
Galatians 4:14
Titus 3:3
Hebrews 2:4
James 1:9
James 1:12
1 Peter 1:6
1 Peter 4:10
2 Peter 2:9
Revelation 3:10

 

<< James 1:1   James 1:3 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.

Join 137,263+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

Close
E-mail This Page